It’s only been within the last 25 years that condom tins have been collected to any degree but the condom has been around fornearly 3,000 years. First reports of their usage was by the Egyptians as far back as 1,000 B.C. Some feel though that it was the Roman soldier’s desire to avoid the “Mount Vesuvius Rash” that started it all. When the Roman Empire
Condom derives from the Latin word”condus” meaning “receptacle”. Others say that there was a Dr.Condom who lent his name to the device. Will we ever know? A condom is one of many prophylactic devices that either protected men from various sexual diseases or prevented(hopefully) the conception of a child.
One popular myth(?) about the developmentof today’s modern condom was that in 1921, Alfred Trogan stuck his erect member into a vatof vulcanized rubber. Possible? But not very likely.
To find out a whole lot more, get a copyof the book described below. If you’re a condom tin collector, be sure you let this editorknow of any tins, their manufacturers, or further details that are not documented in anybook. Thanks.
Remember Your Rubbers! Collectible Condom Containers With Values; ISBN:0-7643-0414-3, Hardcover with dust jacket, 160 pgs, by G.K. Elliott, George Goehring,Dennis O’Brien; Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA. 19310.
These authors have taken the bull by thehorn and come out with the first book on the highly collectible condom and prophylactictins. Besides presenting the coveted tin containers, the many other forms of condompackaging and advertising are covered, unfolding a fabulous social history of our time.
The rubber’s or rubber condom’s historybegins in the 1820’s and is brought up to date with information on the it’s developmentand distribution. They have brought to light many previously unknown facts about therubber and it’s packaging, often comical and perhaps a little embarrassing for readers.
After the first seven pages of text, picturesof tin and paper packaging abound, a number of them with fronts and backs illustrated.Turning the pages, brands are listed in alphabetical order, reveals not only the greatvariety, but further information. The reader should carefully read the added notesprovided; they’re both informative and highly interesting.
Most entries have either a dollar value orsome indication as to the tin’s rarity. I wish the authors had given some clue as to whattheir rarity comments really mean, and how they relate to possible prices/values.
The other piece of information missing isthe container’s condition and it’s relationship to the prices (and or rarity) given.Thereader is left on one’s own to determine if $225 is a good price to pay for a”Napoleons” in near mint or only in good condition.
For the rubber (condom) containercollector, this is an absolute must book to own. Other collectors and dealers will find itvery interesting and enlightening. I highly recommend it’s purchase.
Authors Dennis and George offer to answerreader questions about rubber containers by calling them at (410 889-3964. G.K. Elliottmay be reached at (303) 797-8069.
If you wish to orderyour book over the internet, Amazon Books is selling it for $29.95 (no discount at thepresent time), while Barnes & Noble has it selling at $20.96 plus S&H. I didn’tsee this book in L-W Books Catalog listing yet, or you purchase for $24.95 including USpostage from Tim King, an established E-Bay seller, by sending a check (no credit cards)Tim King, Dept. TG, P.O. Box 11364, Portland, ME, 04104.
Critique by editor Mike Reilly 5/7/98
Another Review off the Web
Condoms growing as collectibles NEW YORK (Reuters) – Few peoplewill admit to being part of the trend, but condoms are on the rise as collectibles. It wasbound to happen. As the AIDS epidemic made sexual disease prevention a public concern,prophylactics have become matter-of-fact enough to be advertised liberally in drugstoresand on the Internet. While this type of collecting is not generally table talk, threecollectors have come out with a book safe enough for the coffee table. “Remember YourRubbers!” by G.K. Elliott, George Goehring and Dennis O’Brien (Schiffer Publishing)has color photos of hundreds of vintage condom containers, with resale values of up to$2,000. “We decided it’s time to do a book, especially since prices started going up1-1/2 years ago,” said Elliott. For years, the only information available on rubbertin containers was a 1976 copy of Playbox magazine with a two-page spread featuring 15tins, he added. “Now when you walk into an (antique) store and ask for rubber tins,people don’t scratch their heads any more. You don’t get any more weird looks.”Elliott said he personally knows of about 25 people who also collect other types ofadvertising. “There’s obviously a lot more out there because we see prices zooming upat auction houses,” he said. Christie’s, which declined to be interviewed for thisarticle, sold a 19th century condom made of animal skin at an auction in July 1992 for3,000 pounds ($5,000), according to Condomania founder and owner Adam Glickman. The itemfeatures an illustration of a sitting nun surrounded by a group of monks, all with theirrobes pulled and ready for a good time. A similar contraceptive with a silk string soldfor 2,200 pounds ($3,700) in November 1992, Glickman said. It is decorated with a drawingof a woman leaning on a chair, with a man dressed in formal attire behind her. Theseelaborate antiques remain because they were meant to be washed and reused, while condomsmade of rubber or latex from this century were cheap and disposable. Last year, anextremely