Vintage Advertising

Alvin Silver Bridal Rose Pattern

2010-07-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

I love to hear from my customers. As each piece of paper goes out the door I wonder what drove the buyer. What was the charm? the connection?

Sometimes I am lucky enough to get a little note to let me know. I woke up to this one:

Dear Beth, I have been collecting Alvin's Bridal Rose silver for decades. My parents inherited three pieces. .When that was left to me, I fell in love with the pattern. I knew that one day, I would find an antique ad. My husband & I are very grateful to you for helping us add the missing link to our collection!!! Gorham owns the molds for Bridal Rose now, & sometimes you can get some pieces. The serving pieces are very expensive. I am glad I am not looking for them now.

The Alvin Silver Manufacturing Co was founded during the latter part of the 19th century. The original headquarters in 1886 was located in New Jersey. The company was known for manufacturing not only fine sterling silver flatware but also for hollowaare and toiletware. In 1895 the company relocated from New Jersey to Sag Harbor, NY where it began manufacturing popular silverware based on historical patterns..

Introduced in 1903, "Bridal Rose" by Alvin Silver is an exquisite art nouveau pattern that features a rose in full-bloom at its tip with crisp, detailed leaves and stems running the length of the handle. With its elegant, detailed ornamentation, "Bridal Rose" quickly became one of the most popular turn-of-the-century patterns after its introduction. During its prime, the "Bridal Rose" pattern comprised a full line of over 180 different pieces.

And of course more silver ads are available in both my ebay and ecrater store.

WWII Ads & Hitler, Tojo & Mussolini

2010-07-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well, WWII was a terrible time for this nation. My Dad was part of that Great Generation and fought in the Pacific. Why am I thinking about this? My 1943 Fortune magazine collection.

I am reading the entire year during the evenings and reviewing advertisements. Our nation was amazing! Americans decided to do whatever it took to defeat the Axis nations. Industry mobilized and dedicated 100% of peacetime activities to manufacturing for soldiers.

I found that many companies used depictions of Hitler, Tojo and Mussolini in their ads.

The one to the left here is for Asbestos. At that time (and maybe now for all I know) there were only a few countries that had the raw materials necessary for asbestos...and they were all Anti-Axis. So no asbestos for German, Japan and Italy.

This illustration is by Arthur Szyk and the colors are gorgeous.

The Container Corporation of America (CCA) employed some of the greatest illustrators of the time including Jean Carlu.

This next ad is a CCA that is dropping a bomb on Hitler. It is captioned: Gift Packages for Hitler. There he is at the bottom of the page with a bomb headed for his nose.

Young Rubicam had an ad campaign that encouraged Americans not to believe, support or spread rumors. They wrote that rumor mongering was an important activity of the enemy.

Here is an ad that illustrates the concept.

As always ads are for sale in the store on eBay.

Coastal Living Supports Decorating with Vintage Ads

2010-06-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law loves everything to do with the beach and island life. So no surprise that she subscribes to Coastal Living. In the latest issues there is an article by Susan Stiles Dowell titled Treasure Hunt.

In the article she polled experts from TV's Antiques Roadshow to learn their recommendations for beach house decor.

One of the recommendations is Vintage Ads and illustrations with a nautical theme expecially the old luxury liner ads! Well I cannot agree more!

Here is a 1906 Southern Pacific ad showing the steamship Monus. This is from the magazine Country Life in America.

Hamburg American Cruises were very popular in the early 1900's and usually had an exotic theme. This ad from 1909 invites travel to South America and the West Indies. Note the camel in the upper right hand corner.

Here you see a couple being told a great story by their guide. Lovely colors and a real sense of adventure here.

You may not want to go the early 1900s but instead incorporate art deco nautical ads from the 1920's. Or the lovely photo ads popular by the cruise ships in the 1930s

Black and white ads can be more dramatic for decorating especially when you are using accents in the room which are the pop of color.

