1950s

Fantastic vintage full color 17" tall two-sided paper sign with a guy taking pictures of a cute girl with an orange. The girl is Anita Bryant who was 19 at the time and was runner up in the Miss America pageant that year. She had a number of popular songs and movies right after that and became the spokesperson for Florida Oranges n 1969. She came back into the public eye in the mid 1970s with her controversial views on homosexuality. These signs are from very early in her career. Reverse pictures a period golf course in Florida with more advertising for oranges. They are actually two separate signs that are joined at the top and were meant to hang over a wire or string. They can easily be cut apart and sold separately. These are super colorful and fantastic. Pictures don't do them justice. They would be great framed in a kitchen. They came from the basement of a large store in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania called Trimble's. They got signs with their deliveries and threw them in piles in the basement. One of our long time customers rescued these (thank's Bob) and a number of others. They were never used, and are in excellent condition except for very minor aging or slight creases across the top. They are from 1959 (some of the materials with them were dated). We will roll them for shipping.

$9.00

#SIGN024 - How to Stop Communism Honor Emblem Sign

Killer item. Vintage 9" square paper sign "Urging every American to Attend the Sensational Lecture - How to Stop Communism". These are one of the most amazing items we have ever found. They came out of storage in Lancaster, PA. There were four programs, a couple of bizarre publicity brochures that they called public relations manuals and a group of these signs. From what it says in the manual, these signs were made for a lecture on How to Stop Communism that was given at the McCaskey High School Auditorium on February 25, 1951. The signs say "Attend this Lecture Learn Shocking Facts" "Know our Enemy Learn Their Tricks" etc. These lectures were made during the period of McCarthyism when many thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of their careers, and even imprisonment. The "Manual" (not for sale) I found with these signs tells all about how to figure out who was a communist, and confirms these lectures were part of the McCarthyism Communist panic. Note that they do show some very minor aging or edge roughness that can be trimmed.

$12.50

#TY106 - Keds Space Yo-Yo Puzzle Decoder Whistle

These are vintage Keds premiums found in storage in an old shoe store. They come in a cellophane package with directions. They explain how it is a yo-yo with a space puzzle and whistle in the side. The whistle area of the yoyo has the letters of the alphabet with long and short dashes next to them. The directions say that you blew long or short whistles according to the code to send out messages. It also has a list of "astronaut talk" including the term "photon engine" which was a popular idea in the 1950s which is the time period they are from. You may see one of these around once in a while, but not likely mint in the cellophane package like this with the directions. The ones I've seen before are used and don't have directions. In that condition, they go for around $25 each. These should be better.

$12.50

#SIGN035 - Florida Tangerines Sign with Tangerines in a Large Glass Bowl

Vintage color 14" wide cardboard store sign. Nice image with a glass bowl from the time period filled with tangerines. Also has a small image of the Florida Tangerine Special Train. Says "The Zipper-Skin Fruit". These are from the early 1950s which is when this style of artwork was used for Florida citrus products. The space to the right was where they wrote the prices. The reverse has writing on it too so the sign could be seen from either side. Reverse says "Florida Tangerines The Zipper-Skin Fruit". They came from the basement of a large store in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania called Trimble's. The store got signs with their deliveries and threw them in piles in the basement. One of our long time customers rescued these (thank's Bob) and a number of others. These are in excellent condition. Of note, magazine ads for Florida Oranges from the 1950s retail for $8 - $10. These should retail for substantially more. Nice unused condition.

$3.50

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