This very rare display case was salvaged from a drug store that operated during the early 1900s in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I’m guessing this display case was used in the 1910s since Band-Aids were invented until 1920. Bauer and Black opened their company in Chicago during the mid 1890s. The business specialized in surgical dressings and later expanded moved their location to New York City in 1914. The back of this display notes the maker-Advertising Metal Display Co. CHGO & NY Made in U. I’ve seen several antique Wet-Pruf tins, but I’ve never seen a display for them. The display is approximately 17 inches tall by 9 1/2 inches wide. The signage itself has a few scuffs and some slight bends, along with minor oxidation at the bottom. Luckily, the display must have been kept out of the sun, because the four colors are still vibrant. Near the bottom of the graphics are three sets of three painted metal clips to hold something tape samples? One set of these clips is at the very bottom of the base. What makes this display so neat is the graphics. One larger set of hands holds an outstretched piece of tape while the smaller hands in the inset display a bandaged, waterproof finger while washing dishes. This display is a great piece of century-old drug-store advertising.
