Promotional, "advertising" items have long been used by businesses seeking to promote sales for their companies or brands. These items, usually given to a customer (or a potential customer), could take one of many different forms. Sometimes the item might be a miniature version of the manufacturer's regular item—think of an anvil salesman leaving a miniature cast iron anvil paperweight (complete with the maker's brand name and contact info). A promotional item could be something useful: a calendar, a letter rack, a coin tray, a wall clock, or a paperweight. Or the promotional item could be an outright advertisement—like a product sign to be mounted on a display case or a brand logo to be hung on the wall.
In 1940, Jay Sadler Shaw and six other investors purchased American Art Works—a calendar and promotional items manufacturer founded in 1886—in Coshocton, Ohio. With this acquisition, they founded Shaw-Barton which would enjoy a 46% increase in sales their very first year. Over the years, Shaw-Barton expanded, acquiring smaller companies to its fold, and becoming industry leaders.
The magnifying glass, shown above, is set within a wooden frame, then wrapped with handsome leather. The leather is gold-embossed with good business advice (on front) and the Shaw-Barton logo (on back). A magnifying glass, like this, is made to slide over the printed page—making the text larger, easier to read. But this glass can also be held in-hand, like a traditional magnifier, to inspect small items as needed. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome advertising souvenir from the Forties.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248