Great Mail Order Bargain House Catalogue
Contents
- Front cover of the Robt. H. Ingersoll and Bro. mail-order catalogue, showing the firm's two New York buildings at 67 Cortlandt St. and 163-165 Washington St., and advertising American watches.
- Instructions for ordering by mail, covering how to address letters, state item names and numbers, enclose correct payment, add postage, and sign orders with a full name and address.
- Promotional section for the Ingersoll guaranteed high-grade bicycle priced at $25, emphasising guaranteed quality, value, and satisfaction for wheelmen seeking a reliable low-cost machine.
- Opening of the bicycle sundries section, describing the firm as pioneer manufacturers and jobbers who distribute more of these goods annually than any other concern. The page shows the Yankee and Champion bicycle watches, the No. A canvas frame trunk and four cyclometers, among them the Ingersoll Dollar Cyclometer reduced to fifty cents.
- Selection of bicycle bells drawn from the four largest makers, offered at popular prices; Ingersoll credits itself with having driven down the market price on bells through enormous sales volume.
- The 1898 Yankee bicycle lamp featuring a new fluted flange, hinged door, rigid bracket, improved oil tank, and positive tank-and-wick lock; described as the best popular-priced American lamp with the largest sale of any similar product.
- The 1898 Ingersoll Saddle described as an exact Brown model with the shape, style, and finish of much more expensive saddles, scientifically designed for the average road-rider.
- Ingersoll-manufactured foot pump, 30 inches long with an 18.5-inch tube, guaranteed not to leak or let the valve slip; offered as a genuinely good pump at a low price.
- L.A.W. four-tumbler combination sprocket lock with aluminium hinged shackles at 70 cents, plus the Ingersoll Anti-Rust clip in special composition metal that will not rust. The page also carries further sprocket locks, oilers, screw drivers and trouser guards.
- Climax Enamel for re-enamelling any bicycle part in any colour at 16 cents per jar, plus enamel brushes and a popular chain lubricant to keep wheels looking new and protected from rust.
- Detailed specifications for the Ingersoll Model A bicycle, positioned as an advanced 1899-style machine using the latest parts while most low-priced rivals rely on old-style components.
- The Student Camera, taking 3.25 x 2.25-inch plates, offered as an affordable introduction to photography for boys and girls with full instructions included in the outfit.
- The Shure Shot Detective Camera, a complete snap-shot photographing outfit for one dollar, guaranteed to produce pictures equal to any camera sold at the same price.
- The Kombi Camera, a miniature snap-shot camera less than two inches square and weighing five ounces, already in use by thousands and praised for giving better results than many pricier cameras.
- Pocket ruby darkroom lamp with a 4x6-inch ruby glass and candle-burning frame, described as the ideal lamp for photographic use because it produces no smoke or soot.
- The Revolving Shirt Bosom novelty, described as the latest and most startling novelty of the season, causing roars of laughter wherever introduced.
- Wonderful Meteor paper balloons based on a new foreign patent that rise from a table indoors or ascend heavenward outdoors, alongside the Roosevelt Whistle novelty item.
- 1,000 Funny Faces transformation stamps for 10 cents, enabling the user to create a thousand different caricatures, plus the Wild West Screecher noise novelty.
- The Sprinkling Ring practical joke, fitted with a hidden rubber ball to squirt water at unsuspecting examiners, among a collection of joke and novelty items.
- The Phonograph Top, described as the musical sensation of the age, producing hours of parlour amusement; also additional funny-faces novelty products.
- Up-to-date garters made of fine silk webbing with motto buckles such as Hands Off and Good Things Come High, plus Klondike gem novelty jewellery items.
- Laughing Camera No. 2 at 23 cents, a distorting mirror novelty that makes stout people look thin and thin people look stout, plus the Magic Trick Whistle.
- The Lightning Trick Box illusion, which appears to be full of candy when opened but transforms its contents when the lid is replaced, baffling and amusing onlookers.
- The Electric Push Button, an exact imitation of a hotel electric bell push set into a polished maple and black walnut base, sold as an amusing novelty or practical joke.
- The Magician's Cabinet, an aggregation of tricks, puzzles, and illusions offering greater variety than any rival outfit at a similar price, produced by Ingersoll as pioneers in original conjuring novelties.
