This is an antique double sided pictorial sign advertising Williams' Cigarettes. c1902.
Be assured this is a genuine antique double sided tin sign and not a modern reproduction or fake, just because you have never seen one before !!
The sign is TIN metal and has an image of a "Kits" cigarette pack in the centre with cats on the box.
The sign reads:
Smoke
Williams'
"KITS" Cigarettes.
Maker's name at the bottom is BW&M. Ltd Mansfield.
It is also marked Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain and Ireland Limited.
Imperial Tobacco Company was formed in 1901 when a lot of tobacco companies amalgamated. Williams' "KITS" will probably have just been a small local company that was taken over or a trade name for this packet of cigarettes at a short period of time, that is why you will have a job finding any other reference to this sign anywhere.
B.W.&M. Ltd Mansfield was Barringer, Wallis & Manners Ltd being packaging tin makers as well as producing advertising brewery trays and clearly shop signs like this one. The company started life in about 1839 and progressed through the years with relatives getting involved in the company and various divisions were made with the company Mustard manufacturers to Barringer, Wallis & Manners becoming tinplate decorators and printers. In 1892 they got a lithographic printing plant and onto a rotary printing press in 1903. The website I got this information from is really fascinating and shows a photograph of their display of wares at an Exhibition. It is impressive.
Please see pictures provided for more details and visual confirmation of condition.
The metal ware has rusted and tarnished in places which has effected the pictorial advert. Please be assured this is a TIN sign and NOT the earlier enamel type of sign.
The INSIDE of the sign is in slightly better condition than the front.
A very RARE sign and I cannot actually find one like it to compare it with. I can find a ref. to Williams Cigarette cards, and the cig. card book has mention of the company W. Williams & Co.
Actually I have just found a ref. to the company W. Williams & Co of Chester amalgamating with Imperial Tobacco in 1902. So there we have it.
FIND ANOTHER if you can !?
It measures approx. 12 inches x 9 inches and the L shaped part that is used to attach it to a wooden pole is 1 and 3/8ths inch deep.
My stock ref : hanging on my wall.
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Scale is usually an English 1 penny coin which is 20mm in diameter which is just short of 7/8ths of an inch in diameter, or a universal Coke can, and we all know how big those are.
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