Smoking Tobacco Lunch Box Tins
School Children in 1905 With Tobacco Lunch Box Tin
One of the most surprising advertising relics I have is the lunch box tin that featured smoking tobacco brands. Around the 1880’s through the early 1900’s, it was common to see children march off to school hauling their lunch pails made out of colorful tin tobacco boxes that had convenient wire handles on the top for carrying.
The tobacco lunch box tins were adorned with the company’s logo and artwork that stated slogans such as ”Sensation Smoking Tobacco” and “ Cut Plug Smoking or Chew” and “Sweet Mist Taste Great”.
Smoking Tobacco Lunch Box Tin Collectibles Circa 1880’s
Dads and Kids with Tobacco Lunch Pails
At the time, many men carried their lunches to work in a metal tobacco tin and it was actually considered a clue that the family didn’t have enough money to purchase a hot meal. In spite of that, school-aged children wanted to mimic their fathers and used the same lunch caddies made from their pop’s old tobacco tins. Interestingly, the neighborhood general stores didn’t really care for the lunch box style tobacco tins because they were difficult to stack on shelves due to the wire handles.
Pedro Tobacco Lunch Pail
Many people I’ve talked with look at the tobacco tin lunch pails and are astounded to learn they were actually used by children to take their lunch to school. In today’s world, the practice of sending your child to school advertising a smoking tobacco product to their fellow classmates is against most school policies. Over the years, the tobacco lunch box tin style has slowly disappeared but collectors are left with a fascinating array of colors and conversation about a time that was much different from today.