Rare Book Review: Mida's Trademarks
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 8:24 pmMida's National Register of Trademarks Spirituous, Malt Liquors and Wines Volumes I and II Combined,. Chicago: Mida's Criterion, Index, Illustrated.
Location: Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History.
This is a trade publication for the trade published circa 1900. It does not have a publishing date and each section has pages numbered in that section. There are also several dozen pages of advertising at the end of the book that are not numbered at all. All together there are about 300 pages in the book. There is very little text in the book. What makes this book such a valuable resource is the fact that companies registered their trademarks with Mida's Criteria and this is a collection of those trademarks. Most of them are illustrated as barrelhead designs, but there are also many trademarks for advertising pieces such as mirrors or labels.
The idex is by brand name, not company. This means that if you have a brand name you can easily find the company that made it, but you can not find all the brands that company made. It is also limited in that it only has brands that were registered with Mida's. If the brand was only an east coast brand, or found only in a small market, then more than likely it will not be listed here.
The Oscar Getz Museum in Bardstown, Kentucky has the only original copy I have seen. It makes this book a rare find and well worth the trip to Bardstown if you are looking for trademark history.
Mike Veach
Location: Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History.
This is a trade publication for the trade published circa 1900. It does not have a publishing date and each section has pages numbered in that section. There are also several dozen pages of advertising at the end of the book that are not numbered at all. All together there are about 300 pages in the book. There is very little text in the book. What makes this book such a valuable resource is the fact that companies registered their trademarks with Mida's Criteria and this is a collection of those trademarks. Most of them are illustrated as barrelhead designs, but there are also many trademarks for advertising pieces such as mirrors or labels.
The idex is by brand name, not company. This means that if you have a brand name you can easily find the company that made it, but you can not find all the brands that company made. It is also limited in that it only has brands that were registered with Mida's. If the brand was only an east coast brand, or found only in a small market, then more than likely it will not be listed here.
The Oscar Getz Museum in Bardstown, Kentucky has the only original copy I have seen. It makes this book a rare find and well worth the trip to Bardstown if you are looking for trademark history.
Mike Veach