A brand burns bright
Deere lights it up
As we celebrate the Fourth of July in the U.S. this week, many people
will light firecrackers for sizzling summer fun.
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These "Feature"
matchbooks are more interesting open than closed. Inside, the Model A is printed directly
on the matches. Note the styled two-cylinder tractor with spoked wheels and early rubber
tires. The matchbook on the right is personalized with "Iowa State Fair 1938" on
its outer cover. Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
Other than flimsy paper
matches, there were sturdy wooden stick matches. These often came in small boxes with a
sliding outer cover. Not many John Deere versions have been seen and some that have may be
the work of crafty collectors. Still, they make a nice accent to a John Deere collection. |
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Others will fire up the grill to make
burgers and brats at a picnic party.
Back in the beginning of time, fire gave heat and light to early
generations. Today, we commonly associate a match or lighter with people who smoke
cigarettes or cigars. These are the people who carry fire-making materials daily for when
their addiction to nicotine flares up!
Many years ago, smoking was seen as a sexy, stylish activity, made
popular by glamorous people puffing away elegantly. That’s probably who Deere
intended to sway using promotional matchbooks, lighters, and ashtrays.
A perfect match
Promotional matchbooks are not as common today thanks to the invention
of the Zippo lighter. But John Deere put its name and logo on several styles back over the
years. Many were rather plain and simple, with a dealership name and maybe a leaping-deer
logo. Several colorful green and yellow matchbooks can be found promoting Deere’s
fertilizer venture (see earlier Green Girl column.)
The most attractive designs are called "Feature" matchbooks
after the manufacturer’s name. These yellow pieces of paper opened to reveal a John
Deere tractor printed on the face of the paper matches. Because these designs show a
styled Model A tractor, we can assume they were made after 1938. The inside front cover
promotes the infamous two-cylinder design.
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Ashtrays were also promotional
items associated with John Deere. The white porcelain ashtray shows the Quality Farm
Equipment logo with four-legged deer. The ashtray has a slot to keep a book of matches
within easy reach. The matchbook features "Vitrea 45% nitrogen," the result of a
brief venture with a fertilizer plant in Oklahoma from 1952 to 1965. The other ashtray
also includes a holding place for a box of matches. The dealer imprint is from the
"Broward-Palm Beach Tractor Co., Pompano Beach/Boynton Beach" out of Florida. Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
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Sure-fire friend winners
That’s what a Deere promotional booklet called lighters in trying
to get dealerships to purchase them for customers. Lighter designs vary greatly from
crude, wick-based capsules to square-shaped flip-top versions.
Made by famous brand names like Zippo and Scripto, these butane-type
lighters often bore dealership names and the John Deere logo. Some even had catchy phrases
like "Sparks New Earning Power" or "To A Matchless Friend." From
smooth shiny gold to brushed aluminum, lighters vary greatly in size, shape, color and
design.
A brand for
"butt-heads"
Ashtrays were also popular promotional pieces for John Deere and its
dealerships. Many variations of designs exist, but the most common is a clear glass one.
Some fancier versions had a slot for holding a book or box of matches too.
The deer logo and/or dealership were usually designed into the bottom
of the dish, only to be covered with ashes and cigarette butts. That’s why good,
clean ashtrays are hard to find today. Most will have burn marks and nicotine stains if
they were used as intended.
While The Green Girl is not a smoker and hates to see someone’s
health go up in flames, she would own a matchbook, lighter or ashtray…but only if it
were part of her John Deere memorabilia collection!
Have a fun firecracker Fourth but be careful when lighting up!
Next week, The Green Girl will be on a cruise in Alaska so check back
July 16th for the next column about Deere company picnics.
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More fire starters!
A trio of cigarette lighters from
John Deere’s early days again shows the famed four-legged deer design. The Zippo
lighter on the left shows the Quality Farm Equipment logo. A dealer imprint of
"Robert P. Flynn, Morrice, Michigan" completes the design. The far right lighter
also features the older four-legged leaping deer with the marketing slogan "Sparks
New Earning Power" on it. The shiny gold lighter in the middle honors 125 years of
Deere (1962) and includes the tin case from Scripto. Photo
© 1999 Nick Cedar
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Not instantly recognizable as
matches, this unique advertising promotion actually holds seven large books of matches in
a special carton. The four-legged deer logo dates this item before 1968. The slogan says
"Choose from The Long Green Line of Customerized John Deere Equipment." Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
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A trio of ashtrays promotes John
Deere and its dealers in the late 1950s. The large white round ashtray has three gold
four-legged deer on the bottom. The glass ashtray on the lower left is from "John
Deere Sales and Service. Watertown Implement Co. Phone 874. Watertown, Wis. Clarence
Gartzke." The glass one on the right is "Compliments of Rudy, Fisher Implement
Co." A similar version was advertised in a 1966 specialty catalog. Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
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An example of both types of
matches —Ýbooks for paper matches and safes for wooden matches. The colorful
two-cylinder tractor design is a rare find, as most books have had the matches removed.
Finding a book with all the matches intact is quite a feat. The sterling silver matchsafe
box on the right uses the gold leaping deer logo that is identical to stickpin designs,
yet it cannot be authenticated. Photo ©
1999 Nick Cedar
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This assorted collection of
lighters spans the years and the country with Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, and Washington
imprints. Top row left to right: Green with yellow lettering: "Heaton Implement,
Edinburg, Texas"; Brushed chrome Zippo with "John Deere Intercontinental Ltd.
Washington Office"; High-polish chrome Zippo in original box with four-legged leaping
deer logo; Chrome with Quality Farm Equipment logo. Middle row left to right: Wellington
lighter in original box with black-and-yellow industrial equipment design for
"Earthmoving-Logging" qualifies as rare — selling for $200 at a recent
auction.; Chrome with four-legged deer logo and "Wade" dealership imprint and
phone number (453-6918); Chrome with stoplight icon and "Work Smarter, Not Harder,
It’s Easier. John Deere." Bottom row left to right: Gold with tractor design and
dealer imprint "Jones Wharton Implement Co., Hollis, Okla."; Red with black cap
bullet lighter (ca. 1915) promoting "John Deere Tractor Co. Waterloo, Iowa";
Gold dress design that says "To A Matchless Friend From Gochenour Implement Co.,
Pocahontas, Iowa"; Green and gold lighter with four-legged deer logo. Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
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© 2001 Brenda Kruse. |