Nederlandsche N.V. Handel-Maatschappij Osmond en Zoon (Osmond & Son), Rotterdam; a large packaging tin for “Saltona” Bloedzout (Blood Salt) 1920s/1930s – Photo 1.

An original, empty, metal tin which once contained a tonic for all farm animals. Osmond and Son(s) Ltd. was a large manufacturer of animal medicines for over 120 years (1854-c1976). They were based in Grimsby but also had branches in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Holland, Denmark and Eire. They were known as Osmond & Son Ltd. until sometime in the middle of 1937. This tin, therefore, is from before 1937.

It’s not known if the product for the Dutch market was made in Grimsby and shipped over the North Sea or if it was also manufactured in Holland. The Agricultural University in Wageningen analysed the product in the mid-1930s to see what was it was made from. A list of minerals and biological constituents is available.

The pictures on the tin most probably show prizewinning, pedigree stock on Leslie Kingsford Osmond’s Lincolnshire Wolds farm at Beelsby. They look similar to pictures used in Osmond’s publicity material of the time.

The richly decorated tin is just under 11 inches (27 cm) tall.