Tea History With Bins/Tins and More by Mike Reilly Tea, according to Chinese legend, wasfirst used during the reign of Emperor Shen Nung in about 2737 B.C. Thought to be mainlyof Chinese origin, other peoples of Thailand and Burma may have been cultivating and usingit for as long a time. Around 800 A.D. tea was introduced toJapan… Read more »
TENNISBALL TINS Tennis Ball Tins by Larry Whitaker The first metal tennis ball cans were made in1926 by Wilson. Before 1926, tennis balls were sold in bags and cardboard boxes.The styleof lid is a very important part of what makes a can desirable or not. U.S.A. CANS The best cans are those that were made inthe… Read more »
Sore Throat or Heart Ache…you decide Plastic will replace trademark tin boxes. Sucrets’ lozenges alongwith its trademark tin, first appeared in 1932. Since it’s introduction, about 450 millionSucrets tins have been sold. The company (Smith Kline Beecham PLC) estimates that up to athird of them were put to other uses after the lozenges were consumed. After 62 years… Read more »
TINDECO by James A. Shaw A favorite item in my cigarette packs and tinscollection is a gorgeous 1923 Pall Mall Christmas gift tin made by the Tin DecoratingCompany of Baltimore, or Tindeco for short. The outside red and gold lid pictures holly,while a group of Victorian men in a street scene decorates the inside. The originalcontents are two bright… Read more »
Collecting Tobacco by Mike Reilly For many tin collectors, tobacco tins are the ultimate tins to acquire. There’s even a name for the tobacco collecting field, Tobacciana. Why are they so collectible? Well, they usually had superior artwork, with elaborate designs, presented in 10 or more colors at times. They were made in unusual shapes, most popular in… Read more »
TYPE WRITER RIBBON TINS and their history by Darryl Rehr About 125 years ago, a little group of tinkerers headed by Christopher Latham Sholes was putting the finished touches on a machine that they dubbed the “Type Writer.” It placed on a page in a way that was distinctively different than the printers who turned out books and… Read more »
Tin Collecting Reference Materials by Mike Reilly, October 27, 2012 10/27/2012 Updated * Denotes books in Tin Museum reference department. Unless otherwise noted (hc) all books are paperback. **Denotes (2) copies *The Beer Tray Guide, Vol.1., by Alan J. Alcorn & Paul F. Burden, 1979, 48 pgs, $5.95 *Pictorial Price Guide to Metal Lunch Boxes & Thermoses, Over… Read more »
SPICE TIN CHECKLIST The following is a partial listing of the many spice tins available to the collector. I would very much appreciate hearing from anyone with additional information to add new items or correct the items below. Brand names are listedfirst followed by Manufacturer or Distributor, then City/Town, and State if known. AC’CENT, Amino Products, Chicago, IL. ADAMS,… Read more »
Supermarket/GroceryStore Information for the Tin Collector by Mike Reilly So many people get interested in the backgrounds of the brand names on the tins they collect and are always looking for resources to better inform them. What wehave below is a listing of major supermarket chains that have internet web sites. Many of them contain historical information that could… Read more »
Where Have All the Prices Gone? by Mike Reilly I thought it would be interesting to see what hashappened to tin prices over the years. Yes, I know that they’ve gone up, many much morethan others. I picked up a book by Ernest L. Pettit, The Book ofCollectible Tin Containers with Price Guide, that was printed in 1967…. Read more »