You don't want the vintage advertising competing. And of course my nautical theme and cruise ads on eBay are next:

Fairies, Imps and Elves in Vintage Advertising

2010-05-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

Many old ads featured little fairies, imps, and elves. Some were funny and many were beautiful or whimsical.

Here is a very pretty ad for Fairy soap with Fairies riding bumblebees from a November 1899 Harper's magazine. Of course someone thoughtful has it for sale on eBay.

The ad reads: The Fairies bring their choicest gift.

Pears' had a similar themed ad in 1898 that has three winged babies bringing the soap. But are they angels, fairies or cupids?

This ad is also on eBay

Elves and brownies were used by illustrators to advertise
soap. Here is a cute ad from Punch magazine. Some of these would be very cute silk-screen on to hand towels don't you think?

I've gone to the Dogs!

2010-05-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

It had to happen. My most unusual sale to date...decorating a dog house. Well, a "boarding bungalow". How much fun was it to find ads for this doggy day care? Lots. I got to visit the location, decide on brands and breeds and play with this dog.

Could your business use a little vintage advertising? Probably, and here is the place to fine it:

That's my House

2010-05-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been asking customers to send me their stories as to how they are connected to their ads. As I have mentioned earlier a lot of times it is a relative in the ad or the family business.

A couple of weeks ago I had a customer buy a real estate ad and she had a special reason for doing so...it was her house. Now the ad was from 1904. That is 106 years ago. Wow...

Thank you Angela and here's to you and your Very Old House.

What about you? Do you think Country Life magazine listed your house for sale 100 years ago?

Here are the ads:

eBay on Location

2010-05-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

As a former teacher I told my students to attend continuing education seminars in their industry. I took my own advice and attended the Dallas eBay on location. There I am on the right talking to a couple of girls interested in improving their shipping experience.

I support Endicia all the way. One of the best speakers at the conference was Mike Michalowicz, author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. He is a very good speaker and hit the nail on the head with his presentation of The Art of Getting Customers.

View his website here: ToiletPaperEntrepreneur

I got good takeaway from this event and still support trying to learn something everyday. Better yourself and your business everyday. Be kind to others and help them on the way.

As for my eBay store, I am looking at what people bought in 1901:

That's my Grandfather

2010-05-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

One of the fun aspects of selling vintage advertising online is discovering folks relatives. At least once a month I get an email that Uncle Freddy or Great Grandpa Nelson is in that ad I am selling. Or like the ad to the right John Cott, Cott Beverages. Here is a little secret...I know that.

No I don't know that your grandfather and grandmother started a tire company in Camden NJ. What I do know is that when an ad has an individual in it by name, then there is a good chance there is a relative somewhere googling that same name.

And how much fun is it when my ad pops up and there is sweet Sue your cousin's older sisters first teacher? Who married....well you get my drift.

Google your name, your grandparents name, etc. Then click on the shopping tab. See what you get!

Sozodont Dentifrice Ads

2010-05-06T04:01:00.000-07:00

Sozodont was the creation of a New Jersey dentist, Roswell van Buskirk. The name was derived from the Greek sozo meaning "to save" and dontia, meaning teeth. It actually did just the opposite.

The product made strong use of advertising as a marketing tool and by the late nineteenth century was an established household word. This ad is from a 1905 Theatre magazine and features a lovely lady holding her finger to her tooth a la Mini Me and Dr. Evil. I guess she is just pointing to what are supposed to be sparkling white teeth.

What did Sozodont promise? As was the custom in these early ads more than it could deliver or that was possible on earth.

Its manufacturers claimed that Sozodont would clean and preserve the teeth and harden the gums, as well as "impart a delightfully refreshing taste and feeling to the mouth." In addition, claimed promotional material, "it prevents the accumulation of tarter on the teeth and arrests the progress of decay."

As you can see from the Sarah Bernhardt ad on the right Sozodont became one of the leading toothpastes in the world. However, doom was looming because Sozodont did not actually whiten your teeth. As several dentists wrote continued use of the powder made your teeth yellow and removed the enamel. Yuck.

