Fascinating February

February is a fascinating month ... starting with Groundhog Day (2nd), Super Bowl Sunday (7th), Vancouver Olympic Games Begin (12th), Valentine's Day (14th), President's Day (15th), Mardi Gras (16th), and Ash Wednesday (17th) ... what variety, not to mention the weather is very unpredictable in February. As I think about February some words come to mind that I can match with items at Endless Collectabilities:

Pink and Red



6 Vintage pink & green printed linen napkins for that special Valentine's Day lunch.

Vintage Star rayon crochet knitting yarn in pink to make that someone special something special.

Candy & Valentines

This Vintage Baret Ware English tin is just the right size to hold special homemade treats for that special someone.

Amethyst

Since Amethyst is the February birthstone, this 1970's Avon Amethyst bangle bracelet would be the perfect birthday gift for a February birthday girl.

Flowers




Everybody loves flowers and look how pretty they are in this Vintage 1972 oriental jade Jim Beam decanter.

And just in case the groundhog sees his shadow and retreats back into his hole, you can find some vintage books at Endless Collectabilities to help the next 6 weeks go by quickly.

Pretty ... Pretty Tins

You've seen from previous postings that I love vintage tins ... and I've acquired more, some of which are for sale in my store and some I've kept for myself. I thought that as I share some of the tins for sale in my store that it would be nice to share some ideas on how tins could be used.

This dainty Baret Ware Art Grace tin made in England has the most vibrant colored flowers on it. It is 5.5" tall, 5.5" wide and 4.25" deep. I actually have one of these on my dresser to collect stray items in. It is very feminine looking and looks great sitting on top of a vintage embroidered dresser scarf. I also picture this tin holding sewing notions ... it would look great in a sewing room holding vintage scraps of lace, fabric or trims.

This lovely embossed footed tin chest is a Fricke and Nacke Design by Mavis, West Germany. It is 3.5" tall, 7.25" wide and 5" deep. This is a great size tin to hold mail that gets tossed on your kitchen cupboard; or add a vintage doily and fill it with some jewelry.

This lovely tin with daisies and portrait on the lid was made in England by Edward Sharp & Sons LTD of Maidstone Kent. I believe that it once held toffee. It is 1.75" tall, 5.5" wide and 4" deep. Wouldn't this look lovely on a desk holding some paper clips or rubber bands?

This tin of a quaint little brook meandering through a country town with a little country church is stamped 'OLIVE CAN CHICAGO' on the bottom. It has a 8.25" diameter and is 1.25" tall. This is the perfect size to hold vintage buttons ... not too tall. It would also make a nice gift container for homemade fudge.

This great 70s tin from Olive Can has a 9.75" diameter and is 3.75" tall. It is stamped 'Olive Can' on the bottom. This has Christmas cookies written all over it ... would be a great gift container or serving container for your Christmas goodies.


Most of my ideas on how to use vintage tins deal with preserving them and mostly using them to organize. There are some really nifty projects out on the web like this Vintage "Tin" Clock on JUNKMARKET Style and made by Janis Gurney.

Or what about these Vintage Tea Tin Pendant Lights also on JUNKMARKET Style.

Here is one cool Vintage Tin Organizer that I found at the Better Homes and Gardens site.

Vintage Tins and Bottles ... more History

I've done a little more research and have found that this Bokar tin bank is a replica of the package of Bokar Coffee sold by the A&P stores. Bokar Coffee was a brand of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in the 50's and 60's. It measures 4" tall x 2.25" wide x 1.75" deep and has the classic bokar colors, black, red, and gold. Not dated but from my research, it appears to be from the 1950's-1960's.

This colorful tin once held 2 1/2 ozs of Mellomints by Brandle & Smith Co., of Philadelphia, PA. The tin measures 3 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 1 7/8". There are some speckles of white paint on the lid adding to the vintage character. Again I couldn't find a date but from my research, it appears to be from the 1930's.

This advertising dose glass shaped like a druggist graduate has a pedestal base and the glass flares to a wider opening at the top. There is vertical embossing along one side, "UNCLE SAM'S HERBS" and the reverse side has "TEA SPOON" 1-12 and "TABLE SPOON" 1-3 measurements. This glass measures 4" tall with a 2" diameter. I am unable to come up with any dates for this unique glass.

Tins, Bottles, Boxes, and more Tins!

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go to an auction with my mom and the weekend before I went to an auction with my daughter ... what fun! Tins/bottles/boxes seemed to be in the cards for me both weekends. Here are some of my finds...

Some of them I've already put in my etsy store, some I will have up on ebay and some I'm keeping for myself.

The one that I just adore is this pink cardboard prescription pill box ... it's just so cute. It is very small measuring 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 5/8" and still has the prescription label intact. There is no date on the label so I did a little research and found that the Meyer Brother's & Co. existed in the late 1800's and early 1900's but can't find when they went out of business. Since I didn't get anywhere with the company search, I searched to see when cardboard prescription boxes were made and found anywhere from the 1930's - 1960's. Based on some of the boxes I saw, I would guess this box to be from the 1960's.

This Judson Thomson Slotted Clinch Rivet tin is kind of catchy with it's black text, product image, and yellow background. It contains directions on the back for driving and clinching the Thomson slotted clinch rivet. The Judson L. Thomson manufacturing company was in business in Waltham, MA in the late 1800's, they were in violation of section 3 of the Clayton Act in 1944, and they made improvements to the automatic riveting machine in 1962. Too bad there were no rivets in this tin to add to the charm.

I just love old tins and their history.