Stuff From Da Box

Whenever I'm feeling a little low, I'll take a luxurious bubble bath (while listening to Kenny G), and then enjoy some Stuff From Da Box! Join me, won't you? I mean for the Stuff, not the bubble bath (which is only for me and my vinyl walrus).

First up is this little employee pin given to somebody at Michigan Bell. Do the three stars mean three years? Or thirty? I would guess that this is from the 1930s.

Next is another employee badge, from the Cadillac Motor Co. Car division, that is. It has a pleasing hexagonal shape, and a mysterious code that only true insiders will understand. What do you think, is this also from the 1930s? Or maybe it's from as late as the 1950s.

Here's a metal badge from the defunct Sambo's restaurant chain. The name did them in, at least partly, though it is taken from the names of the two men who founded it, Sam Battistone and Newell Bohnett. Still, they adopted the story of Little Black Sambo, sanitizing it to a degree. As a kid I loved the idea of pancakes with "tiger butter", and as I've said once before, I discovered that fries dipped in A1 Steak Sauce was a revelation. The last Sambo's restaurant (in Santa Barbara) changed its name to "Chad's" in 2020. 

When I used to go to collector's shows, I was clearly drawn to pins from the Trailways bus system. I think I imagined a romantic ideal of bus travel, probably far from reality. Still, it made me think of the golden age of road trips, exploring post-War America on a budget. Three of these are safety awards, for two, six, and thirteen years (complete with two possibly-genuine diamonds). I was surprised to learn that Trailways was still a going concern: The Trailways Transportation System is a public transport bus service in the United States. It operates a network of approximately 70 independent bus companies. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. Read more about it HERE if you are interested.

What can I say, I have a lot of little employee pins and badges! Including this tiny TWA pin, which I imagine was worn by flight attendants, possibly on their lapels or on their scarf ties (whatever those are called). However, I have no proof, it could have been worn by any employee.

And finally, here's a beautiful little enameled pin from the Spartan Aircraft Company, which I was not familiar with. The Spartan Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturing company, headquartered on Sheridan Avenue near the Tulsa Municipal Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1] Previously known as Mid-Continent Aircraft Company, the company had been reorganized under the Spartan name in 1928 by oil baron William G. Skelly—and operated until 1961, manufacturing aircraft, aircraft components, and recreational vehicle trailers. The company was known for the luxurious Spartan Executive aircraft produced in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

J. Paul Getty acquired the company from Skelly in 1935. After World War II, Getty ended aircraft production and converted the company to manufacturing trailers under the Spartan Manor brand—subsequently ending all production in 1961.

I need to photograph more Stuff From the Box!