I've done a fair bit of hunting around to date this specific box of Dixon crayons precisely, but they're earlier than the earliest other set I've found, that one 1910 and in the collection of the Huntington Libraries. But based on the logo and the font and the treatment of text here, I am pretty confident these date to just about 1900, making them a very scarce set indeed. I love them like I love Froebel's Kindergarten blocks; a distilled set of tools/building blocks that open endless possibility for experiential learning and creative play. And the text, fonts, and language on this box/sleeve feels very Froebel-ian to me! I think just looking at these indices a sense of happiness and well being.
Founded in 1827 in Salem, MA, the Dixon Crucible Co. moved headquarters to Jersey City, NJ in 1847--primarily making a wide variety of pencils, for which it became famous, then adding erasers to the ends of some of them, and also then producing crayons, and stove polish, and industrial lubricants. Dixon merged with the American Crayon Company in 1957.
3 13/16" x 2 5/8" x 1/2" box. Beautiful antique condition, crayons unbroken and barely used, showing just a bit of wear at the points. Box completely in tact and lovely, printed on front and back and both short sides as documented.
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