The 'Stock' Exchange
American Art Works No. 123 "At Peace with Nature"
American Art Works No. 123 "At Peace with Nature"
Date: 1911 - 1914
Size: 13.5" x 13.5"
Type: Pie
Scarcity: Uncommon
Value: $$$ to $$$$
Condition & Brewer Dependent
Size: 13.5" x 13.5"
Type: Pie
Scarcity: Uncommon
Value: $$$ to $$$$
Condition & Brewer Dependent
Farmers Mercantile Co.
Haines, OR
First State Bank of Buffalo
Buffalo, MT
Sharpless Evaporated Milk
Unknown
Slocum Ice Cream Co.
Unknown
General
We expect that most collectors will be unfamiliar with this design given its scarcity and lack of brewery issuers. It is not in Hager’s Coshocton catalog which seems to be a pattern with designs that did not have brewery examples. As previously noted on other designs, farming and agriculture were still a significant component of American life; however, more pastoral designs like this one seem to have held less appeal for brewers. Not surprisingly, given the growing pressures of the prohibition movement and the increasing popularity of ice cream as a sort of substitute, this design ended up appealing mostly to dairy and ice cream enterprises, the one exception identified to date being a Montana dry goods store (T. J. Bennett & Co).
We expect that most collectors will be unfamiliar with this design given its scarcity and lack of brewery issuers. It is not in Hager’s Coshocton catalog which seems to be a pattern with designs that did not have brewery examples. As previously noted on other designs, farming and agriculture were still a significant component of American life; however, more pastoral designs like this one seem to have held less appeal for brewers. Not surprisingly, given the growing pressures of the prohibition movement and the increasing popularity of ice cream as a sort of substitute, this design ended up appealing mostly to dairy and ice cream enterprises, the one exception identified to date being a Montana dry goods store (T. J. Bennett & Co).
Confirmed Brewer used Stock Trays
Non-Beer Related & Non-Tray Uses
This design is signed by Thomas B. Craig with a copyright date of 1910. We speculate that Thomas produced this design with the intent for commercial use and there was a time lag between creation (1910) and when American Art Works bought it. Thomas Bigelow Craig (1849–1924) was an American landscape painter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known as a skilled watercolorist and oil painter, usually depicting cows (and occasionally sheep) in summer environments.
Craig's landscapes often featured meadows and streams. The animals in his earlier paintings did not take up a large part of the canvas compared to the surrounding landscapes; in his later paintings, however, the animals were drawn larger and became more important than the landscapes around them.
Craig's landscapes often featured meadows and streams. The animals in his earlier paintings did not take up a large part of the canvas compared to the surrounding landscapes; in his later paintings, however, the animals were drawn larger and became more important than the landscapes around them.
By 1876, he was exhibiting his paintings professionally and showed regularly at the Boston Art Club, the National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. At the age of 50, he became an Associate Member of the National Academy of Design and moved to the active fine arts community of New York City just two years later. In addition to his membership at the National Academy, Craig also joined the Salmagundi Club (an influential fine arts center founded in 1871 in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan that is still active today), in 1902 and held membership to the Artists Fund Society. According to Michael D. Zellman, author of the American Art Analog, Craig "made a fairly good living from his work."
Sahling has no entry in his workbook for this design.
Size & Shape and Advertising Placement
All examples we’ve encountered have been small (11x14) oblongs although unlike most designs of this size/shape it features a landscape orientation (most are portrait oriented). We have not seen any sign or tip tray versions. Rims are woodgrain with gold advertising text. We have seen one example with gold advertising text on the face of the tray and an unusual broad gold band on the rim—something we see only occasionally on some other Meek/AAW stock designs.
Hager & Price
As mentioned above Hager does not discuss this design or include it in his date table, and he does not include it in his catalog. We expect that he either never encountered one or did not recognize it as a stock design. None of the examples we’ve seen have been for breweries and as such, despite the relative rarity of this design, prices tend toward double or low triple figures.
Sahling has no entry in his workbook for this design.
Size & Shape and Advertising Placement
All examples we’ve encountered have been small (11x14) oblongs although unlike most designs of this size/shape it features a landscape orientation (most are portrait oriented). We have not seen any sign or tip tray versions. Rims are woodgrain with gold advertising text. We have seen one example with gold advertising text on the face of the tray and an unusual broad gold band on the rim—something we see only occasionally on some other Meek/AAW stock designs.
Hager & Price
As mentioned above Hager does not discuss this design or include it in his date table, and he does not include it in his catalog. We expect that he either never encountered one or did not recognize it as a stock design. None of the examples we’ve seen have been for breweries and as such, despite the relative rarity of this design, prices tend toward double or low triple figures.
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