Toys & Stuff is picking up on a loose thread today by featuring another West Brothers candy container from 1914 by West Brothers Candy of Crapeville, Pennsylvania. Only one other container has been featured here and that was way back on Oct 20, 2010, soon after the blog started. There were sixteen different buildings in the series, which first came out in 1914, and I've only got a few of them. They have been given 'E&A + #' designations by the collecting community, not by West Bros.
My sample shown today is missing it's chimney but the lithography is still pretty decent. These diminutive little houses command fairly steep prices, not because they're old (many old things command practically nothing because of lack of collector interest) but because they are a popular collectible. Even one in the condition shown here can bring $50 or more. These originally came with small glass containers which held 1 1/4oz of candy and were held in place through the use of bent pieces of wire called 'grasshoppers'. To find a complete container is somewhat rare and you can bet your sweet bippy it'll set your wallet back a bunch of $$$, and unless I win the lottery I'm not even gonna try!!! All are approximately 1 3/4" (4.4cm) W x 2 3/4" (7cm) H x 2" (5.1cm) D. For a more detailed look at these check out the Candy Containers Collectors of America website:
