Catalog: Archives: Collectibles (190)

Measuring 8.25 inches long, this vintage, Black Chef Spoon rest was made in JAPAN in the 1950's. Along with its jolly, wide-eyed caricature, the spoon rest features a rose-colored tulip painted on both sides and reads “SPOON- REST” in partially worn, brown lettering at the top of the chef’s hat. Note small "hanging hole" in back for display on the kitchen wall!

Very few of these pieces survive due to the high level of use they encountered. This piece has obviously not seen any use at all as the paint remains absolutely perfect! No chips, cracks, breaks or repairs with very minor crazing and some very, very light beige discoloration at the outer edge of the handle bottom, this fine and very hard-to-find piece of Black Americana is an essential addition for the serious collector! Fabulous detailing!!

Please see the last photo for a companion piece-- an 6 inch Black MAMMY Spoon Rest, 1950's Japan-- also available for purchase and priced separately at $155.00.

Originally published in 1914 by Rand McNally & Company, this edition of this very delightful little story book was published in 1937 and features the tale of Watermelon Pete and his adventures along with five other little stories. The five stories that follow Watermelon Pete do not feature Pete and instead represent a diverse collection of nursery-like tales for young folk.

The stories were written by Elizabeth Gordon and are whimsically illustrated in color by Clara Powers Wilson.

In fine condition with light wear to exterior boards. An early owners name appears inscribed on the title page. A small folio size measuring 5.25 inches x 6.75 inches.

Offered are two absolutely wonderful, cast iron, still, penny banks manufactured by the AC Williams Company of Ravenna, Ohio, manufactured in the first quarter of the 20th century.

The banks may be purchased as a pair for $425.00, or they may be separately purchased as follows: Mammy with Spoon $295.00 and Black Man Darkey Sharecropper $225.

The Mammy with a Spoon measures 5 7/8 inches high and was produced between 1905 and 1930. She retains much of her original paint and exudes a warm, rich patina commensurate with a well-loved antique of approximately 100 years of age. She wears a blue dress, black shoes, a silver apron and a red kerchief that still retains some of its white polka dots. Mammy holds a gold-colored spoon in her right hand while placing her left hand firmly on her hip. Mammy means business!

The Black Man Darkey Sharecropper measures 5 1/2 inches high and was manufactured from 1901 to 1930. He retains most of his original paint showing less paint wear than Mammy and also exudes a very warm, rich patina. He wears black pants with red suspenders and a gold hat and gold shirt with red collar. He wears black shoes; however, his left black shoe is worn through at the toes, resulting in all five toes peeking out! He stands casually with his hands in his pocket. His back screw, while an old one, is a replacement.

Mammy and the Darkey Sharecropper were clearly manufactured as companion pieces given their similar size and stance. Both stand freely and would make wonderful additions to the well-curated, antique, Black Americana collection.

Offered is the fabulously RARE NIGGER HAIR Tobacco Tin produced from the late 1870's through the first half of the 1940's.

This particular tin does not retain its original, US Internal Revenue paper tax stamp, so there is no way to precisely date it. As such, we will place its age as at the first half of the 1940's- the final production years of this style tin.

The image of an African woman with the racist title of “Nigger Hair” imposed over her shoulders was used by The American Tobacco Company of Wisconsin to promote its product; the lithographed tin was manufactured by the B. Leidersdorf Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Interestingly, it must be noted that after World War II, the product name "Nigger Hair" was changed to "Bigger Hair", although the exact same image of an African Woman continued to be used. The company simply added the words “Fiji Islander” to the left of her face in a very, very weak attempt to broaden the product’s appeal by moving further away from the earlier, severely derogatory moniker. At that time, the material out of which the tobacco container was constructed was changed from tin to heavy cardboard.

Measuring 7 inches high x 5 ¾ inches wide, the condition of the tin is a wonderful 8 out of 10--- sporting a beautiful lithograph on both sides with extremely minor, superficial scratches and rubs, along with tiny areas of paint loss. These areas of minor paint loss exist on the back side where the metal bale handle made contact with the tin and slightly scraped it, and on the front side, where several teeny areas of paint loss are present that are very difficult to see unless bright light is deliberately shown upon the tin surface as has been done in both closeup photos. When viewed in natural lighting, the tiny areas of paint loss on the front side are not readily visible unless one deliberately looks for them (see first photo).

