Checkerboard

May 2024

• 2024 AAAA Convention: The Excitement Builds: Register Now!
• Important Announcement: Indy Ad Show Changes Hands
• Heinz's Storied Pickle Charm Pin
• The Golden Age of Advertising
• Video: Calef’s Country Store, Rochester, New Hampshire
• Wanted Items

The AAAA Convention will take place from Wednesday evening, July 17 to Saturday morning, July 20, 2024. We will return to the Embassy Suites in Dublin (Columbus), Ohio. The convention registration fee is $95 per person, which will include all fun convention activities, one buffet lunch, one banquet dinner, made-to-order breakfast buffet for hotel guests each day, a hotel reception for hotel guests each evening with light snacks and up to two beverages (including beer/wine/cocktails), and a light offsite lunch (sandwiches) one day.

The Embassy Suites represents one of the best reasons to attend our convention. This hotel has hosted three previous AAAA Conventions and, each time, our attendees loved it! The large, open atrium provides a bold and breathtaking view of the hotel interior. The rooms are ideally suited to our purposes. Each room is a spacious suite that includes a "living room" that is used by sellers as their retail store and a separate, inner bedroom that offers complete privacy. Each room has a floor-to-ceiling picture window facing the hallway so buyers can "window shop" their inventory when the seller is not present. Our sellers will be located next to one another on one or two floors of the hotel so attendees can conveniently go from room to room searching for treasures. As noted above, a complementary daily hotel reception with light snacks and free alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks is a popular hotel amenity. And finally, the free (for guests) buffet breakfast is nationally recognized as one of the best in the industry! Its made-to-order egg dishes are to die for!

As always, planned activities will keep you busy the entire time, including two seminars, room sales, membership meeting, meals, raffles, and a visit to the outstanding Stacy Wills Collection, which will include a complementary light meal (sandwiches). Adding to the fun, we expect to be joined once again by our old friends from the Graniteware collectors group and Treasures for Little Children. Members of the National Barber Shop & Shaving Collectibles Association are also expected to join us again this year.

Two seminars will take place. "Political Advertising through the Years" will be presented by Jack Dixey. "Brad’s Drink", which will describe the history and advertising of Pepsi-Cola, will be presented by by Scott Kinzie and Jerry Avery.

Click here for the complete schedule of convention activities.

Convention Registration

To register online for the convention, click the green button below. The registration deadline is June 18.

For those without internet access, click the blue button below to print out a registration form.

Hotel Reservations

Hotel reservations MUST be made directly with the Embassy Suites Dublin, 5100 Upper Metro Place, Dublin, Ohio 43017.

To make an online hotel reservation, click the red button below.

Or you can call the Embassy Suites Dublin at 614-790-9000 (local number) or 800-220-9219 (Central Reservations) and mention our Group Name, “Antique Advertising Association of America”, Group Code: 91V to receive the discounted room rate.

The discounted hotel room rate is $139 per night for a room with one king bed or two double beds, plus tax. Free parking and Wi-Fi in your room are included. The deadline for making a reservation with the AAAA discount is June 18, 2024. Please be advised that rooms are likely to sell out well before that date.

Questions? Contact John DeVolder, Convention Co-Coordinator, at jcdvette@yahoo.com or call/text 585-697-4047.

The Spring installment of the Indy Ad Show took place on May 3 and 4, as the news quickly spread about its sale to Damon Granger, owner of the Indoor Antique Advertising Show. (Damon and his wife, Amanda, appear to the left.) The Indy Ad Show, or more formally, the "Indianapolis Antique Advertising Show", has been referred to as the "grand daddy" of antique advertising shows since its inception in 1970. It has also been generally recognized as the premiere antique advertising event in the nation. So the sale of the show by Morphy Auctions to Damon is big news within the industry.

This action closes a lengthy Quixotic arc for Damon, who unsuccessfully attempted to purchase the show in 2016, when the prior owners decided to call it quits. The next owners decided to move the show to the Boone county fairgrounds. In order to keep traditions alive, Damon established his own "Indoor Antique Advertising Show" in 2017, at the original location of the antique advertising show. To Damon's considerable credit, his show has grown impressively each and every year since then in terms of number of dealers, public attendance, and popular acclaim. It has garnered considerable support and affection from both buyers and sellers in a short period of time.

