NO, WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU TO SELECT A NEW PARTNER, rather to help us with dating some chocolate boxes and confectionery tins for a forthcoming Ephemera Journal of Australia article. Murray’s were a British company who opened a factory in Brunswick in 1921. They also produced in a separate part of their factory Rowntree’s confectionery. Photograph of the inside lid by Mimmo Cozzolino (in fact all the beautiful photographs are by MC). The boxes and tins come from Will Muddyman’s museum.
Dating and technical information sought about the tins.
Is there a technical name for the type of tin/lid used for James’ Scorched Almonds?
And what about the ‘Exclusive Candies’ tin – which has an inset lid within the top of the tin. Are there technical terms for this? Does it help date the tin?
The last box may be for the export market as it advises the chocolates are from Australia and it is decorated with local birds and plants. The script in the lower right-hand corner says ‘Emu wrens and Sturt’s pea – Australia’.
Any thoughts at all about dating or other technical information is welcomed via the comments box below.
Darian Zam says
I have a container from Murray’s, it’s a tin for fruit salad barley sugar and I’d say dates from the 1930s. It looks to be contemporary to this POS box. Nothing from Murray’s is seen very often in Australia, probably due to age. All items I have observed over time have not been more recent than 1920s-1930s era, so they may not have outlasted this time. Whomever the Rowntree license passed to, and when, would likely tell that story. Probably to Hoadley, I suspect. In New Zealand the Rowntree license was produced by MCP (Mackintosh Caley Phoenix) who paid royalties to undertake this to parent company Mackintosh Rowntree York, into the early 1960s. As for St James I cannot help as I know nothing of this brand. I have seen some examples over the years and assumed they date around the late 1960s-early 1970s period.
DGh says
Radio National program Soul Search 12 April focus on chocolate, (Easter and eggs,etc) Role of quakers In chocolate industry. Cadbury, Rowntree and Fry’s for example. Will be of interest to Will Muddyman. Nothing about dating box, yet. Still to come the first Easter on Australian shores for James cook.
Michael Geddes says
I have one too