Description: NOTE: Shipping and insurance are estimated. If actual shipping costs less than the estimate by more than one dollar, I will reimburse the difference. This is a wonderful piece of New Mexico history, representing one of its most colorful citizens. This is an authentic vintage sign from famous Santa Fe curio dealer, Jesus Sito Candelario. Born in Albuquerque in 1864, Candelario obtained his first business license in 1893 in Santa Fe, where he worked as a pawnbroker and later as a dealer in general merchandise. He entered into a partnership with curio dealer Jake Gold in 1901. Their partnership ended in 1903, but Candelario continued as Gold's successor and became as iconic a figure in the curio trade as Gold had been. This sign is one of a handful that surfaced in Santa Fe in 1993. I purchased two of those and have never seen any again. I sold one in 2009 and this is my last. The sign is 7 x 21 inches. It was printed by the Toledo Metal Sign & Advertising Company of Toledo, Ohio. It is NOT METAL, but light-colored (formerly white?) pasteboard printed in black ink with the lettering reversed out, and with the surfaces waxed. The company's name is printed in the lower right corner. I find little information on the company. It was in operation between the late1890s and early 1900s. The sign was printed in quantity, so it probably was not intended for display exclusively in Candelario's shop in Santa Fe, but in communities throughout northern New Mexico. Stating he was a dealer in hay, alfalfa, and grain implies Candelario was both buying and selling them. "Compra Productos del Paiz" (Buying products of the land) was directed at a Spanish-speaking audience and could suggest both produce and handmade objects, especially textiles. Weaving was an old tradition in the Spanish-American villages of northern New Mexico, and weavers produced thousands of blankets, pillow covers, and other fabrics for Candelario for decades. Candelario began selling general merchandise around 1900 and narrowed his business exclusively to Native American and Spanish New Mexican textiles and other Native American "curios" by 1905. The range of date for the sign is between the late 1890s and 1905. The cardboard is surprisingly flexible for its age, but it has several cracks from rough handling before I acquired it. These are visible in the photo of the front and were repaired on the back by the prior owner with archival tape, as shown. Some cracks were not perfectly aligned before taping. The resulting white areas on the front surface could be touched up for framing and display. There is a corner crack in the upper left corner, but it is strong and not broken. I do not accept returns. I provide thorough descriptions and good photos. Please refer to my feedback for evidence of the accuracy of my eBay listings for 25 years.
Price: 375 USD
Location: Tucson, Arizona
End Time: 2024-12-08T21:25:48.000Z
Shipping Cost: 20 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Type of Advertising: Sign
Original/Reproduction: Original
Time Period Manufactured: Pre-1930
