Batter Up! 1950s Service Reminder
Remember in the 1950’s and 1960’s when gas stations were called service stations? They pumped gas and gave out road maps and promotional giveaways like pens, calendars, thermometers, etc. These items are rare finds, because most get thrown away when the doors are closed.
This item is a promotional 1950s Reed Brothers Dodge-Plymouth 3-1/4 inch cardboard BATTER UP! service reminder. The dealership still used a 4 digit phone number: Rockville 2151 and had the old blue and orange Gulf logo.
Some of the more difficult collectibles to obtain were awards given to the salespeople for outstanding sales performance, including neckties, cuff links, pen and pencil sets, and award plaques. Unique items were often given to salesmen to promote a new model being released that year.
This item is currently being offered for sale on ebay: 1950s GULF GAS-Reed Bros. Dodge/Plymouth 3-1/4″ inch BATTER UP! Cardboard Baseball service reminder.
Reed Brothers Memorabilia
Dealers have always produced a wide array of promotional giveaways. These items are rare finds, because most get thrown away when the doors are closed. Some of the more difficult collectibles to obtain are awards given to the salespeople for outstanding sales performance, including neckties, cuff links, pen and pencil sets, and award plaques. Unique items were often given to salesmen to promote a new model being released that year. Each year at new car introduction, dealers created an entirely new set of collectibles. A few items were provided by the factory to promote a theme for the new models, but most of the others were created uniquely by the dealer.
Most of the memorabilia in this special post belonged to Marvin Shultz, Reed Brothers longest tenured employee. Marvin worked for 43 of the company’s 97 years of existence before retiring in 1984 as a new car salesman. A few others are from my own personal collection.
I would like to express my thanks to the Shultz family for sending me these mementos!
1970s Dodge emblem neckties. Courtesy the Shultz family
Sales Meeting left to right: Dorsey Howes (Sales Manager), Dale Reed (Salesman), Marvin Shultz (Salesman), Lee Gartner (President). In the 1970s, the sales staff wore red blazers with the Dodge emblem on the pocket. Note the neckties.
1970s Reed Brothers Dodge Service Department Pen – Quaker State Motor Oil. Courtesy the Shultz family.
Reed Brothers Dodge license plate. J. Gartner collection
Reed Brothers Dodge license plate. J. Gartner collection
Reed Brothers Automotive license plate. J. Gartner collection
Reed Brothers license plate frame. J. Gartner collection
Reed Brothers Dodge Polo Shirt with original logo. J. Gartner collection
Reed Brothers Dodge Hat. J. Gartner collection
Reed Brothers Dodge T-Shirt. J. Gartner collection
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Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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