330. Smokin'-Hot Collectibles: TOBACCO TINS

Packaging tins were first used to keep food in response to the public's acceptance of the germ theory of disease. Today, it is easy 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. Eventually, tin packaging was used in other consumer goods  like pipe tobacco. These two vintage examples in my collection are "home antiques", found  inside an 'aparador' (cabinet) of my grandfather. Dill's Best is the older one, from a company in Richmond, Virginia founded in 1849, The brand icon features a lady holding her hair up with a "come-hither" expression. The second example is the more popular Bond Street Pipe Tobacco, made by Philip Morris, which dates from the 1930s. Tobacco tins are always sought after by tobacciana collectors, and in this part of the world, are rarely seen. I have my grandpa to thank for, for these surviving examples--he is no longer with us, but I bet he is somewhere in a quiet corner in heaven, happily and peacefully smoking on his favorite pipe, plugged in with his favorite Bond Street and Dill's Best tobacco!

306. Advertique: MENNEN POWDER TIN

POWDER TO THE PEOPLE! MennenTalcum For Men. Vintage powder tin, 5" high.

The Mennen Company was founded in 1878 by German immigrant, Gerhard Heinrich Mennen, who founded his company in Newark, then later moved to Morristown, New Jersey in 1953. The company's first product was talcum-based powder, an innovation at the time. Its product line expanded to include over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and personal products such as the Skin Bracer, Speed Stick, and Baby Magic products.

The men's line began with  "Mennen Talcum for Men."  and this example dates to the '30s. It was found in a local shop with its content almost full. Areas of missing paint are apparent--the paint on the tin is easily washed off.

The product graphics are still strong and unblemished in some parts, and the front panel even retains the image of the founder. Locally, the brand was overshadowed by Johnson & Johnso, which dominated the powder market. Mennen found a niche with its men's personal care line like skin bracer, deodorants and after-shaves. Mennen was later sold in the '90s to manufacturing giant, Colgate-Palmolive.

296. Lord of the Tangles: TARZAN HAIR PRODUCT LABELS

An essential to manly good grooming in the 50s is a thick dab of pomada on your hair to keep hair licks in place and give your mane a noticeably brilliant sheen. Pomades like Brilliantine, Glo-Co, Bryllcreem, Verbena and Three Flowers were the leading brands of the day--guaranteed to turn one into a Rudolph Valentino, Clark Gable, James Dean or Elvis Presley.

One other popular brands was TARZAN, which not only manufactured a pomade (the greasy stuff was bottled in a small clear glass with a an aluminum cap) but also a whole line of hair grooming products like quality hair tonics and lotions--as these colorful labels show. The graphics are bold, the colors brilliant and the illustrations art deco-ish.

The brand name makes an allusion to the shiny, elegant locks of the Lord of the Jungle, exemplified by Johnny Weissmuller, who swang from tree to tree--always with hair in place. But while Tarzan had a lush head, but have you ever noticed that he has non-existent facial hair? I wonder why.

291. Advertiques: OLD COSMETIC PAPER LABELS

A selection of old paper labels of perfumes and cosmetics found in the Philippines, circa 1930s-50s. Some labels were embossed and made used of gold foil, featuring local names of flowers like "Ylang-Ylang", "Philippine Orchids" and "Azucena".

Products represented here include perfumes, lotions, pomade and talcum powder. Charming examples of early graphic design in Philippine product packaging.

254. For Your Protection and Collection: SHEIK RUBBER TIN

 SHEIK SENSE. Boys, protect thyselves! A vintage Sheik rubber prophylactc rubber packaging tin, ca. 50s-60s.

Before condoms came in handy, individually wrapped sachets, they came in discreet tin packaging, like this Sheik brand of rubber prophylactics. The brand name itself was obviously inspired by the Rudolph Valentino movies that perpetuated the image of the perfect lover--passionate, insatiable and eternally amorous after each conquest.

