Zvetouchny Tea - pronounced "Swee-touch-nee" -
is the Russian word for "flower." The tea that came in this container was packed by the Consolidated Tea Company (which still exists in New York City) was actually a blend of oriental teas, not 100% Russian tea (as many people are lead to believe).
The earliest tins made by this company (1938) actually spell out the Russian word "flower" with big letters in the old pre-revolutionary Russian orthography. In the mid 1940s the word "Swee-touch-nee" was added just below. Due to American opinions of Soviet Russia, the company met market resistance and ended up changing the container to only include English letters. In the 1980s, the Consolidated Tea Company shifted almost completely to paper boxes with the same design of a red and gold treasure chest or trunk.
This piece is estimated to be dated between 1938 and 1943 and holds the highest value among all Sweetouchnee tea tins due to age. Even in fair condition, a tin from this era may be worth over $25!
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