Constructed of tin with a glass cover and a cardboard backing, the puzzle is in all original, very nice condition, with the Blackamoor graphic remaining free of scratches and abrasions with all paint intact! (Please disregard any light or shiny spots in photos which are due to flash reflection off of the glass.) Very light soiling may be seen on the underside of the glass cover and could be cleaned if desired.

This German-made puzzle is marked with its country of origin: D.RG.M.116769. The cardboard puzzle back has suffered from wear with approximately 2/3 of the paper surface advertising peeled away. What remains indicates that this game was used to advertise a canned food product by the Anderson Food Company of Camden, New Jersey.

American Beach was established in 1935 on Florida's east coast under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln Lewis, one of seven co-founders of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, and one of Florida's first black millionaires. His vision was to create a beach resort as a benefit for company executives and as an incentive for employees.

In the era of Jim Crow segregation laws, few public places in Florida or the rest of the South were open to African Americans. From the Depression until well into the 1960's, American Beach served as a holiday and vacation destination for thousands of African Americans, and was a magnet for black celebrities such as entertainers Cab Calloway and Ray Charles, heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis and writer Zora Neale Hurston.

But in 1964, the area began to decline. Hurricane Dora destroyed much of the beach, and passage of the Civil Rights Act meant that blacks were, finally, no longer restricted to segregated beaches and the businesses that catered to them.

Printed in 1937, this delightful story of little Ezekial and his Florida family was both written and illustrated by Ms. Garner.

The book is tightly bound with some foxing at the front and back cover interior seams. The colors are much brighter and more vivid than they appear in my photos. No rips, tears, or repairs. Photos provide a representation of condition of interior pages, cover and dust cover. Excellent condition for its 70 years!

In very fine condition with the expected superficial scratches and rubs to the litho and some light rust spots on the inside bottom of the tin, the tin’s most endearing feature is the image of 3 adorable black children holding the brand name sign: MACHWITZ KAFFEE.

She is in very fine condition with a smattering of teeny superficial dings to the front side paint surface as well as some very superficial rusting here and there. The back side of the spoon rest is perfect and looks as though it came right out of the factory just yesterday!

The following is imprinted on the backside: “Compliments The Toledo Stove And Range Co”, documenting the spoon rest’s original function- continuous promotional advertising presented as a free giveaway to buyers purchasing the company’s products!

The brass pans and scale are marked “Henry Troemner” Philadelphia. His company began making balances in the USA in 1840, and was singularly, the most successful scale maker of his day.

The scale measures approximately 20 inches long x 9 inches wide and is in excellent condition. The oak wood case is designed in the handsome Eastlake style and retains its original honey colored finish. The pink marble top and brass pans round out a near mint 19th century scale!

The amethyst glass poison bottle is labeled "LIQ:ARSEN: or ARSENIC, and the cobalt bottle is labeled "EXT:PAPAV:LIQ" - the abbreviation for the Latin PAPAVER which is an OPIUM alkaloid.

Each narrow-neck bottle features a gorgeous, faceted, ground-glass stopper that enhances the appearance of this lovely cobalt and amethyst pair!

The bottles also feature stunning, hand-painted labels as well as hand-painted English shields with double lions.

Each bottle measures 7 1/4 inches high.

Circa 1890's, this implement is referred to as a "Pharmacy Pill Sorter" and was mounted to the top counter of a drugstore work station.

The instrument has a sliding top for counting or sorting various size pills. The top also slides forward as the machine tilts down. This movement drops the pills into the metal chute for dispensing into the proper receptacle.

This piece has wonderful patina! Wear is commensurate with age and use. The condition is very good with one split to the side and a small piece of metal chipped from where the screw is fastened to the base (see photos).

In 1912, in a stroke of advertising genius, Mayo's Tobacco Company packaged their cut plug tobacco in round tins with a lithographed character. Each held 1 pound of tobacco. It was opened by removing the head!

These "Roly-Polys" were a unique shape that distinguished them from the rectangular and lunch box-shaped tins that surrounded them on store shelves. There were a number of different characters that were available, and smokers were encouraged to collect the entire set. The six original tins were the Satisfied Customer, the Storekeeper, the Singing Waiter, the Dutchman, Scotland Yard....and Mammy!

Mayo called this packaging a "Brownie" tin...apparently the company suggested that the tins be used as brownie containers after the tobacco was used, and designed them accordingly. They were never a plentiful tin, and today, are becoming increasingly more and more difficult to find.

The Mayo tobacco tins were distinguished by little packages of Mayo Cut Plug tobacco shown somewhere on the character. Notice that the Mammy tin has a tiny tobacco tin tucked into her front pocket.

Mammy's dimensions are 7"x7". She is in very, very good condition, as evidenced by the photos. The body of the tin has very minor loss to the litho-- only a speck missing here and there with very minor and subtle surface scratching (see photos). The body has some light tobacco smoke soiling, and has the appropriate wear at the contact point. The tin has no dents, repaint or corrosion.

The base of the tin is labeled "made in factory # 42, in the 2nd District of Virginia".

**Please note that it was extremely difficult to photograph the curved surface of this tin without picking up light reflection. Any white spots appearing in photos are the result of light reflection during photography and are not indicative of damage to the tin. The depth of color is much better viewed "in person" as opposed to what I was able to capture in a photo.**

Measuring 4.75 inches high x approximately 3.25 inches in diameter, the container has slight scuffing to its paper cover and light rust to the base --which in the photo appears more significant than it actually is--- however, there is no problem with structural integrity to the base!