With almost everything these days being disposable and made from plastic I decided to find some old containers and make use of these for our entertainment. I love to 'tinker' and the idea of fixing something and keeping it going for just a little longer makes me smile. So to use some of these old examples of 'tin' cans in the aid of fun hopefully will bring a smile to your face, at least it'll bring a 'smilie' to your profile.
Happy travelling.
State Express
State Express 555, simply known as 555, is a brand of cigarette originally manufactured in the United Kingdom by the Ardath Tobacco Company. The overseas rights to the brand, excluding the United Kingdom, were acquired by British American Tobacco (B.A.T.) in 1925. It was sold widely throughout the world, including Belgium, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Today, the brand is still very popular in Asia, especially in the Greater China area (including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), The Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Some resources suggest it is the most well-known and popular foreign brand in China.
The idea for the STATE EXPRESS brand came from the U.S.in 1893. Sir Albert Levy, a London tobacco merchant, was visiting the United States. While in New York State, Levy was a passenger on the Empire State Express train, which broke land speed records as locomotive No.999, the “Queen of Speed” sped its way from New York City to Buffalo, at a peak of 112 .5 miles per hour (180 km/h). It was the first train to break the 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h) mark.
Levy liked the name so much that he registered the words STATE EXPRESS on his return to Britain. The word trademark was first registered in Ireland on 10 March 1896. The numerals (a series of triple numbers from 111 to 999) forming the other part of the trademark were registered under UK Registration No. 290529 on 18 February 1907. All of these numbers were used as different brands, each with a different blend or mix of tobacco: 444 was made with Macedonian leaf, and 777 was made with Turkish tobacco, for example. The numeric ranges for STATE EXPRESS cigarettes were not the only available variants in the market at that time. Other mark names included MY DARLING and ASTORIAS, available in export catalogues. In addition to the cigarette business, cigars and tobaccos were available in the STATE EXPRESS range. But by far the most successful of these was the Virginia tobacco blend of STATE EXPRESS 555, introduced in 1896. It went on to become Ardath’s flagship brand.
If you have enjoyed this series and thought it was worth a favourite point for the effort involved. You could award one to the first in the series GC5C0QP. The cache is either the start or end of the series depending on your chosen path.