CAMDEN NJ - Boscul Coffeee

Importers, packagers, and distributors of coffee and tea, William S. Scull & Company was founded in 1831 by Joab Scull. In 1858 William S. Scull became the head of the company, which traded for many years as William S. Scull & Company. William S. Scull would lead the firm until 1916, when he was succeeded by William C. Scull. R. Barclay Scull was president of Boscul Coffee in Camden until about 1960 when it was sold.

Sometime after 1947 the company changed its name to to the Boscul Coffee Company, it's most famous brand. In the 1930s the Scull company began packaging peanut butter in floral printed glasses. These glasses have become collectors items.

The Scull Company had a large warehouse and coffee roasting mill at Front & Federal Street in Camden, where it remained in business into the 1970s.

Popular in the 1950s, Peanut Butter Glasses are among the most popular of Kitchen Collectibles once they are discovered by collectors. They are not universally known as their distribution seems to have been in pockets. One of the most prolific locations to locate Peanut Butter Glasses is in the central Pennsylvania, where I live.

The floral motifs are primarily attributed to Boscul Peanut Butter which was manufactured by William S. Scull Company, Inc., Camden, New Jersey. Peanut butter was packaged in lovely, colorful tumblers which were opened via pry-off lids. The contents were consumed and a beautiful glass was added to the household. Having spoken to a number of individuals who remember having Boscul Peanut Butter as a child the overall consensus is that is was delicious. The norm seems to have been for each person in the family to lay claim to a particular tumbler.

One can find Boscul tumblers in three main sizes, but actually there are 4 sizes in all. The small juice glasses are the rarest tumblers of all. There is no documentation at this time to prove that peanut butter actually came in these glasses. These can be found with the names of the flowers both at the top and at the bottom. There are tall iced tea tumblers also with names at the top and bottom. These are the second most difficult tumbler to find. Again, there has been nothing definitive to suggest that these were packaged with edible contents.

Finally, there are the standard drinking glasses. However, the glasses with names at the top are a tad larger than the glasses with names at or near the bottom. These are the easiest to locate and basically the most affordable.

How many Boscul flowers are there? I really don't know. I gave numbers when publishing Peanut Butter Glasses but these have changed as new tumblers continue to be located. The rarest is considered to be the "Tea Seed" (standard size) but I have seen two, although I have never had one to sell. On the other hand, consider the new additions I am finding and documenting for my (hopefully) second edition of Peanut Butter Glasses. These are mostly one-of-a-kinds. Some of these are currently offered on my website.

Other companies produced decorative glasses with peanut butter. There are Wizard of Oz glasses, transportation tumblers, and more from other companies. But the flowered Boscul glasses continue to be the most popular.

A note about caring for these glasses: These must be washed by hand and cannot be exposed to bleach.

Three Generations of the Scull Family

Joab Scull	William S. Scull	William C.Scull

19th Century Adevertising Trade Cards


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