New Pick up 1963 Jello shipping carton
 

Hi Gang:

Just picked up this 1963 Jello shipping carton. I LOVE this kind of stuff for things I collect. Ads, display, boxes, contracts etc.

Anyone have one like this or a 1962 Jello carton?

Awesome pickup, Fred!!

Pity it’s not full of unopened boxes…

Hopefully you have the space and a fun way to display it too.

Fred, I'm curious how you know it's from 1963. Is it the 4-63 on the box or something else?

Pretty cool!

Wow
 

Absolutely awesome!

Jay

Yeah I am pretty sure that 4-63 is for April 1963. But the carton originated in a part of the country where the 62 Jello set was not test marketed.

Wow, that's awesome Fred, what a find!

That C3112A stamp could show the packing date for the carton if it can be deciphered.

Dave:

We think alike. I have already contacted a former employee of Post who has helped in the past with similar info.

I'll update any info I receive.

I wonder if Dan Mabey might know?

So, here are two replies I received from the former Post Cereal worker

Hi Fred,

Nice item you picked up! Probably very few of these shipping cases survived. Not sure how sturdy the cardboard was for the 3 oz Jello cases.

I don't have any definite answers for you, but your assumption of 4-63 is what I would guess also. They may have put that information on the outside of the case, to let the retailer know when the product should be put on the shelves, or maybe it was that they shouldn't put the product on the shelves until this date.

As for the C3112A code - I'm not sure. I was thinking it might be the code for the art on the Orange-Pineapple carton, but don't have a carton available to check it. For the cartons I had available, there was a 4-digit code on one of the end flaps. Another thought was that the C3112A was an Order Number for the store that ordered it.

Sorry, I don't have any better answers for you, but you still have a very unique item. Congrats! Please let me know if I can be of any help in the future.

My reply to his forst email:

Thanks for your reply!

When you say :

As for the C3112A code - I'm not sure. I was thinking it might be the code for the art on the Orange-Pineapple carton, but don't have a carton available to check it. For the cartons I had available, there was a 4-digit code on one of the end flaps.

Do you mean individual box and not the word carton?

Fred


his second reply:

Hi Fred,

Yes, the individual carton has an artwork number that MAY be the same as that on the outside of the case. Just for clarification: when I use the term "case" it is for the corrugated cardboard box, the term "carton" is what I use for the 3 oz or 6 oz individual box. For many years, the Carton and Container plant where I worked produced both the corrugated cases and the individual cartons that the finished product was packed in, so when you say "box", it can be confusing as to which container you're talking about.

I had two thoughts after I wrote to you yesterday: I have a scan of an Orange Pineapple press sheet that has 12-16 different carton on it. I can send the scan along (I'm in Kalamazoo today, but the scan is on a flash drive at home) later today or tomorrow. It will show if the artwork number is the same on all of the cartons printed on one press sheet. It may also show if the number matches the one on the outside of your case. My other thought was that maybe the C3112A code was an Order Number for the warehouse, or it could be the item number from an order blank. It might be the same thing as the current SKU (Store Keeping Unit) that they use on the bar codes currently.

Just a couple more ideas....

Amazing that it was still around after all these years. Must have been storing some well loved items for someone.

What an amazing find. Are you able to say where you found it Fred?

good thinking
 

That's interesting that that code could lead you to the packaging date and thus the year of the cards. Very clever Fred. Impressed.

Ken and all:

Here is an updated reply from a former Post Cereal/Jello worker with knowledge of the packaging along with a photo of the same code from the end of one of the Jello boxes that came out of the case:

I've never noticed this production code on the shipping case as you NEVER see shipping cases especially after all these years.- just the individual cartons. Normally, this code would give the consumer a code to send along when they have an issue with the product. It would allow the production plant the ability to check production samples around the same time and verify and possibly hold the production still in the warehouse, in case there may be a similar problem. The code on the outside of the shipping case would help locate all of the questionable product still in inventory.

The code follows the pattern mentioned . The 3 for 1963, and 112 for April 22nd. The L or J could possibly represent the production or filling line at the production plant.

Hey Gary:

Here is the story from the person I got the Jello case from:

So, the backstory on this Jell-O case is a bit unconventional. I typically find items to resell from local estate sales. Many people where we are based in Utah, are encouraged to keep a year's supply of food, if at all possible, to help oneself and one's family in the event of an unexpected event or job loss, a natural disaster, or other type of emergency. However, most people that do this rotate their supply, so they don't end up with a bunch of unusable, expired food items. However, occasionally, I'll come across someone's food storage supply that hadn't been rotated in a long while, where I'll find vintage products from decades long past. I'll sometimes pick up some of these items to sell to different movie production/television prop mangers that I've worked with and who scout looking for authentic, period props to use on sets in various movies and on television shows--you can find my Skippy Super Chunk Peanut Butter from the 1980s in "Stranger Things" for example. Anyway, I found this case of Jell-O long forgotten on the very top shelf in a lady's food storage room behind some other, less exciting long-expired things It was virtually untouched in all it's 60 years. I typically don't come across food items quite this old. Nevertheless, I thought it was an interesting find, so I picked it up thinking It'd most likely sell to Hollywood prop managers. Hope you enjoy it!

Great story Fred. I'm gonna have to watch Stranger Things again to see your Skippy Super Chunk Peanut Butter :)

It is a wonderful piece and I've enjoyed reading the back and forth, but since the true lede here seems to have been buried, I'm just gonna put it out there:

"Orange-Pineapple"??? In the name of all that is good and holy, please tell me the carton contained some orange jello boxes and some pineapple jello boxes, and not some foul combination literally called "Orange Pineapple". Ewww....

combo
 

fresh Orange juice/ pineapple juice mixed is a quite tasty drink

Sorry to disappoint you! Have your taste buds never feasted on this delicacy?