Prize collection of beautiful snack tins set to take the biscuit at auction this week
A prized collection of over 400 biscuit tins lovingly collected by a West Bromwich businessman is going up for auction tomorrow.
Barrie Lewis ran Lewis Foods Wholesale for 62 years after starting trading on market stalls including Smethwick, Walsall and Bromsgrove as well as West Bromwich, He later moved the business to Spon Lane and then the Kelvin Way trading estate.
As well as selling cakes and biscuits, he spent over 30 years between 1980 and 2014 scouring the country for rare and unusual containers.
The tins on offer range from the late 19th century through to the mid-20th century and cover every shape imaginable, with aeroplanes, trains and tractors sitting alongside stagecoaches, books and even a violin case. Individual lots vary from a few pounds up to £800 for the rarest pieces.
The collection – entitled 'The Art of the Biscuit Tin – The Lewis Collection' will be auctioned at McTeer's in Glasgow starting on Wednesday, August 28 and is expected to fetch around £10,000 in total.
Barrie's daughter Sharon was bequeathed the collection upon Barry's death in 2022. She now lives in Scotland and said the business – which is now run by her brother Paul – and the subject of rare biscuit twins were both close to her late father's heart.
She said: "Dad was involved in the biscuit and cake business his entire life, but only started collecting tins after I bought him one for his birthday in the 1980s.
"It became his passion and he soon started to search out the best quality ones, building an eclectic collection with rare and unusual examples from the main British biscuit manufacturers and beyond.
"His good relations with dealers in Scotland, trips to London auction houses and contacts with private collectors meant he would get interesting items and he even dedicated a special place in his home known as the Tin Room.
“Unfortunately we don’t have the space to display them all. They were made to be viewed and I think it is only right that other biscuit tin collectors and enthusiasts have an opportunity to admire and enjoy them as much as my family has.”
She added her father had lots of favourites but was particularly fond of the Ben George tin from 1868 – the oldest in his collection – and a 1920 golden aeroplane.
McTear’s managing director, Brian Clements, added: “This is a quite remarkable collection that tells a detailed story of the origin and history of the quintessentially British biscuit tin.
"Barrie Lewis worked tirelessly to build his collection, which includes some of the finest tins to ever come to auction.
"We are already seeing considerable interest and I have no doubt this will continue to build in the lead up to the auction.”
The Lewis Collection will go to auction at McTear’s on Wednesday. More information is available at https://bit.ly/4dhLPQb.
