Rare Silver Moon jar lid.
Silver Moon Steams Into Coffee Lovers Hearts and Kitchens
A FinBotClub Blog reader sent in a question about his Silver Moon Coffee jar, so thought I'd share the info I found.
It's not a rare jar, but it's so cute they always sell. They're not expensive: one sold last week (12/20/12) on ebay for $14 bid + $10 shp'g. The original lid, however, is very hard to find.
- Three sides are embossed 'Silver Moon COFFEE Vacuum Packed One Pound Net'.
- The base is embossed 'OLIVER-FINNIE COMPANY MEMPHIS'
- Base has the Owens Illinois Glass company mark - O/Diamond
- The front has embossed lines for paper labels.
- The jar is listed in the Redbook #10 Fruit Jar Guide as #2631
Silver Moon Coffee was sold by the Oliver Finnie Company, out of Memphis TN.
In 1860, J. P. Finnie arrived in Memphis on the Silver Moon steamboat.
He opened a small retail grocery at Main Street and South Court. In 1868, Finnie entered the wholesale business. He partnered with J. N. Oliver, forming the Oliver-Finnie Company, and moved to a new location on Front Street.
In 1903, the company began its manufacturing department, naming their product line "Silver Moon" after the Steamer that brought Finnie to the city. The company moved to their final location at 7 Vance Avenue after a fire destroyed their plant in 1904.
The business operated continuously until 1961, at which time it was liquidated to settle the estate of Maynard Holt, the company's last president and major stockholder.
Paper label Silver Moon Coffee can and advertisement.
Beautiful fruit jar rings box.
Photo courtesy of FRUITJARRINGS.COM
Photo of the Oliver Finnie Company products line from the company's advertising archive, now in the collection of the Memphis Library (link).
The Company's brands/products included:
- Silver Moon Coffee
- Court Square Coffee
- Ketch-Me Coffee
- Bonnie Blend Coffee
- Royal Coffee
- Dad's Coffee and Chicory
- Silver Moon Baking Powder
- Silver Moon Pancake Flour
- Silver Moon Buckwheat Flour.
Oliver-Finnie also manufactured 515 different varieties of candies, ranging from hand-dipped chocolates to hard candy sold in 20 quart pails for plantation commissaries.
More Oliver Finnie Company images that I found online:
Ketch Me If You Can Coffee
Silver Moon Mustard stencilled crock.
Assorted company billheads and invoices.
Silver Moon Coffee and assorted Oliver Finnie candies newspaper ads from the 1920s.
I didn't find a connection to the Silver Moon Restaurant, but I'll bet they carried the Oliver Finnie Company products.
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Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave! -- Love all these cool items. Thanks heavens I can build my virtual collection in digital space, because I am out of real space. --M.
DeleteHas anyone ever seen a Silver Moon Waffle Syrup bottle? I found one at auction and bought it. I have searched every where I can to find another one and can't.
ReplyDelete