Chinese Opium Box Dug Up 1800's Stamped Tin Box Lid Gold Rush Railroad Camp #1-U

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Seller: dagoodstuff ✉️ (20,022) 100%, Location: Phoenix, Oregon, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 315121837110 Chinese Opium Box Dug Up 1800's Stamped Tin Box Lid Gold Rush Railroad Camp #1-U.

FROM THE 

"Sheung" "Wan" "Fook" "Lung", OPIUM FACTORY  

 VERY HARD TO FIND Dug Up

EMBOSSED TIN LID 

From Railroad and Mining Camps in the West

 

"VERY RARE HARD AND TO FIND"

EXPORT OPIUM TIN BOX LIDS ARE FROM: HONG KONG,

MACAU or CANTON 

OPIUM FACTORIES 

WE COMBINE SHIPPING

 

DESCRIPTION

We have a very nice collection of these Brass or Copper "Tin" Cans and Lids  that were used to hold Raw Opium back in the early to late 1800's, when opium possession was legal. We're now thinning out some of our extras, giving you the rare opportunity to acquire some of these very difficult, hard to find opium den collectibles. If you are interested in more please let us know, we may place a few others on eBay.

DON'T  MISS OUT! YOU JUST DON'T SEE THESE OFFERED VERY OFTEN. THESE ARE MUCH RARER THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE!!

This popular "Brand" from the 1820's to 1890's was from the  "Sheung Wan Fook Lung"  Opium Factory.  

These are the kind of lids that you would find on the cans that were sold in the "Chinatown" shops, pharmacies and general stores. These cans were used in the opium dens, and also taken to the job sites when working on the railroads and in the gold mines of the Wild West. Just the Lids are very hard to locate and Complete Cans are really hard to come by. Most of these original antique lids and cans were destroyed and discarded as trash, now they are some of the hardest items to locate and collect.

The University of Montana has recently made a discovery that helps to explain why excavated opium cans and lids tend to be in good condition: dented and twisted perhaps, but not rusted or decayed. Most cans were actually made of thin brass or copper, not tin or iron. The seams of the cans had been soldered with a kind of tin alloy material in both China and in the West.

Back when opium was legal, there were several manufacturers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, British Columbia and yes, even some areas in the USA, whose distinguishing brand names can be found embossed or stamped on these lids, or sometimes, on the front of the tin can. It's now becoming very popular to collect these lids and cans. Just trying to locate lids from the 100's of different factory brands of these opium containers can be quite a challenge but VERY FUN and VERY REWARDING. Some of the higher quality and more popular brands were; Lai Yuen 麗源 and Fook Lung 福隆 , just to name a couple.

It's said that the best collection of opium cans and lids, some even with intact paper labels, are those housed at the Kam Wah Chung Museum in John Day, Oregon.

If you're ever in that area it's definitely worth taking the tour, the place is like a time capsule. Tours of Doctor Kam Wah Chung's office, store, and Opium Den are now run by the State. In my opinion it was far better before the State took it over. They had many more items on display. Several fully intact opium cans just sitting on the shelves along with all kinds of other traditional Chinese herbs.

The size of opium cans were basically standardized. Each held exactly 5 Chinese ounces (which are called liang or taels) of refined opium, about 6 1/2 ounces avoirdupois (which is the unit of measurement we use in the Western world) but usually calculated as a 1/2 pound by American newspapers.

CONDITION

This Unique Brass Opium Tin Can Lid is in good condition for an as-found, excavated (from mining and railroad camps) antique 150+ years old.  Many opium den collectors still don't know what these really are and have no idea of the fantastic variations in factory names found on these lids. These Opium Can Lids are bound to soon become a very popular collectable, prices will continue to go higher and higher once their true rarity is realized.

SIZE

This average size of Opium Can lids were approx. 2 1/2" tall by about 1 5/8" wide and is approx. 1/16" deep.

We're selling Authentic Antique items out of our collection at very low starting bid prices. It’s time to thin out the majority of our collection as we're getting older and ready to move to new quarters. We see other sellers on eBay offering the similar articles for several times our asking price. Why would you pay higher prices when you can buy from us at a fraction of the price?

PLEASE NOTE : This antique museum item is for Display Only.

Authentic Embossed Opium Can Lids  are getting extremely hard to find now a days.

Shipping 

Shipping within the USA will be $4.95. Please email us if you have any questions before making your purchase. We do offer combined shipping for multiple purchases when we receive ONE PayPal payment. If you wish to save on combined shipping please contact us first and then WAIT for our personal invoice (not eBay's auto-message) before sending payment.

Please be sure to look at our other Opium Den Antique Items from our personal collection that we have just listed on Ebay.

  • Condition: As found, excavated. Expected wear and degradation from years of burial, yet, factory stamp on lid is very clear and visible. THIS ONE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, and is RARE!!!
  • Primary Material: Brass or Copper Tin Metal
  • Type: Box Lid
  • Color: green gray
  • Original/Reproduction: Original
  • Featured Refinements: 1800's Opium Box Tin Lid
  • Region of Origin: China
  • Age: 1825-1899
  • Maker: Hong Kong, Macau, or Canton Opium Factory

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