Roth Keep Smiling Pretend It's Payday is a colorful 1969 novelty plaque made by Roth Greeting Cards of Hollywood, California. The bright yellow background, oversized red lettering, blue smiling character, green bow tie, and gold decorative border give it the bold humor of late 1960s office and desk decor.
The front reads "KEEP SMILING" across the top and "PRETEND IT'S PAYDAY" below the smiling character. The gold border still has plenty of sparkle, so this piece has not lost the playful look that makes it fun to display.
Details
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Item: Novelty humor plaque with easel back
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Maker: Roth Greeting Cards
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Mark: Copyright MCMLXIX ROTH GREETING CARDS, Hollywood, California 90028. Printed in U.S.A.
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Model: 50P-5069
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Date: 1969
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Material: Printed board with applied glitter decoration and cardboard easel back
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Color: Yellow, red, blue, green, black, white, and gold
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Design: Smiling blue cartoon character with green patterned bow tie
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Text: "KEEP SMILING" and "PRETEND IT'S PAYDAY"
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Dimensions: Approximately 9 inches by 7 inches
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Display: Attached cardboard easel stand on the reverse remains functional
Condition Grade: Good
Positives
- The colors remain bright and lively, especially the yellow field, red lettering, and blue character.
- The decorative gold glitter border still catches the light and remains an important part of the original design.
- The cardboard easel back is still attached and works well for tabletop display.
- The printed maker information and model number on the reverse remain clear and readable.
Issues / Wear
- A visible pen line runs across the lower left portion of the yellow front. This is distracting on close inspection and should be expected.
- The cream outer border shows age toning, scattered spotting, and surface soil.
- Edges and corners show rubbing and small areas of wear from handling and storage.
- The reverse has general age discoloration, spotting, and surface wear.
- The cardboard easel shows age and handling wear but remains usable.
Condition Grade Key
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Near Fine: Almost perfect. Very minor signs of age only.
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Very Good: Shows light use. Sound and attractive with minor flaws.
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Good: Complete and intact. Noticeable wear consistent with age and use.
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Fair: Shows significant wear. Readable or usable but clearly used.
Collector's Notes
The 1969 copyright date is printed directly on the piece. That gives a buyer a firmly dated example of late 1960s novelty humor rather than an estimated era.
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Disclaimer
All items are vintage and may show signs of age, wear, or use consistent with their history. Photos show the exact condition of each piece, please review them carefully, as they are part of the description.
I do my best to capture colors accurately, but your monitor or device screen may display colors slightly differently from the actual item.
Please Note:
These pieces come from estate collections and have been surface cleaned. You may wish to perform additional cleaning depending on your preference.
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