Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Little Antique Tin Lunch Box

From reading a number of blogs I see that some of you can still find antiques in your local thrift shops.

I am not so lucky. Antiques and even vintage items are very scarce in my local thrift shops.


I used to go every day and now I don't go "thrifting" more than once or maybe twice a week.



So I was pleasantly surprised a week ago to find this little tobacco tin.

After the purchaser finished the tobacco the tin was to be used as a lunch box.

Wouldn't it be sweet on top of a stack of vintage tin picnic baskets with that same woven pattern on them?










{It says "Patterson's Seal Cut Plug It's the quality" on the top}


How is the antiques and vintage shopping in your area? As good as it used to be?


To find other "Show and Tell" participants click on the top link on my sidebar.

47 comments:

  1. Yes Joan. Yes it would look good on top of a stack of picnic baskets. Like on the top of MY picnic baskets! What a great little find! I rarely ever find an antique in thrift stores. The antique stores haven't been that great either. Sadly, I have to turn to Ebay to quench my thirst!
    Happy VTT!
    Carol

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  2. i can still find vintage items, but rarely do I find true antiques. if they are there, they're in the case and marked really high!

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  3. I have never seen one of these before-- it's really cute!

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  4. Amazing find! I'll keep an eye opened for something like that!

    Thank you for sharing :)

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  5. I do not have much luck finding things like others. However, I have enough of my own that I really do not have to look much. This does look more like a basket than a tin.

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  6. This is wonderful! It would definitely look super with metal picnic baskets.

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  7. What a cool find. Every now and then I will find vintage linens at the Habitat resale store, but most of the antiques are found in the antique shops and are very expensive. But, I still keeping looking because you never know.

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  8. Such a great find! Thrift shops around our area are very picked over... the antique dealers make daily sweeps when the doors open. Every so often I find a treasure buried in a corner or bottom shelf! I smile and call it good~

    Wishing you loads of great finds!
    Michelle

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  9. This is a great find. i see things all the time that I like in thrift stores but only once in awhile do I find a "great find" then of course I do a happy dance all the way to the cash register!
    Blessings,
    Debbie

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  10. Hi Joan, it's kind of hit or miss around here... when the warm weather comes, we have alot of garage~yard sales... I always go to the ones in the older neighborhoods and have found lots of goodies at those... plus one of our local thrift shops gets lots of vintage in, just have to be willing to sift through the junk, (which, by the way gets awfully dirty!) but that's when I find my treasures! xoxo Julie Marie

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  11. I love old tins. Yours was certainly a good find. I haven't found anything good at thrift shops here. It really isn't worth the effort to go, so I only go rarely. I like antique shows but there aren't nearly as many as there used to be.

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  12. What a fun piece! Glad you found it because you'll appreciate it. I think many thrift shops are aware of what something is these days. With eBay as a guide many even price things differently now. But that's OK. Most are supporting a good cause.

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  13. What a great find! I very rarely find anything vintage when I go thrifting. I'm hoping to have some luck on Friday when I go to the "big" city.

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  14. I love your tin. Congrats on a good find.
    Kathy

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  15. LOVE the tin! You were lucky! The thrift shops in my area do NOT have much of anything anymore! Our Salvation Army looks like it is going out of business! There is NOTHING in there! I do not get it!! I found a mirror last week in a thrift shop, but it was far from antique or vintage!

    I will keep looking though!

    Lou Cinda

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  16. What a cute lunch tin! Very unusual and I love the color!

    Miss Bloomers

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  17. I love that color! That is just an all-around awesome find!

    Hey, don't forget to add me to the Valentine's card party, pretty please?

    Anne

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  18. This is really unusual, I have never seen one like it! Really cute....and I seem to find things still....but I am out many days of the week looking! Happy VTT!

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  19. I also find Vintage items but the really good stuff not so much. If they are there sometimes marked way too high! Sometimes I'm lucky that someone just doesn't recognize it's vintage.

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  20. Finding antiques and vintage items in our local thrift shops are almost a thing of the past.

    My last great find was about six years ago when I found a few putz houses for 25 cents each !

    Love your tabacco tin basket ! Very unusual for sure !

    Hugs,
    Linda

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  21. I love your little tobacco tin. I have one just like it and have it displayed with other tobacco tins and boxes. Mine was a treasure from a garage sale several years ago.

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  22. i love the woven pattern and the patina is perfect..it sure would look impressive stacked up high on similar tins

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  23. What a great little find! They sure don't make packaging like that anymore! Blessings, Tammy

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  24. What a special find! In our local thrift shops you may sometimes find something vintage, but never any antiques. They sell mostly things only 10 to 15 years old.

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  25. This is adorable and would look GREAT on top of a stack of the picnic baskets!!What a wonderful thrift store find!! I've been collecting the tobacco tins that look like red trunks. They come in a variety of sizes and make a nice display.