Can you imagine waking up every morning and thinking darn I have to use more Sozodont because my teeth are just not getting white enough.

And of course the ads:

McIlhenny Tabasco Ads

2010-03-04T04:47:00.000-08:00

What drives a man to bury small seeds on an island off the state of Louisiana; seeds that will grow a pepper that can knock your socks off? Ask Edmund McIlhenny's family and they will say that great great grandpa, the Capsicum frutescens pepper and Avery Island were made for each other.

From a great hot sauce to a pretty fancy line of ties McIlhenny's is one of those brands that is instantly recognized. Heck they even have their own slot machine in Vegas.

Their website is fun to visit and you can HERE. They even offer coupons HERE.

And now for my part...the old tabasco print ads I have for sale:

Elgin Watch Ads

2009-09-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Another watch that interests me (and a lot of others) is the Elgin. I just posted this ad to the left last night. This is one of the Elgin Wonder Tales series and features General Frank Taylor US Army, retired with his Elgin watch story. It is noted that General Taylor chased Sitting Bull and fought the wily Filipinos.

Elgin was founded in 1864, as the civil war was coming to an end. The first watch Elgin made, an 18 sized B W Raymond railroad grade watch, was finished in 1867 and over the next 100 years, they went on to produce about 60 million watches. Elgin produced their first wristwatch around 1910, leading most other American watch companies by many years.

Elgin was originally called the "National Watch Company". The name never really stuck and in 1874, they changed their name to the "Elgin National Watch Company" because most of the watch trade and public were calling them "watches from Elgin". The ad to the right is from an April 1870 issue of Harper's Magazine and shows the company name as National Watch Company. The ad is for the Lady Elgin.

On May 20, 1869 the First Lady Elgin made its appearance and was the first of a series of 10 size movements and it was also key wind.

There are many web sites about Elgin watches. One of my favorites is: The Elgin Watch Collectors Site.

Here are my eBay ads:

THE LARKIN SOAP COMPANY

2009-09-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

John Durant Larkin (1848-1926) built an empire that rivaled Sears Roebuck based on a bar of soap and The Larkin Plan.

Initially he toiled in grueling fourteen-hour days producing the soap product that he then went out to sell door-to-door from morning to night. Thus began the “factory to family” theme that would be the mainstay of the Larkin Company throughout its history

All that changed during a discussion with his brother-in-law, the maketing wizard/genuis Elbert Hubbard (Fra Elbertus to some of us)

The growth of the company's mail-order business was spurred by Hubbard's suggestion that the Larkin Company replace the bulky standard twelve-cake package of soap with a lighter three cake box of soap for ten cents. Later, Larkin added small premiums to soap boxes as an inducement for customers to buy more soap. These modest premiums included handkerchiefs with toilet soap, towels with soap powder, or one-cent coins. Eventually, Larkin inserted certificates into the packaged products which could be redeemed by mail at the Buffalo office.

In 1886, Elbert Hubbard created the "Combination Box," a six dollar assortment of toilet soaps shipped for thirty days' approval. This package was altered, in 1891, to the ten-dollar Combination Box. It contained one hundred bars of Sweet Home Soap, nine small boxes of fine toilet soaps and creams, and a premium valued at ten dollars. Both packages contained enough soap to last the average family a year at a price that was roughly one week's pay. The purchase of these boxes entitled customers to certificates that could then be exchanged for selected items of their choice from the company's catalog which published Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter editions. The Larkin catalog offered hundreds of products and premiums. By selling directly to the consumer expenses were eliminated and the savings passed on through "free" premiums that were equal in value to the product's price.

Sales boomed from $220,000 in 1892 to $15 million by 1906. Larkin products and premiums made it possible for customers to furnish their homes, stock their pantries, and clothe their children. The "Larkin Club" was established enabling the customer to purchase items on the installment plan. It became the heart of the mail order business and a key to the company's success.The company referred to the clubs as the highest and most popular development of the Larkin Idea.

