Uncanny Finds -- Beich Brittle Brilliants

This is a fresh find from this past weekend. It's not exactly Halloween, but it's orange and black and it once contained candy, so fair game.

This Beich Filled Confections can dates from the 1920's or early 30's and once contained "Brittle Brilliants".  I haven't been able to determine what those were, but it could be simple hard candy (the kind that all stuck together in grandma's bowl) or possibly peanut brittle which Beich did make early on. The pictures on the can show the models eating the candy, but it's still hard to tell.

Paul F. Beich was born in Prussia in 1864 and immigrated to the United States in 1882. Trying various jobs, he found he had talent as a candy salesmen.  In 1899, he purchased the Lancaster Caramel Company from Milton Hershey who decided to focus on chocolate as a business (I wonder how that turned out). 

Paul Beich passed away in 1937 and his son Otto continued the company.  His other son William married Katherine McNulta and it was she in 1952 who came up with the program most of us are familiar with: selling candy as a fundraiser for schools, clubs and churches.  I sold many Katherine Beich candy bars for $1 each for band class.  I always preferred the caramel bars and ended up buying many from myself.  I also remember the tins of "turtles" they sold.

The company was sold to Nestle in 1984. Since then, the company has changed hands several times and currently is owned by the Mascot Pecan Shelling Company of Glenville, Georgia.