Damon will now have the opportunity to meld the best traditions of each show into one new Indy Ad Show. The show will take place in March (third Saturday) and September (fourth Saturday) of each year, eliminating the previously scheduled May date. The show will continue to follow Damon's popular one-day Saturday format from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, dropping the two-day Indy Ad Show schedule that always received mixed reviews. The admission fee will be $10.00 per person. There will be no "early buyer" admissions.

For the past few years, the Indy Ad Show has taken place at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, IN (just outside of Indianapolis). Damon's show has continued to be located at the original Indiana State Fairgrounds location in Indianapolis. Each location has its own enthusiastic group of supporters, with some preferring the traditional, urban Indiana State Fairgrounds and others favoring the more relaxed, rural character of the Boone County Fairgrounds.

In a "best of both worlds" resolution, the Indy Ad Show will now take place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds each March and the Boone County Fairgrounds each September. Therefore, each group of fans will be able to continue to look forward to their favored location. Also, the change-up in settings from spring to fall each year will help keep things lively and fresh.

Damon Granger has emerged as a very well-liked and popular figure within the industry. He is known as a personable, flexible, knowledgeable, and visionary leader who listens to others. More than anything else, however, he is viewed as a "collector's collector". His love and passion for items of antiquity, particularly antique advertising, literally ooze from his pores whenever he discusses a recent acquisition or visits a fine collection. That bond with other collectors has prompted many to become sellers at his show and bring new items to market.

Damon will be closely followed in terms of his success in managing the Indy Ad Show. Since 2009, the show has had six owners, with periods of exciting new heights and other periods of steep decline. Because of his stunning success in growing his show since 2017, there appears to be good cause for significant optimism.

AAAA extends its heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Damon and his family on his acquisition of the Indy Ad Show! AAAA has enjoyed a positive, collaborative relationship with Damon over these past few years and looks forward to continued mutual support in his new incarnation. You can look for the AAAA booth, provided by Damon on a complimentary basis, at future installments of the Indy Ad Show.

Editor’s comment: The story behind H. J. Heinz Company’s century-old pickle pin has been told many times before, but in this report the author reveals there was a patent behind the pin and the crucial timing of how it came together for a monumental advertising/marketing triumph.  

Henry John Heinz, founder of the H. J. Heinz Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, didn’t have much time. He learned in 1892 that the location for his company’s display at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago was less than favorable. In fact it was terrible – hidden away on the second floor of the Agriculture Building. Heinz knew he needed to encourage fairgoers to climb a stairway to visit his booth featuring “57 Varieties” of food products (in reality at the time there were more than 60).

Dedication ceremonies for the exposition, more commonly known as the Chicago World’s Fair, were held October 21, 1892 with vendors learning their display locations. The fair was set to open May 1, 1893 and that meant Heinz had only six months to come up with a plan to get fairgoers to seek out his unfavorable exhibit location.

Heinz came up with a brilliant solution, applying for a patent Dec. 1, 1892 for a “design for a watch charm.” Design Patent No. 22,321 was granted April 4, 1893 (image, left) -- a month before the fair officially opened. “My design consists in a watch-charm, having an oblong body, somewhat tapering in configuration resembling that of a cucumber, with surface warts, a stem, and with surface letters in intaglio or relief,” Heinz said in his patent application.

And the “pickle charm” (later transformed into the “pickle pin”) was born. It went on to become an icon of American advertising promotions by letting the customer wear or show off the advertisement.

Production of the just over 1-inch charm began before the patent was granted -- and it was a good thing. Knowing fairgoers would try to avoid stairways (there were more than 200 buildings spread over 690 acres), this is what Heinz did, according to a news item in the Pittsburgh Post on July 7, 1893:

PITTSBURGHERS AT THE WORLD’S FAIR



The galleries of the world’s fair buildings

have been rather slighted by visitors,

owing no doubt to the labor involved in

step climbing. H. J. Heinz Co., whose

exhibit is located in the gallery of the

agricultural building, have adopted a

novel scheme for attracting visitors to

their exhibit. Imitation baggage checks

are dropped about the grounds, each of

which informs the finder that upon pre-

sentation at the Heinz exhibit it will be

redeemed with a novel pickle watch

charm. The checks are bringing many

up the gallery steps who otherwise would

be content with the ground floor exhibits.

