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Mailing Containers
Pharmaceutical mailing canister
Description:
This wooden cylindrical container with a metal screw cap was used as a mailing tube by Dr. N. Tucker of Mt. Gilead, Ohio. The cork-lined canister protected its contents while either mailing prescription drugs to a patient or returning empty medicine vials to pharmaceutical firms for refilling. Two U.S. postage stamps adhered to the tube—U.S. Scott 247 (1894 1-cent blue Franklin) and 257 (1895 8-cent violet brown Sherman)—indicating the package and its contents were well under the four-pound mailing limit that existed prior to the introduction of Parcel Post service in 1913.
Date:
c. 1895
Markings:
D JULY 2 + 1883 PAT. [on brass cap]; FROM / N. TUCKER, M.D. / MT. GILEAD, OHIO / POSTMASTER / Should for any rea- / son this package not / be delivered to the / party addressed, I will / send the neccessary / postage for its return / if you will kindly let / me know the amount / required. [on return label]
Medium:
wood (pine); metal (brass); wood bark (cork); paper
Dimensions:
Height x Width x Depth: 5 1/4 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (13.34 x 6.35 x 6.35 cm)
Museum ID:
2000.2018.1
Place:
Ohio
Collection:
Glossary
