Vintage 1950s Lion Coffee 1 Lb. Tin Coffee Can w/ith Slip Lid Toldeo Ohio

Description

Returning Civil War veterans the Woolson brothers, Alvin and William, opened a coffee and spice company in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864. Union soldiers were furnished green (raw) beans during the war, but they had to roast them in a cast-iron skillet pan over a fire to produce coffee. Most were burned or under roasted, but the Woolsons learned the knack for a “fancy drinkable” cup of coffee. They expanded their factory at 2700 N. Summit St. in Toledo in the 1880s and their “Lion” brand because the second largest roasted and packaged coffee in the U.S. by the turn of the 20
th
century.
Early forms of advertising helped them prosper, including premiums, small toys to bicycles, jack knives, and lace curtains given to customers who collected enough paper wrappers, and trade cards, small, lithographed cards with scenes of domesticity, industrial growth, or civic and national pride with the name and address of various consumer products such as Lion coffee. The cards were given away by merchants and collected and pasted into scrapbooks by eager customers. The last picture above is an example of a Lion Coffee trade card and is NOT included with this can. The Woolsons were so successful with their premiums that they helped push the USPS to expand into bulk mail from the normal first-class service of the day. During the 1890s, Lion roasted a million pounds of green coffee beans a week and were one of the largest coffee roasters in the world.
Content with their success, the brothers sold their company to one Hermann O. Havemeyer in 1897. He controlled the American Sugar Company monopoly and moved Lion to New York City. There he battled with Pittsburgh-coffee roaster John Arbuckle to monopolize the business until the pair agreed to control prices together in 1901. Havemeyer went on to buy most of the country’s sugar manufacturers before his death in 1907, two weeks after he was charged with underpaying import duties by the Federal Government. Various executives tried unsuccessfully to revive and refloat the sinking Woolson company leading up to the 1950s. The company officially declared bankruptcy around 1955. A Hawaiian company, Delano West, Ltd., bought out Woolson Spice Co. and its brand names from bankruptcy court in 1979 and still produces Lion coffee today.
As such, this can most likely dates from the late 1940s to the bankruptcy days of the 1950s.
The can measures the standard 3.5 (9 cm) x 5 (13 cm) inches and is in very good condition with a nice-looking patina except for the top. As you can see from the pictures, someone used a hammer and screwdriver to punch several small holes in the slip lid. Not sure why but place the can where you can’t see the top and you’re in the catbird seat. This would be a perfect addition to a country or general store display. With or without the slip lid it makes a perfect storage container, candle holder, planter, or pen and pencil can. Or it could be for that something special you want to keep safe from the rest of the world. And with the holes this would make a good bait can or for crickets. Shipped free in the US. Check out our other advertising collectibles at www.ebay.com/str/agitpropshoppe
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