Want to keep your drink cold? Put a sock on it! Found in an old barn. #found #drinks #drinking #coaster #bars #funny #nostalgia

Want to keep your drink cold? Put a sock on it! Found in an old barn. #drinks #drinking #coaster #bars #funny #nostalgia

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The Shredded Wheat Story Caused me to meet an Interesting Pirson (1928)

Who was Elmer Pirson? I wish I knew. In an old box of papers I came across a neat piece of paper obscured by a sticker. I left it for a while but when making a keep/toss pile I saw it again. 

I had never thought of steaming old paper. It has to the quickest way to its destruction. Thinking that it was going to be tossed what difference would it make if I failed? I thought the illustration was incredibly vibrant for its age.

The interior was intact and seeing the recipes like this one…I couldn’t resist.

The steaming experiment was a success, although I regret not offering a "before" image. You can see from the fading and the white marks where it was doing the worst damage. 

Now has become one of my favorites, mainly for the illustrator. Elmer Pirson was born in 1888, just about 5 years after Shredded Wheat was invented.  Henry Perky was only trying to invent a machine to make a cereal biscuit and sell the invention. The baked wheat biscuit trued out to be popular and he began expanding it’s production. Moving first to Worcester MA and then to Niagara Falls, NY he also began making Tricots in 1902. The company When from being called the Cereal Machine company to the Shredded Wheat company.

What makes my find so interesting is that it is the last year that The Shredded Wheat Company existed before being sold to The National Biscuit Co. in 1928. 

For more on the Shredded Wheat story, visit Topher's site here. 

Who was illustrator Elmer Pirson? That story and more on this find from 1928 coming soon! #found #illustration #1928 #breakfast #ephemera #advertising #shreddedwheat #estatesale

Who was illustrator Elmer Pirson? That story and more on this find from 1928 coming soon! #illustration #1928 #breakfast #ephemera #advertising #shreddedwheat #estatesale

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Obscure Cinema Presents: "My Dear Fellow" (Russian "Dorogoy Moy Chelovek", 1958)

My love of illustration, film and old paper came together in this discovery from a box lot of papers purchased at an estate sale.  Advance warning: I can't reveal the whole story of this film because my research has hit a few dead ends. I can share this promotional program which may have accompanied the films release in Germany.

I had some fun trying to translate the title. I did initially find out that this was a Russian film released in Germany, but just trying to get an americanized title out of those 3 words was a challenge. Google translate, although an awesome app had me believing this film was called "My Beloved Canteen" Then it seemed the title was "My beloved Man." I am going with "My Dear Fellow" which is a loose interpretation according to a thin IMDB listing.

  The were both so young...or words to that effect.

If you can add to this or the IMDB post, I think you would be doing society, and certainly me, a tremendous favor. 

Went to a tag sale.... Had a blast! #estatesale #dynamite #blastingcaps #antiques #oddfinds #dupont #found

Went to a tag sale.... Had a blast! #estatesale #dynamite #blastingcaps #antiques #oddfinds #dupont

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Button Collecting is More Personal Than I Thought

A Sunday without an estate sale to explore turns into a personal discovery. 

This weekend I spent time with my daughter doing the requisite chores that accumulate around the house. Extracting overgrown bushes from the front yard was my chore; her chore was to prepare for 8th grade. A sea of school supplies soon began to drift around the family room and among them was a new backpack waiting to be personalized.  

 “Do you have any buttons?” my daughter asked.

Thinking she meant the kind used to build a robot I say, “The kind of button you press?” 

 “No, the kind with pins on the back.”

My brain stretched to remember my hiding places in the garage where a few of the icons of my misspent youth are kept. On my workbench somewhere in those multi-drawer organizers is at least one button. 

After sliding each drawer out, the last one revealed a small button. This brought a flood of memories that transported me back to Buffalo State College 30 years ago.

WBNY was the college radio station. Programmed and managed by students, It was the voice of Buff-state. Though broadcasting was my major, I never joined the station, opting instead for the Student Union Board - the entertainment committee which provided films, lectures, and concerts.

An interest in comedy sketch-writing led me and my friend Tony to connect with a student who had a slot on the radio station.  “Lacy Wainright,” her radio alias, shared our sense of humor and together we began writing bits to perform during her Friday morning drive-time show.

We had some good laughs during our writing sessions and several of the scripts we wrote made it on the air. Within a few weeks station management found out that we were operating without permission and without licenses and asked us to leave "Lacy's" show.

Isn’t that how all great stories start for people in entertainment? 

I found another button to donate to my daughter's backpack. 
If my big chance in entertainment should ever come,  I'll have my backstory all ready to go. 

Transistor radio I couldn't resist picking up as a project. #AM #radio #found #estatesale

Transistor radio I couldn't resist picking up as a project. #AM #radio #estatesale

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A great combination of new and old at this western CT sale. #found #periscope #facebookvideo #estatesale #weekendfun

A great combination of new and old at this western CT sale. #periscope #facebookvideo #estatesale #weekendfun

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A must read during this political season from 1890. #found #politics #election2016 #rhetoric #oldbooks #estatesale

A must read during this political season from 1890. #politics #election2016 #rhetoric #oldbooks #estatesale

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