Peek Frean tins - 1st collection

>> Sunday, April 23, 2006

I don't really think of myself as a collector. When I go to flea markets I look for things that I think are beautiful or useful but preferably both. I know when I get a little thrill that I've found something I really want to take home. Sometimes it's disappointing when I find something that I think is beautiful and it turns out it's a special kind of collectible I hadn't known about and therefore too expensive for me. I usually want to use the things I find, rather than display them, and I'm not looking to complete a set, or find things that are rare and worth a lot of money. So I'm not that kind of collector, but I do tend to find things of a certain kind and I sometimes inadvertently start a collection of sorts.

Today I went to the Sunday market at St. Lawrence with a girlfriend and found lots of things I really like. I've decided to group them and show them as collections with similar things I've found previously. Otherwise I would have too many pictures in one post! So the first "collection" is of Peek Frean cookie tins from England in the 50s/60s? I'm not quite sure. I keep finding ones with beautiful blue and green colours, which match the colours in our place and I can't resist them.

It started with this floral tin, I found it at Goodwill for $1. I love the colours and the flowers on the tin, and I also thought it was a nice useful size for crafts supplies. I was so smitten with the tin I couldn't believe it was going for $1 and felt like I needed to dash over to the cashier before they realized their mistake. I put all my balls of size 8 pearl cotton and some beads into it (for miniature bead knitting) and I carried it with me on trips. The tins are great for that because the lid can also be used as a tray so you can sort out beads and buttons etc. on it without them getting scattered and lost. Incidentally, I saw this tin in the movie The Magdalene Sisters. The nun had it in her office. Gosh that movie was sad (but beautiful).The second tin I found was from the Sunday market. It had a blue kingfisher bird on it and I was told it was quite collectible. That's when I realized that people collect Peek Frean tins, but I just liked the pictures on them. So that one cost more, I think around $12.The next Peek Frean tin I found at the Sunday market had butterflies. At this point I had the tins stacked together with a variety of crafts supplies in them.This Peek Frean tin with fish on it was full of marbles when I found it at the market, but the seller agreed to just sell the tin. I think that one was $10. So since I had a few tins by then I was able to sort out my crafts supplies by type. One tin now has ribbons in it, one has buttons, one has trim like binding and rick-rack, etc.And finally, here is the new addition from today. It goes to show that I don't start a collection for its own sake because it isn't a Peek Frean tin at all. But the graphic style is similar. I like the way the lid indents on this and I like the decoration around the rim which you can see more clearly in the second picture. This one was $10. (I don't know why I keep telling you the prices, but I started that up so I'll carry on.)On this visit to the Sunday market I also found a lot of buttons but I will save that for the next post!

17 comments:

Anonymous,  April 23, 2006  

Your tins are beautiful. And they can be useful, especially the part of using the lid as a tray for the inside paraphanalia...but I always have a hard time getting them open. Arthritis, maybe? or just all thumbs.

Anonymous,  April 23, 2006  

Very pretty - I love tins, too. I've started buying plain ones so I can paint and decoupage them.

Anonymous,  April 24, 2006  

So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so PRETTY!

Anonymous,  April 24, 2006  

Neat thing to collect--and so practical (for storage)! Those are beautiful. And being an avid garage saler, I can appreciate your divulging the prices. That's a part of the treasure hunt!

Strikkelise April 24, 2006  

Your tins are so beautiful. Especially the last one I think, love the lid.

AMCSviatko April 24, 2006  

Prices are good! Prices are sometimes the best bits of the story (along with mentions of marbles and other interesting sideroads in the story). And you can feel smug that you got such loveliness for so little and we can applaud your bargain hunting skills...

Suzanne Cranston April 24, 2006  

love the butterfly tin!

Elisabet April 24, 2006  

The fish tin is so beautiful! Looking forward to the button-post...

Samantha April 24, 2006  

Those tins are just divine. I think the first floral one and the fish are my favourites!

Susan Mitchell April 24, 2006  

These tins are so beautiful - such rich colours! It's nice to think that they will have a new life in your home. Love 'em!

weirdbunny April 24, 2006  

Those tins are adorable.

Kim Carney April 26, 2006  

I am in love with those tins!!

Anonymous,  April 26, 2006  

you made those tins feel very appealing. I have a few too but not that type--I'll have to keep my eye out now.

krissy April 27, 2006  

ooh, i love those old cookie tins! years ago i bought a few at v.v. for dirt cheap (probably $1, like one of yours) but i haven't seen these pretty vintage ones since. now i know it must be because they are so "collectible". i had no idea...

Dawn Gahan July 31, 2008  

Claire,

Chanced upon your blog when googling "Peek Frean." I'm a collector myself and love some that you have that I've not seen before!

Stop by my blog if you get a chance. Here is a post I did about my Peek Frean tins:

http://gahangirls.blogspot.com/2008/03/peek-frean-and-other-floral-tins.html

Have enjoyed your blog immensely!

Dawn

chef^o^oath April 05, 2010  

your tins all beautiful . and you make me find "Peek Frean." tins to collect .i got another "Peek Frean." tins

oath April 05, 2010  

i love peek frean tins and i collecting too.your collections so beautiful.

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