Thanks Tom Wolfe, I found your article summed things up nicely and I posted a link to it on my Yahoo Australia pipe smokers forum. When referring to vintage tobacco, I was meaning in a secondary market sense similar to estate pipes, but its not usually called estate tobacco.
The product has already been purchased from a retailer, however years later its sold to us hobbyists and collectors of well aged or no longer produced blends.
As you know, consignment stores, vintage dealers and some online tobacconists on sell these tins.
I would have thought the consigned tobacco tin is owned by the original owner and never by the one providing the service to sell it. -Tim