Now the petrol; can has pretty much been around since the motor car.
I can’t say I have given them much thought. Ours is green and was bought a few years ago after one of those embarrassing moments.
A quick trawl revealed that they come in all shapes and sizes, catering for the purist who favours metal over the flippity gibbet who always buys plastic.
What started me off was this one sent up to me by Roger in a lighted hearted bit of banter centering on our old and now long gone Citroën 2CV.
And in an instant I was pulled. It looks old and Roger has promised to venture back out to his shed to see if there are any clues to its age.
Unlike many petrol cans today, old ones came with a name or even a logo of the company that dispensed the.
So, on that fascinating site, A History of the World, run by the BBC and The British Museum, I came across two.
One of which, was a Shell can, which also contained a separate oil container. It had a screw-on top made of nickel silver, which ceased to be used around 1928 when chrome was introduced.
The other was a blue can from the Belfast company, Munster Simms, which had the all-Ireland franchise for petrol.*
They are in their way, beautiful things, and there are lots more on another site dedicated to all things petrol.** On its home page, Alan Chandler comments, "the purpose of this website is to share with other Petroliana collectors and enthusiasts the items and information available regarding our hobby.
Little is currently published either on paper or the internet covering early petrol pumps, globes, motoring enamel advertising signs and associated petroleum items.
This is surprising given the great interest in anything antique and the similar interest in old cars and associated automobilia.
This website is largely based on photographs of the 1500 plus items in my personal collection that I have assembled and restored over the last eight years."
And as these things happen once the blog is posted, the story just grows.
So Roger came back commenting that, "the significant thing about all of these cans is the fact that they were pre filled with one gallon of petrol and the price of the can and its contents were embossed into the can and the cap sealed with wire and a lead seal.
With the price of fuel being fairly stable 80 years ago, the manufacturers/suppliers of the pre filled cans could safely have the price embossed into the top of the can with no fear of fluctuating prices giving them a headache".
And Bill sent this, adding, "the granddaughter of this shop passed the picture on to me. In the early days of motoring those cans of petrol would have been purchased from shops like this one at 1118 Chester Rd Stretford as few garages existed".
All of which I suspect is the start of a new series.
We shall see.
Picture; red Esso petrol can, undated, from the collection of Roger Callow, and three, courtesy of David Harrop, and 1118 Chester Road shared by Bill Sumner
*Petrol Cans, http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/kTYo8AufRCKeTIx0UtFNww
**Petroliana.co.uk, http://www.petroliana.co.uk/List.asp?type=Category&string=Oil+Can
 |
| Roger's petrol can |
A quick trawl revealed that they come in all shapes and sizes, catering for the purist who favours metal over the flippity gibbet who always buys plastic.
What started me off was this one sent up to me by Roger in a lighted hearted bit of banter centering on our old and now long gone Citroën 2CV.
And in an instant I was pulled. It looks old and Roger has promised to venture back out to his shed to see if there are any clues to its age.
Unlike many petrol cans today, old ones came with a name or even a logo of the company that dispensed the.
So, on that fascinating site, A History of the World, run by the BBC and The British Museum, I came across two.
One of which, was a Shell can, which also contained a separate oil container. It had a screw-on top made of nickel silver, which ceased to be used around 1928 when chrome was introduced.
The other was a blue can from the Belfast company, Munster Simms, which had the all-Ireland franchise for petrol.*
 |
| Our 2CV |
Little is currently published either on paper or the internet covering early petrol pumps, globes, motoring enamel advertising signs and associated petroleum items.
This is surprising given the great interest in anything antique and the similar interest in old cars and associated automobilia.
 |
| And three from Mr Harrop |
So Roger came back commenting that, "the significant thing about all of these cans is the fact that they were pre filled with one gallon of petrol and the price of the can and its contents were embossed into the can and the cap sealed with wire and a lead seal.
With the price of fuel being fairly stable 80 years ago, the manufacturers/suppliers of the pre filled cans could safely have the price embossed into the top of the can with no fear of fluctuating prices giving them a headache".
 |
| 1118 Chester Road, Stretford, undated |
All of which I suspect is the start of a new series.
We shall see.
Picture; red Esso petrol can, undated, from the collection of Roger Callow, and three, courtesy of David Harrop, and 1118 Chester Road shared by Bill Sumner
*Petrol Cans, http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/kTYo8AufRCKeTIx0UtFNww
**Petroliana.co.uk, http://www.petroliana.co.uk/List.asp?type=Category&string=Oil+Can
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