Shortly after the 1970s catalogs arrived, the mid-century magazines arrived.
In 1969, Walter, L. Parker filed a mailbox design with modern lines. The patent stated: “Characteristic features of my design reside in the forward slope of both the front and rear; and a fully open throat across substantially the full width of the bottom-front of the mailbox all as shown.” [No. 221,361] Basically an angled design with a newspaper holder on the bottom half.
The patent filing sited the June 1968 Better Homes and Gardens magazine as a reference, p.117, right-column deluxe mailbox style NMX. We’ll, yet again the image in the patent filing did not match that of the magazine.
There it was, the inspirational mailbox design!
At the top, the Spear Engineering company ad states: “The Perfect Personal Gift | Father’s Day, June 16.” The cartoon has a modest mid-century home in the background with Pappy & Meme Spear’s names on the Lamp Post. Hey, they give S&H Green Stamps too!
Hello way-back machine.
I bought a July 1954 issue of The American Home based on another modern mailbox design patent filed in 1961 [No. 196,467]. The mailbox was not on page 93, as referenced. But one of the issues had a half-page ad by Spear Engineering Company for their Day-n-Night Markers. The same company that advertised in the 1968 Better Homes and Gardens issue. For this ad though, they used the familiar tunnel shaped mailbox. Drat. I was hoping to date the mailbox to the mid-50s.
With the magazines, I was able to trace the general design back to the late 60s.
Making progress!
mid-century modern mailbox 