Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion NEED SOME HELP WITH THIS

This is a Mobil masonite license tag with an advertisement that reads “Buy Defense Bonds”. I couldn’t scan the whole thing, but it is tag size. I got it at the General Petroleum Museum Auction. I think that it is from the West Coast. Does anyone know what the CAO on the tag means? Thanks for the help. Rex



------------------

I know that C.A.O. today means Central Asia Oil, but I don't know if this has any relation to your license tag.

------------------
~Jason

It also stands for California Asiaitic Oil Company.

------------------
~Jason

Thanks pollyman,Were both of these companys in business during the war years 1940s?
I enjoy your topics.Rex

------------------

Rex, I'll bet these letters C.A.O. had something to do with a group that sold the bonds. I don't think it was relating to an oil co. I remember seeing the old C.C.C. logo during the war time that stood for Calif. Conservation Corps. If you think of it not many oil co's had periods between the letters of their logos. ie: ESSO, SOHIO, etc.
I'll bet this is a war time group?

------------------
Don "oltoydoc" Sherwood
Vintage Gas

I thought it was a repop and the letters meant..Caught An Oldtimer...!!


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>Loooks like its real, just couldnt help it, had to write that..dodogas

Hey, Rex, people bought bonds through the Civil Defence Program , most of there offices were in banks , government buildings of all kinds, but I check this website out for you and you have a choice to where you can buy,
CAO 1contract administration officer, 2contract administration office, 3counter air operations, 4case administering office, 5[JP 1-02] chief administrative officer, 6[AR 310-50] collateral action officer, 7[AR 310-50] central accounting office



[This message has been edited by Dwaine Buck (edited 10-04-2003).]

Defense bonds were sold during the 1930s and after the war started they were called War Bonds. After the war the name was changed again to Savings Bonds. Your sign is then from the late 1930s. I have some old ads for Defense bonds, I'm going to try and find them and see if they mention the C.A.O.
I doubt that the Civil Defense ever sold bonds as this group wasn't started until after the war began. They were mostly air raid wardens that went around telling you to close your shades or blinds during air raid drills.
Also, while there is a California Concervation Corp. the initials CCC usually stand for Civilian Concervation Corp. This was a program started by Roosevelt during the 1930s to put mostly young men to work during the depression. Maybe the California C.C is an offshoot of this program.