Trash To Treasure

Tin cans left behind by soldiers in New Mexico and nearby areas during the 1840s and 1850s were often transformed into wall shrines for saints or other decorative pierced-tin pieces.

Punched Tin

Much of the unpainted tinware used in America was plain, but some was made with punched decoration. Most punched tin dates from 1830 to 1860. The dents in the tin, made with a hammer and a nail or with a small die, did not break the surface. If the design went through the tin, it […]

Painted Tin

The names given to painted tin are confusing, but the confusion will clear when you realize that toleware, japanned ware, painted tin, and Pontypool all mean practically the same thing. Toleware is painted tinware, usually with a black varnished background and designs painted on by hand or stenciled. Pontypool was painted tinware made in Pontypool, […]