Collection of antique biscuit tins sells for £25,000

The 400-tin Lewis Collection, which was amassed over a 34-year period from 1980 to 2014, went under the hammer at McTear’s in Glasgow last Wednesday. 

The biscuit tins were being sold by Dr Sharon Lewis, daughter of collector DB ‘Barrie’ Lewis, who spent a lifetime scouring antique shops across the country looking for rare and unusual containers. 

The tins on offer ranged from the late 19th century through to the mid 20th century and covered a wealth of shapes, including trains and tractors, as well as stagecoaches, books and even a violin case.  

READ MORE: Historic biscuit tin collection could fetch £10,000 at auction

The star of the show was a magnificent 1920 golden aeroplane, which was scooped up by an online bidder from Shropshire for £1,150, while a windmill-shaped tin fetched £700 and a detailed model of the Flying Scotsman secured £490.

In 2001, Barrie bequeathed the collection to his daughter and, upon his death in 2022, she moved the tins from the Midlands to her home in East Lothian.

Commenting on the auction, Dr Lewis, 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, when he moved house, he even created The Tin Room to house the collection.  

“He had lots of favourites, but he had a particular soft spot for the golden aeroplane.  

Emily McCafferty from McTear's with some of the collection that went to auction (Image: McTear's)

“We recently moved to a smaller house and unfortunately don’t have the space to display all the tins, and we didn’t want to store them out of sight in the loft.  

“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.”

In the 19th century, a series of events seemed to work in tandem to bring about the dawn of the biscuit tin.

In 1861, the Licensed Grocer’s Act meant grocery items could be packaged and sold individually, biscuits included.  

The collection of biscuit tins sold for tens of thousands of pounds (Image: McTear's)

Later in the 1860s came the innovation of offset lithography, which allowed vibrant and ornate patterns and designs to be printed directly onto tinplate.

Brian Clements, McTear’s managing director, 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.

“It was a very lively and ultimately hugely successful auction, with bidders from all over the world vying online, by telephone and in the room, for each lot.”