A Firkin.
In the 18th century bottles, jars & cloth bags were popular items for containing a variety of foods, spices & drinks. Bottles in particular have been found at many historical sites, & it is known that they were reused for containing a variety of liquids.
It seems that commercial sales of foods stuffs was in bulk form, suggesting that the retail purchaser would supply their own containers for the amount they wished to purchase, but also money was offered by some businesses for bottles, suggesting that some retailers offered these bottles to customers.
Some of the author's items for repackaging food & drink products.
Below is a record of commercial 18th century food & drink containers. This information is from a PDF, the link to which I have supplied. This PDF contains much more information, including containers from the 19th century, & images of original containers.
Food & Drink Packaging.
Olive oil sold in flasks and jars is an example of this
product/package link.
mustard in quarter-pound bottles, pickles in quart
bottles, olive oil by the jar or chest.
Kegs were used for dried goods such as split peas,
barley, crackers, oatmeal, raisins, and rice; for butter, lard, or paint oils;
for pickled meats and other pickles; sometimes for alcohol and sometimes for
other packaging:
Hogs Lard in small kegs from 20 to 28 lbs. each (QG 26
May 1785:Richard Dalton).
Barley in 50 and 25 lb cags (New-York Mercury [NYM] 26
Jan. 1761:John Alexander and Company).
Best Nantz Brandy in 8 and 4 Gallon Kegs (NYM 3 Aug. 1761
:Dirck Brinckerhoff).
Choice French Brandy in Kegs of 5 and 6 Gallons, at five
Shillings Halifax per Gallon (QG 20 Dec. 1770:John Lees). Linseed oyl in 10
gallon cags (NYM 12 Jan. 1761:Isaac Man).
7 Kegs Mustard in
1-4 lb. bottles (Montreal Herald [MH] 22 Jan. 1820:Macnider, Aird, &
Whyte).
Chocolate by the Box or Dozen (NYM 1 June 1761:John
Morton). A few boxes fresh Durham flour mustard, (NSG&WC 30 June 1789:s.
Hart).
lb. bottles A very
fresh, excellent Kind of Poland Starch and Hair Powder in Boxes of Cwt. each in
Pound papers (NSG&WC 24 May 1785:David Fergusson).
fine Genoa Vermacelli, at 1s. a Pound, or 14s. a Box,
containing seventeen Pounds (DA 14 Dec. 1739:Joseph Carbon).
Lemmons by the Box, Hundred or Dozen (Boston Gazette
& Country Journal [BG&CJ] 14 March 1774:Joseph Hall).
bohea tea by the box, dozen or single pound (NYM 23 June
1755:Matheus Sleght).
Bags held dry products such as bottle corks, biscuit,
flour, coffee, and sometimes ginger, pepper, snuff, and cocoa nuts.
Cheshire Cheese by the Basket or Single Cheese (NSG&WC
14 June 1785:Edward Oxnard).
Gloucester Cheese by the Basket or smaller quantity
(NSG&WC 23 Feb. 1779:Andrew Thomson).
bohea and congo teas, pound, half and quarter pound tin
cannisters (NYM 4 Oct. 1762:Richard Curson).
He has likewise a parcel of fine green tea, in pound
canisters, at 14s. a canister (NYM 29 Dec. 1766:Edward Agar).
Portable soup, of the best Sorts, made separately from
Beef, Veal, Mutton, and Chicken, is sold at 4s. a Dozen in Tin Boxes, which is
about equal to 8s. a Pound, excepting the Chicken. Also an inferior Sort made
into square Cakes from Beef, is sold by Weight at 5s. a Pound, very handy for
Sauces as well as Soups. . . . This Commodity has been made, ever since the
late Rebellion, by Mrs. Bennet (whose Name was then Du Bois) and it was at that
Time, and ever since, greatly valued by Gentlemen in the Army (DA 11 Sept.
1762:Portable Soup.
Naples soap, at 5s a pot, Containing eight ounces (DA 31
Jan. 1740:Joseph Carbn). A Fine parcel of New Honey, of this year’s collecting
in glazed Pots, leather’d on the Top, and in Pots from 15 lb. to 35 lb. and to
be sold as follows: Single Pots at Fourpence Halfpenny per Pound, and at Forty
Shillings per Hundred; and some Allowance to those who take a larger Quantity
(DA 17 Sept. 1762:To be Sold at the Windmill . . . ). Potted Venison in small
Pots at Six-pence per Pot (DA 29 July 1760:To be Sold, Fine true Grass fed
Venison . . . ).
Lately landed a curious Parcel of Bloom Sun Raisins, much
finer than any in the Jars, in small Boxes about 12 Ib. each, to be sold by the
Importer . . . at 7s. a Pound. No less Quantity than a Box (DA 4 Jan. 1762: Lately
landed.
Twenty Jars of very fine Lucca Oil, each Jar containing
about thirty Gallons, one Jar in each lot (DA 21 NOV. 1739:To be soid by
Auction.
Fine Lucca Sallad
Oil, neat as imported, in whole Jars, Half-jars, and Quarter-Jars (DA 23 May
1740:To be Sold . . . ).
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