Ain't that the truth!

This is the best thing I've read in months...

"In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment." He was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn't have the green thing back in that customer's day. In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But she was right. They didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; they didn't have the green thing back in her day. Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; they didn't have the green thing back then. They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?"

Texaco.

Love the design on this old can. Better yet... Texaco stuff sells like no other!

“Let Us Marfak Your Car!”

Take a look at this vintage Texaco Marfak Lubrication metal sign. Hard to find sub-brand of Texaco. Printed one side, 1946. Size is 40" wide x 24" tall. 

“Let Us Marfak Your Car!”

For people going places!

Bought this rusty little tire advertising display piece a few years back.

One of my favorite things about scavenging things out of peoples barns and garages is having to find out what exactly what it is I just bought. Sometimes I just have to make buys on a hunch.

So here's the history lesson for today.
Cities Service Company was started by an oilman, Henry Latham Dougherty, in 1910 to supply gas and electricity to small public utilities. The next three years saw enormous growth, including the purchasing of the Quapaw Gas Company, much of the Barnsdall Properties, and in addition, the Empire Gas Company. In 1914 the Empire subsidiary discovered oil in Kansas. By 1915 Cities Service Company possessed 98 subsidiaries and had its headquarters on Wall Street.In 1916 Cities Service bought their first oil refineries in Oklahoma and Texas. By 1918, or the final year of the First World War, Cities Service was the supplier for half of the oil used by the US and its Allies. In 1928 a Cities Service subsidiary discovered oil in the Oklahoma City field which, at the time, was one of the largest oil fields in the world.
In the 1960’s, the Cities Service Company realized the need to modernize its corporate identity. The name CITGO was introduced in 1965, using the word “GO” to promote the company as one with “power, energy and progressiveness.” With the name change came the introduction of the famous red triangle, known as the “trimark” logo.

After learning the back-story, it's cool how you can see how the orange CITGO triange logo came out of the small triangle logo from within the Cities Service clover logo! I like the original brand best.

Cool flip sign.

Got a industrial flip sign for next to nothing. Thought it would be a nice addition to some high school kids room or next to the bathroom door in a dorm! 

Give an A+ to the marketing team on this one!

I liked this one a lot when I saw it. The marketing team had their overachiever pants on this day. Why just buy one carton of soda home when you can "Take home several cartons!

The sign is in rough shape, but I don't care, I bundled it in with another buy. 

"The Pocket Viewer" A manual, handheld 8mm film viewer.

This was a cool find if for no other reason than that it was found complete in it's original box along with it's original guarantee. The paper instructions inside the viewer are also in tact. Neat-o retro item. 

Tin litho station toy.

Tin and metal toys were wildly popular during the 50s and 60s. (The golden era of everything.) I have long said I was born in the wrong era.


Anyway, It's not too difficult to find tin doll houses from that time period. Nearly every antique shop has at least one.

But golly was I happy to find this tin service station at a garage sale. The retro graphics instantly brought me back to when I was a small kid looking at the tin toys in my grandpa's basement. Don't think I'll be able to part with this one. A huge bonus with this buy was that many of the small accessories were still included. The kids love it because it is a perfect size for their Pixar cars.

Crowders service station on old Hwy.10

Crowders is a classic vintage gas service station in Little Falls. It reminds me of the tiny little retro stations that dot the map along Route 66.

The cool thing about this station, for me at least, is that dad says my Grandpa had made stops here while on his way to Canadian fishing trips. This would have been somewhere around the 50s I would guess. My dad grew up in Balaton, MN so Little Falls was just one of many rest/ fill-up stops along the way. (Balaton is such a small town, that I imagine just being in this blog post will make the paper) 

Return your bottles.

Hey Coca-Cola fanatics, anyone seen one of these before? Apparently it's a bottle return rack. Had to wait for this one for a while but I finally got it for the price I wanted to pay. 

Hires soda bottle cartons.

Picked up these vintage Hires soda bottle cartons at a garage sale not too long ago.

