Posted By:
Rhett YeakleyIf it has a 1910 copyright then it is good, because the "Colgan Co." was bought out after 1910 and before the end of their card promotion. I am not sure people care too much about whether a card actually came in the tin or not-they are all pretty similar. It is near impossible to tell the exact date the tins were produced. However, from personal research and experience...if on the back the tin says "Autosales Gum Co of New York -Successors of Colgans..." then these tins included the Tin Tops (not sure about the Red Borders). I know this because I have found 3 different Tin Tops cards still in their containers (all at different locations at different times, one still had a stick of gum- so it was "as issued") and each one was in the "Autosales" tin. I have never found a Red border in the tin still so I don't know who issued this set. But it appears that Autosales (not Colgans) produced the Tin Top set. I have never found a E254 in an autosales tin, but they may exist as when Autosales bought out the Colgans Co. they may have still had some leftover "stock"(merely theoretical). They may have done this as the Autosales tin is more common than the TinTops cards themselves.
These are my observations, anybody else have anything to add?
-Rhett
Reg. Colgans Tins...
Autosales Tin...
