Ancient Honey Tin

[Alastair]

This is a super old honey tin my beekeeper buddy has procured.

Note no nutrition information, no batch number, no nothing, just "Pure New Zealand Honey, 10 lbs net. ".

Anybody could date this or know who sold it?

 

[NickWallingford]

Well, the 10 pound Imperial weighting indicates middle-1970s or earlier.

The design is a generic one. That is, these tins were produced in massive quantities and then either overprinted with the beekeeper's details, or a sticky label attached to it. So unless that remains, you won't know who sold it.

There were previous versions of this tin, very similar (colouring, overall pattern, etc) but quite apparently older when you see them.

I gave away a similar tin some time ago along with some other honey pottles, etc. Anyone with any interest in honey tins should for sure visit Geoff Earnest's museum outside of Tirau - absolutely worth a few hours of looking around!

 

[Alastair]

With the lack of any brand or beekeeper name I was wondering if this was sold by the HMA?

 

[NickWallingford]

I do think they used this container, but more of the HMA's honey was either sold as Imperial Bee (a really old label that was used for many, many years) or using the Holland's Honey label - greenish container, Dutch woman on it, I think. It was the late 1960s when the HMA bought out Dick Holland (packer at Pleasant Point) and David Penrose's packing plant at Hornby. I think they bought the two to get the existing contracts for supply, as the HMA didn't have enough honey to keep its own Parnell honey plant working. Ultimately, buying those two packers put the HMA into a position where it was seen to be competing more with the local sales than working to export. The HMA was dismantled about 1980...

 

[John B]

Back in the day pretty much everyone extracted their own honey and sold at least some of it through gate sales. The regulations were a lot easier in those days. Unless you packed a lot of honey people tended to just use generic tins and sometimes pottles. At the time these tins were around we used to just use glue on labels and we also had to attach seals Levie stamps which came in sheets like postage stamps. If somebody wanted to post a five pound tin of honey overseas we would even solder the lid on in three spots with good old-fashioned lead solder.

 

[Alastair]

If somebody wanted to post a five pound tin of honey overseas we would even solder the lid on in three spots with good old-fashioned lead solder.

I can remember doing that

They were just plain tins, no markings at all

 

[Dennis Crowley]

Back in the day pretty much everyone extracted their own honey and sold at least some of it through gate sales. The regulations were a lot easier in those days. Unless you packed a lot of honey people tended to just use generic tins and sometimes pottles. At the time these tins were around we used to just use glue on labels and we also had to attach seals Levie stamps which came in sheets like postage stamps. If somebody wanted to post a five pound tin of honey overseas we would even solder the lid on in three spots with good old-fashioned lead solder.

Nick you need to write a book about the history of beekeeping in NZ, with those sort of sideline stories etc mixed in.

 

[Josh]

Nick you need to write a book about the history of beekeeping in NZ, with those sort of sideline stories etc mixed in.

Was thinking the same thing, I really enjoy these “origin” stories.

 

[mydoghasfleas]

I believe. And have heard on the radio that they used to sell honey in one pound blocks wrapped in greased paper like butter. The honey was of course crystallized and then cut.

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

I believe. And have heard on the radio that they used to sell honey in one pound blocks wrapped in greased paper like butter. The honey was of course crystallized and then cut.

That should be a pretty good system to keep the ants out of it. What a mess you would have in the summer months. I wonder why it went out of fashion?? lol