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.