Crate Label, WIN California Emperor Grapes, Original Lithograph 1940's, NOS, Vintage

Before supermarkets. Before plastic wrap. Before everything was the same everywhere — there were crate labels.

This is an original California grape crate label — a lithograph produced circa 1940s to early 1950s for W. D. Winton & Son of Ivanhoe, California. It has never been used. Never attached to a crate. It is New Old Stock in very good vintage condition, sourced from the collection of Lorie Cairns, one of the pioneering dealers in vintage label collecting.

The label is pure speed. The word WIN fills the composition in big yellow letters, each one trailing motion lines behind it — the visual language of velocity, rendered in lithographic ink for a grape crate. To the right, a stadium crowd presses forward, and a flagman holds the black and white checkered flag, an AAA Contest Board badge on his sleeve. That badge dates the label precisely: the AAA Contest Board sanctioned American auto racing from 1904 until 1955, when it dissolved in the aftermath of the Le Mans disaster. Every Indianapolis 500 run during that era — including those won by legends of the sport — was an AAA-sanctioned race. This label was made during that era, for grapes, and it captures the electricity of mid-century American motor racing in four inches of paper.

A note on condition: there is some light stippling on the left side and evidence of a water stain on the reverse. Please review all photos carefully. One available.

Frame it as motorsport history, as mid-century Americana, or as the most unlikely racing artifact in your collection. At 13.0 by 4.0 inches it suits a narrow 5x14 frame and makes a strong statement in a garage, a study, a game room, or anywhere that appreciates speed, history, and the unexpected.

A wonderful gift for a motorsport enthusiast, a vintage racing collector, an IndyCar or Indianapolis 500 historian, a vintage ephemera collector, or anyone who loves the idea of a grape crate that went racing.

A note on crate label collecting: Original lithographic crate labels from this era are increasingly scarce. NOS examples like this one — never used, never attached to a crate — represent the best of what survives. Collectors prize them for their graphic quality and the window they open onto a vanished chapter of American agricultural and commercial history.

• Brand: WIN Brand / W. D. Winton & Son, Ivanhoe, California
• Type: Grape crate label (strip)
• Made in: USA
• Dated: circa 1940s–early 1950s (pre-1955, dated by AAA Contest Board badge)
• Dimensions: 13.0" wide | 4.0" tall
• Condition: New Old Stock (NOS) — unused, very good vintage condition. Light stippling on left side; water stain visible on reverse only. Please review all photos carefully — we cannot accept returns.
• Framing: Ideal for a narrow or panoramic frame — ready to display