✅ SOLVED Help on a date for a Gorton's Codfish Box

[Tedyoh]

So I stumbled on a garbage bag of about 30 of these boxes in one of my grandmothers old sheds, no doubt placed there by my Dad as he has stuffed that shed full of "treasures" (as he likes to call junk).... anyway you would think there would some info on the net on these boxes, but only one site, it was actually an ebay listing, dated the box to the 1940's. Can anyone provide any more info or confirm that these were an item from the 40's?

Thanks

 

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[jewelerguy]

a google image search brings up several matches but not much in the way of dates. I would agree that it's 40's though. one pic a found said it held a a dozen boxes of fish. I would imagine back then they had to be shipped packed in ice because of the lack of refrigerated shipping trucks or rail cars. The wooden box would keep the cardboard ones inside from getting soggy

 

[Bramblefind]

I don't know if the box style changed or they may have used the same packaging over a span of a number of years - and your boxes may be from the 1940s - but I did find this reference from 1922 (El Paso Herald, March 3 1922) that advertised that type of fish in a 1lb wood box.

 

[treasures2much]

1950's I kept my crayons in one,just like the one you show. It seemed you could not get the fish smell out of the box...

 

[Tedyoh]

Thanks guys..thanks T2M....i think 50's is correct on this style.....a few people at work wanted some and as I went through the bag a few were stamped 1953, in red bingo marker ink..

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[Bugzy99]

This was for salted Cid so refrigeration was minimal

 

[jude061]

I know this is marked solved, but here is a link to a Gorton's publication.

http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/sliker/msuspcsbs_gort_gortonpewf5/msuspcsbs_gort_gortonpewf5.pdf

I live in Gloucester, about half a mile from the Gorton's plant (which you can smell when the wind is right -- or wrong). When I worked at the local museum they had similar boxes in the fisheries exhibit, mostly from the forties and fifties. Cool find!