Checkerboard

November 2025

• Monumental Outdoor Signage
• Big Collectibles Show
• Fulper Pottery Whiskey Jugs
• The Power of Rumford Kitchen Tools
• Paper Holiday Masks
• The Perils of Early Canning
• Video: O'Hurley's General Store
• Wanted Items

When collectors think of vintage signage, what typically comes to mind are the popular forms of advertising, such as tin signs, Victorian-era chromolithographs, durable porcelain signage, and the like. However, one historically important form of signage is often overlooked—outdoor advertising. Outdoor advertising ranges from simple billboards to massive, multi-story architectural wonders, and everything in between. This article introduces the reader to large or monumental outdoor signage of various types that became popular in the early 20th century. 

The John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History at Duke University in Durham, NC has established an outstanding, free online resource, known as “ROAD”-https://repository.duke.edu/dc/outdooradvertising.

ROAD, which stands for “Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions”, is an online portal to more than 30,000 images of outdoor advertisements from five different source collections. In this massive compendium, you can find any type of outdoor signage that tickles your fancy.

The gallery below presents images of a few different types of large and monumental outdoor signage. Zoom in to appreciate the interesting details.

The fifth annual two day Big Collectibles Show held at the MAPS Air Museum in North Canton, Ohio Oct. 31 & Nov. 1, was a huge success!

The 250 table show united dealers and collectors from 16 states, some from as far away as California, Arizona, and Florida. Sixty-eight dealers participated with a wide variety of material including antique advertising signs, tins, and a multitude of ephemera. Political material included many Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Kennedy items. Jewelry, coins, antiques, comic books, nostalgia, glassware, toys, sports, rock ‘n’ roll material and the Beatles rounded out a crowd-pleasing offering. 

The venue is a de-acquisitioned airplane hanger located at the south end of the Akron Canton Airport. The museum consists of 42 airplanes and permanent displays of American military history. The revolutionary war, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and II along with Korea and Vietnam are contained within the museum.

AAAA Board of Directors member, Jack Dixey, hosts the annual event held at the end of October. More than 400 interested parties (an increase of 150) paid $10 which included admission to the show and the museum.

An incentive for interested parties was offered by Dixey. “The success of an event this size is greatly based on the amount of material trading hands. As an incentive, I offered to anyone spending more than $10,000 a bonus of $1,000 to be spent at the show.” Stipulations included the $10,000 be spent with five or more dealers. The bonus was in the form of $100 certificates which could only be used at the event." 

Four individuals met the $10,000 challenge and gladly spent their additional $1,000 bonus bucks with a variety of dealers. One dealer sold $25,000, another sold $15,000 and at least 5 exceeded $10,000 in sales at the two day event. The happy recipients of the bonus bucks appear below.

Six new-to-the-show dealers have already committed to next year’s event which will be held Friday Oct. 30 and Sat. 31, 2026.

The photos below provide a glimpse of the excitement and activity that was present at this show.

For more information and additional photos visit The Big Collectibles Show on Facebook or contact Jack Dixey at dixeycitylimits@yahoo.com, on Facebook as Jack Dixey, or by calling 419-610-9270. 

Fulper stoneware whisky jugs were produced from around 1900 to 1920, during which time the company created custom-decorated stoneware jugs for numerous liquor distillers and distributors. These jugs are now highly sought after by collectors, who identify them by their distinct glaze pattern. 

Fulper's fancy whiskey jugs can be identified by their reverse-glazing style, featuring a dark Albany slip glaze on the bottom half and a lighter Bristol glaze on the top. This was an uncommon practice, as most other American potteries used the opposite arrangement.

The jugs are known for their hand-painted floral designs and hand-lettered gold text, which were created to promote specific liquor distributors. Some jugs feature a date from the 1880s, which refers to the age of the whiskey contained inside, and not the date the jug itself was made. While uniquely identifiable, these stoneware jugs were not marked with the Fulper name. Fulper produced dozens of different decorations for various distillers and distributors, and some examples have been found as far away as Australia and South Africa. They were generally approximately 8.5 inches tall.

