Car Snac Picnic Sets
Someone noticed the Car Snac picnic equipment on our Schmitt and asked if I'd write more about them. After I got my first set I found that virtually nothing had been written about them. After some lengthy research, here's what I found out....
There were several Gotham picnic items available "back in the day." They were marketed as "Car Snac," "Picni-Table," and "Sportsman" products.
Car Snac Sets
Car Snac items became highly collectible starting about 7 years ago. With car guys ever watchful for accent pieces, Car Snacs became the new "hot" item. Those in pristine condition command high prices among car folks and are highly sought after. From my research, American interest began within the vintage VW community and has now spread to general car interest as these sets became harder to find. A product line called the "Alphi" came out in Germany in the 50's. It is still unclear which came out first, the Alphi or the Car Snac, but the greater use of plastic in the Alphi suggests it came out later. Meanwhile, it appears that Alphis are extremely rare compared to the plainer Car Snacs. The alphis I've seen have an external case attached to the carrier for silverware. Here's a few photos of the Alphi below:
Credit: Alexwoa.com
"Car Snac" is the brand name for the similar American metal picnic set that became quite popular during the '50's and '60's . I have seen them described as a 40's era product occasionally but i have found nothing to support that representation. The earliest documentation I've found is for 1953. Genuine Car Snacs were made by Gotham Industries of Chicago, Illinois but may also say manufactured by the "Herb Marten Corporation." For collectors, this is important to know since the market for "plaid" picnicware had several competitors at the time. The others included Hamilton "Skotch" products and "Thermos" brand vacuum bottles. Only Gotham concentrated on products specifically associated with cars and have become "the" collectibles associated with car shows.
The most recognized part of the Gotham line is the seat back mounted picnic set easily identified by the two vacuum bottles and seat "hooks" for hanging the entire unit on a car seat. Sets came in either red or blue plaid with cork stoppers for the bottles. As you read on, I'd suggest that you don't imagine riding down the road with one of these hanging from the seat. The tin rattling is fairly loud unless you're in a Caddy! These went in the trunk and were hung on the seat after you got where you were going! While an Alphi is shown in the above photo, there is no doubt that it's plastic construction made it a lot quieter than the average Car Snac.
A complete seat set consists of the tin carrier with seat hooks that includes a center space for whatever. The center section isn't insulated in any way so most are pretty rusty inside. Two vacuum bottles go into carriers on either side. Within one of the red vacuum bottle caps is a "nest 'o cups" comprised of three lime-green plastic "glasses" with no handles. Most sets I've seen are usually missing these cups. Special care should also be taken when tightening down the cap that covers the cups. One fellow enthusiast reported breaking the glass liner top from overtightening the cap with the cups inside. This pushed the cork way into the mouth and ruined the bottle.
Caps are always red with the grip pattern. Sets occasionally come up for sale with other replacement caps that aren't original. Look carefully for the raised grip shape of the cap. A complete, correct set is shown below for reference (Photo credits to Samba.com):
I also discovered a CarSnac catalog ad dated 1953 but the source didn't say which catalog. The cost back then was $8.95!
The glass liners for the bottles are NOT replaceable. As a lesson learned, once one is broken, it really can't be fixed. There is a suspension piece that goes between the liner bottom and the bottom of the tin casing. It holds the glass bottle centered within the case and secure at both ends, Once that comes loose, the liner is extremely prone to breakage. Since the glass liner is no longer held at both ends, it will usually break at the mouth. If you hear something rattling around inside a bottle that otherwise doesn't appear broken, it is probably that loose suspension piece. There is no thermos replacement unit for these bottles and no way to disassemble the surrounding tin case either!
Here's a set installed in a back seat followed by an example of a blue set (will credit pictures taken from web). I have never seen anything but the seat set in blue with most all other Gotham, Hamilton, and Sportman products only in red. Blue sets also seem a bit rarer, appearing less often for auction. Blue plaid bottles are seen even less if you need to replace one. If you have a show car that wouldn't look especially good with red, then blue is your only other choice and only for the seat set.
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Picni Tables
The second Car Snac item is the suitcase picnic set with service for four or six. They are called "Picni-Tables." In the chronology of these products, this was the follow-on from picnic baskets made of wicker or tin but needed a blanket or table at the site for convenience. For a 40's motiff, I'd recommend one of those tin or wicker baskets.
When compared to the seat set, picni-tables are rarer and often, incomplete. In most cases, the plastic eating utensils were lost in the past. The suitcase opens into a low table using four fold-out feet. The plasticware service comes in four colors, one for each person. For those with service for six, two colors are repeated. The colors are red, pink, aqua, and pale yellow. Each setting has a Gothamware knife, fork, spoon, plate, and cup, all of hard, melmanine plastic. There also two plastic containers for food or used to store the cups for transport in the set for four. In the set for six, the food containers are replaced with two Sportsman vacuum bottles.
I believe but can't prove that picni-tables with bottles came slightly earlier than the ones with plastic containers. I found a vintage ad dated 1951 with the solid color table and service for six. It is possible that Gotham later came out (circa 1953) with the seat set and didn't want to offer the thermos bottles in both sets. That way buyers were encouraged to buy both sets! Tricky!
