Gordon McClelland: Ready, Willing and Label

Gordon McClelland has a thing for orange crate labels. So much so that he earns part of his living buying, selling, trading and writing about them.

McClelland was only 12 years old when he was first exposed to the miniature works of art as he worked picking oranges and doing odd jobs around a Southern California packing shed.

At 16, the artistically inclined youth was designing posters for dances and local rock concerts and looked to the intricate artwork and lettering on citrus labels for inspiration.

"I used to drive around to the packinghouses, and I would buy up whatever labels they had left over," he said.

By the time he entered college, he had amassed a substantial collection of citrus labels.

"They became popular among collectors because of their consistent size and shape as well as their beautiful designs," McClelland said. "They were like small posters."

A noticeable transition occurred in citrus labels between 1885 and 1955 when the design shifted in stages from detailed art to highlighting the brand name, he said.

"The demise of the citrus labels came in 1955 when they switched from the wooden box to the corrugated cardboard box," McClelland said.

Today McClelland, who buys and sells art and writes about California art and history, has accumulated about 11,000 produce labels that range from a simple brand name to fascinating works of art. He has also co-written three books on the subject -- two pricing guides and one historical review. He was featured on a segment of "California's Gold" with Huell Howser, a television series developed for the Public Broadcasting Service.

McClelland estimates that, while only a couple of hundred people seriously collect citrus labels, thousands of people, especially those in the industry, dabble in the hobby.