New glass jars and metal bins

with vintage-appearing labels, brand names

More country store-type display jars and bins are in the market. These pieces copy brand names and their general appearance from vintage originals. Even if you haven't handled the originals, most of these reproductions are fairly easy to detect.

The easiest way to spot most of the painted metal bins is simply to take a whiff of the inside. All of our samples reeked of a new paint smell even after several days of exposure to full sun. Corner seams are wide and irregular; latches are too flimsy to be practical. Some areas were left unpainted (Fig. 2).

Painted metal lids on new glass jars also have a strong paint smell. The glass itself is poor quality with many bubbles and flaws rarely found in original glass display jars. Molded lettering is also obviously crude and poorly formed. The numbers "9" and "3" and letters "S" and "R" seem to be particular problems.

All the new items shown in this article were made in India. Many of the items shown are available in more than one size. New bins ranged in price from $10 to $18; new jars sold for $5 to $15.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2
Figs. 1-2 New painted metal hinged display bin with glass front, 10½ inches wide, 11¾ inches tall. Marked West & Company, Biddleford, Maine. The new latch is weak and flimsy; the inside of the latch was left unpainted (arrow) in our sample.

Figs. 3-4 Two new glass jars with metal lids; 8¾ inches tall, 7½ inches diameter. Lids are yellow with blue lettering; jars are clear glass with blue lettering. Fowler's Malted Milk Balls, left; Ramon's Quality Medicine, right.

Fig. 5 New glass jar with paper label, J.P. Alley's Hambone Cigars; 6½ inches diameter, 7¾ inches tall. The new paper label is copied from original art. The original Hambone cigar was manufactured by W.C. Frutiger & Co. of Red Lion, Pennsylvania. The Hambone Cigars art has appeared on a number of recent reproductions including a 10-inch porcelain plate.

Fig. 6 Close-up of new Hambone Cigars label. The label is copied from original art but no similar large jar like the one in Fig. 5 is known.

Fig. 7 The new paper label fluoresces brightly under long wave black light. This photo was taken in a darkened room, but the fluorescence is also very evident under black light in ordinary room lighting.

Fig. 8 New painted metal hinged bin with glass front, Delico Sugar Wafer Specialties; 10½ inches wide, 10 inches tall.

Fig. 9 Side view of Delico hinged bin. This example is green with gold lettering and black trim.

Fig. 10 New glass jar with metal lid. Jar embossed Wm. H. Meseroll & Co., Cough Candy Tablets, Trenton, N. J.

Fig. 11 Molded letters in the new Meseroll jar are poorly formed. Note that the letter "S" appears almost upside down in this close-up.

Fig. 12 New glass ring jar, also known as banded jar. So-called because of the rings or bands around the sides.

Fig. 13

Fig. 14

Figs. 13-14 Rings in original jars are separate pieces of applied glass "rope," Fig. 13. Bands in the new jar are simply molded in the sides. True applied glass rings will have a seam at the joint, Fig. 14