Blotter pad with celluloid cover. An advertisement for J. S. Silvers, Bro. & Company, the cover is attached via a metal button bearing the image of a running pig. The cover also shows images of pigs running from a barn, and a logo for "Lion Brand Flavoring Extracts."
The originator of the J. S. Silvers & Bro. Company was a man named J. V. Davison. He created the company, orginally called American Mills, in 1866.
The company roasted coffee, which was brought in green. The coffee was then packaged and labeled, and was sold under the names Middlesex #7 and White Diamond.
The company also packaged spices purchased from the American Can Company and bottles from Star Glass Works of Medford, N.J. Besides teas, coffees, spices, and extracts, the company mixed its own brand of mayonnaise and sold a complete line of groceries.
In December 1927, a fire destroyed the main building but the records were saved. The new building was constructed in Hightstown, N.J. making it easier to get to the railroads. Trucks were now making deliveries.
The company covered Monmouth, Mercer, and Middlesex counties and some South Jersey areas as well. When large grocery store chains began to open, the need for wholesale grocers declined. The company closed in 1935.
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