Stuff From the Box
Did you have trouble sleeping? Are you feeling anxious, jumpy, or filled with ennui? Maybe some Stuff From the Box will make it all better!
You already know about my fondness for vintage employee pins, and this one is a beauty. I like "inflated triangle" shape. It's not even an inch across, pins like these are often tiny. Anything larger would just be too much. Some young man (presumably) must have gone through a training program at General Electric's Schenectady plant (once called "The Electric City", which is pretty cool). Between 30,000 and 45,000 people worked there in the Depression/WWII years. Our graduate learned how to screw in a lightbulb ("righty-tighty, lefty-loosey") and use one of those cool wire strippers that dad would never let him play with.
Next is this really cool 1940 Tom Mix "Gold Ore Watch Fob", a premium from Ralston cereal. Under that clear (?) dome is genuine gold ore from the Comstock mines in Nevada, "America's richest gold district". I'm sure that the gold ore is worth thousands of dollars, and is not just random gravel found in a vacant lot.
The next four pints were all given out to members of the American Legion. Founded in 1919, the American Legion... commonly known as the Legion, is a nonprofit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is active in issue-oriented U.S. politics. Its primary political activity is lobbying on behalf of interests of veterans and service members, including support for benefits such as pensions and the Veterans Health Administration. This first pin, from 1958, says "Gleason Gunner" and features a miniature howitzer. "Gleason" refers to National Commander John S. Gleason, Jr.
My favorite pin from this batch is the 1959 "Moore Missileer" example. National Commander Preston J. Moore was running things in '59. These pins are pretty easy to find! The character atop the missile makes me think of Slim Pickens as Major T.J. "King" Kong in "Dr. Strangelove".
A stylish cowboy boot (with spurs!) was used for the 1960 membership pin.
And finally, here's the 1961 "Burke Bo’sun" pin in the shape of a ship's wheel. I admit that I haven't done a ton of searching, but as far as I can tell, the tradition of making a unique pin each year stopped after 1961. National Commander William R. Burke is the man of the year this time.
Stay tuned for even more Stuff From the Box!
18 comments:
Major-
They're all pretty wonderful, but the GE pin is hard to resist with that timeless logo.
"Our graduate learned how to screw in a lightbulb ("righty-tighty, lefty-loosey")". Back in the day when bare bulbs were used for illumination, I have it on good authority that in order to stop pilfering, the NY Subway system [and perhaps others] had special left-handed thread sockets (and matching lamps) so even if bulbs were 'borrowed', they would be useless elsewhere. (It's a great story, even if proven untrue. I dare you, though...).
Thanks, Major.
Oooh, lots of gold today! Sparkly, glittery, saturated gold. (Major has lured me over to the Dark Side... see yesterday's comments.)
"...trouble sleeping? Are you feeling anxious, jumpy, or filled with ennui?" Hmm, sounds like a job for Vitameatavegamin!
I like the shovels and pickaxe on the gold ore watch fob. Maybe the ore is actual tailings/discards from the Comstock mine. Or, it's just random gravel, like you intimated.
Ha! How could the Missileer pin NOT remind one of Slim Pickens and Dr. Strangelove? I wonder if the scene from the movie had its origin from this pin?
Nanook, I choose to believe your lightbulb story. It sorta makes sense. Once word got around that the bulbs couldn't be used anywhere else, people would stop stealing them... presumably.
I can't decide between the GE pin, the 'gravel dome', or Slim Pickens on the missile. Thanks for the glittery gold, Major.
@ JB-
I first heard that 'story' easily 25 years ago; but it really IS true. And both the lamps and sockets are still in production - for construction and temporary lighting. At least Leviton still makes a "left-hand screw shell" lampholder, w/two, 6" leads; and Satco makes a LH thread lamp.
These are all really nice, but I think my favorite is the G.E. pin because....well, it's G.E. and they bring good things to life. At least, they used to.
Thanks for sharing more Boxstuff® with us, Major!
I'm going to have to go with the Gold for today, even though I should have loyalty to all things "rocket." I wonder how many kids bent those two little tabs back and got all that valuable gold out? I know that's exactly what I would have done as a kid- and then felt bad about messing up my prize.
