Antique EPICURE Salt Codfish Box S.S. Pierce Co Boston Massachusetts 1890s Wood For Sale

Original EPICURE brand selected boneless salt codfish box, packed for S.S. Pierce Co., Boston.
All wood construction with finger-jointed corners, sliding lid, and stenciled advertising and cooking instructions on the end panel.

Dimensions: 6" L × 4" W × 2 1/8" T
Net weight originally: One pound

Circa 1890s–1910s

Here’s why that range fits:

• S.S. Pierce Co. branding in this format is most commonly late 19th to very early 20th century

• Wooden food boxes for retail dry goods largely disappear by WWI as paperboard and tins take over

• The printed instruction text (“To freshen: soak in cold water…”) reflects a time when prepared foods still assumed home processing

• Use of boracic acid (boric acid) as a preservative points to pre-1920 regulation norms

This comfortably puts it Victorian into early Edwardian Boston.

• Epicure branding – S.S. Pierce’s premium private label

• Clear, bold stencil on the lid panel (excellent for display)

• Instructional end panel text intact – collectors love readable food directions

• Authentic wear and patina – no sanding, no over-cleaning, no nonsense

• Compact size = perfect shelf piece, shadow box, or New England kitchen vignette

This is exactly the sort of object that once lived in a Beacon Hill pantry… then somehow dodged the landfill for 120+ years.

• Structurally solid overall

• Top interior lip / stop that catches the sliding lid is broken/missing (noted and visible)

• Lid still slides, but does not “catch” or stop as originally intended

• General age wear, darkening, minor scuffs—all consistent and appropriate

• No modern repairs observed

Nothing hidden. Nothing sugar-coated. (Unlike the codfish.)

At the turn of the century, salt cod was a staple protein in New England—cheap, shelf-stable, and endlessly adaptable. These one-pound boxes were sold through higher-end grocers like S.S. Pierce, whose customers expected quality even in something as humble as dried fish. This box once held food destined for chowders, fish cakes, and Friday suppers—long before refrigeration made us lazy.