Vintage tins come in a variety of sizes from tiny pillboxes, coffee, and tobacco cans, to large chip cans and more! They are beautiful and practical. You’ll want to click on the link below the quote to see photos of a variety of ways to use vintage tins in your decor that include planters, storage, lampshade, magnet containers, and even a tiered organizer! The article mentioned below will most certainly get your creative juices flowing.
(Vintage tins) … come in many sizes and have many designs. They are perfect for a wide variety of crafty upcycling projects, too. We have here ideas that are sure to tickle your fancy. Most of these vintage tin craft projects will give you beautiful items for the home. They’re perfect for organizing and for giving your home that fun shabby chic look. Hope you enjoy these vintage tin DIYs!
… come in many shapes and sizes. The art can be truly outstanding while being totally practical – making great storage containers.
Vintage Tins in Many Shapes
round tin and log-cabin shaped vintage tins
Tins can be sewing or knitting baskets, filled with cookies or games and offered as a beautiful gift.
This carousel vintage tin is beautiful!
Need more examples and ideas. CLICK THIS LINK for other posts we’ve created on vintage tins!
Are You a Prepper?
Vintage tins can be a beautiful addition to your storage area. Your bulk foods would look great on a shelf in vintage tins. It’s an easy way to store items while showing off a beautiful collection. Talk about ‘minimalist’!!!
Not sure what you like? Stop by Bahoukas Antiques to browse the very collectible and useful vintage tins. We’re here. And we’re just waitin’ to point them out to you! And don’t forget – Mother’s Day 2022 is Sunday, May 8th. What would you like to tuck into a beautiful vintage tin for Mom?
Whether you’re looking for an addition to your tins and can collection or you just love to use them for storage or accent pieces in your decor, we have a wonderful variety of cans that include everything from coffee to tobacco.
To view more of our posts for tins and cans, CLICK HERE
Selection of tin cans – coffee, tea, nuts, toothpaste, etc
Coffee Tins to Beer Cans
How do you display your tin collection? Do you actually use any of them? Stop in and share your unique uses of your collectible tin cans. CLICK HERE for just one beautiful example of decorating with vintage tins to get your creative juices flowing!
Don’t forget that in our Beer MuZeum we have a huge – huge – huge collection of beer cans as well!
To view more of our Beer Cans and Brewmania, click on Beer MuZeum in our categories. For a really intriguing collectible in our Beer Can selections, CLICK HERE
Can Collectibles
Of course, you know we’ll be watchin’ for ya. Stop by Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum soon. Share your interests and stories.
Collecting medical tins and bottles is a passion for some. For others, they love it because items are small and look wonderful in a shadow box. Whichever you are, Bahoukas Antique Mall has an interesting collection with labels and advertising.
Sloan’s Liniment and Watkins are recognized names.
Some of the labels will make you laugh, others surprise us that they are still being used today.
Collectible Rx Jars and tins
Just viewing the collection is a conversation starter. Stop by and see it for yourself. In the meantime, we’re here … and yes, we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
These days, people of means tend to dismiss canned or “processed” food as something people without access to fresh food eat. But in the late 1800s, food in tins was highly desirable. It was considered much more sanitary, and therefore healthier, than food offered in bins or barrels. That’s when branding became particularly important; customers learned they could expect a certain level of quality from, say, Kellogg’s.
We find it interesting that history really does come full circle. Folks again find fresh food in bins and barrels – especially if organic – to be preferable to canned or frozen. Ah yes, the circle of life.
We wrote about this a couple of years ago. But we still have a wonderful variety of vintage and collectible tins. Whether you like the advertising on them, or just old tins, we probably have a couple you’d like to add to your decor or collection.
Very collectible tins at Bahoukas Antique Mall
Yes, you’ll notice a few others that are NOT food tins (like the Gulf oil tin). Stop by and say ‘hi’ while you browse the shop. Yessireeee… we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
In researching a bit more about collecting coffee tins, we learned some interesting facts. First, that collecting antique coffee tins is second only to collecting tobacco tins. But this excerpt from Collectors Weekly is most interesting:
The widespread practice of packing food in tin cans and containers was a direct result of the public’s acceptance of the Germ Theory of Disease. In the 19th century, many Americans were still willfully oblivious to the breakthrough research of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. People were more interested in the pitches of snake-oil salesman and their medicine shows, where cure-all elixirs and exotic balms in medicine bottles were sold. It never occurred to many of these good folk that the best way to be healthy might simply to be clean.
