Forthcoming Attractions: Early September 2017

Collection of vintage packaging and advertising | H is for Home

We made one of our bulk purchases last week. We’ve featured other such ‘job lots’ in previous posts – products as diverse as textiles, magazines, lamps, even candle dowsers. This time it’s vintage packaging.

Collection of vintage sweet and biscuit tins | H is for Home

There were plenty of the classic ‘fancy’ biscuit tins in the collection, but it’s the more day to day product packaging that we gravitate towards.

Vintage Thermogene medicated wadding cardboard box | H is for Home

The interest that packaging generates for collectors comes for a variety of reasons. To start with, there’s the fabulous design and graphics which we love too.

Vintage Bishop's Move Tobacco tin | H is for Home

Then there’s the nostalgia factor; there’s such an amazing variety of products – some have fallen by the wayside, others have evolved into more updated versions. The same can be said of the manufacturers themselves.

Vintage Player's Navy Cut Cigarettes tin | H is for Home

It’s complete social history laid out before you.

Vintage Player's Navy Cut Cigarettes tin | H is for Home

Some items will be purely for display, others can still be used, such as the Blakey’s boot protectors. A perfect, authentic finishing touch to a vintage costume!

Vintage Blakey's Boot Protectors cardboard box with contents | H is for Home

Other pieces can be up-cycled for modern use. There are a thousand uses for storage tins of all sizes. They give you a little bit of pleasure every time you have to lift the lid.

Vintage Amovon Toe Caps tin | H is for Home

There were quite a few matchboxes in the lot. Justin is familiar with some of the boxes from his youth, but others date back over a hundred years – even he can’t remember those!

Trio of vintage matchboxes | H is for Home

These early Bryant & May’s Lion Matches are the star of the show. They’re actually Victorian in date – and still have the original matches inside; a rare survivor indeed!

Vintage Bryant & May's Lion matchbox | H is for Home

Even if you’re not actually going to use the products, a collection of vintage packaging makes such a wonderful display – both eye-catching and interesting. It looks great on a kitchen shelf or in a glass fronted case. You can even find old shop display cases which work really well.

Collection of vintage advertising packaging | H is for Home

In fact, when we look at them all grouped together, we’re a bit tempted to start a little collection ourselves – a couple of items might mysteriously disappear!

One lump or two?

'One lump or two?' blog post banner

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!