Mystery Foto #86 Solved: Antique Five Gallon Can Manufactured by George D. Ellis & Sons, Inc.
Noel Gish needed your help to identify this object that was donated to the Suffolk County Historical Society.
Noel Gish: "I have this orange five gallon can made by ELLISCO. The letters on the front of the can are GRCO".
Mystery Foto questions supplied by Noel Gish:
-What is the object? Possibilities include an oil can, gas can (note: no pouring sprout), or milk can. Document your answer.
This is an antique used to transfer oil, gasoline or kerosene. It was manufactured by George D. Ellis & Sons of Philadelphia which becam Ellisco, Inc. See history below.
-How old is the can?
Not fully documented but likely pre-1935.
-What is GRCO?
No definitive answer. Possibly Gulf Refining Company.
-What does BIO mean?
No definitive answer.
Congrats to Ron Ridolph, Hugh and Ted for solving parts of the Mystery Foto!
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Update: September 30, 2014: From Hugh: "In some places these rigs were still in use up to WWII. Dad took me to watch one burn about 1944. They normally dragged a chain to ground them."
1843 – George D. Ellis & Sons Inc., manufacturer of specialty metal containers, established in Philadelphia, PA.
Post 1900 — George D. Ellis & Sons, Inc. becomes Ellisco, Inc., and continues manufacturing metal containers in Philadelphia and the surrounding region.
Ellisco, Inc. operates two manufacturing facilities in the Philadephia area, including the Ellisco, Inc. Myers Manufacturing Division located in Pennsauken, NJ, and the Ellisco, Inc. Can Division located at the intersection of North American & West Luzerne Streets in Philadelphia, PA. The Myers Division manufactures specialty metal seamless tins. The Can Division produces three-piece metal packaging and specialty metal products for the petroleum industry.
1986 — Ellisco, Inc. is acquired by CSS Industries. At this point in time, Ellisco manufactures metal containers for shoe polish, paint, food, and specialty applications. Approximately 12% of the business revenue is from metal packaging and devices supplied to United States Government subcontractors.
CSS Industries forms Ellisco Co., merging the assets from five metal packaging manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia. In the following years, the Myers Can Division is moved to Baltimore, MD and merged with Ellisco’s Columbia Specialty plant, located at 6301 Eastern Avenue.
1994 — Ellisco is acquired by U.S. Can. At the time, US Can is the leading supplier of aerosol cans and paint cans to the US market. US Can is also a leader in specialty general line packaging.
[Ball Steel & Tin Plant US Can Heritage]
Under US Can, the Ellisco Can Division is moved from Philadelphia, PA to Baltimore, MD and merged with the Steeltin Plant. Columbia Specialty, including the assets from the former Ellisco Myers Division, is also moved four miles northeast to the Steeltin Plant.
2006 – Ball acquires U.S. Can, including the Steeltin Plant and its manufacturing assets from the former Ellisco Company. The Ellisco heritage is a perfect fit with Ball, the 125 year old manufacturer of high quality metal containers. The Steeltin Plant becomes Ball’s Baltimore facility.
Today — Ellisco products continue to be manufactured at Ball’s Baltimore facility. Ball maintains a cataloged archive of over 600 dies and tools to produce Ellisco-heritage products.
Close-Ups
Revised September 21, 2014:The label on the can reads:
Philadelphia, PA
Ellisco
253
Within the triangle:
33 Minn
On the bottom:
Penna BIO New York City BIO
Alabama BIO North Carolina
New Jersey
Comments
Hi ALL:
No problem, just go to google and ebay and it is all spelled out !!!!!
Cheers !!! Ron
ANTIQUE FIVE GALLON OIL CAN
George D. Ellis & Sons, Inc.
ELLISCO OIL CAN
with attached lid, metal manufacturer’s label & metal label
on the inside of the neck indicating the 5-gal. ‘fill’ level
Still some remnants of the original light blue paint finish,
but admirable rusted and distressed, however, there is no
significant damage or holes caused by the rusting.
SIZE: 10” in diameter x 221 1/2” in height
ANTIQUE CONDITION
Guess what? I think I got what the GRCO is, it’s Gulf Refining Company, so that means it’s not milk and it’s a screw to. I’ll be back with more.
This is it for me, It’s a transport can for gas or oil, because the GRCO means Gulf Refining Company. I might be wrong on this, but I’ll say 52 years old, Now for the B10, this is my guess, the grade of oil or gas. Well I took a crack at it this time anyway
These cans were widely used to deliver fuel to farm and small business owners since pre 1910 days into the 1930s. 810 could mean when the can was made, Aug 1910. Many were made by Geo.D Ellis &Son; of Philadelphia, Penna. There is still a company that uses GRCO - Gracebelt Resources Corp which is part of the Diversified Ethanol Corp.
I have one made for and used by Skelly. It may be NOS - no indication of any fuel. stains in it.
Thanks for all the help.
I have a can like yours its green not sure original color but it is oval in shape its five gallon in great shape it has a metal stick in it i am a ex mechanic. it looks like and smells like it has wheel bearing greese or dope in it .wonder what its worth I am a race car fan of all types,it would be cool to know if it was used in the 1900s in a race I will try to send pics nota good texter
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Hi Lisa:
Please send the jpegs to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .
I have a round 5 gallon Elliscoand sons inc.with a plate with company name and a rectangular and an oval emblem on plate good cond what is it worth
I have an Ellisco can as well…rusted but no hole and the rust appears to be surface rust. Was passed down to me. But- my can has the letters T.W.O.S.C on it as opposed to GROSC.. Have no idea of the definition.
I also have one of these can in good condition, some rust, but one can read the words pretty well. I thought of sanding and painting, but I want to find out if there is a value the way it is, before I do anything to it. I’m not sure where or when I got the can, but I’ve had it many years.
Bill Moore1-585-593-2372
Wellsville, NY, 14895
my grandfather would deliver home heating oil in these ,5 gallons at a time, a typical oil tank can be 275 gallons
I just donated a 5 gal. can similar to this one to the Vicksburg Historical Society, Vicksburg, MI. The can is green and has Sinclair stamped on the side. I would really like any info. as to age, value, or just anything that might help them with their description. The can will be placed in their 1920-30 Sinclair service station display.
What is the number (360 on the can I have) stamped on tag mean?
179
I have one that only.has the one handle and the number 179 what does that mean the number