Gold Tone Trademark Cigarette Case

The trademark Gold Tone with the G-clef music symbol is an expired trademark once owned by Jameco Metal Products Co. Inc. Of New York. The company was founded in 1955. The earliest use of Gold Tone as a registered trademark was around 1956. There were eight records for assorted products. The trademark expired in the 1980s.

Vintage Cigarette Cases on Ebay

A little while back I acquired a cigarette case with a Gold Tone sticker on the bottom. I don't do a lot of jewelry so I was unfamiliar with the term. The seller told me he thought it was from the 1930s. I believe this mistake came from a misread of a Collector's Weekly article. The article was about jewelry and referred to Gold Tone as a phrase used by sales people in the early part of the last century. It was a way of saying an item looked like gold but was not gold.

If you have an item with a Gold Tone registered trademark it will date no earlier than 1956 and will have no gold content.