PULLMAN Railroad Car White Brass & Iron Spittoon c1880

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Fine Antique Pullman Railroad Car Spittoon (Spitoon, Cuspidor) with Heavy Broad Iron Base for Maximum Stability from the Late 1800s WELCOME An Original Pullman Rail Car Nickel-Copper Alloy Spittoon with Lettered Cast Iron Base from about 1880 in Very Good Condition (see details below). ITEM DETAILS: T is a good chance that the design for this spittoon was approved by George Mortimer Pullman (1831-1897) and was even made at one of his railroad car manufacturing facilities. I say this because unlike many other antique spittoons, the metal used for this one is not brass but more akin to German silver (i.e., a nickel copper alloy) that would also have been used for some handles and fixtures in a Pullman rail car. The nickel copper on this spittoon also covers a cast iron plate that makes the base of the spittoon. And the cast iron base itself is purposefully concave in the middle to help prevent sliding by concentrating the weight of the entire vessel toward its outer edges. The iron plate at the base makes the spittoon weigh nearly 5 pounds and virtually impossible to tip over. The design of this spittoon may have even been personally engineered by George Pullman for his elite Pullman cars since he is credited with many other inventions. T is even the name PULLMAN cast right into the iron base at the time it was made. The spittoon dates from the 1870s or 1880s and is a comparatively early Pullman railcar artifact. The spittoon is in very good condition with just a few small dents in the basal section that probably have quite a story to tell if the vessel could speak to us. So if you collect railroad memorabilia from the Gilded Age of rail service, then you may want try your hand at bidding on this one while it is being offered this last time. NOTE about Railroad Spittoon Types: Although railroad ephemera are far from my specialty, I did noticed when checking many other listings of railroad spittoons that t seems to be no differentiation between those designed for use in moving railcars and those simply made for use in rail stations and other railroad facilities (switch houses, section houses, etc.). It seems to me that narrower based spittoons of lighter weight and without cast iron or lead base insets to prevent tipping over were very ill designed for use on moving trains without being set into a fixed frame or holder. But broad base spittoons with a very low center of gravity just like the one listed were perfectly designed for passenger use on moving coaches and rail cars. And those rounded base spittoons, even if completely made out of cast iron would still tip over easily since they have a very high center of gravity. The thin white brass sheet metal used to form the upper section of this spittoon keeps its center of gravity low and less than 1 inch off the floor. If any viewer can help add further light to spittoon types and those used in pre 1890 railcars, do kindly drop me note - thanks. SIZE: This spittoon stands 7 1/4 inches tall and measures 8 3/8 inches across at the rim. The rim funnels down to a 2 3/4 inch diameter opening into the main cavity. The base measures 7 1/4 inches across. The whole spittoon weighs 4.7 lbs. CONDITION: This spittoon is in very good condition with NO tears, NO cracks in the nickel alloy portion, NO major scratches, and NO repairs or restorations. The funnel portion is not dented while the lower body has four dents and a half dozen smaller nicks. The largest dent on the body is 1.5 inches long and about 5/8 inches wide and is shown with a pencil pointing to it. The spittoon still displays very well despite these minor dents and dings which simply emphasize its antique status and long history. T is a split in the cast iron base plate that causes no harm and is stable. The iron base plate is separate from the inside of the vessel which is lined with the same copper nickel sheathing that forms the upper rim and body. The split in the iron base plate only shows when the vessel is turned upsid... read more

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