There are, indeed, reverse threaded bulbs- and screws for that matter. Having run a sheet metal shop in WWII that helped fix shot up American ships, my grandfather had a colorful, but in no way politically correct, name for them. We'll leave it at that.
Of course, it's actually easy to get around the reverse socket issue if you have a roll of duct tape and a bare wire- and I'm sure some people did. Still, you gotta give 'em credit for trying!
The box never disappoints!
Yes, GE brought great things to life, wonderful things like the Vitality Curve. And this pin, which I think is a much greater contribution to mankind.
Chuck, ha! Nothing builds better camaraderie and cohesiveness!
I vote for the gold ore, Major.
—Sue
Wow. Lots of shiny things this morning. They are all pretty fabulous but I'm with Sue. I like the Tom Mix gold ore pin. Looks like something Indiana Jones would travel the world to find. Plus it has some local interest, since he died in a car crash on 77 not that many miles from Tucson. Local legend said he died when his Cadillac hit a bump and the TV he had in his car hit him in the head. Don't know if I go for that but he did die in a crash. There is a monument by a pull-off up there.
Thanks Major, swell stuff.
I didn’t know what a “bo’sun” was, so I looked it up, and apparently you can also abbreviate it bo’s’n. A double contraction, wow! I think the ore one is my favorite too. Did a lot of children have pocket watches that needed fobbing in the 40s? Thanks for the Box visit, Major.
Nanook, I do like those little brass and real enamel pins (as you’ll see in future posts). I don’t mind it when they have a fake ruby or emerald either. I’ve heard that story about the left-handed threaded bulbs in the NY subway system, but you have to admit that those are a tiny percentage of bulbs in the world! I watch a guy on YouTube who restores old cars and other things with motors, and every once in a while he’ll run into a left-handed threaded item too.
JB, the watch fob is pretty sweet, that was one of the first old cowboy premiums I ever got. I suppose the gravel might actually be from Comstock tailings, but if it isn’t, who would know the difference? “Dr. Strangelove” didn’t come out until 1964, so the Moore Missileer pin predates it by five years! Maybe Stanley Kubrick saw one and was inspired by it. I’m going to install a left-threaded light fixture JUST so I can steal bulbs from the NY subway system.
Nanook, the idea that lightbulb theft was so prevalent that they had to manufacture special bulbs is pretty amazing.
TokyoMagic!, I’m glad that G.E. doesn’t bring BAD things to life, like zombies or Draculas.
Stu29573, weirdly, it never occurred to me to bend those tabs back to get at the gravel. Of course I was old enough to know better (theoretically). Now I wonder if any kids actually DID do that. Hmmm, now I’m trying to imagine what sort of words your grandpa used for those bulbs. I mean, my dad had some pretty non-PC names for stuff.
Chuck, I was unaware of the Vitality Curve. Fun to read about how it probably encourages employees to hire lesser-qualified underlings so that they continue to look good.
Sue, employers never seem to consider that treating employees like human beings might engender loyalty and extra effort.
DrGoat, I knew that Tom Mix died in a car crash, but never heard the detail about a TV hitting him on the head. John Wayne had some not-nice things to say about Tom Mix, who was apparently pretty full of himself. But he admired Buck Jones (who died while literally saving people from a burning building).
Kathy!, the only thing I know about bo’suns is that Cap’n Crunch had a plastic bo’sun whistle that people used to be able to use to make free long distance calls. https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/455857/
Major-
As one of those 'mechanically-inclined' persons, "stuff" such as which way to tighten/loosen all sorts of items can be individually assigned in one's head. Memes such as "righty-tighty..." only apply to [obviously] right-hand threads - but also if the threads are facing up. I was amused while observing a barista (a real one - not 'a button-pusher' in a *$s-!) as she was about to remove the screw securing the 'shower screen' in the group head of an espresso machine. She was mumbling "righty-tighty..." Problem is, just as with most faucets, the group head faces down, so the operation is backwards - rendering the meme fairly useless. In spite of the 'handicap', she was able to remove the screw. (Maybe she had two left feet, I don't know). Best to be able to visualize each situation then rely on what amounts to an old wives' tale. But once again - that's just me-!
Major, I LOVE that info about the Cap'n Crunch whistle. Never knew that before. You learn sooo much here.
