Milk Jug Old Fashioned Milk Jug
How to Appointment Old Milk Cans
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Kate Miller-Wilson
An gorging antiques collector herself, Kate has written about antiques for many years. She has also managed an online antiques community.
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Antique Collector
Metal milk cans can be a beautiful addition to whatsoever farmhouse kitchen or vintage farm collection, and learning how to date old milk cans is very useful. If you know how quondam the tin is, you lot can get a improve sense of its value.
Milk Can History
Used to transport milk from the cow to the home, some of these cans date dorsum hundreds of years. The earliest metallic milk cans are from the Island of Guernsey about ane,000 years ago, where they were made past hammering sheets of metal into a prepare form in the same fashion armor of the era was made. The design changed over fourth dimension to create the standard shape you are likely to see in antique stores. The tapered top helped keep the milk from spilling during transport, especially during the 19th century when carts and wagons were the principal form of transport. Almost examples you'll see are made from tin, steel, or copper. Milk cans savage out of common usage every bit dairy ship methods inverse subsequently the invention of refrigerated trucks.
How to Engagement Erstwhile Milk Cans
If you take an old milk can or are because one in an antique store or flea market, in that location are some clues for establishing a date, according to Antiquarian Trader. Follow these steps to make up one's mind how one-time your milk can may exist.
Consider the Size
Older milk cans from the 19th century tend to be larger, often holding up to 25 gallons. If a milk can is this size, it probable dates to before 1920. Smaller milk cans, such as those that can hold five gallons, could be from any time in the 19th or 20th centuries.
Look for a Patent
Milk can designs changed ofttimes as farmers adjusted them to meliorate arrange their needs. Many cans feature patent numbers, which offering an easy clue most date. Check the can over thoroughly for a patent number and and so expect the number up at the Usa Patent Office. You'll become a specific engagement that patent was issued.
Bank check for a Creamery Label or Farmer's Name
Many onetime milk cans include a characterization for the creamery that owned it or a small brass tag with the proper noun of the farmer. Either of these tin give you more data about the milk tin's history, including an estimate age for information technology. Exercise a local search or contact the library in the town where the creamery was located. There may be records of the business that will give y'all a range of dates for the can.
Look at the Materials and Construction
Older milk cans are constructed from thicker metallic, while new ones were made of thinner tin. Older cans also tend to be fabricated of three pieces of metal that are welded together instead of a single piece of metal. Additionally, labels on older cans are thick paper instead of a thin sticker.
Cheque for Holes in the Cap
The cap of older milk cans from before 1920 ofttimes had several small holes to aid vent steam from the warm milk as it cooled. These were eliminated in later cans.
Value of Antique Milk Cans
Many milk can collectors bask gathering cans from a specific region to create a collection. Others choose cans with painted images or cans made of copper. Value depends on what collectors are looking for, simply most cans range from almost $20 to well over $200. Condition is a big factor in value with cans in great shape with clear labels and minimal damage fetching the virtually. Here are a few sample values of what milk cans are worth:
- A modest ruby-red-painted milk tin in rough shape with no characterization sold on eBay for almost $20.
- A simple galvanized steel 10-gallon milk tin can in first-class condition sold for about $85.
- A lovely polished copper milk tin can with brass handles and a creamery postage sold for about $350.
Using Antique Milk Cans in Your Decor
If you bask decorating with antiques, milk cans are a great add-on to your home. You can use them as a large vase for holding flowers or greenery or but display them in a grouping as kitchen collectibles. Some people also use them as outdoor decorations, but exposure to the weather can cause damage over fourth dimension. No thing how y'all choose to use them, they make a charming and functional antique with a pretty farmhouse flair.
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