The rim of the tin has two, tight 1/8" long splits- very difficult to see and photograph and which are not visible with the tin cover in place. The lid, base, bale handle junction points, and interior of the tin show minor evidence of light, superficial rust. Otherwise, the tin is solid. The original mustard-orange color of the tin remains consistent over the entire tin as does the clear, brilliant black lithography.

Any imperfections are quite reasonable and expected given the age of this piece-- approximately 80 years of age!! Please note that any "white" areas in photos are flash or lighting reflections and are not imperfections to the tin.

Truly an extraordinarily RARE piece of Black Memorabilia seldom found in this wonderful condition complete with bail handle and lid (Soft tissue paper has been wrapped around the bail handle to prevent any further scratching to the tin exterior.)

This fabulously detailed, circa 1920, hand-made, 18 inch long cloth Golliwog doll has been most finely and meticulously crafted. A brief history of the Golliwog doll: The Golliwog is based on a Black minstrel doll that the Victorian era illustrator, Florence Kate Upton, born in 1873, had played with as a small child in New York. Upton's Golliwog character was first introduced to the world in her 1895 book entitled The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls. Like the rag doll that inspired it, the Golliwog in her book was an ugly creature with very dark, jet black skin, large white-rimmed eyes, red clown lips, and wild, frizzy hair. Golliwogs are typically male and are generally dressed in a jacket, trousers, bow tie, and stand-up collar in a combination of red, white, blue, black, and occasionally yellow colors.

This Golly is in excellent condition with the exception of an old, small tear above his left eye that truly does little to detract from his overall outstanding appeal. His facial features are hand-stitched of silky embroidery thread, and his very soft curly hair has the luster and feel of a Persian lamb coat! His little hands have the thumbs delineated through careful stitching. On his feet are delicately-crafted, very supple, black leather boots! His body is constructed of a fine quality, soft, black cotton stuffed with cotton batting.

This Golly’s costume sets him apart from the vast majority of early vintage Golliwog dolls that are available on today’s market. His very formal, long-tailed wool mourning coat is a combination of hand and machine stitching and is accented with elegant silk lapels and stamp-designed silver buttons; the back detailing is completed with two cloth-covered buttons that show some minor age wear. Golly’s red and white, cotton striped pants are hand-hemmed and have been hand-stitched to his brown and white cotton checkered vest that features lapel detailing. (Please note: in some photos, a small brass safety pin is shown attached to Golly’s pants. This has since been removed as it was not original to the doll, and it served no function.) To complete his finely tailored outfit, Golly wears a most unique, very stiff (glossy cardboard perhaps?), high-collared, formal white shirt, accented with a wonderful little black silk bow tie and a Victorian era, onyx and gold-plated stickpin that is further emphasized with the central placement of a tiny diamond chip.

An exceptional, painstakingly-crafted Golly for the sophisticated doll collector!

Offered is an extremely RARE 1847 Slavery Manumission document from Knox County, Tennessee, executed for Richard Dunn and referencing his slave, Eliza, and her three children, William, Nancy, and Mary Elizabeth. Archived 1842 Tennessee Early Tax List records indicate that Richard Dunn owned 302 acres of land, was employed in agriculture and owned one slave valued at $400 in that year; perhaps this slave was Eliza (pre-children).

Measuring approximately 12.5 long x 7.75 wide, this extraordinary and historical document is handwritten and appears to have been scribed by an individual other than the slave owner, Richard Dunn, as Mr. Dunn's signature is simply a "mark" labeled as such with his first and last name scribed around his "mark". The document is in excellent condition save the fold marks; this document clearly has been stored in this folded state for the past 170 years. It is suitable and ready for archival preservation- appropriate acid-free backing and matting materials with framing.