A selection of Fulper Pottery Whiskey jugs is presented below:

Two examples from "Klein Bros", Cincinnati

Davy Crockett, 1849

D.E. LeRoy

When it first appeared on the market in 1859, it was branded with a mouthful of a name: ”Horsford’s Self-Raising Bread Preparation.” Manufactured by the Rumford Chemical Works in Providence, Rhode Island, it was the first modern- day baking powder.

Its inventor was Harvard University Chemistry Professor, Eben Horsford, who was granted a patent for his discovery on April 26, 1856. Three years later production began at the chemical works factory that Horsford and a business partner, George F. Wilson, had launched earlier.

Horsford, 1818-1893, named the factory after the Rumford Professorship at Harvard, to which he was named in 1847 and where he taught chemistry for 16 years.

Horsford’s Self-Raising Bread Preparation was a new, revolutionary powder that increased the volume and lightened the texture of baked goods. It resulted in a more efficient and economical way to make breads and other baked items, especially at home.

As the product grew in popularity and was accepted more and more by a skeptical public, Horsford turned to his professorship to adopt a new and to-the-point product name: Rumford Baking Powder.

The new name also was important as other commercial baking powder companies, all with “baking powder” in their names, came on the market and aggressively competed for customers.

But Horsford’s Self-Raising Bread Preparation was not abandoned. It had established a dedicated market following which Rumford recognized. In fact, newspaper market ads for Horsford’s continued until 1923.

Rumford and its rivals, including Royal, Calumet, Clabber Girl and KC, heated up the competition with trade cards followed by free premium cookbooks and booklets.

In the 1920s, Rumford took the premiums a step further – offering culinary tools  branded RUMFORD THE WHOLESOME BAKING POWDER. The kitchen tools were an unqualified success. Rumford gained attention by offering them for free and they also paid off when used in preparing food – the name was always there for the cook to see and rely on (Image above).

Rumford distributors would work with markets to take out local newspaper ads offering a free culinary tool. For example, an ad in the Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, April 16, 1929 offered a roasting fork “absolutely free” with the purchase of a pound of Rumford Baking Powder (35 cents) “from any local grocer.” Rumford offered the utensils from 1923 to 1930 and their popularity proved a solid advertising move.

At the same time, Rumford offered an item to retailers to keep them involved in the promotion – a “lucky pocket piece.” The metal coin, just over 1 ¼-inches in diameter, is marked on one side: GENUINE RUMFORD LUCKY POCKET PIECE with good luck symbols, and on the other side: UNCLE HENRY SEZ U ALWAYS WIN SELLING RUMFORD BAKING POWDER. (Images below)

Following two ownership changes, Rumford is still a leader in sales nationally. Hulman & Company of Terre Haute, Indiana acquired Rumford in 1950 and it joined Clabber Girl on supermarket shelves. B&G Foods purchased Hulman in 2019 for $80 million. 

Print and other advertising campaigns for Rumford have changed over the years but there is one constant – Rumford-marked culinary tools measure up as super-popular collectibles. An assortment of them appears below.:

Funnel

Biscuit Cutter-Fingerhole

Soapdish

Flour Sifter

Measuring Cup

Egg Separator

Scoop

Strawberry Huller

Roasting Fork

Slotted Spoon

Spoon

Ruler

Spatula Thin

Spatula Heart

Spatula Fat

Biscuit Cutters

Measuring Spoons

Slotted Mixer

Images are not shown to scale.

In the 1920s and 30s, people used to flock to their local general stores to purchase festive paper holiday masks. Mass-produced paper masks became a popular, inexpensive novelty for holiday parties in the 1920s, particularly for Halloween and New Years Eve. Masks also played a vital role in "trick-or-treating", which made its formal appearance in the 1920s, in an effort to curb youthful holiday vandalism. The designs often reflected the distinctive fashion and culture of the times, from stylized faces with era-specific hats to more traditional holiday and spooky themes. 

