The Ali Baba was a much-loved dance hall formerly located at 111 Grand Avenue at Webster in Oakland, operating from 1946 to 1981. These are typeset metal plates used to print the advertisements in a newspaper. They are in reverse, so your eyes are not going weird on you. The second plate photo is digitally flipped so you can see it better. The Ali Baba became the West Coast’s last remaining ballroom, surviving all through the 1970s disco years, until ordered to close by the City of Oakland in 1981. Patrons tried to save the historic ballroom by staging “dancing picket lines” in front of the building, but the city soon tore it down.
Price includes 14 individual plates in one set.
1950s Ali Baba Dance Hall Oakland Newspaper Advertising Typeset Plates
The plates were used in the printing process, so there is wear and it varies by plate. They are all readable, very presentable, and would look great in a framed collage. Please see photos for exact condition.
Plates vary from the smallest at 2" x 1" to the largest at 3 1/4" x 3".