The text of the document is as follows:

"Know all men by these present that whereas my negro woman named Eliza having a strong desire for freedom and so I Richard Dunn of the county of Knox and the state of Tennessee being in possession of said woman Eliza and three children named William, Nancy and Mary Elizabeth. Now this is to show that I the said Richard Dunn for and in consideration of a certain sum of money to me in hand paid to my full and perfect satisfaction do hereby renounce my own right the right of my heirs or the right or claim of all manner of persons whosoever the said Eliza and her heirs forever to have and enjoy all the rights and privileges of a free white citizen so far as the laws of the state will permit and with regard to the law in such case made and provided it is necessary to have such matters attended to in open court I hereby (if it should not be done in my lifetime) make it obligatory in my heirs executors or administrators (as the case may be) to have the freedom of the above named woman and her children secured to them forever so as to enjoy all the rights and privileges of free white citizens so far as the law of the land will permit."
"In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 7th day of Nov. one thousand eight hundred and forty nine."
Signed, sealed ?GC?.
in presence of us,
Andrew McCall
Elijah Dunn
Martha Dunn

Richard Dunn his mark

Truly an extraordinarily rare piece of historical ephemera documenting a tiny light shining within a very dark period in American history. One can only be hopeful that Eliza and her three children one day achieved the freedom that this document promised.

The 1852 publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's, UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, caused an international sensation which prompted many potters in Great Britain to produce a plethora of objects depicting various scenes and sentiments from the novel.

One of the most distinctive pieces to be produced came from the Staffordshire pottery of Ridgway and Abingdon, and in time, came to be referred to as 'the slavery relief jug'.

The jug displays two very compelling scenes from the novel: the dreadful slave auction depicting a devastated and weeping, soon-to-be-separated slave family on one side, and on the other side, the fugitive slave, Eliza, fleeing north from enslavement with her baby in her arms across the ice floes of the Ohio River. A notable detail on the side of the jug depicting the auction- the broadside posted on the auctioneer's podium reads, "By Auction this Day a Prime Lot of Negroes".

In addition to these two scenes, the jug handle is decorated with the iconic image of the head and clasped hands of a slave (presumably Uncle Tom) in prayer.

The underside of the jug is stamped by the maker and is dated January 1, 1853, indicating that it was produced within just months of the 1852 publication of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN.

Made of Parian stoneware, the jug measures approximately 7 inches high, with an approximate 3.5 inch diameter mouth. The jug is in all-original and overall excellent condition. Two slight and tight hairline cracks are evident at the base and are best viewed by looking into the interior of the jug as their presence is much more subtle on the exterior and thus more difficult to photograph. One of these hairlines is present along the foot of the jug; the other occurs a bit higher up in acanthus leaves that border the baseline near the ice floes. A single, tight hairline is also present at the interior mouth near the handle (please refer to all photos). None of the hairlines affect structural integrity as they are quite tight; they are not atypical given the jug's 150+ years of age.

An exceptional and formidable piece of history, very rarely found in today's antiques market!

Offered is a VERY RARELY found, 1890's, Black Memorabilia-themed trade card advertising Welcome Soap, a product manufactured by Curtis Davis & Company.

The advertising card measures 2.75 inches x 4.50 inches and is entitled "Photography Under a Cloud". It features a fabulous litho of 5 African-American boys with exaggerated facial features who are attempting to take a photograph using an early camera. The litho is marked in the lower right corner "Bufford, Boston". The reverse side further advertises WELCOME SOAP and features two shaking hands.

The trade card is in very fine condition with nice color and some very subtle evidence of age staining as seen in photos. The card has no rips, bends, or fading, and would be lovely matted and framed!

Those who are ardent collectors of the famed Florence Upton creation - the Golliwogg - recognize this 19th century, first edition, children's book as an extraordinarily RARE find indeed, very seldom available for purchase in today's market!

"The Golliwogg's Bicycle Club", published in 1896 by Longmans, Green & Co, London & New York, was illustrated by Florence K. Upton, with story written by her mother, Bertha. This book was the 2nd Golliwogg adventure in a series of thirteen Golliwogg adventures by Upton, with the last published in 1909-- all of which are incredibly difficult to find today.

This hard cover book, measuring 8.75 inches high x 11.5 inches long, is a total of 63 pages in length. The book is lavishly illustrated with 30 full-color illustrations and tells the story of Golly's world travels. Golly and his friends, suffering from boredom, create their very own bicycles out of tree-wood and then partake of marvelous adventures in Paris, Japan, Turkey and Africa!

The Golliwog, itself, was based on a Black minstrel doll that Florence Kate Upton, born in 1873 of English parents, had played with as a small child in New York. Upton's Golliwog character was first introduced to the world in her 1895 book entitled The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls. Like the rag doll that inspired it, the Golliwog in her book was a less-than-handsome creature with very dark, jet black skin, large white-rimmed eyes, red clown lips, and wild, frizzy hair. Golliwogs are typically male and are generally dressed in a jacket, trousers, bow tie, and stand-up collar in a combination of red, white, blue, black, and occasionally yellow colors.

