AMERICAN CASE MANUFACTURERS |
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Collecting compacts by the actual case maker is one popular pursuit. But it tends to be limited to those companies that actually branded their cases with their own names or their own proprietary brands. For example, The Illinois Watchcase Company of Elgin IL used a number of different brand names - Elginite, EAM, Elgin American, American Beauty and Clarice Jane. It even used, on very rare occasions, its own name, as well as Elgin Watch Co. So, it is a simple matter to identify these. But this same company also manufactured compact cases and vanity cases for cosmetics companies and the name stamped on these was not the manufacturer's. Instead, it was the cosmetic brand's.
Many case manufacturers' total business was based on making cases for cosmetics companies. The case maker's name was never seen but there are often clues that collectors can use to identify who made a particular case and when it was made. The clues include; patent numbers that may be stamped on the case, somewhere, unique components such as case closure mechanisms or hinges and unique engine turning patterns. Identifying the actual manufacturer of a particular case is not a precise science, however and for many this question is not important. But, for some like me, knowing where a case was made, where and when is just as important as how it looks or the brand that may be stamped on it. Identified American case manufacturers are: A J & K Co Inc A L Lindroth Co Allied Plastics Co American Stopper Co Art Metal Works Inc August Goertz Bailey Banks & Biddle Battin & Co Bliss Bros Co Brass Products Corp Bridgeport Metal Goods Manufacturing Co Bridgeport Rolling Mills Brun Mill Co Bucklein Creations C A Buscham Manufacturing Co Inc Capri Carlsam Carter Gough & Co Charles Thomae & Son Inc Chas Gold & Co Chase Brass & Copper Co Inc Cleopatra Vanity Box Co Codding & Heilborn Co Colt Columbia Manicure Manufacturing Co Columbia Stamping Products Co Concord Compacts Coro Cruver Mfg Co De Luxe Art Metal Corp Devilbiss D F Briggs Co Donaldson & Co Ltd Dorset Doyle & Co E & J Bass Inc Eastwood Park Co E B M Co Edmilton Corp Elzac Erie Plastics Evans Case Co Exclusive Metal Products Co F Newman Ferris Fillkwik Co Finberg Manufacturing Co Flagg & Mowry |
Assembling compacts and vanity boxes was surprisingly labour-intensive - as was their hand painted decoration when this applied. Both the assembly line work and hand painting were typically assigned to women.
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