- Laughing Camera No. 1, a pocket-sized optical novelty producing amusing distorted reflections, described as the latest mirth-maker and a sure remedy for low spirits.
- A handsome metal toy locomotive with gilt boiler, black smokestack, and coloured cab that winds up and runs across the floor; priced at 8 cents and described as far superior to rivals.
- A mechanical savings bank in sheet metal shaped as a plantation scene; inserting a penny or nickel starts clockwork that animates a banjo-playing figure, priced as a novelty toy bank.
- A self-propelling mechanical toy trolley car, praised for its simple yet novel driving gear, alongside the Parachute Gun toy.
- New Tiddledy Winks set at 12 cents, containing ten winks and a gypsy-kettle pot, plus the Peerless Package of Games offering multiple parlour games in one popular-priced box.
- The Atlas Yacht steam engine featuring a reversing valve attachment that allows the engine to run forward or backward at equal speed, designed for use in toy boats.
- A nickel-boilered, enamel-framed motor steam engine with a bright balance wheel, supplied complete with lamp and instructions, praised for its beauty, durability, and power.
- The Invalid's Home Healer electric device, promoted for treating rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, numbness, nervous troubles, weakness, and blood disorders through electrical stimulation.
- A line of English-made telescopes at popular prices, described as practical for shortening distances even if lacking the extreme magnification of finer French instruments.
- The Feather-Weight Transparent Eye Shade, a celluloid visor claimed to be the only transparent shade offering absolute protection against injurious rays from artificial light when reading or writing.
- The Feather Weight Sun Guard, a practical rimless sun glass recommended for bicycle riders and available in white, amber, blue, and red; compared to coloured sun glasses normally retailing at $1.00. The rest of the page offers reading glasses, crystal, scenery and gold alloy spectacles, pocket microscopes and the Bottled Electricity catarrh cure.
- Humphreys' Magnetic Ring, a health ring with a broken band creating positive and negative poles like a true magnet, distinguished from all continuous-band rings on the market.
- The Magnetode Electric Belt, offered as matching the quality of $10 electric belts at a fraction of the cost, argued to be free of the overpricing that constitutes the only humbug in electric-belt products.
- Press Button Knife with two Sheffield steel blades that fly open automatically and lock when released by push buttons at each end, ensuring the blade cannot shut and cut the hand; medium size at 3.5 inches.
- A line of fine English tool-steel scissors in sizes from 6 to 9 inches, with finest polish and heavy nickel plate, every pair strictly warranted for quality of steel and perfection of workmanship.
- Peerless Shaving Outfit including shaving brushes in two grades at 9 cents and upward, providing gentlemen with all necessary shaving accessories at very low mail-order prices.
- The Fox Safety Razor, an imported English razor with a blade adjustment screw, an outside frame and guard in one piece two inches long and handles of three and a quarter and four inches; claimed to be the only safety razor whose blade can be adjusted to any one's face. The page also offers razor guards, stropping outfits, folding scissors and dark lanterns.
- Nut Pick Set No. 1, a set of six best-steel picks in a neat fancy cloth-lined compartment box at a wonderfully low price obtained through immense volume purchasing from the maker. The same page lists dog and cat collar locks, the Christy knife sets and the Jewel coffee mill.
- Rotary Cake Cutters in heavy planished tin that revolve smoothly to cut dough cleanly, plus aluminium gold spoons; both presented as great modern improvements in kitchen utensils.
- The Arc-Light lamp wick woven with the same carbon used in electric arc lights, burning without trimming and saving 20 per cent of oil consumption compared to ordinary wicks.
- Handy Tool Set No. 1 with finest-steel tools in a polished rock-maple handle with adjustable steel chuck, described as a high-class set favoured by fastidious mechanics.
- Cutting pliers in 4-inch, 5-inch, and 7-inch sizes with fully polished, accurately ground and hardened jaws, offered at a claimed 40 per cent saving over market prices; also the Practical Hand Drill.
- Pencil pockets made of good grain calf skin stitched with linen thread, each fitted with a safety pin for attaching to clothing inside or outside a garment.
- The Handy Blotter, a roll-style blotter wound with five yards of high-quality blotting paper that unrolls only as required, convenient for desk use and easy to refill.
