Sellex bakelite canisters_kanga & roo salt and pepper shakers

Sellex nested bakelite canisters, made in Australia c. 1940s
Kanga and Roo salt & pepper shakers, made in Japan c.1960s

These Sellex bakelite canisters ‘Rice’ and ‘Coffee’ have been separated from their red-lidded set [flour, tea and sugar…] but Kanga and Roo are in their entirety; Roo being the pepper, and Kanga – the salt. Roo pops out the pouch, should be in need of pepper.

I’m sure someone out there has the rest of the Sellex set – or at least wants to add to canisters already collected. The somewhat flowery transfer labels are a little worn, but it’s clear that more Rice was used than Coffee!

The ceramic kanga and roo S & P shaker set is adorable and in perfect condition.

For sale: $AUD85

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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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Koala jars [sold]

Kraft koala jars
made in Australia 1970s

These adorable koala jars originally held vegemite and were sold as collectible / reusable jars back in the 70s. You can date the jars to that era as they have their original metal lids; by the 80s the metal lids were replaced with big chunky plastic lids. Not nearly as nice.

So far my koala jars have held: boiled lollies, buttons and zips- clearly not all at the same time. I like the way the colours of the small objects inside the jar flesh out the koala’s contours; you can’t appreciate the cuteness of the koalas in my photo while the jars are empty.

Since collecting these two jars I have added a third- with its original yellow and black Kraft metal lid. SO cute. Those lids were made to last- they are still air-tight after 40-odd years. As attested by my boiled lollies!

Imagine a kitchen filled with koala jars. Koala jars filled with every known lolly. Or- you know- rice and flour and stuff.

The koala jars are for sale: $AUD55 [gum leaf optional]

Bakelite canisters [sold]

Bakelite kitchen canisters
made in Australia 1940s

Following from my last post- here is a selection of bakelite canisters made in the 40s by four different manufacturers: from the top left:

Flour canister, red lid – Eon
Flour canister, green lid- Sellex
Square blue lid canister – Marquis
Tea canister, round blue- Nally.

I do have whole canister sets- and have posted them previously, but it’s also good to mix and match canisters. The canisters do double duty providing storage as well as adding much needed colour. The red lid canister holds takeaway pamphlets whilst the tea canister holds – tea. Colour coding at it’s best!

This set of four canisters is for sale: $AUD85

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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Sellex bakelite canisters_kanga & roo salt and pepper shakers

Sellex nested bakelite canisters, made in Australia c. 1940s
Kanga and Roo salt & pepper shakers, made in Japan c.1960s

These Sellex bakelite canisters ‘Rice’ and ‘Coffee’ have been separated from their red-lidded set [flour, tea and sugar…] but Kanga and Roo are in their entirety; Roo being the pepper, and Kanga – the salt. Roo pops out the pouch, should be in need of pepper.

I’m sure someone out there has the rest of the Sellex set – or at least wants to add to canisters already collected. The somewhat flowery transfer labels are a little worn, but it’s clear that more Rice was used than Coffee!

The ceramic kanga and roo S & P shaker set is adorable and in perfect condition.

For sale: $AUD85

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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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Red & white Eon canisters

Red & white Eon bakelite canisters
made in Australia, c.1940s

This is an unusual set of bakelite canisters- four are ‘nested canisters : flour, sugar, tea and coffee – and the fifth larger canister is for cake. The nested canisters have transfer labels…somewhat scrapped from long years of service, but the cake canister is unlabelled. Maybe people just knew that the round, squat non-nesting canister was always for cake!

The canisters – and the labelling- have a somewhat deco styling which is somewhat late for the 1940s- but perhaps these canisters were themselves aiming for retro? Either way, the creamy white bakelite contrasts nicely with the vibrant red bakelite of the lids. And it’s nice to have a complete, intact set.

For sale: $AUD145

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