The growth of department stores, the popularity of the automobile and the volatility of the marketplace, especially during the Great Depression, damaged the Larkin Company's mail order business. Larkin's diversification into its own chains of retail food markets, gasoline stations, home craft stores, and a department store did not revive the company. The loss of key executives due to retirement or death and internal struggles among the next generation of Larkin executives, hurried the demise of the company. Sales fell from $28.6 million in 1920 to $2 million by 1939 and the Company ceased operations in the 1940's.

The ads on eBay:

Fra Elbertus created his own Goodie Box that he sold out of Roycrofters in East Aurora, NY.

Need a Nickle for the Soda Machine: Vintage Vending Machine Ads

2008-11-25T03:45:00.001-08:00

I have some new friends in the ad collecting business and they are avid fans of Soda Pop Vending Machines! They have taken kindly to my web site deovoted to the soda industry: THE SODA SHOPPE VINTAGE ADS on eCrater.

As always when I meet "virtually" new customers, I become interested in their interests. I have discovered some beautiful sites for those interested in collecting, restoring or enjoying antique vending machines.

The Antiquities Vending Co has been in business since 1989. They have beautiful graphics on thier site.

Another great site for those interested is Soda-Machines.com

Evans Vacuum Cap...Guarantee Hair Grower

2008-11-18T05:43:00.001-08:00

In the early 1900's it was decided that baldness could be cured by increasing the blood flow to the scalp. Enter The Evans Vacuum Cap. It was as you can see by this 1905 advertisement: the GUARANTEED Hair Grower.

In his (her) book: Baldness: A Social History, Kerry Seagrave writes that Evans claimed only 5% of people every requested thier money back. Thus I guess they were able to achieve a 95% success rate?

Here is a great picture of the machine on the fellow's head. The cap seems pretty secure. And we can see by this ad that women can enjoy the results of a good vacuum cap too. All of these, are of course, for sale in my shop: VINTAGEADS4U

WHAM-O..or where's my BLOWGUN Dude?

2008-11-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

In 1948 Arthur "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr founded WHAM-O®. It became known as the gurus of blockbuster fads. While most everyone knows they marketed the Hula Hoop and the Frisbee, did you know that in the 50's they had an entire line of sporting goods...especially for the hunter!

My particular interest in these 1956 ads is that my two brothers wanted every blow gun, dart gun and hunting slingshot that Wham-O could produce. My parent's were not as cooperative and I think the only thing they ever got was the slingshot. There was something just a little sketchy about sending away for something in the back of magazines, even if it was Field & Stream.

More Wham-O ads can be found in my store: VINTAGEADS4U

Vintage Advertising: Medical Quackery Ads - Dr. Leonidas Hamilton

2008-09-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Some of the best ads I have seen fall into the category of medical quackery. Let's view a few over the next few months. The oldest one I have is this one from 1870.

Titled Why Will Ye Doubt?...Earthly Blessings it guarantees you that Dr. Leonidas Hamilton can cure just about anything.

To back up his claim, he published a book a year later titled:

THE DISCOVERIES AND UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE OF PROF. R. LEONIDAS HAMILTON, M.D., WITH REGARD TO THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES OF THE LIVER, LUNGS, BLOOD... CONTAINING ALSO, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF HIS LIFE WITH THE COMMON SENSE THEORY OF DISEASES AND THE EVIDENCE OF HIS WONDERFUL CURES.

Dr. Hamilton's expertise in curing you of absolutely everything was attested to by a whole page of people no one knew but surely existed somewhere.

Like many doctors of the day, Leonidas attributed ailments to catarrh. You could have catarrh everywhere. But don't worry, just writer the good doctor in New York and he will be there to help you. He seemed to specialize in liver ailments, but I think he was agreeable to treating anything you thought you had.

