c.1880s Keystone Watch Case Company “Boss Pat. Cases” Trade Card

I really enjoy collecting ephemera from the American Watch Industry. Not only do these items provide interesting insight related to the products offered by the companies, but they are also beautiful representations of early strategic marketing in the United States.

In the 1880s, the Keystone Watch Case Company published a series of chromolithographic trade cards with a variety of creative scenes. These were typically distributed to local jewelers and printed with the retailer’s name and location.

This reverse features lengthy advertising copy to promote the gold-filled watch cases supplied by the Keystone Watch Case Company under James Boss’ patented process.

“THE JAS. BOSS’ PATENT GOLD WATCH-CASE is the best in the world! It contains thirty-five to sixty per cent more Gold than any other make of Laminated Cases; has great strength, is artistic, and very durable, and warranted by Certificate, signed by the Manufacturers, to wear twenty years. It is made of two plates of Solid Gold (14 and 2-10 karat fine), covering a plate of hard composition metal. It is made by patented machinery, owned exclusively by this Company. It is far better than the low (8 and 10) karat Cases, that soon turn black, and are thin and worthless as a protection to the movement. A Solid Gold Case is never worn out; when a portion of the outside is worn away, by use, it becomes weak and ceases to answer the purpose for which it was intended.

Now, if a Case is so constructed that all the metal subject to wear is Solid Gold, and the remainder, which only lends strength to the case, is of stronger metal than Gold, it must be granted that such a Case is equal, if not superior, to thin Solid Gold. Over One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Boss’ Cases have been sold, and as every Jeweler knows, they give entire satisfaction.

This success has attracted fraudulent imitators, who, having no merit in their own goods, copy designs and styles, and as near as possible, the Trade-Mark. Therefore, to get the Genuine Boss’ Case, see that it has the scales under a small crown plainly stamped in the cap.

THE LARGEST MANUFACTORY IN THE WORLD!

ESTABLISHED, 1854.

ONLY ONE QUALITY MADE—THAT THE VERY BEST.

Ask for Certificate, and see that the Number on it corresponds with the number stamped in cap of Case.”

The description praises the merits of the gold-filled case, claiming they are superior to solid gold cases in strength and durability. From the advertising copy, we can extract the following facts about the early 14K gold-filled cases sold by the Keystone Watch Case Company:

• Contained 35-60% more gold than any other make of gold-filled (laminated) cases
• Warranted by certificate to wear for twenty years
• Constructed of two plates of solid gold (14K for the exterior and 2-10K for the interior) with a plate of composition metal in between
• Over 150,000 Boss cases had been sold by the time the trade card was published
• The crown and scales trademark was marked inside the cap of every Boss case.

The company’s note about “only one quality made” suggests the card was published prior to July 1889, when the Keystone Watch Case Company expanded the product line to include a 10K/15YR gold-filled case in addition to the standard 14K/20YR case.

This particular trade card was distributed by G.N. Luckey, a jeweler in Baldwinsville, N.Y., and features a ram unsuccessfully attempting to destroy Boss case.

These trade cards offer an interesting subset of the American watch industry for collectors who appreciate advertising history and art, especially with the wide variety of cards published by the Keystone Watch Case Company.