The F.R. Penn Tobacco Company in Wilkes-Barre, PA certainly made good use of this small metal tip tray from the 1920’s. The companies highly touted Banker Chewing Tobacco got the outer billing and largest letters on the tray, and was denoted as a “clean tobacco”. I can imagine a banker wanting a clean tobacco,…
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The P. Lorillard Tobacco Company produced an amazing advertising piece with this self-framed tin sign advertising their London Life brand of cigarettes. The sign is unusual in that the design portrays smoking as something associated with the life of luxury. In this scene, it appears the man has just gotten done playing a round of…
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I find this particular stock serving tray from the Ferd Heim Brewery somewhat interesting. I am not sure why, but it appears the small child is playing a flute, perhaps to bring his mom or the leading woman in his life into his view. This particular tray is widely popular with early antique advertising companies,…
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I love this particular piece from the Old Prentice brand of whisky. This particular gesso framed gilt style golden frame was a common design for many early advertisers. Amazingly, many of these signs still exist, and I can only speculate the beauty of the framing motivated people to keep the items to help decorate their…
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Featured is a stunning reverse on glass sign from the D. G. Yuengling Brewery which is based in the small town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. This sign advertises their original name, the Eagle Brewery. The sign also proudly boasts their various styles of beer, Ales, Porter, and Extra Fine Lager beer. The frame is a gilded…
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I was very happy to recently acquire an early general store wood cabinet with gorgeous etching on the front glass from Dr. J. H. McLean’s Medicinal Empire in St. Louis, MO. This cabinet would have been filled with bottles of Dr. McLeans Medicines and been on display in an early store. I believe this cabinet…
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Featured is a beautiful self framed tin sign from the Sharples Tubular Separator Company, which had factories in both Chicago, Illinois and West Chester, Pennsylvania around 1900. I have always loved this sign, as the image shows a young girl standing by her mother I would assume just wanting to help with the chore. Of…
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I love this piece of advertising, as admittedly, many people would question just how much of a heart and soul Uncle Sam really has, or how he was used in conjunction with a newspaper claiming to have both “heart and soul”. Back when this sign was produced, apparently the Denver Post Newspaper felt Uncle Sam…
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Antique advertising collectors have many categories of advertising items which they tend to prefer over other types of items. This Schmidt’s Beer lighted bullet style sign is one of those categories where modern collectors try to find any design they can. These early lights were very popular with companies in the mid to late 1930’s,…
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Being an dog lover, I have always liked signs with animals illustrated on the signs. Sometimes a company incorporated an animal into the theme for no apparent reason, or at least a reason I cannot determine the rationale today. The Old Honesty tobacco brand certainly used the image of a Saint Bernard simply to tie…
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