MID-ATLANTIC. Home Decor / Kitchen Decor, Decorative Tray, Souvenir, c. 1960s.
A black metal serving / bar tray with decorative painted tan trim frames a map of Pennsylvania, central to the theme. As part of the design, these trays also included miniature site illustrations. This version highlights Pennsylvania’s west-state mining and coal industry, as well as the Allegheny and Appalachian mountain ranges. The detailed place name map is ringed by a colored decorative element: the Mountain Laurel. In very good condition, this version contains fewer place names than similar series of these trays, but has a great piece of “giveaway” commercial history: a tag advertising the tray as free with purchase of a large bag of Gold Medal Flour! A common sight in roadside restaurants, these trays were also to be found in smaller non-franchise locations: pharmacies, stationary stores, general stores, any commercial stop with a display of regional items, gifts, and souvenirs … The combination of detailed state map and regional decoration was the pattern for this popular home decor / barware souvenir. Produced for tourist shop shelves, the series covered all 50 states (if often combining a few of the smaller ones) and came in black, white, and even the occasional cool green. The many series of these trays, with some also including low-depth snack bowls, is identifiable for the wave-like swirl detail decorating the rim. The original hand-painted series was produced in the 1950s by Nash Co. of New York, with the most notable line sporting a sharp speckled gold finish. However, there were other manufacturers such as Meldrums Manufacturing of St. Paul, Minnesota. All stuck close to the same design. These trays and bowls were found in popular roadside restaurant gift shops from the late 1950s into the 1970s, places such as Stuckey's (southern U.S., Midwest and Plains states), Howard Johnsons (starting in the Northeast, but having spread coast to coast by the 1960s), as well as in stand-alone souvenir shops and even popular department stores all across America.
Condition: Used Very Good. Local / Regional Areas. Dimensions: 11" diameter x 0.5" deep / 8 oz