If you like medical quackery ads, then you might enjoy viewing more at my site: VintageAds4U

Thanks for stopping by. Next time, let's look at the 1880 Thomas Edison Patent Medicine Ad and the Polyform Lawsuit. Yes, that Thomas Edison.

Vintage Advertising Schlitz Beer VintageAds4U

2007-09-28T03:50:00.000-07:00

Do you think Joseph Schlitz ever thought there would be a magazine devoted just to Beer? I think he would be a subscriber to Beer Advocate or All About Beer.

Three magnficent beer families in the United States: Schlitz, Budweiser and of course, Coors. This week Schlitz.

The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was founded by Joseph Schlitz, who came to America from Mainz, Germany in 1850, at the age of 20. In 1856 he took over management of the large brewery owned by the recently deceased August Krug. Two years later he married Krug's widow and changed the name to the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.

Schlitz died May 7, 1875, when on a return visit to Germany; his ship hit a rock near Land's End, Cornwall, and sank.

On June 10, 1982, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. was acquired by Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit, Michigan. The regular beer is still produced, though in relatively small quantities, by the Pabst Brewing Company, along with three malt liquors (Schlitz Malt Liquor, Schlitz Red Bull, and Schlitz Bull Ice).

My favorite Schlitz ads are the ones that advocate drinking beer for your health. The Schlitz beer ads featured one or two "doctors" saying that it was really food and you should enjoy it, have it in your house, mix with your cheerios, etc. Here is what I mean:

Lots of vintage Schlitz ads can be found at VintageAds4U.

And eBay always has the vintage beer ads:

Vintage Advertising Murad Cigarettes at VintageAds4U

2007-09-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

Murad Cigarettes

S. Anargyros produced many brands during the era of the Turkish Cigarette. Murad was perhaps one of the most successful. At fifteen cents a box of ten, Murad Cigarettes appealed to the well-to-do smoker.

In 1911, Murad and most of the other popular straight-Turkish tobacco cigarettes became the property of the P. Lorillard Company. They changed the slogan to "Everywhere, why?" and created beautiful ads like this one. That ad is for sale at VintageAds4U

Pretty ads.

Vintage Advertising Lord & Burnham Greehouses

2007-09-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Frederick A. Lord established Lord's Horticultural Manufacturing Company in 1856 in Syracuse, in central New York. Lord's son-in-law William Burnham later joined the firm, which was renamed in 1890 when Burnham became President. The company moved to Irvington in 1876, ostensibly to be closer to the great estates that served as a market for the company's products, its celebrated glass conservatories.

Perhaps the most famous estate was that of Jay Gould, just over the village line in Tarrytown. For Lyndhurst, the Gould estate, the firm constructed what has been said to be the country's first steel and iron frame, fire resistant greenhouse. (The previous, wood frame, conservatory at Lyndhurst burned in 1880.) Here is the ad from the May 1902 Country Life in America for that greenhouse. It is for sale on EBAY, of course.

Other commissions included Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco (1876-1879) and the Enid Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden (1902). Later still, the company built the greenhouses for the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research in Yonkers.

Wiki can tell you all about the company by clicking here. A great selection of vintage greenhouse ads can be found at VintageAds4U.

And of course, don't forget eBay where you can find almost anything, including Lord & Burnham vintage advertising.

Vintage Advertising: Conklin Fountain Pen

2007-09-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Conklin Self Filling Fountain Pen:

In 1891 Roy Conklin was granted his first fountain pen patent and in 1898 he founded the Conklin Self Filling Fountain Pen Co. In 1901 he patents the Crescent Filler for what is now the Conklin Pen Manufacturing Co. and additional patents are issued him in 1903 and 1904.

In 1903 the company, expands its advertising and marketing, including an endorsement by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens. I have had several requests for that ad but have never been able to find it.

In 1916 Conklin develops a patented spring loaded pocket clip and by the 1920's he is exporting pens to Europe and South America. By 1921 The Crescent Filler is the top selling pen on the market. While the pen is mechanically superior to the Shaeffer Lever Filler, the popularity of the Shaeffer pen leads Conklin to design a lever filling pen.

