Charity Vintage: Dutch Shell Oil vintage sugar packets

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vintage Dutch Shell sugar packets for sale in support of Heart of Kent Hospice
(ends 14 March 08:28:13 GMT)

These are some fantastic illustrations – and just to give you an idea of scale, they’re those little sugar sachets that are given away with your take away hot drinks!

These vintage sugar packets were made, perhaps in the 1960s, for the Shell Oil Company. They were probably produced in their gazillions for their motorway service stations in the Netherlands. Due to their ephemeral nature they’re really quite rare survivors!

We’ve done a little research, and have discovered that the act of collecting sugar sachets (yes, people do that sort of thing!) is called “sucrology” – and there’s a small but active collectors’ club here in the UK.

They’re currently for sale in support of Heart of Kent Hospice* for a “buy it now” price of £7.99… but they’re open to offers.

*The Heart of Kent Hospice is based in Aylesford, Kent and cares for people that have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The care we offer is specialist palliative care. The focus of such care is to ensure that patients live a full a life as is possible whilst dealing with the symptoms of a terminal diagnosis. We also offer care comfort and support to the family, carers and especially the children of the patients.

One lump or two?

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Vintage J & F Bell Three Nuns tobacco tin | H is for Home

We often find these small tobacco tins in the mixed boxes we buy at auction. Usually they’re full of nails, pins, screws or tap washers. But this one contained a more colourful surprise…

Vintage 'Three Nuns' tobacco tin showing 8 different paper-wrapped sugar cubes | H is for Home

…lots of old, paper-wrapped sugar lumps!

They look to date from the 1960s – someone had obviously started a little collection – quite rare survivors probably.

Old paper-wrapped sugar cubes including Harrods, Sunny Southport, Kent and Ravenglass | H is for Home

Some of them have lovely period graphics… very sweet!