In the early 1800s, cleanliness was one way for the upper classes to distinguish themselves from the working and lower classes, as only the wealthy had access to water and soap. However, as germ theory became more prevalent during the Victorian Era, it became unacceptable for the working poor to be dirty. Most food was displayed and accessed at the local five-and-dimes in communal food barrels—grimy, germ-infested hands would not do.
These days, people of means tend to dismiss canned or “processed” food as something people without access to fresh food eat. But in the late 1800s, food in tins was highly desirable. It was considered much more sanitary, and therefore healthier, than food offered in bins or barrels.
The Vintage Virtue website discusses collecting coffee tins with this introduction:
The coffee tin came into being as long ago as the early 1800’s in a time when most people bought fresh green coffee beans to roast and grind fresh at home. Pre-roasted and packaged coffee became popular much later in the late 1880’s. Over the years, coffee containers were produced in many shapes and sizes; they could be square, cylindrical, rectangular, or trapezoid shaped and ranged in size from one ounce sample tins to large bins holding more than fifty pounds of coffee. Coffee came in boxes and in pails with metal handles and in addition to tin, some containers were made of cardboard and others featured paper labels over tin. The lids also can in a variety of styles that evolved other the years. The early tins had hinged lids or lids that could be pulled off. Later tins were made with pry lids, slip lids, and lids that screwed off and on, these were followed by lids that utilized keys for removal.
The advertising, as in the graphics on the tins, has also made them highly collectible. The graphics became more interesting as companies realized that making the tins reusable with very beautiful graphics added to the appeal for their product. Ah yes…. advertising!
Now that you appreciate a bit more the value of the ‘tin can’ … stop by Bahoukas Antique Mall to see the many collectible tins we have for coffee, tobacco and other products.
Did you find a teapot, bowl, or other items that are just too beautiful to ignore but you’re trying to justify the purchase? We found a great article to show you how to upcycle your favorites into beautiful planters.
teapots make great planters for your indoor ivies and flowers
flower blossoms in old collectible bottles
This cactus looks so great in this fun, collectible pitcher.
Or make a statement with these beautiful tulips clustered in a silver teapot. Exquisite!
Tins
Tins of all shapes and sizes make wonderful planters to show off the greenery and the collectible tins!
Check out this article for ideas and how do to upcycle a variety of objects into great planters.
Old or new, colanders make ideal hanging planters since they come equipped with their own drainage holes. You can line the colander if you’re concerned about some dirt spilling out, and you easily can tie some rope to the handles to hang your planter from the ceiling.
pitchers, bowels, teacups and more make great containers for spring flowers
Here at Bahoukas we have vases, pots, crockery, baskets, and so much more to add some fun to your plant shelf. Check out the above article. Then put on your creative cap and come on in and see what we might have that will work perfectly for your plant decor. Yep, we’re watchin’ for ya!
Dads carried metal tins with lunch to their jobs in the coal mines and factories. Of course, it wasn’t long before their children wanted to copy their dads.
… the first commercial lunch boxes, which resembled metal picnic baskets decorated with scenes of playing children, came out in 1902.
The first lunch box decorated with a famous licensed character was introduced in 1935. Produced by Geuder, Paeschke & Frey, it featured Mickey Mouse, and was a four-color lithographed oval tin, with a pull-out tray inside. It had no vacuum bottle, but did have a handle.
In 1950, Aladdin Industries created the first children’s lunch box based on a television show, Hopalong Cassidy. The Hopalong Cassidy lunch kit, or “Hoppy”, quickly became Aladdin’s cash cow. Debuting in time for back-to-school 1950, it would go on to sell 600,000 units in its first year alone, each at US$2.39. In 1953, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were featured on models introduced by American Thermos.
Huge collection of decorated lunchboxes in plastic and metal
Many of the latest additions are complete with thermoses as well. Do stop in and check it out. They are a great last-minute gift for a child in your life – or your favorite collector. Remember, not just great for lunch, but fun for picnics, playing, keeping treasures, and more.
