Lot 108

Spaulding & Rogers First Tattoo Supplies Catalog, (Jacksonville, North Carolina, ca. 1956) 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (21.6 x 14 cm.)

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Spaulding & Rogers First Tattoo Supplies Catalog, (Jacksonville, North Carolina, ca. 1956) 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (21.6 x 14 cm.)

Estimate: $300 - $500

Current Bid: $75

(2 Bids)

by Bray & Co. Auctions
July 26, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
33 Jewell Court
Portsmouth, NH, US 03801

Spaulding & Rogers First Tattoo Supplies Catalog
(Jacksonville, North Carolina, ca. 1956)
Tattoo Supplies by Huck Spaulding & Paul Rogers, Court Street, Jacksonville, North Carolina, ca. 1956. With later stamped address for Huck's location in Albany, New York, ca. 1965. From the collection of Ralph Miller.

Containing extensive price lists and illustrations for machines, designs, inks, pigments, needles, and related items sold by legendary tattoo artists and suppliers Huck Spaulding (1928-2013) and Paul Rogers (1917-2013). Including illustrations of over 160 sheets of tattoo flash art. Printed wrappers, staple-bound, [20] pages.

Ralph Miller (1937–2008) spent much of his life in and around Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, where he worked in his family's paint store and, for roughly two decades, tattooed from a custom-built mobile studio. Little is known about how he became interested in tattooing, but by 1956 he had already received work from Coney Island artist Max Pelz and was corresponding with Philadelphia mainstay Professor Harry Hoff. Photographs of Miller's trailer taken just a few years later show a fully equipped studio covered in flash and decorated with artwork and artifacts from the trade, including a set of old photographs of local tattooed grocer and friend William "Bill" Gavin, whose body suit was executed by Allentown tattoo artist Henry Biehler during the 1930s and 1940s.

Over the years, Miller accumulated a diverse group of tattoo material that extended far beyond his own career, including flash, photographs, and ephemera dating from the 1910s through the mid-1970s. Early commercial designs by Percy Waters and J. F. Barber survived alongside mid-century supply catalogs from Milton Zeiss and a souvenir pitchbook from Jack Dracula, bringing together material from several generations. Miller appears to have stopped tattooing in the early 1970s to focus on M&M Amusements, a traveling carnival company that for more than forty years supplied rides and games to fairs and carnivals throughout eastern Pennsylvania.

  • Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (21.6 x 14 cm.)
  • Condition: Bray & Co. Auctions is committed to providing accurate and thorough catalog descriptions, but prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to examine property in person or request additional information prior to bidding. Condition statements are offered solely as a courtesy and reflect our general observations at the time of cataloging; they should not be regarded as complete or definitive descriptions of condition, nor as a warranty or guarantee of any kind. Certain imperfections, restorations, or signs of wear may not be specifically noted in written reports but may be visible in the accompanying photographs, which form part of the overall condition description. Please consult our Terms of Sale for additional information, and contact Bray & Co. Auctions with any questions or requests for supplemental photographs or condition details.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000