Historic Treasure of the Week - August 8, 1992
By Cindy Weir and Tim Weir
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - August 8, 1992
By Cindy Weir and Tim Weir
Vigo County Historical Society
Tobacco tins bright reminder of past
How many times when you’re walking down the aisle of the grocery or drug store has a can or package all of a sudden just reached out and grabbed you?
Maybe it’s a product you don’t like. Or maybe it’s just a can or box that says, "I’m the best," or a horse or dog that says, "Take me home." These same ploys have been working for years.
The historical treasures for the week are a collection of tobacco tins--bright, colorful reminders of the past.
The first is a Granger Rough Cut Pipe tobacco tin from Ligget Myers Tobacco Co. It’s a large, round tin with a gold tobacco leaf on the front.
The second is a prince Albert Crimp Cut can. It advertises long burning pipe and cigarette tobacco. It’s claim to fame is that it "Does Not Bite the Tongue."
The process for the tobacco was patented July 30, 1907, by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The design for the can was patented Aug. 12, 1913. This can is approximately 5 inches tall. It was donated to the Vigo County Historical Society by Jerry Dirk.
Of course, to go along with this tin I’m sure you’ve all heard the old joke about the boys calling the store and asking the clerk, "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" When the reply was "Yes," the rascals laughed and said, "Well, you better let him out."
The third example of advertising art is a small tan and red tin marked "Revelation Smoking Mixture, The Perfect Pipe Tobacco, It’s Mild and Mellow." It was produced by the Continental Tobacco Co. Inc. of New York and Richmond. What great claims were made on these tins.
Another type of tin was called a pocket tin. It was made to be carried in the vest or jacket pocket. The fourth tin is this type. It’s small, flat and silver in color. The tobacco in it was called "Boot Jack Plug," and it was supposed to be "The Best Chew on Earth."
Tobacco advertisers and producers claimed great things with their tins. Great to smoke, good to chew, mild and mellow, no matter if it was smoked in a pipe, rolled into cigarettes or chewed. The aim of the tin was to get customers to buy the product.
Many tins have been used in the kitchen drawer or on the workbench to hold screws, nails or scraps of string. Their color and advertising still delight us.
These four tins can be found on the shelf near the window of the General Store in the museum.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.