Was it successful? This is what the New York Times reported on November 15, 1893:

NARROW ESCAPE AT WORLD’S FAIR

CHICAGO, Nov. 14 – It has just been

discovered that the gallery floor of the

Agricultural Building has sagged where

the pickle display of H. J. Heinz Company stood,

owing to the vast crowd which constantly

thronged their stand to taste their goods or

procure a watch charm.

By the end of the fair on October 30, 1893 Heinz had given away more than one million pickle charms. And other companies that shared the 2^nd floor space with Heinz threw a fancy dinner party in his honor, thanking him for attracting giant crowds to their displays.

The first pickle charms were made out of gutta-percha, an early form of a plastic-like substance used as a filler in root canal surgery. They were marked: HEINZ’S and underneath: KEYSTONE, for the Keystone State. A small ring was mounted centered on the top so the charms could hang from a lady’s broach or be attached to a gentleman’s pocket watch. The markings later changed to HEINZ on one side and 57 on the other while maintaining the ring top. Shortly thereafter the charm became a pin with a safety pin inserted into the pickle. And there was one version with a straight pin. As molds changed, so did the pins. Older models are fatter than newer models.

The success of the pin apparently prompted Heinz to trademark the Heinz name on a pickle. The trademark was granted December 28, 1897.

Henry John Heinz was born October 11, 1844 in the small town of Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. He began his food career as a youth selling horseradish, grown in the family garden, to neighbors. In 1869 he launched what became the H. J. Heinz Company, offering horseradish, celery sauce, pickles and vinegar (image, above). Tomato ketchup was introduced in 1876 and quickly became the company’s most successful product. The company flourished, going international in 1905 with the opening of its first overseas factory in England. Heinz died in 1919 at the age of 75 but management of the company remained in the family for decades as it expanded into six continents as one of the biggest food products company in the world.

The pickle charm/pin was the smallest example of Heinz’s entrepreneurial spirit and genius promotion. The biggest example was the purchase and remodeling of a 900-foot pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the late 1890s. The Heinz Pier, adjoining the famous Boardwalk, offered year round free taste tests of Heinz products, food lectures, exhibits and, of course, pickle pins. Heinz Pier reportedly was visited by 50 million people before it was rendered useless by a hurricane in 1944.

The pickle pin lives on today. It is not known how many tens of millions have been given away but a 2000 promotion by Heinz offered a hint, saying, “one million are distributed annually.”

Even Andy Warhol got involved. When asked in an interview in 1977 about his favorite painting, the artist replied: “I guess the soup can. Campbell’s Soup were really upset (about his paintings) and they were going to do something about it, and then it went by so quickly I guess there really wasn’t anything they could do. But actually, when I lived in Pittsburgh (where he was born), the Heinz factory was there, and I used to go visit the Heinz factory a lot. They used to give pickle pins. I should have done Heinz soup. I did the Heinz ketchup box, instead.”

And even billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett became a promoter.

In 2013 Heinz agreed to be purchased by Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and the investment firm 3G Capital of Brazil for $23 billion. In 2015 Berkshire Hathaway acquired more stock to become the majority owner.

At subsequent annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings in Omaha, Nebraska, pickle pins were part of the promotional giveaways.

This all adds up to the pickle pin being considered the longest and most popular promotion of all time – an icon in American advertising.

In a 1995 promotion for retailers, Heinz issued a colorful sheet proclaiming: “Considered to be among the most popular souvenirs in the annals of American advertising, the Pickle Pin’s creation was based on the Founder’s Sixth Important Idea … let the public assist you in advertising your products and promoting your name" (image, below).

The promotion offered retailers “up to $2.00 off” each case of “#10 pickles/relish” purchased and showcased the 10 different pickle pins produced from 1893 to 1980. It also crowed: “Heinz Pickle Pins have been worn by generations of adults and children on their jackets, caps, coats, sweaters, shirts and ‘beanies’ … a fashion trend which began 100 years ago and continues even now as a special tradition of the Company. The Heinz Pickle trademark, which appears on many of the Heinz food product labels, is a constant reminder to consumers that ‘We’ve Got Your Pickle!’”