The book is in very fine but not perfect condition-- not surprising given the book's 114 years of age! Wear to hard-board-cover edges. Binding remains strong, but thread stitching securing pages to binding has weakened with the two, center-most pages separated from the others. Evidence of tape repair on these loosened pages present. Book is complete, with no missing pages.

Truly a fabulous find! The first time I have EVER had the pleasure of offering this wonderfully-rare children's book in my 26 years of dealing in Black Memorabilia!!

Derogatorily entitled "Uncle Sam's Big Show Jackie 'COON' Acrobats", this exceedingly rare, early 1920's toy was manufactured by the National Toy Mfg. Company, 1345 West 21st, Chicago.

Included are the original box, as well as the original paper instruction booklet that depicts the "thousands of tricks" the wooden acrobats can perform!

The set of 5 black character acrobats have detachable arms and legs with lithographed paper faces and clothing. All body parts have either notched edges or sides which allow the acrobats to assume all sorts of poses. The figures are free-standing once put together as the toy also comes with wooden bases or stands to mount then upon.

This toy was likely seldom played with as the figures and booklet are in superb condition for its age! The exterior of the box -particularly the cover- shows its 80+ years with expected wear to seam edges, but it remains in sturdy condition.

A very rare toy that displays quite well- has striking, visual appeal!

Offered is an incredibly RARE, COMPLETE, "dexterity" game entitled, "TIP THE BELL BOY, copyright 1929 and 1930, manufactured by All-Fair Toys and Games of Churchville, New York.

This unusual and cleverly conceived game features a VERY brightly colored lithograph target in very fine, virtually unused condition, depicting "a RITZ HOTEL Bell Boy" hanging from a metal stand while balancing 3, all-original, tins cups- two on his arms and one between his feet. The metal stand, from which the bell boy hangs, inserts into a wooden lined hole in the game board base. The stand is designed with a hook at its top from which the Bell Boy hangs, easily swinging back and forth.

The colorful cardboard game base features 18 holes designed to "capture" balls aimed at it with point values of 5, 10, or 15. If one is dexterous enough to have one's ball land in one of the cups on the bell boy's arms, one earns 25 points! A ball landing in the cup between the bell boy's feet, earns 40 points! The game came with 12 wooden balls of different colors, and all 12 original balls remain. The balls are aimed and shot at the target via the original, wood and metal shooting mechanism (see photos and game box cover).

The game directions are printed on the inside of the original cardboard cover and specify a 1929 copyright in tiny print above the words "All-Fair". A copyright of 1930 is printed on the game base and a copyright of 1929 is printed on the game box cover.

Measuring 12 inches tall x 12 inches wide x 1 1/2 inches deep, the game cover as well as the RITZ Bell Boy target and game board all display absolutely fabulously!

As evident in the photos, the box and box cover show expected wear given their 82+ years of age. The box cover shows evidence of minimal creasing, some small areas of paper loss, some slight tearing at the upper right side seam and some edge wear. The box base shows edge wear. The game base has some minimal creasing and minor areas of surface paper loss. The Ritz Hotel Bell Boy ("RITZ" is printed on his red cap) evidences minor areas of surface paper loss, most predominantly at the base of the legs where one of the metal cups is attached.

Given overall condition, the game seems to have seen little if any play!

The All-Fair Toys & Games Company was in business from 1926-1952. Harry O. Alderman and Elmer E. Fairchild were co-founders of the Alderman, Fairchild Company of Rochester NY in 1900, manufacturing paper boxes and novelties. Elmer E. Fairchild held a number of patents related to the paper and novelty industry. When the market for paper boxes dropped, they switched their printing presses designed for color lithography over to the production of games and paper litho on wooden toys. Board games and target games were being advertised and sold under the name "All-Fair" as early as 1922 (The Auto Race Game). In 1926, All-Fair spun off as a separate company and moved to Churchville, NY, some 59 miles east of Buffalo. The box cover as well as the game base are labeled as follows: "COPYRIGHT(s) 1929 & 1930 BY ALL-FAIR incorporated CHURCHVILLE, NY, MADE IN U.S.A." An EXTRAORDINARILY RARE find!!!

