| The picture below shows a larger view of the (4) Early Cracker Jack Pop Corn Confection Miniature Pot Metal Toy Prize Telescopes in this lot. These prizes are not dated but they are believed to be from the 1920s or the 1930s. The Cracker Jack prize ID number for these is ZP-064, from the Cosmo Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois. They are made of pot metal or lead and have a charm loop to put them on a charm bracelet or as pendants on a necklace, or on earrings. PLEASE NOTE: these are NOT working telescopes. The do not collapse, and there are no lenses inside them. One has green paint, one has silver paint, the smaller one looks like it has a gold finish. The longer gold colored one may be made of brass, and it has no loop (as made). 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 four of these miniature telescopes for one price! To judge the sizes, the greeen one measure about 1-1/16'' tall. They appear to be in excellent condition, as pictured. |
