Humidor Tins

I recently acquired a huge lot of lunchbox tins, but in addition to those I also got some cool little humidor tins. These little guys are pretty neat and they have a dome lid that has a space to put a damp sponge. Once you were done with the tobacco that came with the tin you could use it as a humidor to keep your cigars fresh.

These two tins are nearly identical in construction, but only 1 is marked by the maker. The similarities cause me to believe that they were both produced by S.A. Ilsley & Co. of Brooklyn, NY. The company was later bought by the American Can Co, and after the buyout used the label A.C.Co.8-A. The company was in operation under the Ilsley name from 1865 to 1920, so these tins fall within that period.

The tin with the Ilsley mark is for Cameron & Cameron of Richmond, VA. The tin proclaims “Finest Grade of Smoking Tobacco”. It’s clear however that this was a generic brand produced by Cameron & Cameron and then distributed and retailed regionally or locally because on the side it has a space for a paper label.

This side panel reads “Quality & Grade Guaranteed As Indicated By the Brand” below which is a blank spot for the paper label of a brand, in this case Canuck Cut Plug.

Underneath the paper label you can see the small text which is “S. A. Ilsley & Co. Brooklyn, N.Y.”

The tin features great ornamental decoration and I have seen this design for Cameron & Cameron in many color varieties.

 

The other tin in this style that recently came in is for F. Abraham & Son “Boston Slice” brand. In addition to identical construction and design the tin features the exact same decorative graphics on the lid, although this tin is in red.

The main design of the tin features text reading “High Grade” “Cut Cavendish” “Boston Slice” “Will Not Bite the Tongue” “F. Abraham & Son” “25 27 29 Court St. Boston, Mass.” There is a great contrast between the red background blue stripe and glittery gold font. Additionally the Trademark logo for the brand is in the upper left corner (it looks to me like this design might have been used as a tin tag, but I’ve never seen that design and I don’t know tin tags well)