School Desks
Beautiful wooden and cast iron school desk.
The above desk is in beautiful condition. We also have another as pictured below:
Another beautiful wood school desk.
Another choice is this wood desk:
The front of the desk had the bench for the desk that sat in front of it
1881: The Fashion School Desk
The First Model
The first school desk was made in 1880 by John D. Loughlin in Sidney, Ohio. The desk, known as “The Fashion Desk,” proved to be extremely popular across the country. The practicality of the desks allowed for many to be put together in a one room schoolhouse, and the fashion aspect of it was aesthetically pleasing to those in the education industry. Loughlin’s marketing campaign also helped to sell these desks, which would eventually sweep the nation. The “Fashion Desks” were desks attached to one another and were big enough to seat two or three children. Usually, there was an inkwell so that the student could replenish his pen’s supply.
The Sidney School Furniture Company, located in Sidney, Ohio, began manufacturing the popular “Fashion” school desk in 1881. Advertising for the desk claimed, “No desk in the market is made with more care, nor of better materials than the ‘Fashion,’ and none has met with a more popular reception, or gives better satisfaction.” The desk featured a Patent T-head, which eliminated screws and bolts by joining the wood of the top, back, and seat to the legs, which were made of cast iron.
… with writing pad. These are solid and have a shelf on the bottom to place books and bags.
So whether it’s a lunchbox or a school desk, we can add a last-minute ‘surprise’ to your holiday gift-giving. Hurry in. We’re watchin’ for ya so that we can help you with your last-minute searches. Don’t forget, we DO CLOSE for Christmas Day and New Years Day. (Give us a call to be sure we didn’t leave early on the eve of both!) Happy Holidays!
Vintage cake carriers and keepers, also known as cake savers, are once-common items that bring a nostalgic or vintage feel to the kitchen.
Tins have been used for saving and transporting food since the 19th Century. There were also covered metal “pails” for carrying lunches and multi-compartment ones for taking pies, cakes, and other dishes one from place to another.
Cake carriers have a wire, metal or plastic, to hold the pieces together (plate and cover) so that you can transport it. Cake servers usually have a cover that fits over the plate of cake. It often is designed to sit on a kitchen counter and match the kitchen’s decor.
Cake Plates and Stands
beautiful glass cake plates
A cake stand is a structural, stool like object on which cake and other pastries are decorated and served. Cake stands are generally a single plate connected to a pedestal or multiple plates in a tower like hosting object. Cake stands are a form of tableware, they come in different materials like wood, pottery, metal, etc.
… The cake stand came into use in the late Victorian times when afternoon tea came into fashion. Presenting the cake at a higher level above the table gave the cake more attention. Therefore the cake stand usually has multiple tiers and hooped handle for the purpose of carrying.
To offer a beautiful way to display your Holiday Cakes, stop by and see our selection of plates, stands, servers, and carriers. Don’t forget that muffins, cupcakes, and other delicious pastries can be displayed and transported with these items.
It’s a wonderful way to share a message of ‘welcome.’ Just like we do at Bahoukas Antiques when we keep reminding you that “yep, we’re here and we’re watchin’ for ya!”
Are you old enough to remember where you were when you heard that Elvis Presley had died? Do you have a favorite song? To coordinate with our post, we include the ‘title song’ here for your enjoyment!
Elvis Memorabilia
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. He died aged 42 on August 16, 1977 but during his short life and since his death he has become one of the most well known cultural icons of modern times.
If you’ve not visited our shop, you may not realize that we have a great selection of Elvis collectibles.
Visit our ELVIS section!
For Elvis collectors, there is a mother lode of Elvis Vegas collectibles to be had, from menus (festooned with Elvis’ image), table cards, posters, postcards, matchboxes, dice and swizzle sticks. Krein says that ’70s memorabilia is another favorite he collects — pins, tour programs and posters, jewelry, belt buckles, lipstick cases.
You’ll definitely want to drop in and see the ELVIS collection at Bahoukas. We have figures, games, statues, pictures, recordings, and so much more. Don’t forget, if there’s an Elvis collector among your family and friends, it’s a great time to think ahead for Christmas. (Just sayin’!)
