Tag Archives: Barware

Do you know the Muffin Man?

Well, good for you! This post is not about the Muffin Man that lives on Drury Lane. It is about the Pretzel Man!

 

If you read our prior post about the Kensington Giftware line, then you know the Great Depression of 1929 influenced many companies to reimagine their products in creative ways to survive. Chase Co., primarily known for plumbing fittings, was no exception. Reinventing itself, Chase Co. quickly and wisely diversified making household items from available plumbing stock by collaborating with fashionable designers such as Lurelle Guild, Harry Laylon, Russell Wright and Walter Von Nessen. Using their designs, Chase Co. produced  both beautiful and useful items for every occasion. In some cases, the items were just for fun!

 

The signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act into law on March 22, 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt, legalized beer and wine with low alcohol content. Ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933 repealed the Eighteenth Amendment. The end of prohibition influenced the development of bar-ware on a massive scale by many companies and directly lead to the whimsical Pretzel Man.

 

From the fertile mind of Lurelle Guild, he was depicted in 1933 advertisements and was part of the 1934-1936 Chase catalog in a polished copper finish with a brass spike. A New York Herald Tribune article from June 25, 1933 described this fellow as “frivolous” – meant in the kindest way, of course! The cost? $1.00. Although featured in polished chrome in the ad shown above (and at an advertised cost of $1.75), he did not make an appearance in the Chase Co. catalog with this finish until 1935. Very little information is available about this fellow beyond the obvious.

In copper, he would fall into the “hard to find” range at a cost of $100-$120. The chrome would be in the “difficult to find” range and you can expect to pay $180-$200. In either version, it is incomplete without the spike. As seen above, I am fortunate to own a copper one, with it’s spike, found for half the estimated value.  He is approximately 9 inches wide and 16 inches tall.  More than half the height is the spike.  A word of caution, the spike is very long and can be dangerous.  Be sure to use with caution.

 

Several of the copper version are currently available on popular auction sites. One is complete and a reasonable $110.00 asking price. Another one is for sale at a whopping $495 and missing the spike!

 

I hope you enjoyed this brief post about a fun deco collectible. (And thanks to my “hand models” – Susanna, Jonathan and Anthony.)

Chris and Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

If you enjoyed spending time with the Pretzelman you might enjoy these earlier         Driving For Deco Posts –

Cocktails for Two . . . or More

Napier Cocktail Shaker – Weekend Find

Kensington, Deco Aluminum Giftware

 

 

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Pier Show – November, 2014

One event that Chris and I look forward to is the New York City Pier Show, which is held twice a year at Pier 94. We always attend it with the same group of friends and it has become a tradition with all of us. One can find almost anything at the show, from very affordable collectibles to extremely high end antiques and jewelry to vintage fashions to steampunk. One of the sponsors of the show is The Art Deco Society of New York, which has a booth just inside the entrance, where you can get information and even sign up for membership. For more information click on the link in blue above.

Sign on 12th Avenue

Sign on 12th Avenue

Chris in brown coat getting ready to enter the show.

Chris in brown coat getting ready to enter the show.

Here are a few videos from inside the show. I apologize for the less than great quality of the videos; it was my first attempt shooting video. The first video shows a portion of “fashion alley” and the second and third are from the “modernism” section of the show.

 

Fashion Alley

 

Modernism

 

Modernism II

 

We did not come with any real deco treasures, I did pick up a few items from the 1930’s and 1940’s. Click the link below to see this Pier Show purchases.

Chris & Anthony  (The “Freakin’, Tiquen'” Guys)

 

November, 2014 Pier Show Purchases

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