• Ad Age, Wednesday, November 10, 2010 10:35 AM

I've always found estate sales to be gloomy. Boxes of books with titles that no one has read for 40 years, 78s of the Andrews Sisters, oversized portraits of debutantes with poodles in their laps from an era that's hardly imaginable. Now along comes Brands USA Holdings, EJ Schultz reports, offering slightly tarnished brand labels from yesteryear.

Among them are Lucky Whip, a dessert topping first sold in 1958; Braniff International, the airline made famous by Mary Wells; Pom Poms, a chocolate candy similar to Milk Duds and Meister Brau beer, whose Chicago roots date back more than 100 years.

"There has been a renewed interest around the world in branding that evokes nostalgia, making this auction of classic trademarks a rare opportunity for investors and forward-thinking companies looking to capitalize on the authenticity that they provide in the global marketplace," says John Cuticelli, CEO of Racebrook, which is conducting the auction on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria and via online bidding.

Also available is Handi-Wrap, a Saran Wrap competitor once sold by Dow that, thanks to my mother-in-law's estate, is still in use in our household. (You'd have to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis to understand her bulk-buying procurement policy: How else to preserve baloney sandwiches in the event of a nuclear event?)

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