Antique Virginity Smoking Tobacco Tin GW Gail Ax Baltimore Ginna Co NY Caddy For Sale

Up for sale is an incredibly rare, authentic 19th-century "Virginity" Smoking Tobacco square corner pocket tin. Manufactured by the renowned G.W. Gail & Ax Branch of the American Tobacco Co. out of Baltimore, Maryland, this highly collectible piece dates precisely to the late 1880s or 1890s.

The bottom features a clear, fully legible circular maker's mark for Ginna & Co. Cans, New York.

Because Ginna & Co. was absorbed into the American Can Company merger in 1901, this stamp definitively confirms this tin is a true pre-1900 antique.

Condition & Details:

• Graphics & Readability: Excellent legibility overall. All text, including the elaborate Factory Notice ("Factory No. 1, District of Maryland") on the side panel and the detailed illustration of the Baltimore factory building, can be easily read and viewed . The colors and gold lacquer remain bright.

• Wear & Patina: The tin shows honest, age-appropriate wear. There is localized paint loss/chipping on the lower front edge of the lid right below the central portrait graphics, along with typical fine scratching and minor spotting on the exterior base from decades of shelf handling. The gold lacquer shows a beautiful, authentic all-over "crazing" (fine spiderweb cracking) that verifies its age.

• Interior & Mechanicals: The interior of the lid is exceptionally clean, retaining its brilliant gold-flashed amber lacquer with only minor speckling. The inner bottom shows typical dark oxidation spotting but no deep scaling or holes. The original dual-rolled hinges are tight, structurally sound, and the lid opens and closes securely.

This is a premium, collector-grade example of early American lithographed tinware that presents beautifully. Please review the detailed photos to evaluate the condition highlights and character marks for yourself.

Ships carefully packaged to preserve the historic finish. Thanks for looking!