The picture below shows a larger view of this Old Embossed Gorton's Fish Foods Cod Fish Advertising Premium Jewelry Stick Pin. The stickpin is not dated but it is believed to be from the 1930s. It is made of an embossed gold colored metal in the shape of a cod fish and it is marked as follows: GORTON'S FISH FOODS The pin measures 1-1/4'' x 2-3/16''. It appears to be in mint unused condition as pictured. Below here, for reference, is some additional information about Gortons Fish Foods: Gorton's of Gloucester From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gorton's, Inc. Type: Subsidiary Industry: Food processing Founded: 1849 Headquarters: Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States Products: Frozen seafood Parent: Nippon Suisan Kaisha Slogan: Trust the Gorton's Fisherman Gorton’s of Gloucester is a subsidiary of the Japanese seafood conglomerate Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd., producing fishsticks and other frozen seafood for the retail market in the United States. Gorton’s also has a North American food service business which sells to fast food restaurants such as McDonald's, and an industrial coating ingredients operation. It has been headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts, since 1849. History The company traces its roots to a fishery called John Pew & Sons. William Pew, son of John Pew, picked up fishing after serving as a Colonial soldier in the French and Indian War. While most people moved West after the war, Pew turned eastward and arrived in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1755. The father and son fishery business emerged as an official commercial company, John Pew & Sons, in 1849. When nearby Rockport's chief industry, the Annisquam Cotton Mill, burned down, Slade Gorton, the mill's superintendent, was out of a job. At his wife's urging, he began a fishing business in 1874 known as Slade Gorton & Company, and began to pack and sell salt codfish and mackerel in small kegs. This company was the first to package salt dried fish in barrels. In 1899, the company patented the ''Original Gorton Fish Cake''. In 1905, the Slade Gorton Company adopted the fisherman at the helm of a schooner, the ''Man at the Wheel'' as the company trademark. Today, he is known as the Gorton's Fisherman. In 1906, Slade Gorton & Company and John Pew & Sons and two other Gloucester fisheries merged into the Gorton-Pew Fisheries. They made Gorton’s codfish cakes a household name in New England. The company offices were located at 372 Main Street, Gloucester, in the same building where Gorton’s Main Office is located today.The company went into the fish freezing business in the early 1930s. In 1949, Gorton-Pew made headlines when it drove the first refrigerator trailer truck shipment of frozen fish from Gloucester, Massachusetts, to San Francisco, California, a trip that took eight days. In 1953, the company was the first to introduce a frozen ready to cook fish stick, Gorton's Fish Sticks, which won the Parents Magazine Seal of Approval. In 1957, Gorton-Pew Fisheries name was changed to Gorton's of Gloucester; in 1965, it became The Gorton Corporation, and it is now known as Gorton's. In 1968, Gorton's merged with General Mills, Inc., as a wholly owned subsidiary. In May 1995, Unilever bought Gorton's from General Mills. In August 2001, Unilever sold Gorton's and BlueWater Seafoods to Nippon Suisan (USA), Inc., a subsidiary of Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd., for U.S. $175 million in cash. In 2005, Nissui acquired King & Prince Seafood of Brunswick, Georgia. Gorton's timeline 1849 - John Pew & Sons emerges as an official company 1874 - Slade Gorton & Company is founded 1875 - ''Gorton’s'' becomes a registered trademark 1889 - Gorton's codfish becomes the first record of nationally advertised fish and Gorton's codfish becomes a household word. Gorton's billboards line railroads and roads across the United States 1899 - Slade Gorton & Company patents the Original Gorton Fish Cake 1906 - Gorton-Pew Fisheries is founded 1926 - Gorton-Pew introduces Gorton’s Ready to Use Codfish in a can Late 1950s - Gorton's Research Laboratory achieved a revolutionary new frozen process, exclusive under the brand name of Gorton's of Gloucester, Inc., known as the Fresh Lock Process. The ''Fresh Lock'' process was patented in 1963 1957 - Gorton-Pew Fisheries name changes to Gorton's of Gloucester 1963 - Gorton's acquires BlueWater Sea Foods, a Canadian brand 1964 - The Gorton's Fisherman first appears on a Gorton's box, which was a blue silhouette for many years until changing to a 3D color illustration in 1995 1965 - Gorton's of Gloucester becomes The Gorton Corporation 1968 - Gorton's merges with General Mills as a wholly owned subsidiary 1978 – First production of the Gorton's jingle ''Trust the Gorton's Fisherman from Gorton's of Gloucester'', later shortened to ''Trust the Gorton''s Fisherman'' 1995 - Unilever purchases Gorton's from General Mills 2001 - Unilever sells Gorton's and BlueWater Seafoods to Nippon Suisan (USA), Inc. 2005 - Gorton's removed trans fat from its entire line of products one year ahead of the January 1, 2006 U.S. federal deadline |