What do you use to keep your crackers in, an old saltine tin probably. See where I am going here? These are all considered collectibles, just start looking for them at antique malls and you'll see that dealers think highly of them also.
Tins can still be found for very little at garage sales and thrift stores. Just wait until springtime when the sales start up and all the candy tins from Christmas will be there.
Many tins can be purchased as premiums directly from the company. In recent years company offered tins include: the Cream of Wheat (shown on right), Crayola tins, Betty Crocker Muffin tin and a very nice Pioneer Sugar tin. The sugar tin holds a five pound bag of sugar and is used instead of a decorative canister.
Shopping at the grocery store can yield numerous tins. Celestial Seasoning Tea tins, and Campbell Soup Recipe tins along with numerous candy tins at Christmas time and the traditional Christmas Oreo tins have been available over the years.
As with all collections, if you can temper your buying at the start, it will be better in the long run. Don't buy everything you see, otherwise it will not take long to literally have hundreds of tins.
Decide if you want to stick with contemporary tins or vintage tins. One option is to collect only a certain category of tins, e.g. recipe tins or tobacco tins. Another option is to stick with just one company and collect only their tins. Whitmans, Quaker Oats and Nabisco are just a few that will fill your shelves with their company alone. You can always change your mind later, but being selective at the beginning will stop that sinking feeling of being overrun by your own tins.
One of the great things about the Internet and Collecting is the huge opportunity to increase your collection without travel and to make friends worldwide. A Canadian Sugar Twin tin (shown in photos above) was available in supermarkets and a trade with a Canadian penpal brought it to my home.
