| The picture below shows larger side view of the (4) Old Cracker Jack Pop Corn Confection Pot Metal or Lead Miniature Toy Prize Coffee or Tea Cups in this lot. These prizes are not dated but they are from the 1910s to the 1930s. They are made of pot metal or lead. All of these have handles that could be used as a charm loop, and could be used on a charm bracelet, as pendants on a necklace, or on earrings. The Cracker Jack prize ID numbers for these, and the manufacturers are unknown at the moment. The top left one is red inked, and it has a fancy heart design on two sides. The top right one has a silvered finish with no designs. The bottom left one has a thick cream & orange paint job with orange dots inside. There is probably designs on both sides under the paint. The bottom right one has a silvered finish and there are floral designs all around the cup. They are not marked. 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 cups for one price! To judge the sizes, the largest ciup measures about 1-1/16'' wide counting the handle. These appear to vary between good and mint condition, as pictured. |
