Cretors’ popcorn wagons from 1900s still a treat
Terry & Kim Kovel
Popcorn wasn’t a popular snack food until the 1890s, when Charles Cretors created a steam-powered machine to roast peanuts, coffee and popcorn to sell from a wagon on the street near his Chicago candy store.
He kept improving the machinery and the product, and, in 1885, he started C. Cretors and Co.
In 1893, he took his popcorn wagon to the Chicago Columbian Exposition to sell his new product — popped corn. He made individual horse-drawn popcorn wagons for
customers, and by 1900, he made the first electric popcorn wagon.
As the popcorneating public went to the movies, he modified his equipment. His machines were modernized by the 1950s, but the company still made old-fashioned popcorn wagons for use and display.
Today, a popcorn wagon, horse-drawn or motorized, might be found at an antiques auction. A 15-foot-long, horse-drawn Cretors wagon from 1910 just sold at a Kamelot auction in Philadelphia for $34,000. It even has a custom-made travel trailer for long trips.
Back in style again are modern food trucks that can go where the crowd is, and the popcorn wagon is still one of the most popular.
Q: I inherited a 1768 German family Bible. What is the best way to store it so it doesn’t deteriorate?
A: If your family Bible lists names of family members with birth and death dates going back more than 250 years, you have a treasure.
Before you store the Bible, use your cellphone or digital camera to take pictures of the pages that have family information so you can share them with other family members and have copies in case the ink fades. Don’t try to copy the pages by opening the book flat on a photocopier. It could break the spine.
The public library might have a photocopy machine with a book mount to hold the book partly open, but the light could fade the print.
Don’t keep the Bible in a plastic bag. Put a piece of archival tissue paper between handwritten pages to prevent the ink from bleeding through. Store the Bible flat in an archival box and pad it with archival tissue paper to keep the Bible in place. Store it in a cool, dry place, not in the attic or basement. Archival materials can be purchased online. Two websites for archival supplies are www. gaylord.com and www. lightimpressionsdirect. com.
CURRENT PRICES
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
• Globe: terrestrial, figural stand, robed woman, holding stand and globe on her head, ball, Girard Barrere et Thomas; 38 inches; $160
• Sevres vase: swan handles, gilt, diamond pattern, flowers, pink, purple, white; 34 inches; $250
• Dionne Quintuplets: molded hair, clothing, quintmobile, Madame Alexander, 1930s; 5½ by 17½ inches; $330
• Quezal vase: slag glass, silver overlay, flowers, leaves, multicolor, art nouveau; 6 inches; $1,140
Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel, authorities on collectibles, write for the King Features Syndicate. Visit www.kovels.com.