Sunday, October 28, 2012

Object of the Day: The Tiger, King of Rakes

Click on image to be the King of Rakes, Tiger.



I want to be the King of Rakes. Not “rakes” as in those who are rakish, but the king of the actual garden tools! Well, maybe not. But, it’d be better than being the King of the Hoes. Especially if your nickname is “The Tiger.”

Actually, this trade card advertises for “The Tiger, King of Rakes” which, it seems, was manufactured by J.W. Stoddard & Co. of Dayton, Ohio.

This trade card was commissioned by the Stoddard Company and is one of the rare examples of trade cards which have a front image which has something to do with the product being sold.

The reverse tells us the “The Tiger” is the “Standard Rake of America.”

And, then, well, it tells us a LOT of other stuff about it in really, really small print which my thirty-eight-year-old eyes just can’t handle today. Sorry. But, I just can’t bring myself to type all of this out.

In more readable type, we see that one Geo. Tyler of 19 S. Market St., Boston Mass. Was the General Agent.

What’s with the curious stamp of purple ink on the bottom? Let’s see what we can make out. It tells us that “Sanborn, Austin and Robinson” of Lawrence, Massachusetts was a dealer of “The Tiger.” There’s more there, but…well…eyes and all.


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