A fruit crate label used by an old West Australian company is being celebrated as a $1 Australian postage stamp. Paterson & Co began in 1905, it sold items ranging from fencing wire to rat poison before expanding into the fruit exporting industry.
News site, abc.net.au reports that by the mid-1930s, Paterson & Co had become one of the state's biggest companies of its kind.
"They were sending one-third of the total fruit, particularly apples and pears, exported from Western Australia," Heritage Perth executive director Richard Offen said.
In 1936, the company sent 325,000 cases of fruit overseas.
The firm was set up by Duncan Paterson, the son of a Scottish lawyer, who worked in London before moving to Singapore to run the shipping branch of a British company.
Mr Paterson then came to Fremantle to open a branch of Guthrie & Co before establishing his own business.
"Certainly during the 1930s and right the way through the 1970s, it was an extremely successful concern," Mr Offen said.
Four labels featured in all
Paterson & Co's Red Gum Pack apple label is one of four from early 20th century exporters featured in the recent Australia Post issue.
The three other stamps are Tasmania's L H Kile Robin brand apples, New South Wales The River's Pride navel oranges, and Sydney's W H Price special ohanez grapes labels.
Mr Offen said that paper labels pasted onto wooden cases were popular between the 1920s and 1970s for marketing produce.
Photo credit: Australia Post