More…ELVIS!
In the meantime, you know we’re always watchin’ for ya!
Do you remember that? We may be smoking less today, but anyone of a ‘certain age’ will remember that slogan for Lucky Strikes cigarettes. Maybe you remember buying a pack of candy cigarettes and riding on your bicycle pretending to be smoking. Okay, okay… maybe you didn’t. (chuckle)
TOBACCIANA
2 corn cob pipes and a wood-carved pipe
Tobacciana is the collecting of anything tobacco-related. Old tins, cigarette packs, cigarette papers, pipes, ashtrays, tobacco tins, etc.
Choosing a favorite among tobacco memorabilia may be the most challenging aspect of this hobby. From the art to the accessories, selecting which items to collect is a great challenge.
corn cob and wood-carved pipes, cigarettes, smoking tobacco, cigar ashtray, hand-carved buffalo and owl pipes.
close-up of the buffalo and owl hand-carved pipes
If you really want to delve into the world of Tobacciana, you may want to check out this Tobacco Pipe Glossary. In the meantime, stop in and see just what we have in our Tobacciana Collection!Of course, we’re watchin’ for ya and can’t wait to say, “Welcome to Bahoukas!”
…working men protected their lunches from the perils of the job site (just imagine what a coal mine or a quarry could do to a guy’s sandwich) with heavy-duty metal pails.
Historic lunchbox, 1880s. A tobacco box was recycled as lunch box. Harold Dorwin / SI
Soon after…
Around the 1880s, school children who wanted to emulate their daddies fashioned similar caddies out of empty cookie or tobacco tins. According to the timeline, the first commercial lunch boxes, which resembled metal picnic baskets decorated with scenes of playing children, came out in 1902.
Do you have a favorite boo character/tv show/celebrity collectible lunchbox? Or maybe you’ve been looking for one? Stop in and visit us soon to see our extensive collection.
More lunchboxes from the collection at Bahoukas.
Yes, we are watchin’ for ya! And don’t forget, school is right around the corner. Possibly your youngster would love to have a lunchbox from Bahoukas!
Are you serious about reusing items to keep them out of landfills? Many items in antique stores, besides adding to a collection or being a wonderful decorating item, are also quite useful.
Kitchen Utensils to Repurpose!
Look at this photo of one wall of kitchen items that could easily enjoy another few years of purpose.
Just one wall of great kitchen utensils that could be used today!
We also have
… rolling pins, cake dishes, pie tins, and cast iron pans to name just a few easily repurposed.
So many great ideas…
Cast iron pans
It’s well worth a visit to Bahoukas Antique Mall to see if we might have ‘just the item you need.’ If you need a link for other ideas, CLICK HERE. You’ll find dozens of items you probably never would think to look for at Bahoukas. Of course, we’re always watchin’ for ya!
Doesn’t this window just make you feel warm and cozy?
What an inviting window display to encourage you to step inside Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum! Although we’ve just had an amazingly warm January weekend, we know it won’t last. Stop in and see what we might have to keep you busy on a colder January day!
A wonderful collection of spiced tins, vegetable cans, scales, iron, pottery, blackboard, and more all waiting for you to visit Bahoukas!
The entire window reminds you of the cozy warmth of days of yore. Here we see a variety of spice tins and vegetable cans, scales, irons, old shoes, pottery, a blackboard and so much more.
Stop by and take a look. See how inviting it is. Then pop in and tell Norma you love her window designs! And, of course, everyone at Bahoukas is watchin’ for ya!
At Bahoukas Antique Mall & Beer MuZeum we have a wonderful variety of toy sets to play house, buy groceries, cook and bake in the kitchen, and more.
The following describes a bit of ‘toy history.’
A great selection of kids’ pots, pans, coffee pots and more!
A toy is an item that is used in play, especially one designed for such use. Playing with toys can be an enjoyable means of training young children for life in society. Different materials like wood, clay, paper, and plastic are used to make toys. Many items are designed to serve as toys, but goods produced for other purposes can also be used. For instance, a small child may fold an ordinary piece of paper into an airplane shape and “fly it”. Newer forms of toys include interactive digital entertainment. Some toys are produced primarily as collectors’ items and are intended for display only.
