Ashtray, The Sabina Line, Selden's Motor Wagon, 1877, Vintage

• Pattern: Selden's Motor Wagon, 1877
• Made in McKeesport, PA, USA
• Vintage: late 1940's to early 1950's 
• Details:  This is a very nice ashtray and highly collectible.  These ashtrays sold by Sabin Industries, were primarily sold as novelty items and as promotional items.  The ones given away as promotional items typically had the vendor's name, and maybe an address, written in gold on the bottom border.  The ashtrays with the 3 indentations for cigarettes, like this one, were some of the earlier models.  Later they would have fancier styles with double grooves / indentations (totaling 6), or they would add a swirled border, etc.  This one has a Selden's Motor Wagon 1877 decal in the center in great detail. These decals were not unique to Sabin Industries, they were used by many other companies that is why you may see the same "picture" in items manufactured by other companies.  This piece is stamped in gold on the back: " The "Sabina" Line, Warranted 22K" plus a nice gold rim.  Makes a great Father's Day gift, or a gift for an old car admirer or memorabilia collector.  Looks great in a library, man cave or study. 
• Material:  Ceramic
• Dimensions: 5.5 inches in Diameter
• Condition:  Vintage - Used.  Very Good Condition.  There is a little wear on the gold rim in one area, also the gold paint is spotted on the underside a bit, and there's a manufacturing defect, like a dimple, on the back.  Otherwise there are no scratches, chips, cracks, stains, or other damage, decal is in excellent condition. Please review all pictures and make sure you love this item before purchasing, we can't accept returns.  Please remember these are ANTIQUE and VINTAGE items, they are NOT new, every effort has been made to show any scratches, wear and tear and imperfections.

The Selden Motor Vehicle Company was founded in Rochester, New York by George B. Selden in 1905.  He had developed an idea for a "horseless carriage" in 1877 but was not granted a patent until 1895.   The company produced cars for only three years, from 1909 through 1912. In 1913 the company was reorganized towards the production of trucks, where it had significantly more success, producing trucks until the company's sale to the Hahn Motor Truck Company of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, in 1930. Hahn and Selden went out of business in 1932.

Sabin Industries was founded in 1946 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, by Samuel Sabin and Leonard Berkovitz.  Sabin China didn't make their own items, they would purchase undecorated blanks from ceramic manufacturers and decorated them, mostly with decals, and sold them to retailers as promotional items or resellers as novelty items.  Some items were sold to trading stamp companies and were used as "prizes" for having filled in a book of stamps.  These ashtrays were made from the late 1940's through to the early '1960's.  The name "Sabina" came from Mr. Berkovitz's sister, Sabina (Sabina still lives, now in Parkland, FL).   The company also sold plates, cookie jars, piggy banks and other items.  In 1967, Sabin China Co. was sold to Chase Enterprises, the owner of Mount Clemens Pottery in Michigan and Mr. Berkovitz left the company.  In 1979 there was a great fire and the Sabin company location was destroyed, the business was moved to Mount Clemens, Michigan.