Crate Label, Merry Christmas, Santa Claus Sleigh & Reindeer, Stadelman Fruit, Original Lithograph, NOS, Made in USA, Vintage, 1950s

Before supermarkets. Before plastic wrap. Before everything was the same everywhere — there were crate labels.

This is an original Merry Christmas apple crate label — a 1950s lithograph produced for Stadelman Fruit Inc. of Washington State. It has never been used. Never folded. Never attached to a crate. New Old Stock in pristine condition.

Santa Claus in his sleigh, reindeer in full flight, a bright moon behind him — rendered in full color lithography on a Washington State apple crate label. The juxtaposition is wonderful: one of America's most beloved holiday images, printed to sell apples. It worked beautifully as both, and as vintage holiday ephemera it is even more charming today.

Frame it as Christmas decor, display it in a holiday vignette, add it to a seasonal collection. Two available.

A wonderful gift for a Christmas collector, a vintage holiday decor enthusiast, a crate label collector, or anyone whose holiday decor includes things with genuine history behind them.

A note on crate label collecting: Original lithographic crate labels from this era are increasingly scarce. NOS examples like this one — never used, never folded, in original pristine condition — represent the best of what survives. Collectors prize them for their graphic quality and the window they open onto a vanished chapter of American agricultural and commercial history.

• Brand: Merry Christmas Brand / Stadelman Fruit Inc., Washington State
• Type: Apple crate label
• Made in: USA
• Dated: circa 1950s
• Condition: New Old Stock (NOS) — unused, pristine condition. Age-appropriate yellowing on the reverse only — the face is vivid and pristine. Please review all photos carefully — we cannot accept returns.
• Framing: Fits a standard frame — ready to display