Collectibles: Comics, Sports, Tobacciana
Lot 49:
Description
This antique advertising pocket match safe, or vesta case, dates to approximately 1910. The piece is constructed with a metal frame, likely silvered or nickel-plated brass, featuring inset celluloid panels and a decorative rope-twist border. The front panel displays a monochrome lithographic print titled INNOCENCE, depicting a reclining nude female figure on a riverbank with water lilies. The reverse side features a business advertisement for a West Philadelphia establishment which reads: COMPLIMENTS OF / F. CHARLES REGER, / Saloon / 4094 LANCASTER AVE. / WEST PHILA. / OPPOSITE THE NEW WILLIAM PENN THEATRE. This advertisement references the William Penn Theatre, which opened in 1909, providing a narrow window for the manufacture of the item. A patent mark is stamped on the metal rim between the celluloid and the rope border, reading PAT followed by illegible characters and ending in 94, likely referring to an 1894 patent for this case style.
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