Description

Early 20th Century; Original, 15” height, 32” width, Paper billboard sign titled “Genuine “Bull” Durham Smoking Tobacco The Old Reliable Thos. Cusack Company” with artwork of a bull near a fence marked “Smoking tobacco.” The left bottom corner is marked “Best for Three Generations Standard of the World The Old Reliable” with directions on how to layout the billboard. Condition of sign shows center line crease, corner loss and minor water staining at bottom. Otherwise, it appears to be in good condition. Please view photos. Provenance: B.W.C. Roberts Durham N.C. Tobacco Collection

Medium

Paper

Date

Early 20th Century

Condition Report

Good Original

Exhibited

Currently Mebane Antique Gallery and available for preview

Literature

Genuine Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco signs painted by the Thomas Cusack Company are iconic relics of early American outdoor advertising. They represent a historic collaboration between an aggressive, trailblazing tobacco brand and one of the largest early-20th-century billboard barons. Thomas Cusack, an Irish immigrant turned "Billboard Baron," started his own sign-painting business in Chicago in 1875. The Thomas Cusack Company became an advertising powerhouse, dispatching brigades of sign painters across the country to cover the brick walls of small-town buildings and barns with larger-than-life murals

Provenance

B.W.C. Roberts Durham N.C. Tobacco Collection

Notes

Available for live in house bidding and pay-pick up from our gallery, Always bid with confidence with Mebane Auction. Thank you Jon Lambert

Good Original

Available payment options

We DO offer in house shipping. We DO NOT provide shipping estimates. We at Mebane Antique Auction Gallery, count it a privilege to be able to service our customers through our shipping department. We have and will continue to serve our customers in all 50 states & internationally. ALL items won by bidder will be shipped through the United States Post Office Insured Mail and/or Registered Mail UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED BY BUYER. Buyer is responsible for paying ACTUAL shipping cost (postage AND insurance), which will be added to the buyer’s invoice as soon as the item is ready to be shipped. Some invoices are subject to a $5 to $10 packaging material fee per box. This fee is based on the size, weight and amount of items purchased. There is no charge for labor or transportation to the post office. All items, will be packaged accordingly with USPS shipping standards or standards from which the company providing service. All packages, will be shipped in a timely manner. A timeline for items shipped will not be provided. Items will be shipped in the order paid invoices are received. Bidders are always welcome to pickup at our gallery in lieu of shipping. MAAG will not arrange shipping for oversized items. It is on the bidder to find a courier or pick up at our gallery. Online Bidders: We will add shipping charges to your invoice once we have your shipping cost. Once payment for the invoice is received, we will have our shipping department package and prepare your items for shipping. That means we automatically prepare items for shipping after payment is collected. We use the address listed on your account for shipping. IF YOU NEED TO USE A DIFFERENT ADDRESS OR DO NOT NEED SHIPPING AND WILL PICK UP, LET US KNOW ASAP AFTER PAYING YOUR INVOICE. We thank you and anticipate any & every item(s) purchased from Mebane Antique Auction Gallery that requires shipping to be an easy & pleasurable experience. If you have any questions, concerns, or special shipping requests please contact Bryan at 919-563-2424. As of March 1, 2025, MAAG is not liable to handle insurance claims. If an item is damaged in transit, it is on the bidder to submit a claim through the post office: https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm. As of May 1, 2025, if MAAG needs to use a third-party shipper, it is between the bidder and third party to handle shipping, including packaging and cost. MAAG can deliver to a third party, dependent on size, but will not act as liaison between bidder and third party.