How to Collect Old Tin Boxes
Collect history when you collect old tins. Tin boxes, used to store valuable and perishable items in days gone by, are a popular collectibles. Find old tea, tobacco or food tins at rummage sales or auction houses. Enjoy the pictures found on the storage containers of the past and see the world as it was when tins were used to store and advertise the items people used in everyday life.
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Instructions
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Travel to flea markets, antique stores and other places that sell collectible items. Find tins that once contained tea, tobacco, aspirin and other household items. Consider collecting only certain types of tins or certain types of designs. Decide if you want to collect for pleasure, profit or both.
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Buy a guide about collectible antique tin boxes or borrow one from your local library. Research the prices you can expect to pay and what to look for in authentic tin boxes. Visit websites such as Collectors Weekly to learn more about old tins and ways to identify authentic antiques. Learn the language and history of the old tins you intend to collect.
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Start collecting. Buy tins you enjoy and want to display. Check prices on McKune's Sporting Collectibles website or at a reputable local dealer to find tins that are in demand. Remember, the collectors market is fickle. A tin worth hundreds today may be worth much less tomorrow. Buy old tins in good condition, it affects their value. Enjoy the art and advertising that appears on each old tin you buy.
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Tips & Warnings
Reproduction tins are a less expensive way to complete a collection and are collectible in their own right.
