"Sterling" Brand Borax

"Sterling" brand borax was popular for many years. Of course, the first thing I wondered about was the source of "Sterling". From An "Odd Couple" the Twenty Mules: The Fortune of the Sterling Borax Company in California's Santa Clarita Valley by Edward Keebler (off of the Santa Clarita Valley History in Pictures website) comes this explanation:

"Evidence of Mather’s marketing savvy was displayed on the outside of every box of borax the company sold. Rather than promote a product with a difficult name that few could remember or pronounce, i.e., Thorkildsen-Mather Borax, the label depicted the currency symbol for the British Pound and simply read in bold print, “Sterling Borax.” It’s interesting to note that the best man at Mather’s wedding was a prominent writer who worked with him at the New York Sun newspaper. His name was Robert Sterling Yard. The regal sound of the name “Sterling” promoted a sense of value and power. It’s likely this name was filed away in Mather’s creative mind until he had a use for it."

Here is an actual tin of boric acid and some of the magazine advertisements from the years 1909 through 1922 that I located over the internet.

10 ounces of Sterling brand crystal boric acid. This is a photo of both sides of the small container that I once owned but donated to the Santa Clarita Historical Society

From Nard Notes, Vol. IX, No. 8, November 25, 1909

From Nard Notes, Vol. IX, No. 9, December 2, 1909

From Nard Notes, Vol. IX, No. 14, January 6, 1910

From Nard Notes, Vol. X, No. 6, May 12, 1910

From Nard Notes, Vol. X, No. 17, July 28, 1910

From Pharmaceutical Era - an illustrated monthly publication for the drug trade, Vol. XLIII, No. 12, December 1910

From the Perrysburg Journal (Ohio) of March 29, 1912

From Nard Journal, Vol. XX, No. 9, June 3, 1915

From National Drug Clerk, Vol. III, No. 6, June, 1915

From National Drug Clerk, Vol. III, No. 11, November, 1915

From Green Book for Buyers, Fall Edition, 1918

From Northwestern Druggist, Vol XXVII, No. 1, January 1919

From Military Surgeon, Vol. XLIV, No. 2, February 1919

From National Druggist, Vol. LII, No. 12, December 1922