I was very happy to recently acquire an early general store wood cabinet with a gorgeous acid 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 pharmacy or general store. …
The use of the word “gypsy” typically brings to mind negativity, deceit, or danger in most people’s mind. However, one company used the word Gypsy to entice people to buy their product, and by doing so, were apparently very successful in establishing their ladies and men hosiery as one of leading selling brands in the…
One of the most desirable vintage advertising items sought by collectors today is a self-framed tin sign from the Post Grape Nuts Cereal brand featuring a young girl being walked off to school with her loyal St. Bernard. C. W. Post Cereal Company used this classic scene on several different advertising pieces, but the one…
TOKALON WINERY PAVES THE WAY FOR ROBERT MONDAVI SUCCESS! This 1884 ToKalon Winery embossed sign is a great example of history unfolding before your eyes. After acquiring this embossed 24 inch sign, I noticed it was made by the Tuscarora Advertising Company in Coshocton, OH, the largest advertising specialty house in the world. I also…
A NOVELTY SO NOVEL IT APPARENTLY WAS NOT A BIG SELLER! One of my favorite small town brewery collectibles is a rare toy from the Waterloo Brewing Company in Waterloo, Illinois, called The Wiggle-Wagglegraph. Research on this game and for the manufacturer maker shows this item was produced by the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company in Jersey City,…
This colorful Vess Cola “Contains No Caffein” embossed tin sign helps date the age of the sign with the 5 cent price notation. Soda was typically sold for a nickel from the late 1940’s through the late 1950’s. The sign is interesting because it was unusual for a soda at this time to not include caffeine, subsequently it is very…
One of the familiar sites in the city of St. Louis years ago was the Pevely Dairy delivery wagon which would go from neighborhood to neighborhood delivering the companies dairy products. On the side of the wagon was advertising for their products. In many historic photos, it shows the company’s slogan “Baby First” was on…
The Antique Advertising Expert In Country Living Magazine! What an honor! Country Living Magazine included many of my vintage soda collectibles in their July/August 2015 issue! Check out their interesting article, “Thrill of the Hunt”: A Soda Pop Collector’s Guide. You can look at some of the soda finds from “crates to coolers to syrup dispensers, bubbling…
Heim Brewery in East St. Louis, IL This Reverse-on-Glass Corner Sign is from the Heim Brewery in East St. Louis, Illinois, Circa 1905. The sign’s glass is reverse painted red with brilliant gold lettering outlined in black and reads, “Heim Beer Made in East St. Louis.” It’s fascinating to see an identical Heim Beer corner…
Faust Blend Coffee with Devil Trademark, C.F. Blanke Coffee & Tea Co., 1889 – 1940 Some of my favorite antique advertising collectibles are from the C.F. Blanke’s Faust Blend Coffee brand. One of the reasons I like this brand is its trademark devil character and the reference to a famous 1800’s German play called “Faust”.…