Painted tin, USA, 20th century - Lot 226

Painted tin, USA, 20th century Round tobacco jar, “Roly Polys” style, made of painted tin. It is one of the containers commissioned by the “American Tobacco Company” in 1912 from its subsidiary “AKA Lindeco,” which specialized in decorating tinplate. Lindeco was a Baltimore physician named W. Luthe, who obtained the patent for these containers in 1912 and signed a contract with the “American Tobacco Company.” Each of these containers held one pound of tobacco from the following brands, listed on the tin itself: Dixie Queen, Mayo, Red Indian, and US Marine. Once emptied of their contents, they could be used as cookie jars for children. At least, that is what the company recommended in its advertising. There is a series of six figurines: the satisfied customer, the shopkeeper, the singing waiter, the Dutchman, Scotland Yard, and, the rarest of all, Mammy or the old Black nurse (Red Indian Mammy). Since each of these figurines could hold one of the four types of tobacco, there were twenty-four possible combinations. This series should not be confused with the one reissued in 1980 by Bristol Ware, in which the singing waiter is simply titled “The Singer.” This model, which dates back to 1912, is the “Singing Waiter,” and the pot is marked on the back with the tobacco brand: Mayo’s Cut Plug. A set of ten of these figurines was recently sold for $3,770. Signs of wear, warping, oxidation, and holes. Height: 17.5 cm