The Heinz ketchup bottle, introduced in 1890, is another classic symbol of ingenious product packaging. Its key design elements have not changed in more than 130 years and it is easily recognized all over the world by ketchup lovers. Henry J. Heinz was granted Design Patent No. 19,911 on June 17, 1890 (image, left) for what he called “a new and original design for bottles.” In his patent application he said “the leading feature of design consists in the representation of the series of (eight) flat faces or panels extending to about its middle…”

Before plastic, the Heinz octagonal bottle reigned supreme with its own extensive print advertising campaign. Vintage ads proclaimed: ”World’s Most Popular Ketchup” and “No Other Ketchup Tastes Like Heinz.” The company honored its “icon eight-sided Heinz Ketchup bottle” in 2000 with what it called “the perfect partnership.”

“To welcome a new century of growth, H. J. Heinz Company is proud to unveil a ‘companion’ to the Pickle Pin – the Heinz Ketchup Pin,” Heinz said in a cardboard advertising square 5 ¾-inches by 8 ½-inches with both pins attached (image, right). “If the vast appeal and demand for the Pickle Pin is any indication (one million are distributed annually), the new Heinz Ketchup Pin is destined to successfully partner with the ‘pickle’ for generations to come,” the ad concluded. The ketchup pin is 1 ½-inches long, eight sided, of course, with the tradition keystone label marked 2000.

Over the years, the list of promotional items has grown to include branding on coffee mugs, baseball hats, die–cast cars, Christmas ornaments, car model kits, transistor radios, model train cars and even golf balls and tees (image, right).

But the clear favorite of promotions is the pickle, including a 3-inch pickle whistle and a 4-1/2 inch soft rubber pickle (image below).

Many readers of this publication would regard the late Victorian period as the "Golden Age" of advertising. Innovative new technologies ushered in beautiful, lush chromolithography, millions of trade cards were printed, colorful, bold product packaging was introduced, and immense public interest developed in these new persuasive forms of communication. However in an article recently published in the digital publication, History Facts, the authors maintain that the Golden Age of advertising was NOT the Victorian Period--it was actually the 1960's and 70's. Memorialized by the popular 2007 television series, "Mad Men", this was also a period of new technology--television, that brought about the existence of powerful new advertising agencies, led by powerful men, located on Madison Avenue in New York City.

This is a fascinating story and if you are inclined to learn more, click here to read the complete article. While you may not be convinced that the 1960's and 70's were really the "Golden Age" of advertising, it should be a good ride.

Video: Calef's Country Store: Rochester, New Hampshire

This is the second in our Checkerboard series of video presentations about general stores. These heartfelt videos capture the history and current status of numerous general stores around the country.

This offering features Calef's Country Store in Rochester, New Hampshire. It was established way back in 1869. The store continues to operate as a retail store and has retained much of its authentic old-time atmosphere. The original 19th-century structure boasts intact wood ceilings and floors. Among the store's many offerings is a particularly popular specialty in various cheeses. To view this brief 3 minute You Tube video and meet the current proprietor, click the arrow below.

In this column are those sought-after items of desire that seem to be elusive. If you know where any of these items can be acquired or if you have one available, please click the link to reply directly to the seeker. To place a listing in this column, click here. There is no fee for AAAA members. Up to three listings per member are permitted.

Santa Claus bar soap. Call 602 689-7779 or send email to goodfinds31@yahoo.com.

"You Pay" Spinners Wanted. Colorful, early, tin litho only. Also known as "Who Pays" Spinners, "Your Turn" Spinners, etc. Used in drinking establishments to determine who pays for the next round. Please contact plefkov@gmail.com.

In search of Raven's Horse, Cattle & Poultry Food poster. Last sold Showtime Auction, April 2013. Dimensions: 13 1/2 x 21 1/2. Motivated buyer. Please call Ken Opengart at 256-520-5211 or email at kenopengart@gmail.com. To see a photo of the poster, click here.