The Gotham picni-table was also made in a solid metal-blue color in addition to the plaid suitcase that matches the Car Snac seat set. I've seen several done in this steel blue, all with service for six.
These are extremely cool both for display as luggage or set up, ready to serve! Here's one of mine on my Schmitt.... sorry about the dust... it had just come from my storage shed in dusty Yuma.
Learning to tell which Gothamware utensils are correct is problematic. I do know that he cup holder circle is NOT in the middle of each plate for this vintage set. That's a different type or product line from later on.
Here's an almost complete plain Picni table with service for 6. Remember that the later version that matches the plaid Car Snac replaced the bottles with plastic food containers. This set may be from 1953 or later but I've found evidence that the earliest bottles weren't plaid so it might be a reconsitituted set with the brighter colored utensils and plaid bottles. See a plain set with different bottles immediately after.
Also notice the different color of Gothamware...
The above set came with paperwork but was undated. Here's the assembly instruction sheet (below). Someone asked if I actually had the instructions. Nope, just this picture taken from the web.
Some new indication came forwaed about the non-plaid thermos bottle. A picture as found with a metal cup instead of the grip patterned, red cap. This may be the proof we need to establish the 6-setting, solid Picni-table in existence prior to 1951. Judge for yourself (below):
After further research, it now appears that the pastel-colored Gothamware came earlier than the brighter colors. Either would be correct for the 6-place, blue suitcase but only the brighter colors seem correct for the 4-place, plaid set. Now the rule of thumb appears that if plaid thermos bottles are there, then the brighter service applies. If the earlier version of thermos is there, then the pastel colored service would be correct. Also note that there are Gothamware service sets for children' settings. if buying replacements make sure they're long!
Sportsman Picnic Tote Sets
Gotham also made several variations of Sportman picnic tote sets using different vinyl carriers. Here's one in in red plaid and black below. It has the same two vacuum bottles along with the nest-o' cups but doesn't have any plates or other Gothamware. It has a seperate tin sandwich box with a plaid lid and red bottom. These are not especially associated with cars but are a good source to find replacement vacuum bottles or as a smaller car show prop. I would say that these came somewhat later than the early 50's but i'm not sure about that. Other companies also made this type of set including one called "Alladin." Here's a true and complete Sportsman set (below):
Other Picnic Products
As a key difference between genuine Gotham products and other brands, Gotham products featured plaid with black while others such as Hamilton "Skotch" products, used plaid with beige/tan. The exception is the Car Snac set with beige trim since competitors didn't make a similar product.
Other vintage plaid items include several sizes of drink jugs and ice buckets, mostly made by Hamilton Skotch. Notice the "K" rather than "C" for web searching. There were also large, matching picnic grills. Hamilton made a plaid/black grill briefly but went back to tan/beige after a short run. I've also seen one in green plaid/tan (see below) but haven't seen anything else to match it. These are fairly large items so leave room in the trunk. They're about the size of a basketball. Most pictures I've seen make them look smaller than they really are. Here's one of those Hamiltons in beige followed by a rarer black trimmed one.:
If you're trying to present a matched set based around a Picni-table, the Hamilton red with black trim grill is the one to choose but you won't find drink or ice jugs to match (all have tan trim). It appears that the black-timmed grills didn't come with lids nor did early tan trimmed ones with handles on the grill itself. The problem seems to be with those handles which are removed from these grills in later versions. Of the three I've seen with handles, none had lids with some advertised as new in the original box!
No lid might be a problem if the grill is used on a roof rack display of vintage picnicware and actually left there while driving (tied down). Conversely, they'll perfectly match the Gotham picni-table if set out on the ground as part of your car display.
There are also tan trimmed grills with beer company advertisements. The one I have came from Schlitz beer and is tan with a lid (see below).
Because someone asked me at a car show about "ice" for the seat carrier center area, I looked into the vintage ice cans that were available back then. Gotham apparently didn't make them but Hamilton did using the same plaid motiff as on their other picnic products. They are somewhat smaller than a soda can, about the size of old-style concentrated, frozen orange juice containers. The picture below makes them look larger than they really are. I have a dozen or so of these little guys and will take pictures compared to something else for perspective. On a good day, you can buy a batch of these quite cheaply for about $15 but they may have some rusty ends to deal with. My advise? If you really need cooling, buy a bag of ice! These darn things aren't all that effective and fill your freezer up while cooling. Some of us are so motiviated that maybe stuff does taste better is cooled with vintage ice?
By the way, if you are buying a matching, plaid ice bucket (looks alot like a grill), make sure the circular plastic food shelf is there. It sits right onto the mouth opening over the ice and is usually missing except for NIB offerings.
Vintage Ice Cans
There were also other manufacturers such as "Wizard" from Western Auto in different shapes. Here's some pictures of the Hamilton cans in case someone else if looking for those last few pieces to be "correct." (Photo credit: Retro Planet). Others come in flat cans that stacked better. Of course once you start with plaid everything, it's hard to stop!
This concludes my research on these interesting items but I'll keep watching and updating. Did you notice we've got some nice cars, bikes, and scoots too? Nah, didn't think so. This is the obsessive-compulsive part of the site!
