1914 Princess Mary Tin. 1914 - 2014

**Danger** · 12-31-2014, 10:42 AM

Hey guys,

For Christmas this year I got a Princess Mary Tin.
Nice way to honour the memory and history of Christmas 1914 - 2014.

My son took quite a shining to it and tried to fit a lego truck in it.
There were tears when I took it away, there would've been tears if he broke the lid off as well.....

cheers

**Jerry B** · 12-31-2014, 10:59 AM

Very nice, these are so iconic of the first year of the great war and so apt at this time of year.

**Danger** · 12-31-2014, 11:32 AM

Cheers mate,
I've wanted one for 20 years since I first saw my mates Princess Mary Tin.
Although I remember his as being smaller.
Did they come in different sizes? I heard some had pipes and tobacco etc... and lollies.
Were they filled with all the same goodies or was it a lucky dip?
Was there a difference between British tins and New Zealand tins maybe?

**Jerry B** · 12-31-2014, 11:44 AM

The official tins are all the same size, but the contents varied, the most common seems to have been with a packet of tobacco and cigarettes inside, a xmas card, some photos and in the cardboard box they were packed in there was a pen and a pipe. Other versions could contain sweets, or spices depending on who they were intended for.

Collections Search for "princess mary's gift to the troops" | Imperial War Museums

**Rob truscott** · 01-01-2015, 10:18 PM

I like the display above very much . I didn't get to display mine anywhere except on facebook page !

**Jerry B** · 01-01-2015, 11:38 PM

by Rob truscott

I like the display above very much . I didn't get to display mine anywhere except on facebook page !

Rob, that is the display from the IWM WWI gallery. I wish I could claim to have mine that well displayed, but my tin is empty, though it is on show.

**Rob truscott** · 01-02-2015, 12:16 AM

Thanks Jerry,
I see . Your display is nice to ... more homely ! I cant remember the way they displayed the Princess Mary tin at IWM . I was ambivalent as to the improvement on the WW1 galleries . Somehow the old ones had more effect. The ramp leading down to WW1 displays more clearly layed out . lines of uniforms on manikins undisturbed by other artifacts . I suppose what we collectors look for isn't always how a museum works . The French do museums best for WW1 perhaps ?

**Jerry B** · 01-02-2015, 09:58 AM

Indeed Rob, I did not enjoy the new layout as much as I remember enjoying it on previous visits. As you say, perhaps not designed for collectors, more for app driven, attention span deficit suffering youths.