Rare turn-of-the-century tobacco tin sells for $55K at Ontario auction

1 month_ago 19

Kitchener-Waterloo

A tiny Canadian chewing baccy tin, primitively estimated to merchantability for astir $9,000 to $12,000 fetched a whopping $55,000 astatine a New Hamburg auction implicit the weekend.

3 Strikes baseball-themed chewing baccy tin sold for 5 times its valuation astatine Miller & Miller Auctions

Josette Lafleur · CBC News

· Posted: May 26, 2025 12:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Rare baccy tin hits auction block

A small, astir 125-year-old Canadian tin that erstwhile held chewing baccy was auctioned connected Sunday done Miller & Miller Auctions. The auction institution says it's unsocial due to the fact that it features a representation of a shot player. It's considered a "cross collectible" due to the fact that it appeals to collectors of baccy items arsenic good arsenic those who cod shot memorabilia.

A rare, astir 125-year-old reddish and yellowish pouch tin sold for an astounding $55,000 astatine a New Hamburg auction connected Sunday.

When Ethan Miller, CEO of Miller & Miller Auctions, and his member Justin came crossed the near mint information 3 Strikes chewing baccy tin, they knew they had conscionable acquired a scarce portion of Canadian memorabilia.

Miller explained pouch tins successful wide are hard to travel by, but a pouch tin successful the highest people information "is huge."

"When Justin and I saw the representation of this tin for the archetypal time, we knew it was rare. There's been precise small auction past connected the merchantability of 3 Strikes tins," said Miller.

So small history, successful fact, that this is lone the seventh known illustration of this circumstantial marque of tin to aboveground since it was produced successful the aboriginal 1900s.

The tiny tin, made by the Erie Tobacco Company, is considered a "cross collectible" acknowledgment to it being sports-themed.

Two hands show a uncommon 3 Strikes baccy tin.

"One of the coolest things ... is the information that it's shot themed," said Miller. "It has a ... turn-of-the-century, circa 1900, shot subordinate representation connected the beforehand of the tin."

Something that drew successful sports collectors and baccy tin collectors alike.

"You tin good ideate immoderate of the bidding rivalry that we've seen."

A pre-auction bid had already fetched the tiny tin a chill $29,000 a fewer days before it was acceptable to spell up.

"When you get thing uncommon successful a desirable class and successful very, precise bully information you conscionable ne'er cognize however overmuch it volition command," said Ed Locke, a trader of nostalgia for implicit 50 years.

A 3 Strikes pouch tin sits successful beforehand of 3 different pouch tins.

The tin was discovered during a location renovation successful Kingsville, Ont., astir 200 metres from the archetypal Erie Tobacco factory.

"I judge it was recovered successful a partition cavity and a contractor that was moving astatine the clip passed it implicit to ... the household ... and said you mightiness privation this arsenic a memento oregon a souvenir." said Miller. "Nobody knew the value."

Originally estimated astatine $9,000 to $12,000, the household was "gobsmacked" and had nary thought the tin would merchantability for that much.

"Collectors tin beryllium a comic breed" said Miller. "Find thing they request to implicit their collection, and wealth is nary object."