Antique Colman’s Mustard Wooden Advertising Crate – Early 20th Century original

Antique Colman’s Mustard Wooden Advertising Crate – Early 20th Century original not reproduction.

Displayed with other items illustration only

25 cm wide

23 cm depth

15 cm tall

A wonderfully evocative early 20th-century wooden advertising crate for Colman’s Mustard, with faded original red, black and yellow stencilled decoration to the sides. The crate is marked “Colman’s Mustard”, “D.S.F.” and “6lbs – 2oz tins”, suggesting it originally held a wholesale quantity of 2oz tins of Colman’s dry mustard. The “D.S.F.” wording refers to Double Superfine, one of Colman’s recognised grades of dry mustard. Period sources note that J. & J. Colman offered several qualities of dry mustard, including Double Superfine, Superfine, Fine and Seconds.

The most charming detail is the surviving royal appointment wording: “By Appointment to the King.” This places the crate broadly within a King’s reign rather than Queen Victoria or Elizabeth II, most likely early 20th century, with a strong possibility of the Edward VII or George V period depending on the exact label style. It has exactly the sort of honest, workaday wear one wants in old shop and grocery advertising: rubbed paint, darkened edges, staining, old knocks, nail heads, historic marks and visible age-related wood tracking.

Maker history

Colman’s is one of Britain’s great household names. The company traces its roots to 1814, when Jeremiah Colman took over a mustard-making business at Stoke Holy Cross near Norwich. In 1823 he was joined by his adopted nephew James, forming J. & J. Colman. The firm became famous not only for its mustard, but also for flour, starch, cornflour and laundry blue.

The now-iconic bull’s head trademark first appeared in 1855, followed by the distinctive red and yellow branding in the 1860s. Colman’s also became closely associated with royal patronage, with Queen Victoria granting the firm a Royal Warrant in 1866. Colman’s own history still leans heavily into its long mustard-making tradition, noting that its English mustard dates from 1814 and that the seeds are sieved repeatedly to create the famous sharp flavour.

This crate would make a superb piece of vintage kitchenalia, rustic shop display, pantry storage, pub décor or British advertising memorabilia. It has the kind of worn, tactile surface that instantly tells a story — less “perfect collectible”, more “rescued from the back of an old grocer’s store”, which is very much its charm.

Condition

Good decorative antique condition with heavy age-related wear. Original stencilling remains visible but is faded and worn in places. There are stains, knocks, surface wear, old nail heads, darkened corners and visible old wood tracking/marks. The crate is open-topped and rustic, best suited for decorative use, display or light storage.

Early 20th Century Colman’s Mustard Wooden Advertising Crate – By Appointment to the King

Vintage Advertising / Kitchenalia / Rustic Storage / Social History Collectibles