US cigarette boxes, packs and wrappers from 1870-1935 wanted. Please text or email any you might have available for sale. Jon Canfield, joncanfield@gmail.com, 917-841-0275.

Pre-1885 advertising items related to barbed wire and farm fences. I am interested in primary material. Let me know if you have any items including illustrated catalogs, wire company published newspapers, illustrated postal covers and letterheads, flyers, signs, salesman samples, patent models or anything else related to my specific wants. Larry W. Love, wirefence@att.net, 214-497-6787.

Bulldog tobacco oval-top tin. Convention Hall coffee tin (Ridenour-Baker Kansas City) any variation. Big Horn 1 lb or 3 lb coffee tin. scross1@cox.net.

Philip Morris Tin & Porcelain Advertising Signs, thermometers, door push signs. Excellent to mint condition preferred. Daryl Crawford (804) 721-7294 or email drc4@msn.com

Justrite Pet Foods. The Justrite Company General Office was located in Milwaukee WI. A National Account. Advertising, displays, signs, tins, boxes all with logo on it. Most would come from the 1930s through 1950s. Thanks for the help… Gordon Addington. To reply, click here.

Old Topper Brewery Calendar of the late 1940s featuring a pin up artist nude in large format wanted. Always seeking any Rochester Brewery memorabilia. John DeVolder 585-697-4047 or jcdvette@yahoo.com.

"Jenny" Genesee Brewing Company's girl of the 1950s. Seeking cardboard point of sale-and other items that feature Jenny, who had a ten-year run from 1953 to 1963. Also interested in any cardboard point of sale items from the 1930s through the 1950s from any of the Rochester Breweries. John DeVolder 585-697-4047 or jcdvette@yahoo.com.

Coca-Cola 24" button porcelain sign with bottle in center. Want several in as close to mint condition as possible. Call 336-970-9867.

Books on Oil & Gas Collectibles. Also looking for books on signs. Call 336-970-9867.

Yellow Kid wanted: 50 year collector looking for the unusual. Reply to: yellowkid@tds.net.

Pedal Cars: Photos, postcards, calendars, catalogs and advertising related to pedal cars. To reply, click here.

Beer cans, soda cans, beer and soda tin-over-cardboard signs, cork-backed bottle caps, key-wind coffee cans, quart oil cans. Please email Jeff Lebo at jefflebo@aol.com.

Pedal car related items. To reply, click here.

Matchbook holders. To know what these are, see my articles in Checkerboard

for Nov. 2020 and May 2021. I will consider all items, in any material from plastic to gold, and not necessarily with advertising. Email Andy at matchbookholder@yahoo.com.

Cigarette Packs. Advanced collector looking to purchase vintage packs. Please contact Dheeraj by email: DHEERAJ.KHIYTANI@GMAIL.COM.

Donald Duck Goyer Coffee Cans; One pound can & 3 oz sample size in good condition with lids. Please send email with photos & prices to Jessica_l_Upton@yahoo.com.

Morimura Brothers (Japanese import company operating in NYC from 1880-1941) advertising items wanted: trade cards, pamphlets, catalog pages, salesman sample pages, porcelain items with advertising. To reply email at victdelit@aol.com.

DeLaval Items and Farm Advertising Signs. Always looking for top quality and unique items. Contact Gregg Hillyer at hogs2gregg@aol.com.

Antique advertising pertaining to country store or drug store products or places. Especially those showing women or girls with the product or location shown. I would consider any  antique advertising (paper, cardboard & metal signs). Quality a plus! Dale Peterson at cpeters2@sbcglobal.net.

Unusual one pound peanut butter tins. Tin litho or paper label. To reply, click here.

Marshmallow Tins. Smaller than 5 Pound Size. To reply, click here.

American Cookie, Biscuit and Cracker Tins and Boxes. To reply, click here. 

Banjo related advertising wanted Pre-1940s. Long time collector buying banjo company signage, catalogs, billheads, periodicals, minstrel banjo items such as posters, broadsides, sheet music (pre-1870s) with illustrated banjo covers, early photographs showing banjo players (pre-1915). My main collecting interest is in 19th century material. To reply, click here.