The origin of toys is prehistoric; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults are readily found at archaeological sites. The origin of the word “toy” is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the 14th century. Toys are mainly made for children. The oldest known doll toy is thought to be 4,000 years old.
Playing with toys is considered to be important when it comes to growing up and learning about the world around us. Younger children use toys to discover their identity, help their bodies grow strong, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, and practice skills they will need as adults
Kitchen accessories, baking tins, hand mixers, rolling pins and more – sized perfectly for kids!
Besides perfect toys for kids, it didn’t take long for marketers to realize the value of making kid-size representatives of their ‘brands.’ Who didn’t want a refrigerator “Just like mom’s.”
The following is a perfect example of this new marketing tactic that quickly built a huge toy market from the 1950s forward. (photo courtesy of Smithsonian Nat’l Museum of American History and Sears)
Pop into Bahoukas and see what fun items might be perfect for one of your youngsters. We really do have some great items. And yes, we’re watchin’ for ya!
This is the time of year we peruse our garden catalogs and consider how we might want to update our homes. As we huddle in our living rooms to stay warm, our thoughts go to projects for Spring.
We thought this might be a perfect time to highlight the gorgeous Fire King Stove and Hoosier Cabinet and the other kitchen accessories in our front window. The Hoosiers is a 1920s oak cabinet with an enamel top. Made by Sellers of Elwood, IN. It has a flour bin and bread box. Beautiful condition.
The 1920s Fire King Stove/oven combo was made in Baltimore and yes, it works! On the shelf above the oven, you’ll notice an electric, table-top washing machine.
On the Hoosier sitting on top is a sausage or fruit press (the black item). On the wall is a coffee grinder and a drying rack. On the enamel top of the Hoosier are cast iron items that include a matches holder, pancake maker, ice scraper and lemon squeezer. There’s a cast iron toast holder, various utensils, dishes, wonderful pottery bowls and old tins, plus a yellow egg basket.
Just looking at the photo seems to make us feel warmer. Stop in and take a peek for yourself. We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
The above photo includes a Lucky Strike cigarette tin, Prince Albert and Sir Walter Raleigh Tins, cigarette rolling papers, a cigarette roller from the 1950s-60s, and a Bugler Cigarette Case.
This photo includes a Jitney Smoker board used in bars – 5 cents for a punch – back when cigarettes were actually 5 cents a pack! The word “Jitney’ has some interesting, if vague, history. Here’s an interesting quote:
The story begins near the end of the nineteenth century. Jitney (or gitney) was then a slang term for five cents (or perhaps for a nickel coin, it’s hard to tell). from www.worldwidewords.org
The smoking tobacco pouch was for advertising, you could add your company. The beautiful gold plated cigarette case was made in England. It’s quite stunning. The ashtray also has a lighter, made from slag glass from the 1930s.
For the collector of cigarette memorabilia, there are some stunning items here. Stop by soon to grab the special piece you’d like to give the collector on your holiday list. Yep, we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
In our area, oysters are popular. An oyster platter is an appreciated gift – possibly a perfect hostess gift! We also have several tins from oyster packing firms. These items are very collectible!
We also have this framed print “Unloading Oyster Luggers 1905” and the book Heavy Industries of Yester Year – Harford County’s Rural Heritage by Jack Shagena Jr. and Henry C. Peden, Jr. This book is available in our shop.
Early French settlers designed small boats that would easily navigate the waters between ships and in Louisiana’s swamps. These boats were called French canots; they had a rounded bottom and a small fin that allowed them to go in shallow water. They became popular fishing boats and then oyster boats. These canots eventually became known everywhere as New Orleans Oyster Luggers.
Here’s a few tidbits about oysters and the Chesapeake Bay:
500 B.C.: The earliest evidence of oyster harvesting — shell deposits called middens — indicate that people living in the Chesapeake region were eating oysters and other shellfish as long as early as 2,500 B.C.
1600s: Early colonial settlers frequently remark on the size and quantity of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters were likely harvested using boats, rakes and by wading into shallow water to simply gather them.
