“HOW IT ALL BEGAN IN 1973”

When Prissy & I got married in 1973, both of us were collectors, but in different ways. Prissy was raised aroung antiques & got the collecting bug from her parents. Both of them liked country furniture & primitives. Her Grandparents on her Mothers side also loved country. I was a different collector, I was drawn toward brewery advertising, signs & more. I was a salesman for Frito/Lay early on & called on alot of taverns, liquor stores & grocers, these all contributed to my collecting advertising. I also had a pool table in the house & these signs fit in beautifully with the pool table. I had a large collection of beer signage at this time. SO both of us were collectors, just in different categories. I guess looking back, I may have had one of the first “MAN CAVES”. All of this collecting changed after we were married. I had worked for Nabisco 5 years when we got married. Shortly after our honeymoon, Prissy & her dad went to the New Years flea market in Louisville, she brought me back our first piece of National Biscuit Company history. It was an ANOLA TIN, small in size but gigantic in what it would start, “OUR CHASE FOR NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY” history. Over the next 47 years, our collection took us to many places, we visited many Country Stores, some had been closed for years & we met some amazing people, each of whom played a part in making up our collection.Now, all these wonderful years later we have two amazing sons & a new Grandson & the largest private collection of National Biscuit Company history, known to exist. Thousands & thousands of pieces, from small pin/back buttons to a 1983 Nabisco delivery truck. Some categories represented are, Store Furniture, Toys, Signs, Trolley Cards, Truck & Wagon Posters, Window Signs, Breads, Tins, Bins, Barrels, Awards, Paper Ephemera, Books, Magazines, Cereal, Candy, Show Cases, Clothes(we have Adolph W. Greens long johns with his initials attached) Jewelry & more from National Biscuit Company’s History Circa 1898 to the mid 1980’s, all marked National Biscuit Company. Now we need to mention some SPECIAL PEOPLE who made all of this collection possible, either through donations or letting us purchase RARE & HISTORIC ARTIFACTS. I know I will miss some, it is called age, but I will try & name all I know, alot are now deceased, but some are still alive, all are “OUR FRIENDS”. Some of the below mentioned individuals worked for National Biscuit Company, BUT not all. Wayne W. & Sophie Guest, Jerry Guest, David & Jean Stivers (Retired Archivist N.B.C.) Harvey & Issie Royce, Dan & Jeanne Lewter, Jerry & Audrey Glenn, Doran B. Goode, John & Nancy Cronin, Wesley & Betty Schreiner, Ralph & Verta Speer, Robert & Sharon Phillips, Don & Marion Taylor, Donnie & JoAnn Bowers, Steve & Stephanie Sissler, Nelson Sissler, Dud & Lee Skeels, Jim & Jean Brodt, Bill Haygood, Scott & Leslie Malony & each of the club members in the “IN-ER SEAL COLLECTORS CLUB”, all have made possible the SAVING of the History of The National Biscuit Company. To all of the above mentioned individuals, THANK YOU. As we enter a new year & the company all of us know, as The National Biscuit Company, its amazing history will NEVER disappear, no matter how much the logo may change, it will forever be NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY/NABISCO. The “OVAL & CROSS” in the triangle, which represents “GOOD OVER EVIL” is alive & well in Louisville Ky. How we were picked to save the history , we can’t say BUT, we know who will make sure this history survives long after we are gone is Dale Brown who has collected for almost 38 years & loves collecting. We have taught him well, we knew we had to do so, because “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE”. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Charlie, Prissy & Dale.