Posted 10 years ago
Jaco
(1 item)
Life size BP enamel sign from South Africa. Dates to about the 1960'
Require more info on these signa especially the coopers sign as I required it from an old sheep drench. Cant date it or verify if its THE coopers' that has been around from 1870? Coopers dips.
Hello to all fellow collectors.
With regard to the Cooper sign. It came off the side of a Cooper's Swim Bath where sheep were dunked to kill lice and keds, etc. William Cooper and Nephews have been around since 1842 when William Cooper started his veterinary practise at Berkamstead in the UK. He never had children and hence his nephews joined the firm which then became William Cooper and Nephews. They supplied products all over the world and eventually closed in the 1950s, give or take a bit of time.
During the 1920s, in South Africa, they purchased a large portion of land especially to develop Tixol cattle dip which eventually was banned in most countries because of the toxic nature of the dip. Both the sheep and cattle dips were based on arsenic and to this day you are not allowed to use the old concrete dips because the arsenic residue still exists.
Regards,
George Grant
Victoria, Australia
Dipping animals in ARSENIC !!!!!!! I hope the live stock wasn't consumed!!!
Welcome to CW :)
Hello Trey,
Yes the livestock was consumed and that is one of the reasons why the Cooper's product was eventually banned altogether. In times when the effects of such a product was not fully understood it was used because it was so effective in killing the lice and keds on sheep and cattle.
This product was not the only thing which caused harm. There are a number of examples you could name that have been banned, where once they were lauded. Asbestos is one, thalidamide is another and in fact every time you turn the television on there will be some "expert" warning you about something.
Regards,
George Grant
Wow !!!!!! you got that right, this pill may give you heart failure, severe bleeding of the kidneys, organ failure, and bleeding out the eyes and ears LOL.
Love the BP Farmer Sevice it has the same colors as my SHELL sign check it out!!!!
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/117249-1920s-shell-sign?in=Trey
Hello Trey,
I actually have one of those Cooper dip signs and I have about 300 in total related to sheep/wool. I actually write a magazine for people who collect old and antique sheep shearing equipment and all the things associated with the sheep industry. Sheep dip signs are highly sought after and some can fetch thousands of dollars each.
The UK is where the real classics are found and some beautiful examples are found there. Even today there are dedicated collectors in the UK who have the most beautiful signs. In Australia, there are a lot of very keen collectors of sheep related items as the sheep industry was once one of our biggest industries. Sadly now, the industry is in decline as we are going over to cropping more and more.
Regards,
George Grant