[Desk Ornament] Alberta's Oil Sands and Heavy Oil Potential Standee w/ Samples

Object/Artifact

-

Canadian Energy Museum

[Desk Ornament] "Alberta's Oil Sands and Heavy Oil Potential" Standee w/ Samples - Front: View of front.
[Desk Ornament] "Alberta's Oil Sands and Heavy Oil Potential" Standee w/ Samples - Front

View of front.

Name/Title

[Desk Ornament] "Alberta's Oil Sands and Heavy Oil Potential" Standee w/ Samples

Entry/Object ID

2023.6.73

Tags

Alberta, Artistic Souvenirs Ltd., Athabasca Tar Sands, Brown, Buffalo Head Hills, Cold Lake, Crude Oil, Desk Ornament, Drilling, Fort McMurray, Lloydminster, Mineral Sample, Office, Oil, Oil Field, Oil Sample, Peace River, Plaque, Standee, Tar Sands, Wabasca

Description

Standee desk ornament, with plaque featuring oil location in Alberta, and three (un-labeled) oil/mineral samples. Features: A standee-style metal desk ornament with oil and mineral samples in glass phial incorporated. The back standee plate is a metal sheet, with a second embossed sheet of metal attached. The embossed sheet has a raised border with the following elements inside: a map of Alberta with key locations highlighted and a wild rose flower to the lower-left; title text followed by a list of key locations. Text reads: "ALBERTA'S OIL SANDS AND HEAVY OIL POTENTIAL; ATHABASCA TAR SANDS; FORT MCMURRAY; PEACE RIVER; BUFFALO HEAD HILLS; WABASCA; COLD LAKE; LLOYDMINSTER; A CHANCE OF RECOVERY FROM THE WORLD'S LARGEST KNOWN DEPOSITS; —IT IS OUR CHALLENGE—". The entire embossed panel has a sepia-brown coating. On the reverse of the standee section, upper-centre, is a pressed out band to allow the item to be hung. Riveted to the back plate is a narrow rectangular prism that allows it to stand, an has a gap along the middle of the front-facing side. This section is coated black, and also holds three samples in glass phials. From left to right, the phials contain tar sand (black granules), crude oil (clear yellow liquid), and sand residue (light-coloured granules). These phials are sealed with cork and adhered to the interior of the base of the prism, and protrude up through specifically sized holes in the top of the prism. Another version of this standee can also be found in the collection.

Collection

Orphan Objects Collection

Cataloged By

Danielle P. Lane

Category

Desk Ornament
Office, Branded and Promotional Material

Acquisition

Accession

2023.6

Acquisition Method

Found

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Artistic Souvenirs Ltd.

Date made

circa 1979

Time Period

20th Century

Place

* Untyped Place

Edmonton, Alberta

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Plaque, Decorative

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

153 mm

Width

182.5 mm

Depth

29 mm

Dimension Notes

Phials are 45mm tall and 15mm in diameter. The rectangular prism base is 20.5mm tall with a 5.5mm opening along the length of the front.

Material

Metal, Glass, Geological Minerals

Color

Brown, Silver, Black, Yellow, Clear/Transparent, Cream

Condition

Reason for Exam

Accession

Overall Condition

Fair

Condition Detail

Adhesive Residue, Embrittlement, Scratch, Spalling, Structural Integrity, Fly Spots

Date Examined

Mar 22, 2023

Examined By

Danielle P. Lane

Cleanliness

Fly spotting on the surface of the embossed metal sheet, upper-left corner. Unidentified residue on back of back plate.

Surface

Light scratches on the front surface of the back plate. Black finish on the base prism scratched off on bottom-front edge. Light scratched on the back of the back plate, including an identifying dotted scratch diagonally along the middle-centre.

Structure

The adhesive used the attach the embossed sheet of metal to the backboard is deteriorating, resulting in granules of the material (clear orange/yellow) to come loose. Both are still secure for now, but should be handled carefully.

Created By

Danielle P. Lane

Create Date

March 17, 2023

Updated By

Danielle P. Lane

Update Date

March 22, 2023