If you're like many of us, your parents or grandparents had a selection of cookie and tea tins in their kitchen when you were growing up. These antique tins, usually printed with sweet pictures, offered a perfect storage option for anything dry. That's because dry good manufacturers in the early 20th century used them to advertise their products. They were basically the "free gift" that came with a purchase of tea, coffee, cookies, nuts, marshmallows, you name it.
Today, these old tins are actually really collectible. They're the rare vintage item that's pretty and useful at the same time, so they are a hot item for storing things around the house or packaging a gift for a friend. Some antique tins may be worth more than you expect, too.
Manufacturers still package a few things in cute tins (hello there, Altoids), so how do you tell whether you have a vintage one? Tins actually have a wealth of information to help you date them, since they are printed with details about the business that sells the product they contain. There are a few important clues to look for as you're browsing in antique shops or online.
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Antique tins can actually be worth quite a bit of money, especially since most of them started out as something free. Expect any vintage tin to be worth at least a few dollars, and some have values in the hundreds. Most vintage tins are worth $20 to $50.
Quick Tip
The value of old tins depends on their condition and age, but it's mostly about charm. The cuter or prettier the tin is, the more it's worth. Something with a unique design and tons of personality will be worth the most.
Most cookie tins are larger than other examples, perfect for holding a sewing kit, your collection of hair accessories, or all those spare cords for random appliances. The most valuable ones are unique or kind of funky in their style, but most sell in the $25 range.
For example, a vintage Sunshine Biscuit Company cookie tin in the shape of a carousel sold for about $25. It was in very good condition, with bright colors and no major dents.
Tea tins can be worth quite a bit more, especially if they are rare. They usually have a taller shape and are great for storing craft supplies, jewelry, and, of course, tea. They average around $30, but they can be super valuable if they have something extra charming going on.
For instance, a Red Rose brand tea tin with a sweet rose design on it sold for about $130. The colors were bright, and the rose motif was clear and clean.
A super-valuable antique tin style is the oyster tin. The bucket-shaped tins are usually about one gallon in size and originally contained oysters. They are really charming with nautical or seaside designs, and they're perfect for storing things or just displaying. They can be worth hundreds of dollars if they're in good condition.
A Liberty oyster tin with its original lid sold for about $800. It had a little rust and a few dents, but it was in really good shape overall.
Quick Tip
You can preserve an antique tin by taking care of it properly. Start by keeping it dust-free and dry. Don't store it in a humid room like a bathroom or outside.
There are so many ways to use antique tins in your decorating and around the house. From storage for little things like craft supplies and toys to decorations that show off your vintage vibe, they are super fun and functional at the same time.
While trawling Reddit's r/pipetobacco sub we came across this little gem. Yep, a date coding system for Samuel Gawith blends, broken down into months.
Essentially it goes like this. The date code is five digits, with the first two being the day and the final three being the month (starting at December 1995). So that first code for the 1st of December, 1995 would have been 01 001. Today's code, for the 14th of July, 2017 would be 14 260. Here's a link that might help. Take the months stated and add one (as that first month was 001, not 000).
Here's the kicker though. Upon reaching for our tins, none of us could find said date codes. There's a label, and — in most of our cases at least — a handwritten date of purchase in sharpie, but no manufacturer date coding. Intrigued we went out to the warehouse to check the current stock and, sure enough, there were the date codes — as plain as the nose on my face — on tins and boxes of both SG and its sibling company Gawith Hoggarth & Co.
The 6th of January, 2017.
Not only that, but some quick spot checking lead us to believe that the system is accurate. One tin of GH&Co's Balkan Mixture had a date code of 28 252, or the 28th of November 2016, and a tin of St. James wore the code 07 254, or the 7th of January 2017. So plausible then.
So why then do these date codes, seemingly starting in December of 1995, only show up on relatively recent tins? Our best guess is that it was used internally in their own logbooks for some time before making the decision to make the date codes available to consumers. Either way, you can now tell at a quick glance (and a spot of mental arithmetic) when your favoured Kendal blends were produced. Well, on more recent tins at least.
Have your own thoughts on the matter, or a theory as to why this is only showing up now? Let us know in the comments below.