Item 26-265

Oh how we love finding these sort of treasures at the flea markets! It is the sort of utilitarian object that tells the story of an ordinary French workshop or sewing room…. 

The tin

The metal box measures 10x7x4.5cm and is an original French pharmaceutical dispensing tin, probably dating from the 1920's to early 1950s.

The label reads:

Les Laboratoires du Dr Pierre Rolland

12 Boulevard Saint-Michel, Paris (5e)

Oxyde de Zinc Pur Lourd

Spécial pour pâtes antiseptiques

Usage Externe

250 gr

Translated, this means:

Pure Heavy Zinc Oxide

Special for antiseptic pastes

For external use only

250 grams

Rather than being a curated collection, this feels like a genuine working button tin accumulated over many years. It would have sat in a sewing basket or atelier, where buttons from worn-out garments were saved “just in case.” French households were famously economical, and every usable fastening was kept for future repairs.

Finding the buttons still inside the original pharmacy tin greatly adds to its charm and authenticity.

Age

• Tin: approximately 1930–1950

• Buttons: mostly 1920s–1960s, with a few that could be slightly earlier.