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Three vintage advertising bullet pencils from competing cooperative livestock commission agencies working the South St. Paul, Minnesota and West Fargo, North Dakota stockyards.
1. CENTRAL CO-OP - cream barrel, blue printing, brass ferrule and nickel nose cone.
LIVESTOCK SELLING AGENCY / UNION STOCK YARDS / SOUTH ST. PAUL, MINN. AND WEST FARGO, NO. DAK.
2. MIDWEST FARMERS - cream with two red bands, printed in blue and red.
MIDWEST FARMERS / Live Stock Selling Agency / SOUTH ST. PAUL & WEST FARGO
and on the reverse: We Are Large Enough to Serve / Small Enough to Appreciate / Strong Enough to Protect You / Live Salesmen for Live Stock
3. FARMERS UNION - yellow with two red bands, printed in red.
For A Good Sale / Ship Your / CATTLE-HOGS AND SHEEP / To / FARMERS UNION / SOUTH ST. PAUL - W. FARGO
The Midwest Farmers and Farmers Union pencils share the same two-red-band pattern - competing firms buying from the same advertising-specialty house.
WHY THESE THREE MATTER. When the West Fargo stockyards opened in 1935, six commission firms did business there: Central Co-operatives Association, Farmers Union Livestock Commission, Haas Livestock Commission, Midwest Farmers Livestock Selling Agency, Sig Ellingson and Company, and Weiller and Weiller. Three of those six are represented here - direct competitors, working the same pens, courting the same farmers.
South St. Paul peaked in 1946 at 75 acres and 27 selling agencies, and held its last sale in 2008.
CONDITION - varies by pencil, please see all photos:
- Central Co-op: printing clear; THE ERASER FERRULE IS SPLIT AND CHIPPED at the end
- Midwest Farmers: printing clear in blue and red; original red pencil present and sharpened; light toning
- Farmers Union: printing clear in red; yellow ground strong; light toning
- All three complete; fittings tarnished with light plating wear
Not cleaned or repaired.
From a collection assembled by a Chippewa County, Minnesota farm family - see my other items. Combined shipping available, additional items ship free.
