On June 7, 1881 William Rockwell Clough of Alton, New Hampshire was granted a patent for a corkscrew that would revolutionize advertising for health and home remedies. His small corkscrew was designed to remove the small corks from bottles of patent medicines and the like. The corkscrews were made in wire bands which would accommodate advertising. These could be given out with the bottle as a constant reminder of the manufacturer's name. Here are four trade cards used by the Clough Wire Corkscrew Company to advertise the corkscrew.
©2000 Donald A. Bull