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Description:
This original antique souvenir advertising letter opener was issued by the celebrated Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company (D&C Line) to commemorate the opening of their 1904 Great Lakes travel season. The piece functions as a dual-purpose desk utility, combining a tapered letter-slitting blade with an incised 4-inch measuring ruler along its top edge. The cream-colored handle features crisp lithographed advertising graphics on both faces, complete with the company’s signature script logo, a depiction of a side-wheel passenger steamer, scheduling notes, and regional route text. Known historically as the \"Coast Line to Mackinac,\" the D&C maritime operation was the grandest steamship enterprise of its era on the Great Lakes, ferrying passengers between major industrial hubs and upscale northern resort destinations.
- Manufacturer / Brand: Manufactured by The Whitehead & Hoag Co. (Marked along the upper edge of the handle face)
- Material: Celluloid handle scales secured with dual miniature pins to a steel blade core
- Age / Era: Antique (Dated 1904)
- Culture / Country of Origin: American Great Lakes Maritime History
- Dimensions: 7.5\" Total Length; Weight: 1.0 oz
Condition:
The structural integrity of the piece is sound. The celluloid handle scales are tightly secured to the core with no cracks, shrinkage warping, or terminal separation. The advertising text and graphics remain clear and fully legible with minor, age-appropriate surface scuffs. The steel blade shows generalized dark oxidation spots, uniform age-tarnishing, and a dull gray patina entirely consistent with a century of ambient moisture exposure. Sold as is.DISCLAIMER
I am not an appraiser. All identifications regarding maker, materials, historical style, date, culture, and naming conventions are research-based opinions made entirely in good faith using the visible features of the item. Buyers are kindly encouraged to review all photographs carefully, do their own due diligence, and come to their own conclusions prior to offerding or purchase.
