A George W. Horner toffee tin measures about 6¾ inches high. SCOTT SIMMONS / FLORIDA WEEKLY
There are few foods more decidedly English than toffees. Mint Tin Box
But there are few things I can think of that are decidedly less English than flamingos.
Yet the two come together in one deliciously whimsical design on this toffee tin.
Ordinarily, I would not have given a vintage toffee tin a second look.
After all, I don’t need one more thing sitting around.
But when a tin has a very graphic design of flamingos and a cool marbleized green Bakelite knob, then it’s destined for a spot somewhere in my very Florida house.
This tin, by George W. Horner & Co. Ltd., Chester-le-Street, County of Durham, probably dates from sometime in the 1930s through the early ’50s. The company closed in 1960, according to online sources.
The 6¾-inch-high tin bears an Art Deco-inspired design of pink flamingos against a black background.
Stylized palm trees stand over a scene that includes tropical flowers.
It’s a tropical look that must have seemed positively exotic in a day when people frequently never left their town or county, let alone the country, to travel to far-away locales. A Lalique plate measures about 5½ inches in diameter.
A Lalique plate measures about 5½ inches in diameter.
Advertising tins remain a popular collectible, especially if they have beautiful or entertaining decorations or text.
This tin bears a few minor scratches, but is free of rust and has just enough patina to tell the story of 80 years of survival.
I paid $12 for it; similar ones are available online in the $15-$30 range, making this one a comparative bargain.
Now, if only I had some fresh toffee!!
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So it stands to reason that objects of quality sometimes fall victim to less expensive copies — think of all the fake Louis Vuitton luggage and accessories out there!
It’s the same with the glassware of René Lalique. The French glassmaker’s designs have inspired work by companies around the world — it’s always funny to hear antiques dealers speaking of the grandmothers who have crystal plates made in Japan in the 1970s that they think are Lalique. Scott Simmons
I immediately was suspicious when I visited a thrift shop frequented by antiques dealers and saw two petite frosted glass plates that looked like the Lalique Honfleur, or Geranium leaf, design.
They were priced at $1.95 for the pair.
The quality looked right — clear, beautifully finished glass.
I turned them over to look for an etched signature and, at first, saw nothing.
Then I looked again and made out “Lalique France” etched on the edge of the frosted rim of the plate. Lesson learned: Look everywhere when seeking a signature.
You need to do that with Steuben and other glass, too. Objects often are signed in the middle, like Heisey glass, with its diamond-H motif. But even Heisey placed its mark on the sides and stems of candlesticks and goblets. Same with Steuben, which may have used an acid-etched mark in the middle of the bottom of earlier pieces, before resorting to hand-etched signatures along an edge on later pieces.
So, turn that plate over and look — you may have treasure! ¦
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