- The Ingersoll Fountain Pen, manufactured by Ingersoll in hard rubber with hand-engraved spiral-wave decoration, emphasising that quantity production enables a genuinely good pen at a very low price.
- Gent's Coin Pouch in heavy tan grain leather with ball-and-socket clasp at 13 cents, plus the Mysterious Purse novelty that challenges the buyer to open it.
- No. 490 Purse with a nickelled metal frame that opens fully at slight pressure to display all contents at a glance, plus further ladies' purse styles.
- Highland Plaid Belt in fast-coloured Scotch plaid silk 1.75 inches wide, described as the greatest novelty of the season and far ahead of any other belt in beauty and stylishness regardless of price.
- Revolving Pocket Comb in hard rubber, 1 x 4 inches, that rotates on a pivot to turn inside out and protect the teeth when not in use; described as the most ingenious pocket comb ever devised.
- A range of celluloid collars (Police, Brighton, Sterling, Excelsior styles, sizes 12 to 20 inches) and matching cuffs described as practically indestructible and capable of years of wear.
- Boys' Blue Jeans capitalising on the fad spreading from Greater New York, manufactured under contract with a large factory to offer a novel and fashionable play outfit for children.
- Pillow sham lace in 2- or 3-inch widths at 5 cents per yard suitable for shams, tidies, and aprons, plus Parisian Silk Mats described as a marvel of French skill.
- The Baby Sewing Machine, a genuine sewing machine using regular Wilcox and Gibbs needles and machine thread, warranted to do good sewing and fitted with a finger protector for safety.
- Drummer's Yarns, a humorous book collecting the funniest stories and wittiest anecdotes swapped by commercial travellers on the road, promoted as a cure for dyspepsia through laughter.
- Vest-pocket Webster Dictionary with 45,800 words and a new index system halving lookup time, alongside Parlor Magic and Up-to-Date Love Letters booklets.
- The Wizard's Manual, a comprehensive conjuring book by a noted expert, offered for 25 cents and claimed to contain more information on magic and illusion than all other such books combined.
- Boys' Printer at 10 cents, containing a half-font of type, type-holder, indelible ink, ink pad, type tweezers, spaces, points, and instructions, sold as the cheapest known printing outfit.
- The Mammoth Printing Office outfit, including a press previously sold for $2.50 with type alone, now augmented with a bronzing outfit and extra-large fonts of type set up in regular printers' fashion.
- Self-Inking Printing Press No. 9, made on the same patterns as large job printing presses, supplied with type, furniture, ink, cards, and the instruction booklet How to Be a Printer.
- The Yankee Date Printer, a patented mechanical dater combining all 1898 improvements of high-priced daters with new proprietary features, offered as the cheapest and most practical dater on the market.
- Our Famous Lottie Collins Mandolin at $1.25, with a bird's-eye maple and sycamore body, made famous through immense advertising and volume orders that reduced its cost to a previously unheard-of price.
- The Great Phonogram talking and singing device, plus the Superba Accordion in a piano-polished imitation rosewood case with ebonized mouldings and German silver finger buttons.
- Clark's Great London Flute at 18 cents, described as a perfect instrument of its kind on which all tunes can be fully played, with self-instruction booklet and clamps supplied.
- Two-Bell Richter harmonica, a 10-hole instrument with stained cherry body, nickel trimmings, and two silver-toned bells for accompaniment at 35 cents; also the Quadruplex multi-reed harmonica.
- A curated selection of finger rings sourced from the twelve largest makers, covering the latest designs and workmanship at prices offering extraordinary value to Ingersoll customers.
- Ring No. 790 in heavy gold plate with a 1-karat blue-white Topaz diamond setting at 22 cents, alongside misses' and ladies' band, snake, cameo and friendship rings and a No. 522 ring in the new metal Goldine. The lower half of the page offers solid gold solitaire scarf pins, flag, initial and tandem pins.
- Plaid Belt Holder with a pretty plaid design in the brightest colours, finished in gold or silver plate, described as selling faster than any other belt fastener on the market. Also on the page: fleur de lis and skirt-supporter belt fasteners, the Gold Shirt Set, waist sets, aluminum hair pins and lace pins.
- Ladies' Shirt Waist Sets drawn from the largest manufacturers, selected to defy competition and represent the biggest value for the least money at Ingersoll's up-to-date prices.
