Description

Before L. Frank Baum became famous for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he worked for the family “Castorine” company. Castorine was a sort of miracle axle grease for buggies. See the full story in Bill Thompson’s detailed article in the Spring 2006 Baum Bugle. At some point “Castorine” became “Baum’s Castorine”, which is reflected in this trade card. This one shows two scenes of people fixing their cart wheels, with “Sold by Treman, King & Co, Ithaca, NY”. Testimonials on the back date the card to 1884 or shortly after.

Card is on lightweight card stock and measures about 2 3/4″ x 4″. In nice condition with a small ~1/8″ edge tear. A rare example, well over 100 years old now.