Oyster Cans from Virginia

Bleakhorn Brand Oysters - Crittenden, VA - VA 22 - $1,325

This version of the Bleakhorn gallon was packed by Nansemond Adams Oyster Company out of Crittenden, VA in the Gloucester area. It is in great condition, with bright paint and beautiful graphics. Only one small crease on the very bottom edge of the can. Otherwiae it is almost perfect. An earlier version of this can was packed in Eclipse, VA, and the last version was packed in Battery Park, VA.

Sailor Girl Brand Oysters Pint - Chincoteague, VA - VA 437 - $225

This pint is very hard to find. It is a plug top, and does have fading, marks, writing, and wear throughout. It was packed for Edwin M. Plitt and is embossed with Chincoteague, VA and Crisfield, MD on the side. Very unique in that regard.

Lumpkin's Rappahannock River Oysters - Kilmarnock, VA - $1,200

Early Lumpkin's gallon, Rappahannock River version, VA 530. The graphics on this can are light but all there. The can shows patina with some wrinkles and marks but is very hard to come by and sought after.

Perch Creek Gallon - B.G. Smith & Sons - Sharps, VA - VA 230 - $425

This Perch Creek gallon is in really nice condition. The colors are nice and bright and there are no dents or wrinkles in this can. There are three variations of the Perch Creek can and this one is the first/oldest.

Hogg's Oysters - Gloucester Point, VA - VA 89 - $400

This can is in really nice shape, with very few small blemishes. The later version of this can has the same design but says York Oysters. It was packed by Battery Park Oyster Company, which was the successor company to Issac Fass Inc., a large oyster business based in Portsmouth, VA. Fass Inc. was in business for many years dating back to the 1930s.

Miles Brand Oysters - Norfolk, VA - VA 214 - $325

Very rare, early solder seam can from J.H. Miles & Co. Inc., the largest oyster business in all of Hampton Roads in its heyday. This can has marks throughout, some discoloration, has a replacement top and lid. It predates the Ocean View design seen on some of the later versions of J.H. Miles & Co. Inc. cans.

W&A Brand Oysters Gallon - Weems, VA - VA 133 - $50

This two sided can is in pretty rough condition, with a patina, fading, and missing paint. One side shows much better than the other.

Walker's Seaside Oysters - Exmore, VA - VA 172 - $725

The Walker Seaside "chain" gallon cans are hard to find, especially in this color. This can is pretty nice but does have some rust speckling and light patina on the bottom in some areas. It will still display well on your shelf.

Bluff Point Brand Oysters - Kilmarnock, VA - VA 210 - $325

There are only a handful of cans from Kilmarnock, Va, and this one is a neat custom version of the common "blue sailboat" gallon stock can. It has great patina and has its packing number lithographed onto the can.

W.F. Morgan & Son Quality Oysters - Weems, VA - VA 92 - $425

This gallon can from W.F. Morgan & Son is in good condition, with a few small rust small spots on the back side of the can as pictured. The paint is nice and bright and Morgan's permit number of VA 92 is embossed into the can near the bottom. This is an early version of the Morgan lithographed cans.

L.L. Curley - Colonial Beach, VA - VA 167 - $275

This yellow and green "Sailboat" stock can was packed by L.L. Curley in Colonial Beach. Curley later packed oysters in their custom "Pearl of Perfection" cans. These early cans don't show up often. This one was most likely used in a restaurant or large event due the top being cut out with a large commercial style can opener instead of the lid being pried off. It was saved and used as a duster of some sort as it has a series of small holes knocked into the bottom with a nail or ice pick.

Delicious Salt Water Oysters Plug Top Pint - VA 182 - $175

Hard to find Virginia can, packed by Savage out of Chincoteague, missing a little paint around the top rim, otherwise in nice shape.

Walker's Seaside Oysters Pint - Exmore, VA - VA 172 - $250

Like the gallon above, this plug top pint is very hard to come by. What I would call the front is pretty good but the back is rougher and is missing some paint.

Miles' Famous Oysters - Norfolk, VA - VA 214 - $225

Packed by J.H. Miles & Co. Inc, this pint is in great condition, and is one of the later designs on the many iterations of the Miles cans. The paint is nice and bright and glossy.

W.S. Taylor Co. Oysters- Chincoteague, VA - VA 57 - $250

This is an early plain stock can and it is in pretty good condition, only showing some marks near the bottom of the can on the front. WS. Taylor Company must have been a small organization, this is the only can bearing this name that I have ever seen.

Moonlight Bay Brand Oysters - Weems, VA - VA 88 - $225

Easiest to find in the gallon, the Moonlight Bay cans are seldom seen in the smaller versions. Hard to beat graphics make these cans sought after. This can was packed by E.I. Webb & Co. in Weems, VA. Weems was a huge player in the Northern Neck oyster business back in the day with 26 oyster houses on Carter Creek at one point in time. With the rust spots here and there, fading, and paint repair, this pint shows the environment it has lived in since the '40s.

I.W. Webb Oysters - Weems, VA - VA 104 - $75

Believed to be packed by a relative of the packer of the Moonlight Bay oyster cans from Weems, this plain stock can is in nice shape.

Isaac Fass Oysters - Portsmouth, VA - $375

Early Isaac Fass cans such as this one are very very rare. There is no packing number on this plug top pint, which shows just how old it is, as the later versions are lithographed with VA 89. Some light rust and discoloration throughout are seen here but no dents or dings.

Frozen Oysters - R.A. Chatham & Son - Tidwells, VA - VA 482 - $60

Hard to come by 12 oz. frozen can here from Tidwells. It is in great condition.

Lancaster Seafoods Inc. Gallon - Morattico, VA - VA 107 - $575

This gallon is a very hard to find can. It does have a little fading on the front, as a lot of them do, and some marks throughout. On some cans, the red paint lightens up easily if exposed to frequent sunlight.

Ocean View Chesapeake Bay Oysters - Norfolk, VA - VA 214 - $625

Packed by J.H. Miles & Company, Inc., this solder seam gallon can is close to 100 years old and is in nice shape for it's age with a few marks. The paint and graphics are bright and look great. This is the older version of the Ocean View can with the lady facing to the side.

Irvington Packing Oysters - White Stone, VA - VA 93 - $75

Believed to be one of the last style cans packed by Irvington Packing, this plain stock can is in good shape with only a few wrinkles here and there. The information on the can is embossed.

Curley Packing Co. - Colonial Beach, VA - VA 167 - $100

Blue Sailboat pint and Flavor-Fresh 8 oz. set from Curley Packing Co., the successor company of L.L. Curley. These cans are in great condition, with the pint being a plug top can.

Allen's Frozen Oysters - Coles Point, VA - VA 13 - $50

This 10 oz. frozen can is in great condition over all, barely a mark on it.

Old Virginia Brand Oysters - Bohannon, VA - VA 66 - $1,650

Packed by Cuthbert & Hughes, Inc., this hard to find and sought after gallon is in really good shape. It has some small marks here and there but overall it is nice and the paint is bright with no fading or dents or dings. These cans are rare to come across in the gallon size.

D&D Oysters 8 oz. - Montross, VA - VA 124 - $50

Perfect condition is the best way to describe this 8 oz. can from George Dean of Dean Seafood in Montross, VA. Great graphics and bright, glossy paint make this can one to strongly consider adding to your collection.

Ballard Oysters - Willis Wharf, VA - VA 171 - $175

Ballard Bros. operated oyster houses in two locations, Norfolk, VA and Willis Wharf, VA, which was their original location. This is an early version of their 12. oz cans and is in really good shape, with just a little discoloration along the top in a few areas.

Virginia Oyster Cans