Halloween masks became a classic tradition at that time, marked by eerie and creepy designs to comical and innocent-looking faces. Notable styles included simple, die-cut "false faces" with openings for eyes, distinct faces, including variations of jack-o'-lanterns and other figures. Paper masks, at this time, were generally imported from Japan or Germany.

Many party masks were sold for New Year's celebrations, often featuring festive designs or faces with hats. Mardi Gras themes were also popular in that era, which influenced paper masks used for masquerade parties and theatrical performances. 

The creation of inexpensive, mass-produced paper party goods in the 1920s made masks widely accessible for the first time. Companies like Beistle, which still sells party supplies, were known for their paper masks.

Paper masks were generally flat, die-cut from cardstock, with holes cut out for the eyes and a ribbon or elastic string for tying them on. However, more expensive paper mache masks were also produced.

A selection of beautiful and skilfully produced 1920s-30s paper masks is presented below. Most of these gorgeous examples are in pristine condition. The second to last image presents the back side of some of the masks. The final image is a close-up that reveals the outstanding quality of the chromolithography. These paper masks are from the collection of a long-time TCCA/AAAA member who wishes to remain anonymous.

Although commercial canning of food products was introduced in the mid-19th century, broad acceptance did not occur until can openers were made more practical early in the 20th century. How safe were canned foods in those early days? The canning industry evolved considerably over time, with significant advancements in scientific knowledge and technology. The culmination of all of that was the introduction of "Sanitary Cans" in 1901. So they were apparently "safe enough" and yet, at least one early letter attests to some nagging doubts.

In looking over a batch of ephemera, I came across a mailed letter, hand written in pencil, dated March 5, 1908. The writer complained as follows:

"I was sick yesterday but feel pretty well today. That can of meat that Howard let me have for lunch didn't agree with me. I didn't do anything yesterday more than I just had to do"

Was the meat tainted due to the state of canning in 1908? We will never know. But it was interesting to discover this reference to possible safety issues 117 years ago.

Here is an image of the actual letter from 1908:

Meet Jay Hurley, owner of the O'Hurley's General Store, located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. This is a legendary 1930's-era general store that has changed over time, but retains that simple country store charm after all these years! This is a well-produced 24 minute video with lively, toe-tapping music.

This general store is about as authentic as they come, featuring beautiful, vintage oak fixtures. It also sports an original, locally manufactured pot belly stove which is its only source of heat. Preserving the store's vintage look and feel, Mr. Hurley does not permit any plastic whatsoever in the establishment.. Vintage items of all sorts are on display, including musical instruments, tools, and the like.

An extensive and diverse inventory is maintained for sale, including food items, clothing, hardware for restoration, and much more. They conduct entertainment activities regularly, including music, singing, and plays. They value the friendships and good times that have resulted from those experiences.

The store's 4.8 google rating attests to its broad and impressive appeal. Some describe it as the best general store they have ever visited. If you are in the area, a visit is a must!

Click the You Tube link below for an enjoyable visit with Mr. Hurley, a natural story teller.

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, plefkov@gmail.com. There is no fee for AAAA members. Up to three listings per member are permitted.

Clover Farm Stores (Cleveland, OH headquarters). General store grocery and hardware items, any advertising, displays, signs, tins, boxes, pictures, etc. Anything related to Clover Farm Stores. Dave and Sally Coates, 765-586-9834, dbsjcoat@gmail.com

Early Mr. Peanut/Planters Peanut memorabilia. The older and rarer the better! Please contact at jcamelleri@gmail.com or 864-327-6485. 

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) green version. Big Horn 1 lb or 3 lb coffee tin.  Tuxedo tobacco sample pocket tin (top condition). 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.

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 AAAA Publications Editor. Jack Dixey, Dheeraj Khiytani, and Alice Muncaster serve as Associate Publications Editors. Copyright 2025, Antique Advertising Association of America.