This 1920 temporary license from Lewis County, Washington is a favorite specimen, not just because it’s a rare item, but because it adds a glimpse into the daily life of the 1920s. 

The small stamp at the bottom center indicates it was issued September 17, 1919 (this date fell within Washington’s 1920 licensing year under the system in place at the time), presumably to someone who had purchased a new vehicle. 

For strength, it was glued onto a piece of cardboard by the owner, likely after the tear in the top bolt hole developed.  The source of the cardboard?  According to the back, it was cut from a box from Sears, Roebuck & Co, the ubiquitous catalog store that served as the Amazon.com of its day.

Sent from the Sears warehouse in Seattle, this “fragile” item made its way on delivery route 170 to the home of Mrs. L. F. Pamus (maybe – the handwriting on this label is a good reminder of how well off we are today with printed labels), of Winlock, Washington.

The building of the package’s origin, the Sears Roebuck warehouse, was and is an icon of south Seattle, surviving today as the world headquarters of one of Seattle’s most beloved companies, Starbucks.

This mundane piece of everyday life used for a quick patch job survived for more than a century, and serves as another interesting bit of ephemera from the 1920s.