Measuring 7 3/4 inches long, this VERY RARE, 1930’s VINTAGE, Cast Iron, Mammy spoon rest retains most of its original gold paint suggesting that it saw minimal actual use! The well-dressed Mammy sports a wide grin and holds an iron in her right hand and other household implements in the left.

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!

Offered separately is the equally rare companion piece- The Black Chef Spoon Rest from Toledo Stove and Range! A fortuitous opportunity to acquire a very rare Black Memorabilia pair!

An extraordinarily RARE 19th CENTURY piece of Black Americana advertising featuring a fabulous graphic of 2 young African American painters holding a "White-Wash Boy's Hydrated Lime" box.

This product was produced by the lime manufacturers, Hatmaker and Place, of Canaan, Connecticut, in the late 1800s. This small company was located within a large "lime belt" that stretched from Connecticut to Vermont. Back in the day, lime powder mixed with water was quite commonly used to "white wash" or paint numerous surfaces, and it was also used as a medicinal disinfectant! The manufacture of lime from marble was one of the earliest and most successful mineral industries in Connecticut, with historical records dating the establishment of the first CT lime manufactory to 1722.

Given its age and the fragility of paper, condition of this wonderful box is quite good. The lower portion of the back side of the box evidences light surface wear with some of the printing on the lower portion of the box worn away as a result. The front of the box has a 3.25 inch long tear which resulted in the loss of the lime powder from the box.

This early piece of Black Americana advertising is EXCEEDINGLY RARE and may well be a ONE-OF-A-Kind item! The Hatmaker and Place Company was one of a number of very small manufactories located within the "lime belt" that were ALL bought out and immediately closed down by a wealthy group of investors who then created and incorporated the mammoth monopoly, The New England Lime Company, early in 1902.

This fabulous piece of Black Americana is NOT to be missed by the serious collector!

Offered is an incredibly RARE game, circa 1900-1920s, Spear Works, Germany, dexterity game very obtusely entitled "THE WHITE EYED COON".

The game features a VERY brightly colored lithograph target in near mint, virtually unused condition, depicting "THE WHITE EYED COON" dressed as a clown with a nose mimicking that of a RHINOCEROS HORN! The rhinoceros horn nose serves as one of the game hooks.

The target is affixed to the box base interior and additionally retains its two original metal hooks placed on either side of the gent's large, polka dot, bow tie.

This brightly lithographed game retains 5 original, colored, pressed-cardboard throwing rings. The game directions, which are attached to the inside of the original cardboard cover, do not specify the number of rings originally included in the game.

Measuring 8 3/4 inches tall x 6 1/4 inches wide x 1 inch deep, the game cover as well as the target piece display absolutely wonderfully!

As evident in the photos, the box and box cover show expected wear given their 90-100+ years of age. The box cover shows evidence of exposure to dampness and or water, some small areas of missing paper and edge wear. The box base EXTERIOR shows edge wear, some creasing and some very small areas of missing paper. As stated earlier, the target, itself, looks as though it was never played with. Just fabulous!

The game does not retain a copyright year, but the Spear Works of Germany operated prolifically from the 1890s through the 1930's, and during this time period, it was recognized as the most well known, international manufacturer of games and children's activity kits.

The box cover is labeled "Spear's Games", "Manufactured at The Spear Works in Germany. Designed in England".

An EXTRAORDINARILY RARE find!!!

Offered is an extremely rare, C1920s, Federal agency building sign denoting offices for the Bureau For Colored Children. It is quite likely that this 100+ year old sign remains the only one in existence today.

Given that this sign is clearly segregating services for African-American children despite the fact that this was a federal agency, one can only hypothesize that this sign was placed on the exterior of a federal building in a state that endorsed and enforced segregation.

There does exist in the Temple University archives, Philadelphia, a brief notation of a "Bureau for Colored Children", founded in 1927, as a shelter at 321 North 41st Street in Philadelphia, PA, for dependent and neglected African American children. It provided a foster care program as well as operation of a farm and vocational school for boys in Pomeroy, PA. The Bureau disbanded sometime after 1963, when The State Department of Public Welfare withdrew financial support for failure to meet standards for childcare agencies. This sign could have possibly come from that Pennsylvania agency.

