1893 Ad Hires Root Beer Packets Carcinogen Ingredient Soda Pop Temperance AAG1

CONDITION

This 118+ year old Item is rated Near Mint / Very Fine. Light foxing and aging. No creases. No natural defects. Some light surface rub. No tears. No water damage.

• Product Type: Original Print Ad; Black / White
• Grade: Near Mint / Very Fine
• Dimensions: Approximately 2.5 x 3.25 inches; 6 x 8 cm
• Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
• Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)

Hires . Philadelphia Pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires founded this particular brand of root beer in 1876. He began selling his concoction in 25-cent packets that would yield five gallons of root beer per packet. Hires claimed there were sixteen wild berries and roots in his recipe that would purify the blood and make rosy cheeks.

Around 1884, Hires had invented a special soda fountain dispenser called the Hires Automatic Munimaker, as well as a liquid extract and syrup for soda fountains. In 1890, Hires began selling his root beer in bottles.

When the product initially hit the market, the name ÒHires' Root BeerÓ caused a stir due to the current temperance movement, which strongly urged against the consumption of alcohol. However, after thorough testing it was determined that the root beer actually contained less alcohol than a loaf of bread, and soon Hires' Root Beer was promoted as "The Temperance Drink" and "The Greatest Health-Giving Beverage in the World." Hires also coined the slogan, "Join Health and Cheer, Drink Hires' Root Beer." However, despite the incredibly insignificant amounts of alcohol in the product, the root beer ended up actually containing a carcinogen and liver damaging chemical called Safrol, which was found in sassafras oil. In 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the chemical. Later, the chemical could be effectively removed from the oil.

In 1960, Consolidated Foods bought the company, yet sold it a couple years later to Crush International, which was bought by Procter & Gamble in 1980. In 1989, it was sold to Cadbury Schweppes, which renamed its company Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.

Funny Advertising Theory:

Charles Hires believed strongly in advertising; He said, ÒDoing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.Ó

Copyright 2016, Period Paper LLC

Keywords specific to this image: Antique Advertising, Pricing

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