| The picture below shows larger front and back views of all (3) Early Cracker Jack Pop Corn Confection Miniature Pot Metal Toy Prize Banjos and Guitar Musical Instrument Charms in this lot. The prizes are not dated but they are believed to be from the 1920s or the 1930s. The banjoes are not marked, but the Cracker Jack prize ID number for these is ZP-046. from the Cosmo Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois. One of the banjos has silver and white paint, and the other has green paint. The guitar is from the same time period. It is marked “JAPAN” and some scrollwork on the back but the maker is unknown. It is silver in color with some red ink at the bottom on the front and back. They are all made of pot metal or lead and all three have a charm loop to put them on a charm bracelet, or as a pendant on a necklace or earrings. Many of the early pot metal or lead prizes were manufactured by Dowst (Samuel Dowst), or the Tootsietoy Company of Chicago, Illinois, but there were other companies in the United States, and including ones from Japan and Germany prior to World War II as well. Some of these type prizes were made specifically for Cracker Jack, while others were made as small novelties, bought in volume, and used as prizes by The Cracker Jack Company. Pot metal or lead prizes were some of the earliest prizes that were used in Cracker Jack boxes from the 1910s to the late 1940s. Many of these type prizes or novelties were also sold out of old Johnson Smith & Company catalog as well as some other early novelty catalogs, also used in fortune telling sets, and some were also sold and used as board game parts. Many of these can be found factory painted, inked, or with no finish at all. All three of these miniature musical instruments for one price! To judge the sizes, the guitar measures about 7/16'' x 1-9/16'' x 1/4''. They appear to be in mint condition as pictured. |