- Separable studs in Goldine, the new untarnishable metal, and lever collar buttons including the No. 5 anti-swear patent lever collar-button, heavily plated and full of wear. The page also lists ear-rings, cuff buttons and link buttons.
- Novelty chain No. 709 made of links the same as those of a bicycle chain, with a miniature lamp charm as cross bar, described as making a great hit with bicyclists. The page also carries boys', rope and lorgnette chains, a bicycle charm and the L.A.W. emblem charm No. 1322.
- Leather Watch Guard in solid interlooped leather links, 7 inches long with full polished nickel buckles, in enamel, tan, grain and seal leathers; called the latest fad and sold everywhere at 25 cents. Also the Columbus Watch Chain of five medallions of famous heroes, silk vest guards and the Cyclists' Safety Chain.
- The Ingersoll Royal Watch at $2.00, compared to old-time watches as a modern railway train compares to a stage coach, designed to satisfy the demand for thoroughly reliable timekeeping.
- Overview of Ingersoll's full watch line noting that only the latest and most popular styles are shown in the catalogue, with any style of case and grade of movement available to order.
- No. 137 Boys' and Ladies' Swiss Open Face Watch in solid sterling silver with hand-engraved back and front, gold hands, two-colour enamel dial, regular stem wind and set.
- Ingersoll Guaranteed American Watches described as having achieved world-wide fame with sales exceeding those of the famous Waterbury, the result of focused development for quality and low price.
- The Ingersoll Champion Watch offered in plain or fancy case with Arabic or Roman dial, with a free curb-pattern chain and Columbus charm in gold or nickel plate included with each watch.
- Complete Electric Bell Outfit, noted as previously offered at a higher price, now reduced through immense contracts with manufacturers while keeping all contents unchanged in quality.
- The Learner's Morse Electric Telegraph at $2.75, a full-size complete apparatus with Giant Sounder, curved key, and a large cell of the best Gravity Battery, suitable for any boy or girl to learn telegraphy.
- The Electric Railway and Car, described as the greatest recent scientific toy, a prototype of the modern trolley car made of brass and operating on an electric track system.
- Popular Boys Boxing Set at 98 cents, boxing gloves sourced directly from the largest manufacturer eliminating middlemen's profits, promoted as providing the most useful and health-giving exercise of sparring.
- Expanded 1898 line of baseball goods including infielders' gloves, described as second to none in quality or low prices after significant additions and improvements from the prior season.
- Baseball Uniform No. 1 in best flannel in blue, brown, light grey, and dark grey, comprising a shirt, fully padded pants, and additional outfit components at a rock-bottom price.
- The Ingersoll Exerciser plus a line of athletic shoes manufactured specifically for indoor and outdoor athletic use, made of selected stock with the highest grade at rock-bottom prices.
- The American Steam Launch toy, modelled after a famous propeller vessel and fitted with a powerful engine capable of greater speed than any other toy launch, in contrast to rival launches that were decorative but could not run.
- Good Luck Fisherman's Outfit and Acme Outfit, sourced direct from manufacturers so that middlemen lose their profit and customers gain the saving, with new additions from makers in 1898.
- The 1898 Good Luck Fisherman's Outfit, a complete, high-quality fishing set purchased in immense quantities at manufacturer's cost pricing to offer double value compared to ordinary retail outfits.
- The U.S. Revolver, a medium-sized 32-calibre revolver in full nickel finish with hard rubber handle and finest steel throughout, sold elsewhere at $1.50 but offered at a reduced Ingersoll price.
- The Daisy Air Rifle at 85 cents, made entirely of metal and beautifully nickel-plated with a metal shoulder rest, using a new patent lever action to compress air and claimed to be the peer of all other air guns.
- The Columbian 1,000-Shot Air Rifle at $3.00 (1893 Model), holding 1,000 B.B. shot without reloading and modelled on the same principle as the celebrated Marlin Repeating Rifles that sell for $26.00.
- Ingersoll's Fine Cigars, with an established reputation for good quality and unmatchable flavour, offered in several brands at reduced prices following increased sales demonstrating customer satisfaction.
- The Army and Navy Pipe, a hard rubber pipe with stem shaped as an exact reproduction of a United States regulation gun complete with stock, lock, and trigger detail, made famous by an immense sale at a wonderfully low price.