Crazy for My Collectibles

We had to share our very latest AMAZING finds with you all. These are truly INCREDIBLE Black Americana Memorabilia items from a bygone era. It is not often one comes across these kitchen linens that still retain their original tags! These items are so special and so rare – we have not seen these before and do not know when we might find another again. Please visit our other web sites for additional details or our products pages for these vintage black americana kitchen towels and tea towels.

We all recall the image of Aunt Jemima on pancake mix boxes, you know, the smiling face of a African American mammy type woman who wore a hair-kerchief and apron and appeared so friendly and made you feel so comfortable purchasing the product from her smiling trustable face.

The commercial Mammy image we are familiar with today began as far back as 1889 by a man named Chris L. Rutt who was a business man from Missouri and sold a self-rising pancake mix and when he heard a song about “Aunt Jemima” from a vaudeville group of Baker and Farrell the idea of commercializing Aunt Jemima was born.

There were more than 40 women who portrayed Aunt Jemima for the pancake mix. Nancy Green was one of these women and she traveled with the R.L. Davis Company who bought the original Aunt Jemima pancake mix business form Chris L. Rutt until her death in 1923. Nancy was hired to serve pancakes at shows and exhibits promoting the pancake mix and it is said that in 1893 at an exhibit in Chicago over 1 million pancakes were served! In the early 1920s Quaker Oats purchased the company and brand from R. L. Davis along with the Aunt Jemima name and image and has been selling the pancake mix ever since. Quaker also trademarked “Aunt Jemima” in 1937. Edith Wilson was another long-time Aunt Jemima that was hired during the 1950s and portrayed the image for some 20 years.

The company’s’ that were selling the Aunt Jemima pancake mix had items created like pins, puzzles, dolls, salt and pepper shakers, and recipe books, sugar and creamer sets, six-piece spice jars with rack, and the mammy cookie jars. In 1949 a plastic syrup pitcher was available and was attached to the pancake box as a freebie to entice folks to purchase the product. Also, many of these products were available by filling out one of the coupon cards that came with your Aunt Jemima pancake mix purchase. There were even Aunt Jemima paper hats and Halloween masks that were advertising freebies.

Today, Aunt Jemima and Mammy Black Americana collectibles are becoming increasingly difficult to come by and these items from a by gone era are highly sought after by collectors. Below are some pricing values of what Aunt Jemima items are considered valued in today’s market and can be found in the book – Black Memorabilia for the Kitchen, by Jan Lindenberg (author) for Schiffer Publishing.

Aunt Jemima Oil Cloth Dolls – $500-$600 for set (Includes Aunt Jemima, Uncle Mose, Diana and Wade. Please check our products page for an available rare set!)

1950s Aunt Jemima & Uncle Mose Sugar and Creamer – $200-$400 (F & F Mold Co. Dayton, Ohio. Yellow, Greenish Yellow, Light Blue rare)

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We get questions from time to time on “What is Black Americana” to “What items are collectible” so we decided to write up this little guide to hopefully answer these questions as we feel there just might be some other folks out there with these questions too. We are always learning and seeking information as this collecting niche is vast and there is still so much to learn.

What Exactly is Black Americana?

Black Americana is also referred to as Black Memorabilia, Afro-Americana, and Black Face Collectibles and these are all terms that refer to collectibles having an African- American theme.

As far back as the 1700s Black Americana porcelain figurines and dolls were being manufactured in Germany, Japan, England, France, Austria, and the United States. The majority of Black Americana items were produced between the late 1800s and the 1950’s. Souvenirs were the biggest market and included novelty items, salt and pepper shakers and bisque children sitting on cotton bales. In the late 1950’s-1960’s these items began to disappear from the market and were no longer being mass-produced.

Undoubtedly, these items are often offensive, but they do represent a historical record of our countries’ past and we then remember how our country over-came those days of so long ago. Many collectors say that they seek out these items today to show their children how races were viewed and how times and things have changed.

We at Crazy4me are crazy about Black Americana kitchen items, specifically Salt & Pepper Shakers, Tea Towels, and Tablecloths. These items can brighten your home so instantly with their jovial themes and bright colors and we truly enjoy them!

The Below Black Americana Kitchen Items Are Very Collectible Today:

• Luzianne Mammy (offered by Luzianne Coffee Co. in the 1950s) we have a rare pair of Luzianne Mammy shakers in our eBay store
• Mammy Cookie Jars
• Mammy Recipe Box (Fosta Products USA plastic red, yellow, green)
• Salt and Pepper shakers (Mammy, Chefs, Butlers, Kids, Natives)
• Spice Sets
• Pie Birds
• Wall pockets
• Teapots
• Jelly & Jam Jars
• Tablecloths & Tea Towels (Embroidered and Printed)
• Aunt Jemima

& So much more!

Interest in collecting Black Americana has seen a huge spike in recent years. It seems folks just can’t get enough of these rare quirky collectibles. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Spike Lee, and Whoopi Goldberg are avid collectors. Because the demand for Black Americana is so high with little inventory in the market place, new and fist-time collectors are finding it difficult to purchase more than one item at a time. But, there are still some bargains out there to be had as collectors and dealers who have multiples of items will occasionally part with them.
You can find Black Americana collectibles at specific shows across the country that specialize in this with many dealers booths setup to showcase and sell their items. Many antique malls and shops sometimes have these items in stock too. There are also many online Internet antique malls and stores as well as eBay. There are some insane deals to be had right on eBay!

Reproductions & Fakes

No discussion on Black Americana collectibles would be complete without mentioning reproductions and fake items. Several of the cookie jars and salt and pepper shakers are being made out of the old molds today. It can be very difficult to tell the difference between the old and new especially when they bear a maker’s mark. Usually the new item is a tiny bit smaller. Best rule is to know your merchandise and know your dealer. The Internet is a great resource for researching reproductions and there are several good books in the market that not only discuss fakes but list values too.

Recently I have been getting requests from my blog friends and followers to post up some of my recent “finds” so that is exactly what I am doing here. I came across these original pink 1930s – 1940s Black Americana Twin Mammy salt & pepper shakers, this 1940s era Aunt Jemima Tea towel and this 1940s era Mammy With a Pie Tablecloth and am truly loving them! It is rare to find true vintage items in the condition these are in so that tells me that someone has taken extra special care of them over the years. Items this rare are usually from private collections as I have never found one in a thrift store or at a yard sale or very seldom at an antique mall. My personal collection of Black Americana is really growing and my husband is starting to wonder how much more of the house will these treasures be taking over. I may be forced to part with some due to lack of space. Any how, I just wanted to take a moment and share my latest treasures with you. For those that are interested, I do list items for sale occasionally on this website and you can always visit my Etsy and eBay stores too for something truly authentic, original, and unique!