A quick history of this agency drawn from the federal publication, "The Story of the Children's Bureau, 1912-2012":
At the turn of the 20th century, conditions for children in America were deplorable; 1 in 10 infants did not survive the first year of life, and very often, many children were forced to leave school to help support their families, oftentimes working under dangerous conditions.
Those who were orphaned were crowded into large institutions where they received little care or attention.
Lillian D. Wald, founder of the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, and her friend, Florence Kelley, are credited with conceiving the idea for a Federal agency to promote child health and welfare in 1903. Impressed with the concept, a friend of Wald’s wired President Theodore Roosevelt, who promptly invited the group to the White House to discuss it further.
After nearly ten years of discussions with multiple groups, committees, and individuals, as well as numerous failures of Congress to pass a federal bill addressing the plight of these children, Congress, in 1912, finally passed the Act creating the Children’s Bureau, charging it “to investigate and report . . . upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children and child life among all classes of our people.”
President William Howard Taft signed the bill on April 9, 1912, and the agency continues its work today.

Measuring 24" wide x 18" tall, the sign features a beveled-edged, copper base mounted on a wood frame featuring approximately 3/8" high, raised, solid brass letters ranging from 2" to 3.25" tall. The copper backing is securely bolted onto the wood frame from the front with four brass bolts, one positioned at each corner, adding a decorative element to the sign. Each letter is securely screwed into the copper base from the back of the sign as seen in one of the photos. The sign is marked by the manufacturer, "ABELE" on the lower center of the base underneath the letters "L" and "D" in the word, "CHILDREN".

Fabulous patina to both the copper and brass with just a slight edge crimping below the "N" in "CHILDREN" as noted in photo. Condition consistent of a 100+ year old, extremely well-made sign that was mounted on the exterior of a building. Areas of the copper background surface that appear to be lighter in some areas and in some photos are the result of flash only; the color and patina of the copper background surface is even with consistent aging throughout.

Truly an extraordinary piece of African-American cultural history reflective of an era and time- on the Federal Level, no less- of continued ignorant, obtuse and repugnant belief and behavior.

Measuring 7 3/4 inches long, this VERY RARE, 1930’s VINTAGE, Cast Iron, Black Man Chef spoon rest retains most of its original gold paint suggesting that it saw minimal actual use! The well-appointed Black Chef sports a very wide grin and holds a bowl of eggs in his right arm and a wooden mixing spoon in his left.

He 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 backside 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!

Offered separately is the equally rare companion piece- The Black Mammy Spoon Rest from Toledo Stove and Range! A fortuitous opportunity to acquire a very rare Black Memorabilia pair!

For those interested in collecting vintage school memorabilia, no such collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of the extremely RARE Silica Book Slate.

Bound just like a typical book, this slate was unique in that it was extremely lightweight and offered multiple surfaces on which to complete one's studies (a total of six writing surfaces including interior front and back covers and two interior pages!!). Due to the fragile nature of construction as well as the vigorous use all school slates experienced, not many of these rare slates survived.

Measuring 5 1/8 wide x 8 3/5 long (closed dimensions), the front and back boards are covered with fabric that is embossed with the name of the slate (Silica Book Slate Quartz Surface) and manufacturer info (New York Silicate Book Co).

The interior pages retain some writings that indicate that someone actually used this slate to record information as late as the 1970's!!

A simply wonderful gift for the educator!!

Seldom found on today's collectible market, this all-original, Mayo’s Cut Plug Tobacco Roly Poly Mammy Tin dates to circa 1912.

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. The tins were 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 good condition, as evidenced by the photos which clearly detail the very minor flaws she has acquired over her 100+ years of existence. Mammy's front side is nearly flawless, with just the teeniest paint rubs noted. **(Please note, that I was unable to avoid "white" glare in some of the photos which should not be misconstrued as damage.)**

Amazingly, Mammy still retains four separate remnants of the green US Internal Revenue paper tax stamp that are only rarely still found on Mayo Cut Plug "Brownies". They are noted on her back side on either side of the May Cut Plug tobacco package, as well as two smaller remnants directly below it. At first glance, these four tax remnants might be mistaken for areas of paint loss--not so!

Mammy's body has very, very minor, tiny spots of paint loss to the litho as seen in photos- primarily on her back side, and two small and subtle areas of denting on her front base that are noted via "touch" rather than visual appearance. The tin has no repaint. Some very light, superficial rusting is present inside the base.

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

**The depth of color is better viewed "in person" as opposed to what I was able to capture in a photo.**

A must-have addition to any SERIOUS Black Americana collection! This tin displays beautifully!!