When The Rosemary House opened in 1968 (celebrating 49 years this year!), we carried tea and spices from a local Pennsylvania company, John Wagner & Sons. The Ivyland, PA company was founded in 1847, eventually sold to another company in 1996, but is no longer available. The teas were sold in gift sets, or they were sold loose in a large Treasure Chest. This is the lid from the chest.
The loose leaf tea was sold in specialty food stores and gift shops such as the Rosemary House. The assorted teas were packaged in tins, in several sizes. Shown here are the smaller tins that were tossed in the chest. Customers could pick out their favorite teas, and select a different flavor each time they came to the shop. Look at that price! 35 cents or 3 for a dollar! Now, you can find the empty little tins on eBay for $8.00 a piece!
Susanna was just a young girl when the shop opened, and one of her favorite activities was to pretend these tins were building blocks. She would play for hours stacking the tins, lining them up, assorting them by color, knocking them down, and starting over again. She was easily entertained.
When The Rosemary House opened in 1968 (celebrating 49 years this year!), we carried tea and spices from a local Pennsylvania company, John Wagner & Sons. The Ivyland, PA company was founded in 1847, eventually sold to another company in 1996, but is no longer available. The teas were sold in gift sets, or they were sold loose in a large Treasure Chest. This is the lid from the chest.
The loose leaf tea was sold in specialty food stores and gift shops such as the Rosemary House. The assorted teas were packaged in tins, in several sizes. Shown here are the smaller tins that were tossed in the chest. Customers could pick out their favorite teas, and select a different flavor each time they came to the shop. Look at that price! 35 cents or 3 for a dollar! Now, you can find the empty little tins on eBay for $8.00 a piece! 
Susanna was just a young girl when the shop opened, and one of her favorite activities was to pretend these tins were building blocks. She would play for hours stacking the tins, lining them up, assorting them by color, knocking them down, and starting over again. She was easily entertained.
What sweet little tins! This is a very special memory, thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt is,so nice to see this information. I have been looking for info about this tea and am disappointed it is no longer available. My Mother had a tin of Spice tea that she had not used, so I have been sparingly making WONDERFUL cups of this flavorful tea for several years now. It will be gone with this large cup and I'll miss the great flavor. Will surely keep the tin though. Thank you for your information. Precious memories!!
ReplyDeleteWagner's Tea was the first loose tea I bought at Hickory Farms store as a teen back in 1979. The Fruit and Spice tea was so good that, in all these years, I have never found it's equal. I saved two of the 5oz tins - Fruit & Spice and also Nutmeg & Cinnamon plus several of the mini tins - I collected each flavor. Still have the large tins (I always liked the inner seal on those tins - just a little extra quality). I gave all the little guys to my little sister a few years ago. We're the two tea drinkers of the family.
ReplyDeleteI got the 9 tin sampler for Christmas every year from 7th grade till High School. I don't know where my mom got them. We didn't have a Hickory Farms store in the area. I don't think it was in the Harriet Carter catalog or the Sears Wish Book. It started my lifelong appreciation of tea. Wonderful memories.
DeleteDoes anyone know what happened to the Wagner tea recipes? My dad was very partial to the Earl Grey, in a purple tin. He had it special ordered for himself and we go pick it up at a store in Anchorage.
ReplyDeleteIf never tasted another Earl Grey that was as delicious.
hace un par de años compré 5 pequeñas latas como decoración, hoy descubro que tienen té en su interior. Qué gran sorpresa!
ReplyDelete