ANTQ NORTON BROS CHICAGO LARGE COFFEE TEA GUNPOWDER TIN

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS: PAYPAL ONLY ( NO INTERNATIONAL ECHECKS PLEASE) ~ DUE WITH IN 48 HOURS OF AUCTION CLOSE! FABULOUS ESTATE PIECE ~ NORTON BROS. of CHICAGO TEA & MORE TIN! Norton Brothers Tin Can & Plate Company - began as "E. Norton" operating in Toledo, Ohio by Edwin Norton in 1868. As his business grew, he began making his own tins later in 1868 also selling them to such firms as Woolson Spice Company. He added a partner, a Mr. Francher, for a time and moved his company to Chicago in the 1869/71 time period. The partnership didn't last long and he was joined by his brother, Oliver, in 1873; the business now Norton Brothers. With the business still growing, the operation moved to nearby Maywood in 1885. Incorporating their business in 1890 as Norton Brothers Tin Can & Plate Company, they combined what was ordinarily two operations into one business - making the tinplate, then manufacturing and decorating the tins. Around 1893, the brothers invented a machine that could stamp out an entire can automatically, greater increasing proudction output. The Norton business focused on supplying stores with tea and coffee caddies, often available in sets. They patented several types. They specialized in "Japanning", a lacquer decoration,and combining transfer designs with stenciled lettering. By the 1880's though the production emphasis turned to vegetable cans. In 1883, the firm patented a semi-automatic body maker which mechanically soldered side seams. Edwin Norton patented a vacuum-pack tin in 1898. In 1901 Edwin helped form the American Can Company becoming it's first president with headquarters in Chicago.In 1940 he left American to form the rival - Continental Can Company Fantastic find...and yes, we have some loss to the graphics, but it is still an outstanding piece! Makers of many tin boxes, large and small, we have this very large storage tin from Norton Bros. of Chicago, and it is so marked on the tin, as Makers (Photo 3), which dates the piece to 1873-1884, post Civil War. Norton Bros. information further indicates that they were located in the Masonic Building in Chicago. Lovely graphic still remains on the front of the piece...lithography or Japanning?...not my area of expertise. I am not sure what it is displaying...gentlemen (Colonial?) standing on blocks...another standing on the ground having a conversation...and the large word TEA (Boston Tea Party connection?). Additional ornate enhancements to the lithograph surround the scene. Entire piece would have been completely black for all other sides at one time, but as you can see in our last photo posted, t is loss throughout as to the base color. The lid...ahhh...the lid! This is a fantastic lid...rolls open (and yes, we do have the proper porcelain knob for the lid handle, but the screw has flown the coop!) and inside t is a canister that houses the labels for the product to be stored inside. Forget the word TEA on the front...this was made to store much more! We have a rolling metal index that includes Oolong, Japan, Coffee, E. Breakfast and more...and of course, GUNPOWDER! Who knew you could store it with your tea and coffee! But seriously...I suppose the merchant of the day had to be flexible about what was kept and offered to clients...and in different parts of the country t were different requirements for the retailer to keep supplied...a very cool marketing piece on the part of the Nortons! No dents or major mars other than color loss and obvious wear...the canister names exhibit loss also, some more than others, and some not much at all...we have shown you a few below. We do not note any extraordinary rust or patina...scratching, yes...but as you can see by the photos, it is still a fabulous piece. Measures in at about 15" square...tall, wide & deep. Ask questions if you have them...will be carefully packed and shipped promptly upon confirmation of your payment. orsman All Bidders : You must have a Paypal account to participate in our auctions. International payments are Paypal Only ...however, USA ... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.