Vintage 1930s Blue Bird Luxury Assortment Tin – Harry Vincent Ltd

Vintage 1930s Blue Bird Luxury Assortment Tin – Harry Vincent Ltd

A wonderfully decorative vintage Blue Bird confectionery tin, produced for Harry Vincent Ltd of Hunnington, near Birmingham, and dating to around the 1930s.

This is a particularly attractive example, decorated in a rich turquoise-green colourway with a striking blue swallow in flight amongst flowering branches.

The design has a distinctly Oriental-inspired feel, with stylised blossom, sweeping branches and decorative gilt-toned borders giving the tin far more visual appeal than the average sweet or toffee tin of the period.

Lift the hinged lid and the original advertising panel is revealed inside, reading:

“BLUE BIRD

LUXURY

ASSORTMENT”

with the Harry Vincent Ltd, Hunnington near Birmingham, England name beneath.

Harry Vincent established a successful confectionery business in the Birmingham area, with Blue Bird becoming one of the company's best-known brands. During the interwar period the firm operated from its substantial Hunnington works, producing Blue Bird toffees and confectionery for customers throughout Britain and beyond.

The surviving branded interior makes this example particularly pleasing from a social-history and advertising point of view.

The tin retains its original hinged lid and front clasp.

It measures approximately:

23cm wide

17cm deep

10.5cm high

Condition

A genuinely vintage example with plenty of age and character. There is noticeable wear to the lithographed decoration, including rubbing, scratches and areas of colour loss, particularly around the lid edges, corners and raised surfaces. The clasp and metal fittings show surface rust and oxidation, while the interior also has age-related marks and wear.

Importantly, the main bird and blossom decoration remains very attractive and the interior Blue Bird advertising panel is still clear and colourful. Please study the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.

Why we love it

This is one of those tins that works beautifully both as a collectible and as decorative storage. The turquoise colour, blossom decoration and swooping blue bird give it a wonderfully evocative interwar look, while the original Blue Bird advertising inside adds a little piece of British confectionery history.

A lovely addition to a collection of vintage tins, advertising memorabilia, kitchenalia or social-history pieces.

Circa: 1930s

Maker: Harry Vincent Ltd, Hunnington near Birmingham

Brand: Blue Bird Luxury Assortment

Material: Lithographed tinplate

Size: Approx. 23cm x 17cm x 10.5cm

Vintage and antique items will naturally show signs of age and previous use. We describe all items to the best of our knowledge and aim to photograph condition clearly. Colours may vary slightly between screens.