Nanook, I love your barista story.
Back to the employers and their sometimes brainless ways of doing things, my husband and I always joke about how company management is not only known for sitting around in hours of useless meetings--making-up goofy waste-of-time-and-money programs (including goofy names for those programs that get printed on signs placed all over the building), but they also spend the majority of their time making useless computer color charts and graphs. Very little productivity. I'll get down off my soapbox, now.
Sue
One pedal on a bike is also threaded left-handed, supposedly to make the pedaling motion keep it tight, but I never remember which one when I'm changing pedals.
My vote is for the gold ore pin, too. You can't see it, but right now I'm dancing like Walter Huston in Treasure of the Sierra Madre (which conveniently explains any typos). Imagine having a piece of the Gold Rush right on your watch chain!
JB, do you poop out at parties? ;)
TM!, I've had that GE jingle stuck on a loop in my head since I opened this post!
Kathy!, you're probably too young to remember the old Old Spice jingle: "Old Spice means quality, said the captain to the bosun; ask for the package with the ship that sails the ocean!"
I directed a production of HMS Pinafore once, and I could tell the noobs from the old Savoyards by whether or not they knew how to pronounce "boatswain."
I lived for years in a house that my great-uncle built, using some unorthodox and less-than-ideal construction techniques. I used to joke that all of the screws and bolts were probably threaded the wrong way. I had no idea that was really a thing!
Our local American Legion does a bang-up job tending veterans' graves. There are a couple of War of 1812 veterans buried in the boneyard down the road, and they're always neat and tidy with flowers and a flag on Veterans' Day.
@ Melissa-
It's definitely one of Madison Avenue's great jingles. In THIS EXAMPLE, you can briefly see actor Jeff Daniels from about 0:06 - 0:08; and then again briefly towards the end.
Nanook, I figured the reverse thread story was true. It made sense.
Tokyo!, "Boxstuff®"... I like it!
Stu, count me as one of those kids who would've opened up that dome. Only, I probably wouldn't feel bad about ruining the watch fob. Who needs a watch fob? Besides the Mr. Monopoly guy... and Mr. Peanut.
DrGoat, interesting stuff about Tom Mix. Thanks.
Kathy!, I was wondering the same thing. Watch fob? For kids?
Major, maybe a 'guy riding a rocket' was a thing before this pin was made? Couldn't have been too much earlier though. Rockets were pretty scarce before WWII. Although, I seem to remember that some Chinese Emperor blasted himself into the air with fireworks rockets strapped to his throne. I remember now, it was a segment on MythBusters.
Melissa, haha! I came really close to including that line in my comment above. We all know how the Major LOVES Lucy!
Nanook, you are lucky to be mechanically-inclined… I can slog my way through something, usually taking twice as long as I should due to multiple wrong choices. I know what you mean about the “righty-tighty” and faucets, but that one seems to be not too hard to figure out. Hey, I’d say that barista did OK!
Lou and Sue, complaints by employees about useless (and endless) conferences and meetings is a familiar one. I guess it gives the executives a chance to give the illusion that they are doing something!
Dean Finder, I’ll take your word for it! I used to ride a bike a lot until I injured myself. I wasn’t afraid to get back on a bike after I’d healed, I’d just lost the “eye of the tiger”.
Melissa, I always picture you dancing like Walter Huston! I probably heard that Old Spice jingle, but it isn’t coming to mind. So many jingles to remember. Thank goodness the HMS Pinafore didn’t ask ask to pronounce “Worcestershire”. Or that they didn’t ask ME to pronounce it. Wow, War of 1812 Veterans, if my calculations are correct, that was a long time ago.
Nanook, TWINS?!?!
JB, I can’t use the term “Boxstuff®” because I am not cool enough. Only cool people with Ray Bans can say stuff like that and pull it off. I don’t need a watch fob, but they’re still kind of cool. You might be right about the “guy riding the rocket (or bomb)”. Maybe that was an idea going back to WWII, or even before. I remember that episode of Mythbusters!
Major, I'm voting for the GE pin, not only for the logo, but also because the triangular shape is obviously based on an alternate Non-Euclidean 3-dimensional spherical geometry where the sum of the angles of the triangle exceeds 180 degrees.
JG
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