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  26. Fantastic tin! I've only been in France for 5 years, and am still finding my feet as far as antiques/vintage shopping goes. Our thrift stores do have vintage stuff in them - one still undercharges because the stuff is 'old and grotty' but the other overcharges because the manager has a good eye for the quality of what she's selling... drat...

    In addition I buy a lot from Vide Greniers, which are like collective garage sales. Sometimes the brocante dealers there have good prices, but other times they are way out of my price range. The private sellers are often the best places to buy vintage, partly because some of them think they only have 'old and grotty' stuff, too.

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  27. I haven't found any good stuff lately but I would have surely grabbed that little treasure:) Love the color!

    Enjoy your day!

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  28. I'm with you - I don't seem to find much vintage or antique things in my thrift stores anymore - or else they are more than I want to pay. I keep looking, though! I like that tin!
    Mary Lou

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  29. What an adorable vintage tin. Our thrift stores don't have too much in the way of antiques either, for that you have to go to a vintage/antique store, or better yet, one of the large flea market's here in S. Cal. I have a little vintage valentine on my post. I'll be putting more up for your party, but decided to put one up ahead of time in case someone wanted to copy the image and use it.
    Blessings,
    Marcia

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  30. The tin has a great bright green color. The former owners must have taken good care of it. I can still find pieces like this but they also can be pricie.

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  31. Years ago we were very into antiques...but, I burned out. I have lots of antique pieces, but I just use a few, mixed with more classic things. I had never been in a thrift store until blogging and last weekend we went in some antique shops. I even bought a sweet little dish (on my tablescape this week) with letters around the edge...wouldn't have done that until I started reading your blog!

    I actually prefer the thrift shops...less stuff and clutter. I haven't found many things I like...but, those I have found have been exciting!

    Sue

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  32. I am in LOVE with that tin basket!!!

    Would also LOVE your support on the ELLE DECOR window I did for the Big Window Challenge this year with Apartment Therapy. Check it out at http://www.bigwindowchallenge com. As we all know, AT doesn’t make it easy, but you can vote TWICE a day, once online and the other by texting “1” to 89800.

    Your support means the world to me!!

    Xo
    Eddie

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  33. That little tin is very nice. I have a "thing" for metal stuff. It would be pretty displayed just about anywhere. I occasionally find antiques and vintage items in the thrift stores. I buy what makes me smile. May be antique, vintage or new!

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  34. I am from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and it amazes me when I read about people who find great treasures at the thrift shops. Our Goodwill and Salvation Army stores just don't have anything but pure junk. I don't know if the workers go through things first, call in dealers, or what. If I really want something, I have to go to auctions, flea markets, or yard sales and that can be very time consuming. I really don't "need" anything, but looking gets into your blood, doesn't it!

    Glad you found a real treasure!

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  35. Great find once again!!!
    It's a lovely tin.
    It's slim pickin's in my neck of the woods as well.
    I do know a lot of dealers who are searching in the same spots---kinda like vultures on the carcass----
    but, as you know, hope springs eternal and so back I go...
    annie

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  36. I don't find a lot of goodies in our area but then I know I don't hunt very often either. The tin is very unusual!

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  37. Looove your little lunch box tin, it's always so satisfying when you happen upon a wonderful find like that! I'm lucky and still able to find an antique treasure once in awhile, which always feeds my collectors soul!If you have a minute come visit my S&T Fri., Thanks so much for sharing. Debbie @ Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

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  38. oh my gosh.. this is totally antique! you lucky duck! great find indeed! thanks for sharing.. happy vtt

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  39. That is amazing!!!!!

    My show n tell is nothing but January Clearance items that I found if you'd like to view them....

    HERE

    Would really enjoy your company today if you have time to stop by.

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  40. That is really wonderful! I have seen the picnic baskets, but never a lunch tin before.

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  41. Great find! Love how it's used for lunch AFTER the tobacco is gone. Imagine what your tuna sandwich would taste like with a hint of tobacco flavoring....!
    The only thing I leave with after visiting our local Goodwill is resentment. Thank goodness for the independant thrifts and estate sales!
    xoxo
    Pam

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  42. There are still some great vintage items to be found at thrift stores, you just have to have a good eye...like you, finding that tobacco tin...it's a beauty.
    Have a great weekend!

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  43. What a great find!!! I love old tins and have several old tobacco tins in my collection, but not one like that. It's so unusual, with the wicker basket pattern!

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  44. There aren't thrift stores here so I'm only able to thrift shop a few times a year...sigh.
    The tobacco tin is a great find!

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  45. I don't find much old stuff in our thrifts either...it's mostly new stuff but occasionally I get lucky. There used to be Salvation Army here that I would find good stuff but it closed up. :(

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