Mr. Williams Methol Pastilles? Vending machine

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faautomater
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Mr. Williams Methol Pastilles? Vending machine

Post by faautomater »

I am trying to solve a bit of a mystery...

I recently bought a 1930'ish vending machine, with its original graphics - which unfortunately is mostly gone, as you can see from the photos below. The machines hardware was manufactured in Denmark (I recognize the model and maker), however the graphics are unknown to me. Seems the machine carried a type of pastilles that I've never heard of before. A "Mr. Williams Menthol Pastilles?" or as is written on the tin depicted on the front: "Williams Famous Menthol Licorice Pastilles".

Given that the wording on the tin is in English (which is quite uncommon for a local piece), it suggests that it may have been a British company wanting to sell their product in Denmark back in the 1920s/30s. That was quite common at the time. So I am hoping that one of you may recognize the brand. Any information that you have would be greatly appreciated - So far I have found absolutely nothing.

Eventually I am hoping to restore the machine - including the beautiful graphics... but first I need to know what they must look like !PUZZLED! . I believe one side was an illustration of a doctor and the other side a nurse of sorts, most likely offering menthol pastilles to a small child.

Image

Anyone?
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coppinpr
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Re: Mr. Williams Methol Pastilles? Vending machine

Post by coppinpr »

Williams was not a UK company,it was American, J.D. Williams & Bro. was located at 344 Lackawanna Ave in Scranton Pa and they made a range of cough and breathing remedies in the 1920s. I can't find a photo of this product (only similar) , this might be because this product was made for the Scandinavian market, The menthol licorice tablet was invented in Sweden and was (and still is) very popular in that part of Europe but never caught on in the UK. Williams made a "Russian Cough Drop" that contained Menthol and licorice, perhaps they changed the name for use in Europe to avoid using the term "Russian" so soon after the revolution :!?!: The Russian version used a larger but similar tin in the same style and color and was branded as "Williams' Russian Cough Drops"
faautomater
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Re: Mr. Williams Methol Pastilles? Vending machine

Post by faautomater »

Very interesting. Thanks a lot. Sounds very plausible. What are your sources (so that I may continue down that path) - or was this knowledge of the top of your head? I would love to continue the research.
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coppinpr
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Re: Mr. Williams Methol Pastilles? Vending machine

Post by coppinpr »

I found an old Williams Russian drops tin for sale on ebay and searched back from there. At first I tried the famous Swedish maker Lakerol who makes the things big time today,I thought I might track them back that way and also the big UK maker at the time William Smith Bros but both were definitely dead ends. The American Williams' company is clearly the correct maker.
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