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Crane's Chocolate Company
This poster stamp, designed by Maxfield Parrish, has sometimes been referred to
as the "Holy Grail" for poster stamp collectors.
Sometime between 1910 and 1915 Clarence Crane commissioned Parrish to create a design
that could be used on a label for small gift or sample boxes of chocolates. This poster stamp is the initial result
of that commission. Most of the stamps were affixed to the chocolate boxes, and were subsequently disposed of or
destroyed, but a very few have survived to find their way into the hands of a few lucky collectors. Mr. Crane was
reportedly very pleased with the result, and Parrish slightly reworked the design for use as an actual box label
for Crane's Chocolates. Parrish also did two other illustrations for use as labels for boxes of Crane's Chocolates.
This example was discovered in 2003 mounted in a circa 1915 poster stamp album created
by the Maurice L. Rothschild Clothing Company. There is a small surface scrape in the lower left corner of the
stamp, affecting a small portion of the design border, but otherwise the stamp is in excellent condition, and still
has most of its gum intact. This example appears to be a lower marginal copy. The image size of the stamp measures
44 x 64 mm.
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