Bidspirit auction | Gale Mfg Co. Lithographed Tin

Gale Mfg Co. Lithographed Tin Match - Height: 4. Width: 3. A lithographed tin advertising match holder produced for the Gale Manufacturing Co. of Albion, Michigan. The piece features a rectangular backplate with rounded corners designed for wall mounting and a curved forward-projecting pocket to hold matchboxes. The upper portion of the backplate features a detailed black and white lithographed illustration of a sprawling industrial factory complex with multiple smokestacks and a locomotive with railcars in the foreground. The illustration is framed by an oval border with text identifying the company's products. The lower match pocket features a circular logo composed of four interlocking gears or cogs. The top gears contain the letters G and A, while the bottom gears contain L and E, spelling the maker's name. Small text within the logo reads TRADE and MARK. The backplate is printed with the following text: PLOWS, PLANTERS, HARROWS, CULTIVATORS, GALE MANVFACTVRING CO. MAKERS OF AGRICVLTVRAL IMPLEMENTS ALBION, MICH. The match pocket is printed with: G A L E MEANS GOOD, ASK YOUR DEALER FOR FREE CATALOG. The typography uses a stylized V in place of a U in the words manufacturing and agricultural, consistent with late 19th and early 20th-century graphic design. The reverse side of the tin is finished in a dark blue or black lacquer.