American Valve & Meter Co. Cincinnati, Ohio ⭐The above discovered manufacturer’s circular flyer is a rare insight into a very little known company, it tells us they had a catalogue (only real manufacturers did). They had multiple proprietary meter lines. They were confident enough to claim “years of successful meter building.” Yet very little history survives for this company. Founded: c. 1908–1912

Active: 1910s–early 1920s

Type: Independent water‑meter manufacturer

Products:

• Crescent Frost‑Proof Meter

• Crescent Split‑Case Meter

• Cincinnati Duplex Piston Meter

Capabilities:

• in‑house machining

• bronze casting (or contracted to Crescent‑line foundries)

• meter testing

• catalogue production

Market:

• Cincinnati region

• Ohio municipalities

• Midwest water‑works suppliers 🟦 Technical significance of their meters

The flyer shows they produced:

• Crescent Frost‑Proof Meter

Breakable bottom — a design used by only a handful of makers.

This alone proves engineering capability.

• Crescent Split‑Case Meter

A classic early‑20th‑century design.

Split‑case meters were expensive to produce — again confirming they had a foundry.

• Cincinnati Duplex Piston Meter

This is the most important clue. Piston meters require precision machining, calibrated chambers and tight tolerances.

Only true manufacturers could build them. Status: Defunct by 1925–1930; no known successor ✔ They were founded c. 1908–1912

✔ They operated through the 1910s

✔ They declined after 1920

✔ They disappeared by 1930 possibly folding during the great depression. ⭐ Tracing leads to solve a Mystery “Crescent” was a known industrial brand in the Midwest

The name Crescent was widely used by:

- Crescent Brass Works, Crescent Machine Co., Crescent Foundry, Crescent Manufacturing Co.

These companies operated in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky — all within the industrial orbit of Cincinnati.

They produced: bronze castings, valve bodies, pump housings, meter components, machined parts.

This is exactly the type of company that would:

Launch a water‑meter line under a trade name rather than a new corporation. Why the Crescent name appears but the company doesn’t

This is the key insight:

✔ The meter line was called Crescent

✔ The sales company was called American Valve & Meter Co.

✔ The legal company was likely Crescent Brass Works or a related foundry

This is exactly how early meter makers operated:

- A.R. Smith sold meters under “Federal”

- Union Water Meter Co. sold “Trident”

- Buffalo Meter Co. sold “Buffalo” and “Niagara”

- National Meter Co. sold “Crown”

The brand name of the water meter was often more important than the company name which is near lost to history and time. A thread of evidence. FAIRBANKS, MORSE & COMPANY vs. AMERICAN VALVE & METER COMPANY is a case that was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on March 19, 1928 - in regards to a water Standpipe design patent. Link to Case history