Hires is considered the longest continuously made soft drink in the United States. (It could also be Vernor's ginger ale... the argument rages on!) Hires Root Beer was created by Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires. He advertised aggressively, believing "Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody ELSE does."

I'm going to start a handful of posts talking (bragging) about my favorite picks and finds. The reason this hobby is so addictive is because of the stories you come away with. There's no reason to keep them to myself. 
So here we go... the RSG BEST PICKS EVER!

I had searched and searched for info on a vintage Yukon Territory license plate that I picked. The plate was issued in 1932. I bought the plate on the knowledge that an old plate from Alaska TY (1903 or 06 or something) once sold for thousands. This plate was issued years later, but was worth rolling the dice. How many cars could there possibly be driving around up there in '32? Must be fairly rare, right?

Well I finally found an expert to chime in on what the value may be. Here is what he had to say after viewing the photos I sent him...

"Very nice.... actually, with 1930's vintage Yukon plates (plates in YT go back to 1924, and earlier hand made plates also exist back to 1913), the condition vs value is a little unusual.   Due to the tiny amount of cars, few plates were needed - plates were made by the same company that made Oregon plates... for whatever reason, although 100 to 150 plates were needed each year, more than enough were manufactured, so for many of the years in the 30s, a lot of leftovers were known to sit around the registration office in Whitehorse.

The unused overruns (or new-old stock, if you will) were mailed to collectors who asked for them, probably through the 1960s, or were scarfed up by friends of workers at the registration office.  For the most part, these are the plates you see in collections today.

The unusual thing about your plate, is that it's clearly one of the plates that was issued and used - most plates for each year from the 1930s were mint issues that worked they're way into collections.  Finding a rougher, used example, is tough.  Your plate grades at around gvg (good to very good)"

Not really knowing what I was buying, I spent $25 on the plate. It sold on eBay after a heated bidding war for over $470!!! One of my BEST PICKS EVER!

Struck oil!

Picked seven or eight full cans of vintage Quaker State motor oil. They were stashed away in an early model Airstream camper trailer north of Aitkin, MN. Not a spot of rust as they were kept out of the elements all this time. Each can is still full of oil and in pristine condition.

Antique fishing lure market in Japan.

Two years ago I put a handful of my antique lures up for sale on eBay. I was surprised when most of them sold to buyers in Japan!? What was that all about? 

Classic boat lovers, check out this FeatherCraft flag.

I salvaged this nifty old time boat flag this past weekend. FeatherCraft made some mighty snappy looking aluminum boats back in the day.

For it's age, the flag is in good shape, fabric and stitching is great.

It's 2 sided printing...

Original pole and hardwear also...

Should be an easy sell, Would be great in a cabin for decor! Or maybe this is the last piece to a restoration of an old boat for someone.

Stop.

From 1924 to 1954, stop signs were made with a black STOP legend on a yellow field. After that all stop signs in the US went to red. So the sign is at least 55 years old.

It's funny to think that this sign has been sitting around somewhere for years and years before I was even born, then one day I came along and salvaged it from it's resting place. Makes you feel not so old.

What is with the attachment to Dekalb?!?

So what's with all the Dekalb stuff?

Well, my grandpa was a Dekalb corn seed salesman at one point. I always have such fond memories of visiting my grandpa's house for a week or so at a time. He still had Dekalb stuff around his house. In fact going to his house kind of felt like going back in time. His generation had a tendency to keep stuff around for a while. So walking in the door was like stepping back into the 60s. I attribute much of my love for antiques to stuff I originally saw around his basement or garage. So long story short... I like Dekalb because it reminds me of my grandpa.

My Dekalb row marker mug shots.

My 1940s Dekalb flying ear sign.

I also find the corn seed hat comes in handy as a conversation starter when roaming the countryside for antiques. ;)

Bell Phone System cable signs.

Picked these up a few years back. Man it was hot in the lofts of those barns, 80+ outside, it must have been 120 up there.

Anyway... bought some new old stock (NOS) Bell System signs from a guy that worked with Bell for around 30 years. These signs are in mint condition, never hung, still divided with the original paper separators. 

This Bell logo was used by the company from 1921 through 1938, so these have some age to them.