Janine Vangool of UPPERCASE out of Calgary was kind enough to share her collection of typewriter ribbon tins (which i'm just loving)! Her taste is impeccable (just visit her online shop to see for yourself!) Who knew that there were so many different kinds of these great tins out there, and now, looking at this choice collection, Janine's assembled a wonderful representative collection of these tins. Here's her post about it:

why you collect these items and how your
collection started?

I am infatuated with typewriters and typewriter ephemera such as brochures, advertisements and promotional products. This collection of typewriter ribbon tins began two years ago when I came across the beautiful red "Type Bar" ribbon tin. There is a marvelous range of design styles on these ribbon tins, since they span the history of the typewriter starting from the early 1900s.


how do you display them or would like to display them?

Currently, they are stored in a box in a cupboard in UPPERCASE. Someday, I would like to display them on a wall, held in place with magnets.

what are your favorite pieces in the collection,
is there anything unique?

My favourite designs are ones with brilliant blues and reds, as well as the very early tins with intricate typography and background patterns.





what piece are you most looking for, and what
piece would complete your collection?

There's a wonderful tin with an illustrated, coloured swallow on it... I've seen it on Ebay, but it is always beyond my limit that I'll spend on a tin. The tins are usually around $10, though some were bought in larger lots, so were only a couple dollars.

besides this collection, if you could collect
anything in the world, what would it be?

I'd love to have a collection of all the available colours of the Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriter from the late 1950s. I have my lovely turquoise machine (it appears on my UPPERCASE ads) and they also come in pink, yellow, orange, green, grey.