The Devil's Shortening and other Uncanny Finds

Another one of my odd fascinations (and there are many) is with vintage cans and containers.  I usually find these holding miscellaneous nuts and/or bolts in the garages of estate sales.  I previously wrote of a few finds here and here.  Here a few recent finds.

Crisco

Quick Method Yellow Cake

Coconut Cream Pie

It's digestible

I recall the controversy with Proctor & Gamble's company emblem.

Some people believed this to be a representation of The Devil (capital "The").  It's a bit of a stretch to me, but they saw the sign of the beast in the stars in the logo:

Along with the horns and another '666'.

Apparently, all the previous owner of the can saw was a place to put his spare radio tubes.

The sign of the Radio Tube. Oooooooo...

This rumor persisted until Proctor & Gamble finally relented and modified the logo in 1991 to remove the controversial elements and finally eliminated the logo altogether in 1995.

Okay class, who can tell me what this metal tab soldered to the lid is from.

Tom-Boy was the only grocery store in town when I was growing up.  A few years ago, I donated one of my Tom-Boy finds to LeGrands Market, a former Tom-Boy that has maintained a shrine to its past along with its small town feel.  They have an excellent deli with made-to-order sandwiches.

As a child, I found the Tom-boy tom-boy kind of creepy.

Dining Car Coffee

Finding this can in my mother's grocery bags was a rarity and one the great joys of childhood.

I remember reading "The History of Chocolate and Cocoa" over and over.  Of course, they never taught that in school.  One more fact I had to learn on the streets.

Chocolate-milk-boy (as I like to call him.  I know, sheer genius.) had a sister:

Image via Snackraiders Flickr page.

And finally, this vintage Wizard Charcoal Lighter fluid.

Yes, there was a magical time when you could buy hickory scented charcoal fluid.  Do not use as a marinade.