Candles: Gurley Novelty Co, Figural Pilgrim Couple, Thanksgiving, Boy & Girl, Set of 2, Buffalo NY, Vintage 1950s - SOLD

A Pilgrim boy and girl in figural wax, dressed for the first Thanksgiving, still wearing their original Gurley labels and never lit.

• Maker: Gurley Novelty Co.
• Materials: Paraffin wax
• Dimensions: Boy 5.5" tall; girl 5.25" tall
• Origin: Buffalo, New York, USA
• Era: Vintage 1950s-1960s
• Condition: Very good; there is a bit of wax dripped on the back of the boy's hat, which looks like a manufacturing flaw since the wick looks perfect and unburned. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

The pair are dressed in gray (the boy) and blue and white (the girl), and are in almost perfect condition. These are the larger 5-inch candles; the other Pilgrims in the line are 3.5 inches. These are originals made in the USA, not the newer reproductions from China, and both keep their original cardboard labels on the bottom marked Gurley Candle Co, Buffalo, NY. They have never been lit, as most people buy these as decor and do not burn them.

A nostalgic collectible that will delight young and old, perfect for a mantel, a shelf, or a Fall or Thanksgiving display.

Gurley Novelty Company of Buffalo, New York, traces to 1939, when Franklin Gurley bought Robert White's confectionery company, W&F Manufacturing Co. The candles were commissioned by the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company (now ExxonMobil) as a way to reuse excess paraffin produced as a by-product of oil refining, and were originally branded "Tavern." In 1949 Franklin Gurley bought the rights to the Tavern brand and renamed the business the Gurley Novelty Co. Gurley was known for small figurine-shaped candles for the main holidays, most notably Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween, in shapes that included ghosts, pilgrims, reindeer, Christmas trees, angels, choir boys and, of course, Santa Claus. The company closed in 1994, but the Vermont Country Store later bought the molds and reproduces some of the candles now, marked VCS.

Browse our shop for more Gurley and figural holiday candles to round out your collection.