In 1923 the Duragraph is introduced. It is a well made and efficient lever filler, which leads to the development of the Endura in 1924. In 1929 Conklin’s first streamlined pen, the Symetrik, is introduced. In 1931 the Nozac is introduced. A techonolgically advanced, streamline model with an inventive piston filling mechanism, it is followed with a “word gauge” model in 1934.

Conklin is sold to a Chicago Syndicate in 1938 and by 1955 all production of all Conklin models ceases. However, in 2000 carefully following the original designs and utilizing artisinal craftmanship, Conklin is revived as the Conklin Pen Co., Inc.

Fountain pens on eBay:

Vintage Advertising Lawn Mowers by VintageAds4U

2007-09-13T10:15:00.001-07:00

Ok, what is the attraction between man and mower? I'm intrigued enough to do a little history search and then post some lawn mower ads from the early 1900's. A great site for reading up on the history of the lawn mower is: American Lawns history of the lawn mower. You can browse 40 old lawn mower ads here: VINTAGE LAWN MOWER ADS.

The first patent for a mechanical lawn mower described as a "Machine for mowing lawns, etc." was granted on August 31, 1830 to engineer, Edwin Beard Budding (1795-1846) from Stroud, Gloucestershire, England.

The first United States patent for a reel lawn mower was granted to Amariah Hills on January 12, 1868. Early lawn mowers were often designed to be horse drawn, the horses often wore oversize leather booties to prevent lawn damage. For example this 1902 Henderson Horse Drawn Mower ad

In the United States, the first gasoline powered mowers were manufactured in 1919 by Colonel Edwin George. However, when it came to advertising, it seems that Supplee Pennsylvania Lawn mower could not be undone. I must have 100 Pennsylvania ads from the early 1900's. They must have been interested in broadening their customer base because two of the ads featuring a woman in a long day gown and a little kid in a sailor suit.

Of course the lawn mower ads on Ebay are next:

Quack Medicine Ads ~ Lydia E Pinkham

2007-06-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am intrigued by Quack Medicine and the ads of the late 1800s and early 1900's. It seems like you could put anything into a bottle (best if it was a bit of alcohol) and sell it. The grand dame of the bit of booze in the bottle of medicine had to Lydia E Pinkham.

According to Wiki: Lydia Estes Pinkham (1819 - 1883) was a patent medicine manufacturer and businesswoman. A resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, Lydia Pinkham first began developing home remedies after the near bankruptcy of her husband. Mass marketed from 1875 on, Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound was one of the best known patent medicines of the 19th century. The fact that it was about 20% alcohol didn't hurt.

Here are some of my offerings in the quack medicine area:

Drink Barq's..It's Good!

2007-06-14T04:37:00.000-07:00

Soft drink collectors are avid about their vintage soft drink advertising. Hot brands are Cheerwine, Green River, Vernor's and Barq's.

Today, we will look at Barq's Root Beer. According to Pop Central Articles, Edward Charels Edmond Barq was born in New Orelans Vieux Carre district in 1871. He lived in France with his mother for awhile but returned to the US (New Orleans and then Biloxi, MS) to avoid French military service. He was a chemist and loved experimenting with soda pop flavors. At the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 Ed won a gold medal for one of his first soft drinks, orangine.

Barq bottled and sold his first soft drink in Biloxi in 1898. His concoction was different from the popular soft drinks of the time. Barq's had more "bite" than other root beers, partly from a higher level of carbonation and partly from a lower sugar content. In addition, it didn't have the traditional foamy head.

Personally, I'm not a root beer girl. I was a Delaware Punch drinker as a child and rarely drink soda pop as an adult.

However, that has not stopped me from devoting a complete store on eCrater to soda industry vintage advertising: THE SODA SHOPPE

We still sell plenty of soft drink ads at eBay too: Antique Ad Store and on our main vendio store: VintageAds4U

Vintage Advertising: Locomobile

2007-06-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

What a fun name for a car!

