Whatever Happened to the Pocket Tin? (w/ pictures!)

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oklansas

Can't Leave
Apr 16, 2013
441
0
DC
Being the historian that I am, I was looking through old pipe adverting posters and happened across more than a few featuring pipe tobacco pocket tins - such as this:
94251l.jpg


(Used Velvet for the example because its the one I got from the STG free sample)
I was lead to wonder,
What ever happened to the pocket tin?

 

teufelhund

Lifer
Mar 5, 2013
1,497
3
St. Louis, MO
My leather pouch is much more comfortable and less bulky. Plus If I pack only a bowl or two for the day it's smaller than if I filled it to the max or about 10 bowls. Tin doesn't do that, but they are really cool to look at.

 

oklansas

Can't Leave
Apr 16, 2013
441
0
DC
Well, one of the reasons I ask, prior to taking up the pipe, I'd use some old pocket tins to carry a small moleskin notebook, pens, business cards, etc. They were comfortable enough in a Suit pocket (I used the ones on the sides, not the interior breast pocket), not so much in a hip pocket.
Perhaps it was a loss in formal and business dress in the later 20th century that did it in?
BONUS PICTURE:

rl102891l.jpg


I like the slogan on this one, "A cargo of Contentment in the Bowl of any Pipe"

 

john218

Part of the Furniture Now
May 5, 2012
562
1
Connecticut
In the postwar years, plastic started replacing metal in many uses.
Plastic pouches, when they came along, were cheaper and helped keep the tobacco fresher. Also, the tins would require a lot of storage space.
I will not bring up the Prince Albert joke, but I'm sure somebody will!

 

wildcat

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 1, 2012
682
1
Is that Prince Albert in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
Love those old pocket tins!

 

oklansas

Can't Leave
Apr 16, 2013
441
0
DC
One of the more interesting ones I've found:
il_570xn434656532_tau3.jpg


(Early 1900's Buckingham Bright Cut Plug Smoking Tobacco pocket tin from John J. Bagley & Co.)

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
I like those old tins too.
I've read that PA was still available in pocket tins as late as 1985, complete with a barcode.

RJR sold the PA brand to John Middleton in 1987 and packaging changes occurred then too.
One source for finding good info is the Legacy Library. I went looking but didn't find anything about an official discontinuation of the pocket tins, but it's a vast swath of results to search thru and requires much patience, i usually only search thru the BAT archives for British info as it's easier to find...
...but what about this?

Dear Sir, there's a hair in my tobacco!

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/action/document/page?tid=mol93i00
...or this document, Capt.Black has 18% PG & highest nic of the listed brands, Edgeworth is the 2nd lowest in nic! etc etc

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/action/document/page?tid=bpm20d00&page=2
The curved pocket tins are cool too, like this one:

154.jpg

Here's a book with some good stuff, including old tins of SG Skiff 7 Grousemoor,

http://books.google.com/books?id=jSAxX7r3dQUC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
A good selection of various pocket tins can be seen here:

http://antiquetobacco.com/tobacco-tins/pocket-tins/
All that beautiful lithography would cost a fortune nowadays!

 

lraisch

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 4, 2011
614
1,199
Granite Falls, Washington state
I would speculate that these tins were primarily aimed at RYO smokers. You'll notice that the brands associated with this type of tin were commonly marketed as pipe and cigarette tobaccos. I expect they were much more convenient for shaking some tobacco into a paper than for filling your pipe bowl!

 

tanless1

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 14, 2010
643
1
We all had bigger pockets back then.....and less money to get in the way.

 

oklansas

Can't Leave
Apr 16, 2013
441
0
DC
Another thing I've potentially learned while searching around for pocket tin pictures, "Half and Half" is so called because it was originally a mix of half lucky strike and Buckingham Cut Plug tobaccos?
94351l.jpg


 

smith

Lurker
Apr 27, 2013
2
0
mid-late 90's I, as a young lad smokrd velvet and pa out of a pocket tin like the one shown in the first post. I did not smoke a pipe often. instead, I rolled cigarettes by hand. I loved the velvet tin. coste about 1.50. miss it. miss the memories.

 

mustanggt

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 6, 2012
819
4
I think the small square tins like Peterson and Dunhill have fit the bill myself.

 
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