Vintage Ephemera

Wonderful depiction of the Washburn Crosby Flour Mills in Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1894, from the back cover of their cookbook. Washburn Crosby was the cornerstone of what would become General Mills.

The Living Shadow by Maxwell Grant, hardcover published by Street and Smith, 1931.

This vintage travel brochure for the 1933 Chicago "Century of Progress" World's Fair hints at the sea of deco delights visible from the famed sky ride.

Newspaper advertisement for Wheaties featuring Babe Ruth as it appeared in The Sunday Oregonian, July 30, 1933. For just one measly box top, kids could score a copy of the Babe's animated "moviebook" which shows how he hits a home run when you flip through the pages rapidly. p.s. I wish it was that easy to get one of these today!

Original art for the long-running Mickey Finn comic strip by Frank (Lank) Leonard - strip dated May 22, year unspecified, but likely mid 1940's.

This vintage Hopalong Cassidy napkin was thankfully spared the ravages of age as well as the perils of some ages-ago chocolate birthday cake!

Vintage business card from King Bros. Circus.

Marklin began making tin doll house accessories in 1859 and later achieved reknown for their model railroads and construction sets. Besides its stylized cover, this vintage catalog features hundreds of fascinating iterations of building kits. Although earlier versions of Marklin sets were available in the United States under the name "Meccano," most Americans would generically identify such kits as Erector sets. Undated, but likely 1930's. Cover art by Lvowic Hohlwein.

A vintage business card from the Buckaroo Motel on Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Compare this whimsical, antique "Dairy City" cigar label from the late 1800's to a mechanically printed postcard postmarked 1912 and you'll see many of the same buildings on old Franklin Street, looking north, in Manchester, Iowa. Manchester is a town of roughly 5,000 people on old U.S. route 20 in Delaware County, eastern Iowa. The cigar label was printed by the famed lithoghaphers, G.S. Harris & Sons, located in Philadelphia, and came from an old Victorian scrapbook.

Pick up an old issue of Amazing Stories and you're likely to see an amazing cover painting, sure, but the back covers often hold equal enchantment, like this detailed view of a space ship in our not-too-distant future! Back cover - Amazing Stories - December 1939 issue.

An uncommon configuration, this antique tri-fold postcard features a nice, sharp pivoting panoramic view of Eagle Grove, Iowa, circa 1912. Eagle Grove is just down the road from Thor (seriously!) in Wright County, in rural north central Iowa. From this view, it seems like Eagle Grove had all the makings of a burgeoning, medium-sized city, but its recent population has hovered around a quaint 3400.

Vintage advertising brochure for Bay Ridge Terrace Homes in the St. Petersburg area of sunny Florida. Included within are stunning ranch houses at bargain prices! No date listed, but it does contain an address with a zipcode - probably late 60's.

Vintage advertising brochure for Bay Ridge Terrace Homes in the St. Petersburg area of sunny Florida. Check out those picturesque ranch houses and those ridiculously low prices! No date listed, but it does contain an address with a zipcode - probably late 60's.

A curious 'cosmetic permit' pinback button from Polo, Illinois, 1957.

Vintage tray puzzle depicting Terrytoons' Deputy Dawg and his lesser-known sidekick Ty Coon. Circa 1960's.

Vintage tray puzzle depicting Quickdraw McGraw of Hanna-Barbera fame. Copyright 1960 by Whitman.