Vintage Wilbur’s Breakfast Cocoa Tin (1lb) – Cupid Design – Philadelphia

Vintage Wilbur’s Breakfast Cocoa Tin (1lb) – Cupid Design – Philadelphia & Lititz PA some age related wear amazing displayed in a coffee shop or kitchen etc !!

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17 cm tall

10 cm wide

8 cm depth

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That Cupid artwork is pure vintage Americana and the condition looks really honest and display-worthy.

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Vintage Wilbur’s Breakfast Cocoa Tin (1lb) – Cupid Design – Philadelphia & Lititz, PA

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A wonderfully characterful vintage Wilbur’s Breakfast Cocoa tin, featuring a charming Cupid/cherub stirring a steaming cup of cocoa – a fabulous piece of classic American advertising design.

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This is a 1 pound net weight tin, produced by Wilbur Chocolate Co., Inc., with the manufacturer locations shown as Philadelphia and Lititz, Pennsylvania. The soft faded background tones, bold typography, and warm browns and reds make it an eye-catching display piece, perfect for a vintage kitchen shelf, pantry display, prop styling or tinware collection.

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The lid fits well and the tin presents beautifully from the front, with authentic age patina throughout (exactly what collectors love in genuine vintage packaging).

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Condition

Good vintage condition with expected age-related wear:

surface marks, scuffs and spotting

areas of fading / patina

general age wear consistent with genuine vintage tinware

(Please study photos carefully as they form part of the description.)

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Ideal for

vintage kitchen / pantry styling

collectors of tins, advertising ephemera & chocolate memorabilia

display, prop use, décor and gifting

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— Wilbur’s has a proper cocoa-and-chocolate pedigree.

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Wilbur’s Cocoa / Wilbur Chocolate Company – A Short History

📍 Origins: Pennsylvania chocolate makers

Wilbur’s cocoa comes from the Wilbur Chocolate Company, a historic American chocolate manufacturer based in Pennsylvania — most famously connected with Lititz, Lancaster County (a major chocolate-making region in the US).

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Wilbur is considered one of the old-established names in American chocolate, with roots reaching back to the 19th century, when cocoa and chocolate production was growing quickly in the US due to industrial processing and rising demand for packaged food goods.

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Why “Philadelphia and Lititz, PA” appears on tins

Many Wilbur cocoa tins (like yours) include the wording:

“Wilbur Chocolate Co., Inc., Philadelphia and Lititz, Pa.”

This reflects the company’s operational footprint — Philadelphia being a major commercial hub and Lititz being a long-term manufacturing centre.

Lititz is particularly significant because it became known for chocolate production and confectionery manufacturing (very much part of Pennsylvania’s industrial food history).

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Wilbur’s Breakfast Cocoa – what it was

“Breakfast Cocoa” was a very common product category in the late 1800s through early-mid 1900s.

It wasn’t breakfast cereal cocoa (!) — it was marketed as:

nourishing

energising

suitable for daily use

“wholesome” for families and children

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Cocoa was heavily promoted at the time as a healthful drink, and brands used romantic, comforting, or family-friendly imagery to make it feel essential in the home.

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The Cupid / cherub design: why it matters

The tin’s artwork (Cupid stirring cocoa) is classic advertising illustration that leans into:

warmth + indulgence

sweetness and romance

“comfort drink” associations

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This kind of imagery fits beautifully into the 1900–1940 design world (though exact dating depends on side panels, base markings, seams, and print style).

The sweet spot for this tin’s design feels 1930s-ish to me,

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Wilbur’s legacy & collectability

Wilbur’s remains a highly collectable cocoa/chocolate name, especially for:

advertising tins

lithographed packaging

vintage American pantry/kitchen décor

chocolate and confectionery memorabilia

The fact your tin is: ✅ branded

✅ pictorial

✅ lithographed

✅ has its lid

✅ readable and displayable

…puts it in the “desirable” bracket (not just “old tin”).