The Sands of Time

This ad from the back of a 1970s newsletter features a time capsule with Egyptian details in 14 Karat gold. Only $125! And for $45 more, you can protect your time capsule under a glass dome with walnut base. Because, why would you want to bury such a lovely item? See how clever advertisers are? If you call it a trinket box, which is essentially what it would be used as, sales aren’t going to be nearly as aggressive as they would be for something radically awesome like a time capsule. The description tries too hard to push something that you should already be sold on: “What Price Immortality? Leave your footprints in the Sands of Time…A Personal Time Capsule…memories may stay alive thru time eternal…” Yeah – like future archaeologists are going to get all excited over discovering your yearbook photo, lucky socks, and mummified Twinkie. My favorite flourish, though, is the name of the material this little gem is made of: Tuff-tron.

The Other Camel

A brand by any other name would still sell the goods.  Well, no.  That’s not true.  Let’s pretend it’s 1929 or thereabouts – I definitley would have passed by these two products on the hardware store shelf if they were adorned with a panda, or a cartoon man made from inflated rubber, or even gamboling kittens.  Slap a pyramid on it (regardless of how far in the background it is placed), use a name already associated with famous smokes, and NOW you have my attention.  It wouldn’t even have mattered that my tube didn’t need patching, or that I have no clue what friction tape is.  I’m a woman – we’re allowed to make impulse purchases.
   

Nice Knobs

“Distinctive Hardware for the Bungalow – the Pretentious Home – the Monumental Structure” is the boast of this colorful and slightly fussy 1920s Russwin (Russell C. Erwin) advertisement.  Prominently featured at the bottom is the courtyard of Sid Grauman’s recently constructed Egyptian Theater.

Don’t Leave Home Without Them

In 1891, the American Express Co. created the iconic, handy Travelers Cheque – a vast improvement to travel for thousands of intrepid globe trotters.  No need to waste valuable trip-planning hours deciding upon camel caravan or hired hands to haul your chests of gold.  No more need for security detail to prevent said chests from being plundered.  Best of all, the money saved in avoiding all those extra baggage fees means Wife can go shoe shopping ’til she drops.

Time Share

Once upon a time, when winter winds blustered, those with disposable income headed to Egypt for a season of sun, sand, and scarabs.  Brochures like this beautifully illustrated one (c. 1900) assisted them in selecting an appropriate nest – most popular was Shepheard’s in Cairo.