As the package copy goes, Sheik rubber prophylactics "are made from thin, strong rubber and have been carefully tested and inspected for your protection. Be sure to ask for them by name--at your druggist." Introduced in the 1930s, the original orange tin featured an illustration of a sheik astride a white steed. In the 50s and 60s, the design was streamlined, and the Sheik illustration became just a white silhouette of the Arab lover on a red background.

Sheik rubber prophylactics were sold at drugstores-- 3 for 50 cents. A dozen will cost you $1.50, a savings of 50 cents! I bought this rusty tin at a local collectible fair for Php 100--which I thought was a bit too much, given its state and condition. Well,sex always comes with a price!

242. A Case in Point: 50s COKE ALUMINUM CASE

One of my earliest Coca Cola collectibles is this stamped aluminum carrying case that can hold 24 bottles. I remember picking this up from good old Makati Cinema Square, which, back in the '80s , was  a favorite hunting ground for all things old, vintage and collectible. I've seen a few aluminum cases here in the Philippines; I don't think these were produced locally--local crates were of wood until the 70s, when plastic replaced them. The crate is divided into niches by means of metal rods that are covered in rubber. I just checked ebay and currently there's one similar to this priced at $96.00--with an hour to go before the end of the auction. Past examples were sold for $70 plus. As you can see, this aluminum crate is a nifty way to display my collection of vintage Coke bottles. What a way to "open happiness!"

209. BAYER ASPIRIN TIN

For headache relief in the 1930s-40s, one could always count on Bayer Aspirin in the new, convenient tin container. The discovery of aspirin discovery was the result of the collective researches of several aspirin inventors. In 1897, a German chemist with Friedrich Bayer and Company was searching for a treatment for his father's arthritis pain and produced the first stable form of a product introduced as Aspirin. By 1899, The Bayer Company was providing aspirin to physicians to give to their patients.

This handy tin container, found in a local antique fair, used to hold 12 aspirin tablets and is small enough to be kept in a purse or a bag when headaches strike. It is just a mere 1.25" x 1.75" in dimension. So dependably effective were the tablets that they were even packed together with the supplies of the American astronauts when they went t the moon in 1969.

Pain relief has improved since the introduction of aspirin--now we have acetaminophen, ibuprofen and analgesia of varying strengths. It is good to know that aspirin continues to be the 'wonder drug' that it once was, still valued in the area of cardiac health in the same way that this little packaging 'antique' continues to be valued as a beautiful nostalgic item of the past.

132. PEPSYCHEDELIA! Pepsi Advertising Posters

Various psychedelic posters from the 1970s singing praises to Pepsi Cola, which, in those turbulent decades was the no. 1 cola in the country, outselling Coke by a mile. Remember "Have a Pepsi Day"? Or the "Pepsi Generation"? The posters are sooo Peter Max, relying on design more than the concept. Note the 'sarimanok' motif on the 3rd poster. Minnesotan John Clarkin is credited with bringing Pepsi to the Philippines at the close of World War II, becoming the 1st country manager of the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company. Advertising was handled by Ace-Compton Advertising in the 70s, but too bad I didn't get a chance to work on the account--it lost it in 1978. These are my only Pepsi mementos at a time when the so-called Cola Wars were at its peak.

105. OLD BEAR BRAND CAN

One of the early manufacturers of powdered milk was Sprungli & Co., a Swiss firm, that came to the Philippines in the late 19th c. with a canned milk called "Bear Brand". When I was little, we used to believe that this "gatas oso", as we knew it, was really from the breast of a mama bear! (What does that make us? Goldilocks?!). Blame it on the very iconic trade character that the milk brand used--a seated bear nursing her dead-looking baby with a bottle. The milk was packaged in tin cans such as this--but this 1930s can is more unique in that it incorporates a mirror premium on its aluminum cap. This rare packaging was found in Bangkok and is relatively in good condition. Of course, Bear Brand is still very much around--there are still liquid and powdered milk varities, but Nestle, the currecnt owner, has updated the bear's features, which looks more like a cuddly Teddy than the fierce Mama bear who looks ready to devour her baby if he doesn't stop whining.