"Antique American Medicine Bottles" by M. Knapp... soft cover book with price guide. Printed in 2012. Cemartinjr@comcast.net or 781-248-8620. Also, see my other want ad for Clarke’s ephemera and bottles.

Looking for 3 Vintage Tins. American Eagle "Oriental Mixture" tobacco (dimensions approx. 6.5" long, 2.75" wide, 1.5" tall); 1 Gal. Indian Head Hydraulic Brake Fluid; and Packham´s Caramel Toffee. Any offer is welcome and any condition considered. To reply, click here.

Morton Salt, older items, and also Pacific Coast Borax, especially a crate or box. Email pego1950@hotmail.com or call Peggy Dailey 612-522-9211.

Comic Book-Related Advertising Items: Must be from before 1980. To reply, click here.

Clarke’s Vegetable Sherry Wine Bitters, Sharon, MA & Rockland, ME: All sizes, variants, smooth/pontil base. Especially need labeled Clarke’s any size! Also, any Clarke’s ephemera…trade cards, almanacs, newspaper ads, etc. Charlie Martin Jr., 781-248-8620. Email: cemartinjr@comcast.net.

George Petty: Advanced collector looking for unique or rare items. Photo’s, store displays and non paper items. NO Esquire pages. Pete Perrault. To reply, click here or call (502) 290-7661.

Ice Cream Advertising: Mr. Ice Cream desires better graphic ice cream advertising including: postcards (Advertising and RPPC), trade cards, letterheads, billheads, booklets, poster stamps, blotters, magic lantern slides, pinbacks, watchfobs, and pocket mirrors. Allan Mellis, 1115 West Montana St. Chicago, Illinois 60614-2220. mellisfamily@rcn.com To reply, click here.

Stock food, poultry food, veterinary advertising wanted. Posters, medicine packages, give-aways. Email kenopengart@gmail.com or call (256) 520-5211.

Singer Sewhandy Model 20. Green-regular paint, not hammertone. To reply, click here.

National Biscuit Company, Nabisco, Uneeda Biscuit, Uneeda Bakers, Muth Bakery, NBC Bread toys, signage, tins, containers, displays, historical items. Please Email jbarney@ameritech.net or call (937) 205-2232.

Early Cigarette Rolling Papers: Pre-1940s - American, Zig Zag, Braunstein Freres, Bambino, and Ottoman papers wanted. To reply, click here.

Antique/Collectible Banking and Financial System "Giveaway" and advertising items. Specifically from Pennsylvania. Alarm devices and such. To reply, click here.

VITAMINS advertising, displays, signs, bottles, and anything related: Hadacol is an example. Most would come from the 1930s thru the 1970s. Also anything related to cod-liver oil and WEIGHT-LOSS, REDUCING, ANTI-FAT, and OBESITY ITEMS. To reply, click here.

Early tin signs lithographed by Tuchfarber, Wells and Hope, Worcester Sign Company, Sentenne and Green, etc. I can pay more for good condition, but would be interested in any condition. Don Lurito DRelington@aol.com also in the directory. To reply, click here.

Dwinell-Wright Co. Royal Ground Spice Cardboard Spice Boxes. One side displays horizontally. Approximately 3.75" by 2.25". Any type of spice is OK. To reply, click here.

ENSIGN Perfect and ENSIGN Perfection vertical pocket tobacco tins to enhance my collection. Feel free to contact me at 614-888-4619 or k8pyd@breezelineohio.net to see if you can help fill the voids.

Edmands Coffee Company, Edmands Tea Company, 1776 Coffee, American Beauty Tea, Japan Tea, Devonshire Tea, (imported by Edmands, Boston/Chicago): Any items such as tins, signs, paper, or anything else related to the Edmands family of companies in Boston is desired. To reply, click here.

The AAAA Checkerboard is a monthly e-newsletter that is made available to all AAAA members at no cost. The mission of the Checkerboard is to increase knowledge about antique and collectible advertising among AAAA members. The Checkerboard also provides news and updates about AAAA. It is produced each month with the exception of the four months per year when the award-winning PastTimes print newsletter is published. Paul Lefkovitz (plefkov@gmail.com) serves as the Editor of the AAAA Checkerboard. Copyright 2024, Antique Advertising Association of America.