C. 1920s-30s Chesterfield Tin with Scratched Cartoon Drawings Signed Walter

Regular price $65.00

I'm sure I should know the names of the characters scratched into the lid on this c. 1920s/30s Chesterfield tin, but my knowledge of comics is fairly limited; definitely they are early ones though, and I do think the character with his nose facing down toward "Chesterfield" may be Billy DeBeck's Barney Google (after whom Google was named) of the strip Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, which debuted in 1919. What or who Swede and "Oilio" refer to I'm not not sure either, and there appears to be a cross below the smoking fellow in tie blowing smoke rings, which I'm guessing does not refer to his holiness! I think the faces are pretty great whoever they are, and love the urgency of scratching them into the painted lid of the tin, which one imagines a teenager salvaged from his parents and used to stash some prized possessions. Fun and most definitely one of a kind.

5 11/16" x 4 1/2" x 5/8" and in good condition, with just the right amount of wear. Opens easily and closes tight.