|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Your Price: $ 14.50
Item Number: 2184
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | We also accept Checks and Money Orders. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Manufacturer: Esslinger Beer
Nifty find out of a home. This is a vintage collectible Mid Century Modern kitchen or bar item that we think was made to be used as a food masher or meat tenderizer from the metal underpart, but we are not sure. What's fun is that this can also be seen to be an advertising piece as the handle says "Esslinger Premium" on two sides for Esslinger Premium Beer. As will be explained, it may be that this is a hand made piece someone constructed using an Esslinger beer tap handle rather than being a manufactured advertising premium piece, we're not sure.
This old piece is made with a rich red celluloid or bakelite for the vertical handle, which is attached to a chunky largely square wood piece that has the rough surface metal masher plate then attached to the underside of the wood. We believe the handle is bakelite from the color, style/feel and the fact that there are no mold lines to the handle (bakelite was never molded and would not show mold lines)...but we are not experts, this could be another form of older celluloid. We have seen a similar handle used for beer tap handles for this product from the 1940s/1950s. The handle is firmly attached to the wood, but if you try you can turn this in one direction (we have not tried to unscrew this to see if it fully comes off and are leaving/selling as is/as found). The underside metal has raised, rounded bumps, many of which have opened at the center so they now have points to them, as one might see with an item that has been repeatedly pounded into something else (like with mashing or meat tenderizing). The metal is attached to the underside of the wood portion with 8 flat head nails, and it is firmly attached.
This vintage kitchen collectible measures about 5 7/8 inches in height sitting on a table. The wood piece (which creates the greatest width) is not exactly square, further suggesting that this may be a handmade piece, measuring about 3 1/2 inches long on two sides, then about 3 5/8 or 3 11/16 inches long on the other two sides. The red handle itself measures about 4 1/16 inches in length, 1 3/4 inches in greatest width and about 7/8 inch in depth. The handle is less wide at its base and then angles outward to the top. All sides on the handle are rounded and smooth, with the Esslinger Premium words carved or inset into the handle, with the letters filled in as white. On one side, the white letters also have a black lining at their center on just the word, Esslinger (this doesn't show well in the images, just slightly). This piece weighs almost 9 ounces unpacked.
From some internet research, Esslinger beer was manufactured in several locations in Philadelphia, PA, with the final brewery plant located near the Reading Viaduct. The company began in the mid 1800's and went out of business in 1964. This supports that minimally the Esslinger handle here is a Mid Century Modern piece, made no later than 1964, and likely made in the 1940s/50s given the celluloid/bakelite composition.
We've provided 8 images shot both in natural lighting and with the camera light. The natural light better shows the red color of the handle which you will see in person, as the camera light makes the color lighter and brighter. In person you will see this is a deep, rich, medium red color. Using the two differing light sources also helps to provide better detail of condition, so please look across all the images for the best idea of this piece, using the zoom feature. There is white "hot spot" lighting reflection on the smooth handle surface, whether shot in natural light or with the camera, although there is more when the camera is used.
Very nice vintage used condition, not pristine and new looking nor mint, but as one would expect for a used older piece. There are no major chips, cracks or crazing, but age/use/wear flaws. As you can see in the images, the handle does not sit totally vertically in the wood, with this more prominently slanting or tilting when viewed on one Esslinger side vs. the other (further supporting this may have been handmade). The handle has a number of dark wear spots/lines/discoloration largely on one Esslinger side (these don't show well in the images, only slightly), surface scratches, one low surface flake/slight chip on one non-Esslinger side at about the mid-point vertically (measures slightly over 1/16 inch in width, you can see this in images 3 & 4), a few horizontal line scrapes/scars on one Esslinger side (you can see this in images 1 & 2), other rubbed spots/spotting, etc. general surface wear. The wood block shows much black spotting/lines, other spotting, several indented lines/scratches in the top surface, rounded indent spots on one side, several small wood indents/chips to the top edge on one side, etc. general wear and aged old look. The underside metal piece has a darkened used look with a good bit of brown spotting, the rounded point wear talked earlier, scratches, etc.
An interesting item to add to any collection related to Breweriana and that for Esslinger beer in particular, an eye-catching item for a kitchen collectibles grouping, or a different addition for a collection related to Philadelphia industry and history. |
|
You might also like:
|
|
|
|
|
|
