(Click any image for larger view.)
(Click any image for larger view.)
I STOPPED BY AN ESTATE SALE NOT LONG AGO, and apparently the owner had spent a career with Peabody Coal. In a bag, for 25¢ was a good handful of mining safety stickers and other such crack’n’peel items for mining equipment, oils, lubricants, tools and whatever. Miners, I understand, saw it as a certain sign of experience and longevity that their helmet be covered in these stickers. In fact, they often traded with each other and paid some pretty big bucks for rare and unique stickers, especially stickers from other mines in other states. Like any collectible, lame and overly-plentiful stickers were often passed over for the better ones of more significance.So, I scanned this sack’o stickers for you— for a quick look back at 1980’s mining sticker design and culture. I am going to call it Sans Serif Brutalism. Enjoy.
Recently I discovered a box of my old Boy Scout trail patches and merit badges. Similarly, they were unique designs and the more obscure images were definitely more desirable. I posted some of them on ebay and one 3" trail patch sold for $28. The leather, Boy Scout logo-embossed wallet went for $5. Go figure.
ReplyDeletevery cool collection - thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAs always thanks for sharing...Gary
ReplyDeleteYep, Larry, value is a hard thing to pin down sometimes unless one is embedded in the niche area. Most likely, though not as well-made or designed—that 3" trail patch was more rare and harder to find. The leather patch — they probably made a ton of them.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of derby helmets ...
ReplyDeleteHi , inspiring blog : ) I must prepare a design for a mining sticker in Indonesia, you have great collection of stickers thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThe stickers I found here are really wonderful. The stickers pasted on the helmets helps you to distinguish between the various team members. So these stickers not only provides a safety concern but also adds great style in your workers uniform. You can customize the custom hard hat stickers as per your needs and requirements.
ReplyDelete