Jack Sprat Coffee Box ~ Free Sample Size & Store Display Sign

Description

1 ½ oz. Free Sample Box
Jack Sprat Coffee
Box & Store Window Sign
This set came from the large Blaul's Iowa warehouse auction in 2002. John Blaul's & Sons were a major player in the coffee bean importing, and roasting then selling to re-packagers from the early 1900's through WW II. They brought up boatloads of imported foods on the Mississippi to their Cedar Rapids and Burlington Iowa processing plants and then shipped them west on trains to the new western frontier towns.
They would ship large barrels and gunny sacks of roasted coffee beans along with retail packaging materials so the Ma & Pa General stores could fresh grind and bag their coffee on the premises.
This box is 3 ¾ inches high, 2 ¼  inches wide and an inch thick. It held enough to brew a sample pot of Jack Sprat Coffee. Free samples were a method to compete even though the coffee beans were roasted by the same processor, other major shippers would make up a brand name and supply retailing materials.
"Jack Sprat" coffee was Packed by Western Grocer Mills of Marshalltown Iowa. The side panel says it was distributed by several wholesalers; H.L. Spencer Co. Oskaloosa, Iowa ~ Letts-Fletcher Co. Marshalltown & Carroll Iowa ~ Letts-Spencer-Smith Co. Sheldon & Mason City Iowa ~ Letts-Melick Grocer Co. St. Joseph, Mo. & Eldorado Kas. & McCook, Nebr. ~ Western Grocer Co. Alberta Lea, Minn. & Dubuque, Iowa & Clinton, Iowa & Owatonna, Minn. & Cedar Rapids, Iowa & Minneapolis, Minn. ~ Western Grocer Mills, Marshalltown, Iowa. These were all cities with Railroad heads for tracks that led west to the expanding frontier to supply the growing population centers west of the Mississippi.
Each 100 Lb. gunny sack of roasted coffee beans would be shipped with several dozens of Jack Sprat 5 Lb. coffee bags (Sorry, none left), several 1 Lb. Boxes (Sorry, none left) and a dozen or so "Free Sample Boxes" like these, and a few window or counter signs that advertised Jack Sprat Coffee. The sign is 13 inches by
3 ½ inches. These were sealed in a cardboard box in a dry warehouse. Minor age condensation marks, some warpage on the sign, otherwise no fading, no mildew.
Excellent Condition!
This lot consists of
one
of the sample boxes
and
one
of the point of sale signs as shown in the photo below.
You get both the unused sample box
and
the sign! We carefully package them and send it first class mail.
5752
Price . . . . ..85
Illinois residents pay sales tax. We're happy to combine shipments where practical to save you $$$. We accept PayPal, etc.
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