Vintage 1960s Swallow Crate Label – Redbanks Packing, Woodlake, California

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Original 1960s fruit crate label produced for the Swallow brand by Redbanks Packing Company of Woodlake, California.

This label measures 13 inches × 4 inches and was used on California fruit crates during the mid‑20th century.

This is a New Old Stock example, unused and unmounted, with strong original color and clean edges. Stored flat.

Redbanks Packing Company was established in the early 20th century and became one of the major fruit‑packing operations in Tulare County. The company was known for its early adoption of irrigation infrastructure and for marketing fruit under distinctive brand names such as Swallow.

Swallow crate labels are collected for their bird imagery and representation of California’s agricultural packaging during the post‑war period.

📋 What Is Printed On This Label

Every line of type on the sheet:

• SWALLOW
• (registered circled-R mark)
• BRAND
• CALIFORNIA
• PACKED BY
• REDBANKS PACKING CO.
• 34825 ROAD 192
• WOODLAKE, CALIF.
• PRODUCT OF U.S.A.

Printer: no lithographer's imprint, form number or plate code appears anywhere on this sheet. None is claimed here.

What the sheet does not say. No fruit or vegetable is named anywhere in type on this label. Brands of this kind were printed for a packing house rather than for one commodity, and the contents were understood by the trade rather than stated on the paper.

A printed street address, which is unusual on a crate label. The packer block reads PACKED BY / REDBANKS PACKING CO. / 34825 ROAD 192 / WOODLAKE, CALIF. — the full street address, not just the town. CALIFORNIA is separately printed beside the brand as a source statement, and PRODUCT OF U.S.A. runs along the black bottom band.

SWALLOW carries a circled-R registered mark immediately after the wordmark, with BRAND in yellow capitals below and to the right.

The blank stamping panel. A cream rectangle outlined in orange sits at right-centre and is completely empty. It was left for the packing house to stamp grade, size or count at packing time, and on this sheet nothing was ever stamped into it — which is the clearest evidence on the label that it was never used.

The picture. A barn swallow in flight with wings swept back, dark iridescent upperparts and a rust-orange throat and breast patch, against pastel clouds over rows of a green orchard receding to a treeline.