Genuine antique wood advertising crate for Tanglefoot Fly Paper, manufactured by the O. and W. Thum Co. of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tanglefoot was marketed as \"The Sanitary Fly Destroyer\" — a non-poisonous alternative to the arsenic-based fly control methods common at the time, making it a genuinely notable household product before window screens and modern pest control were widespread. The company officially renamed itself \"The Tanglefoot Company\" in 1923, and since this crate bears the Tanglefoot branding rather than an earlier company name, it dates to 1923 or later — most likely the 1920s-1930s. By this era, the company was one of the largest flypaper producers in the world, with warehouses across Europe. A crate like this even sits in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian\'s National Museum of American History.
This crate carries a direct, verifiable local connection: it\'s stenciled \"Brand & Hilderbrand, Columbia City, IND.\" — the actual Indiana town this crate was recovered from, found beneath a former pharmacy building alongside a larger lot of similar antique pharmacy and general store items. Pharmacies and general stores of the era commonly stocked household staples like flypaper alongside medicines, which is exactly how this crate ended up there.
Features bold, legible graphics on multiple panels — the ornate Tanglefoot label with its decorative border on one end (\"10 Boxes 250 Double Sheets\"), and handling instructions (\"Keep Dry,\" \"This Side Up,\" \"Never Store in Basement\") plus the shipper\'s stencil on the main panel. Nailed wood slat construction with visible finger-joint corners. Approximate dimensions: 17\"L x 8.5\"W x 8\"H. Shows honest age-appropriate wear — scuffing, staining, and light surface wear consistent with decades of age — but structurally solid with graphics remaining crisp and readable throughout.
A wonderful piece for collectors of pharmacy and general store advertising, Michigan/Indiana regional history, or early American pest control ephemera. Ships carefully packaged; combined shipping available if purchasing multiple items from this lot.
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