Rare Cast Iron Hubley Elephant Bottle Opener c.1940-1950

ABOUT

This is an original rare cast iron elephant bottle opener manufactured by the Hubley Manufacturing Company in Lancaster Pennsylvania USA. The piece has retained its original hand painted finish and is in excellent condition with the appropriate patina for its age. 

• CREATOR Hubley Manufacturing Company (Manufacturer)
• DATE OF MANUFACTURE 1940-1950
• MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Cast Iron, hand painted.
  
• CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use.
• DIMENSIONS H 3.5 in. x W 3 in. x D 1.25 in.
  

HISTORY

The Hubley Manufacturing Co. was incorporated in 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania by John Hubley and produced hand painted cast-iron toys and household objects such as doorstops, bookends and bottle openers with themes that ranged from different breeds of dogs, to horses and cars. 

In the casting process, metalworkers would carve out a wooden form or hammer the design out in metal. The form was then pressed into finely compacted sand, making an impression, and the cast iron was heated to 3000 degrees which was then poured into the sand mold.

In the decorating department, painters applied a base coat of white, cream or black to the piece and colorists used a variety of hues to achieve defining features. Many Hubley items bear identical color schemes, suggesting that decorators may have copied a model finished by a master artisan.