The Locomobile Co was located in Bridgeport CT and manufactured cars from 1899 until 1929.

A good article about them can be found at Wiki, of course! There is even a Locomobile Society of America which you can access HERE.

Also there are some great ads from 1902 and each is in a different location. You can view mine on my ebay site: VintageAds4U Locomobile Ads

Lot's more Locomobile ads here: VintageAds4U.com

Vintage Advertising: Ingersoll Watch

2007-02-10T06:10:00.000-08:00

Ingersoll Dollar Watch

The saga of the Ingersoll dollar watch began with two farm boys from Michigan. Robert H Ingersoll and his brother Charles moved to New York City and found a small loft in Fulton St. There they began selling rubber type and other small things of their own invention. According to company history, Robert saw a small clock hanging on the wall of an office he visited. As he stared at the clock he saw a vision. He thought if he could reduce the size of the works, he could fit it into a watch case and sell it a small price, filling a universal need.

He worked on the model himself resulting in the first Ingersoll watch for sale in 1893. He believed his fortune was made when he completed the watch. He believed that there were hundreds of thousand of citizens in the US at that very moment that would be glad to pay a dollar for such a watch.

But how were the brother to reach these customers? They decided to place a small advertisement, the smallest that would be accepted in a magazine. The first day’s mail after that magazine had reached its reader brought them $1500 worth of orders. By 1914, 35 million watches had been sold.

And now another ad:

Find vintage watch ads at The Antique Ad Shop

Vintage Advertising: Caterpillar Tractors

2007-01-10T05:38:00.000-08:00

During the 1890's Benjamin Holt and Daniel Best both were working on their individual steam tractors for use in farming. They were separate companies.

Holt's first steam track-type tractor was introduced in 1904. In 1906 he produced his first gas track-type tractor. In 1925 the companies merged to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co. In 1931 the first Diesel Sixty rolled off the assembly line in East Peoria. Caterpillar tractors played an important role in both wars assuring the movement of men and materials.

Here are some ads:

First, a 1921 BEST Tractor:

My favorite: the 1931 Caterpillar

To see more great tractor ads visit the Old Ad Shop

Vintage Advertising ~ Collecting Old Ads

2006-11-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Since 1995 I have been collecting vintage advertising. My favorite years are 1885-1945. Recently I have been collecting more of the 1950s through 1980s. Especially advertising from Architectural Digest, MS magazine, Time magazine and The American City magazine.

Besides beautiful vintage advertising, I also offer illustrations and historical articles. The illustrations are by many of the leading artists of the early 20th Century. I am partial to Jessie Wilcox Smith. Here is a Good Housekeeping magazine with her cover art.

I have several web sites devoted to selling many of ads and articles.

On eBay we are known as The Antique Ad Shop.

We have a general ad store on eCrater called The Old Ad Store . We also have an eCrater store dedicated to soda industry ads: The Soda Shoppe Vintage Ads .

A lot of people collect advertising and articles about celebrities so I opened Broadway Baby. On that site I have articles and ads about Opera, the Theatre, Movies and Vaudeville. There are some really beautiful illustrations of actors from Theatre magazine.

I do have a guide on vintage advertising which can be accessed via my eBay web site. And on my "ME" page there are some links for advertising collectors

Over the past 10 years I have made many friends who collect certain types of ads. It never ceases to amaze me what people collect. The most fun is when I hear from someone who says: That's my aunt in that ad! or That's my family business! It is very rewarding to help someone find great pieces for their family genealogy.

With this blog I plan to pick certain products or brands and show the evolution of their advertising. Hopefully it will be educational and fun.

Have a favorite product that you would like me to write about? Just drop a note and it will be done. I'll start: A few years ago, I was thumbing through a 1912 volume of the Illustrated London News when I came across an ad for Vinolia Otto Toilet Soap featuring the R.M.S. Titanic. It is bagged and on display in my office.