Koala canisters

Kraft koala canisters
made in Australia 1980s

More glass kitchen canisters! These are made by Kraft, and are in the shape of koalas. Originally sold with Vegemite or Peanut Butter, the form of the koala is much more apparently when the glass is filled with any kitchen food stuff [lentils spring to mind- only because they seem so hipsterish- as two of the koalas – with the red lids- are knitting.]

These canisters were made in the 80s; they have plastic lids [which are still air-tight and good for storing stuff]; canisters made in the 60s and early 70s had metal lids which weren’t so practical for re-use. Like the canisters below, the lids came in all manner of colours to make it easy to tell the jars apart. And they came in two sizes: as here, where we have one smaller size and two of the larger size.

The set of three canisters are for sale: $AU75

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Gayware [sold]

Gayware spice canisters
made by Gay Plastics, Sydney, Australia 1950-1965

This is a set of Gayware spice canisters: I have previously blogged about Gayware- the larger kitchen canisters and tea dispenser [see posts below– and ‘Sold’.] I just love Gayware – the name mostly.

In the 50s people cooked with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Chives, Allspice, and Ginger. Hence CNCAG. I’m sure you could rearrange the initials to make a more interesting anagram.

In today’s society, you could use them for coffee [C], newguinea coffee [N], another coffee variety [C], andulsian coffee [A] and guam coffee [G]. It’s all about coffee. At least, that’s what I would do.

The spice canisters are all in good order- the lids fit well to provide a seal; they are ready for any spice/coffee that you care to store in them.

They are for sale: $AUD125

Pyrex #60sstyle

Pyrex Stack ‘N’ See canisters
made in USA 1968-1972

I collected each of these containers individually, although back in the day they could be purchased in sets of four. The containers came in three colours: Avocado, Yellow and White and then in the early 70s a fantastic fake woodgrain was introduced.

The Stack ‘N’ See kitchen canisters were called Store ‘N’ See in America: why the name change here is anybody’s guess. In this collection of eleven canisters there are three 6oz, five 16oz, two 32oz and the large one is 48oz.

Transparent canisters are fantastic in the kitchen; you can see exactly what you’re storing, and each of the Pyrex canisters has a silicon sealing ring for air-tightness. Or – do as I do- store your vintage sewing notions in them. The stackability is a great design; the canisters take up minimal space and those funky 60s lids lend a great 60s vibe to any space.

The Stack ‘N’ See collection is for sale: $AUD125

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Nally canisters

Nally nested kitchen canisters
made in Australia 1960s

Here we have the R [rice] T [Tea] and C [coffee] containers- made from the new-fangled rigid plastic moulding process in the 60s by Nally. A new innovation, rigid moulding went on to replace bakelite in the production of kitchen canisters. This would have been originally a set of 5: the F [flour] and S [sugar] having gone AWOL.

Whatever, kitchen canisters are still highly collectible. I like to think the RTC set stands for Real Time Capacity. Or Regional Transport Commission. It’s up to you what you store in the R, T, C canisters. Roses, Tiramisu, Candy. Just some suggestions.

This set of 3 canisters is for sale: $AUD45

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Nally bakelite nested canisters

Nally nested bakelite canisters
made in Australia c. 1940s

I have posted nested bakelite canisters before…and everytime I do I am reminded of the weird world of the 40s, when coffee was in smallest canister and flour the largest! Oh, how times change! It would be great to swap the names on the canisters to reflect a more contemporary use of flour and coffee…but that would mean pulling out that lovely cursive script, which is fixed to the canisters by little bakelite pegs in holes drilled though the canister. And – each script has been laminated to fit the circumference of the canister. One just has to deal with it!

The canisters are a lovely off-white colour, and the lids and script are green. The lids to this Nally set are unusual in that they give a slid nod to the art deco era- being articulated with graduated rings. Most nested canister sets of the period have simple smooth lids, with a central cast-in knob. [See previous posts for myriad examples!]

For sale; $AUD95

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Gayware kitchen canisters [sold]

Gayware kitchen canisters
made by Gay Plastics, Sydney, Australia 1950-1965

I am so fond of these red, nested canisters. Like the anodised set below, they too were used to store Flour, Sugar, Rice, Tea and Coffee. Gayware started out making bakelite canisters but by the early 50s manufacturers world-wide were switching to this lighter, more stable form of plastic and Gayware switched too.

These canisters have never been used for their intended purpose, so are now good for anything you might care to store in them. As long as it’s something gay! Unfortunately the Flour canister lid has a slight chip [not discernible from the outside] and the Sugar lid has had some fixing in the past- again, this is not discernible from the top side. These imperfections don’t impair the functioning of the canisters, but they do render the set less-than-perfect.

For sale: $AUD125

Repurposing retro

Jason ‘Model Made’ kitchen canisters
made in Australia c.1958

These ‘harlequin’ [multi-coloured] anodised aluminum canisters were bought by my partner’s family in 1958– they had pride of place in the kitchen, and were lovingly polished every Saturday. Now they sit in my sewing studio and contain my sewing notions – buttons, zips, cotton – with not so much polishing.

The large Flour canister and the smallest Coffee canister represent a time when coffee was a far less important commodity than flour- I think you could argue that it’s the other way around in our world. The canisters have bakelite handles, which is a lovely touch. The letter designations on the side are unusually decorative for a 50s product – but I find myself using the bright colours to remember where I store my buttons.

Retro canisters have been collectible for quite a while, and I recently saw a Model Made set for sale for over $250. However, my partner refuses to part with them, and they are a bright and useful addition to my studio.