rare 1920s Blue Goose brand rubber tin sold for $2,000 through a telephoneauction, Elliott said. The owner had bought it just two months earlier for $180. A BlueRibbon Deluxe tin went for $900 this year. Scarcity is the main reason for such highprices. “People didn’t keep them around to store things in, as they did other earlyadvertising,” Elliot and his co-authors said in their book. “Not only were theytoo small for storing things, but people were too embarrassed to keep them around and,despite their beautiful graphics, hastily discarded them after use.” Until the 1950s,even buying rubbers was a clandestine affair, with retailers placing orders with”pencil men” for, say, “a gross of Trojan pencils” over the phone.Users bought them in exclusively male haunts like barbershops, shoeshine parlors and poolhalls, or through machine dispensers in restrooms. But such uptight attitudes are history,which is currently on display at an exhibition in the city of Condom, France. The city,the fabled home of a prophylactic-wearing priest centuries ago, is planning to build amuseum dedicated to condoms, said University of Paris Professor Jacques Gonzales, aconsultant on the project. The Chinese used lightly oiled silk tubes 2,000 years ago,while the Romans made condoms from muscular tissue stripped from their enemies’ upperarms, Elliott said. Most collectors, however, have to be content with packaging from thiscentury, which have been found tucked away in such places as the back seats of oldChevies, barns and old fishing tackle boxes, he added. Vintage boxes with their originalcontents are extremely rare. All the packages say “Sold for the prevention of diseaseonly” because it was a federal crime under the Mann Act to transmit informationacross state lines about birth control, Elliott said. Values depend on how many boxes of akind are on the market, the condition of the packaging and crossover interest. Champ brandpaper packs, for instance, are worth $125 each because they each feature a golfer, boxer,football hero or other athlete that sports collectors care about, Elliott said.Rectangular and round tins with colored pictures made from the late 1920s through late1950s are valuable because of their age and rarity. Aluminum tins such as those for ThreeMerry Widows brand are thought to have been made between the First World War and themid-1930s. As for contemporary condoms, “look for something that will mean somethinghistorically to people in the future,” Elliott said. “There’s always an itemthat will be commemorative that’s cheap now and a year from now will sell for $100 later.” This hardcover guide with 275 color photos and 144 6″x 9″ pages is brand new with a cover price of $29.95.
This book is on the eBay auction block if you wish to acquire onethis way, find it by trying several keywords in your Search.
Other Books on the Subject
The Condom Industry in the United States by James S. Murphy,Hardcover, Published by McFarland & Company, Publication date: December 1990, ISBN:0899505333
Booknews, Inc. , 07/01/91: A former vice president of a condommanufacturing company reviews the industry’s historical background and evolution, themanufacturing process, cost factors, the distribution structure, competition, regulation,consumer acceptance, societal costs, and profits from an economic point of view.Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Looking for Dr. Condom by William E Kruck Catalog Number:0817300678
101 Other Uses for a Condom by Glenn Haumann, Paperback, Publishedby Apple Pr, Publication date: June 1991, ISBN: 0927203057.
Complete Illustrated Condom Handbook by Tyrone Throb, Paperback,Published by Timothy Grant McNeel, Publication date: October 1987, ISBN: 0961972602.
The Condom Encyclopedia : What Size Is Your Condom? by Gary M.Griffin, Paperback, Published by Added Dimensions Pub, Publication date: August 199, ISBN: 1879967146
Reviews and Commentary for The Condom Encyclopedia : What Size IsYour Condom?
jenlynhoro@aol.com from Baltimore, MD , 02/16/98, rating=10:Ribbed, Flavored, Lubricated….and then some!!! How do you go about choosing the rightcondom? Do you just go to the supermarket or drug store and buy what you think looks good?Well, if you do…then you’re really missing out!!! This book is a comprehensivecollection of condoms…with detailed explainations of the many different varieties outthere on the market. There is even a history of the condom section! I’m telling you…ifyou use condoms, this book is a must-have!
The Great Cover Up : A Condom Compendium by Susan Simet, VictorGoodman, Paperback, Published by Civan, Publication date: February1989, ISBN: 0962170003.
History of the Condom, Vhs Video Edition , VHS Tape, Published byINTERNATIONAL HISTORIC FILMS, Publication date: January 1996, ISBN:6303909094.
Condom Mania : The Illustrated Condom Handbook by M. K. Neilman,Catalog Number: 0944170005.
Condomania : 101 Uses for a Condom by Peter Maddocks, CatalogNumber: 1557850526
Johnny Come Lately : Short History of the Condom by JeannetteParisot, Catalog Number: 1851720006.
Recent Developments in Prophylactic Immunisation, Arie J.Zuckerman(Editor), ISBN#: 0792389107, Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Format:Hardcover, Publication Date: January 1989.
Trials of Prophylactic Agents for the Control of CommunicableDiseases: A Guide to Their Organization & Evaluation, T. M. Pollock , ISBN#:9241400528, Publisher: World Heal, Format: Paperback Publication Date: January 1966.
American Sex Machines: The Hidden History of Sex at the U.S. PatentOffice by Hoag Levins, ISBN: 1-55850-534-2.