Item #0014 – 10 oz. King-Seely Thermos container (1971)

We are approaching (not fast enough) soup/chili/stew season! Even though my husband thinks it’s still too hot for these hot liquid meals, I made wonton soup yesterday. I’m hoping we get his first delicious white chicken chili of the season sometime before Halloween. We’ll see…this is the forever humid South after all.

In the meantime, let’s put our imaginary white chicken chili in this most likely not BPA-free 1970s Thermos and learn a little about our food storage unit that might be helpful to have an extra one, two, or ten for when Bear Grylls comes calling because I’m not eating what he’s eating.

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The name “Thermos” falls into the same category as “Band-Aid” and “Kleenex” because they are all generic trademarks. When we use brand names as generic terms, companies get nervous. Their brand names no longer point to a specific go-to, and consumers shop the competitors even though the brand name is on their shopping list. A lot goes into protecting a name, so companies don’t want it to be used interchangeably especially when it promotes a loss in sales.

OK, back to our Thermos. In addition to the 10 ounce container, a larger one pint was also available with the same utensil motif on the metal exterior. I have seen them in orange and a gold/mustard yellow with the same design. At this time in the 1970s, other geometric and plaid patterns were popular as well. Made to insulate your favorite foods, the container keeps your grub sealed by a cup lid and stopper. What’s a little confusing is the “Filler 70F” on the bottom (see third picture in above gallery). Is 70 degrees the hottest it can safely (define “safely” in 1971) withstand?! No, it is actually the replacement model number. That leads to my next question: Thermos, wouldn’t you prefer us to buy a brand new one instead of replacing a part? Were people that partial to their container’s design? With how much Thermos products are today, we might be willing to scrounge up random replacement pieces to make a semi-workable food/beverage storage product.

Did you have any nifty Thermoses or thermoses (see below) back in the day?

Status: For sale on my Etsy shop here.

Random for You:

Thermos sued Aladdin Industries when they announced they would sell “thermos bottles” in 1958. The judge ruled that the lowercase “thermos” could be used by anyone while Thermos had the rights to the uppercase “Thermos” since Thermos did not put much effort into protecting its trademark in earlier years.

The Thermos Company may have brought us the last vintage metal lunchbox in 1985. (Yes, metal lunchboxes have made a comeback and are mass produced now, but you KNOW when you see a vintage one. It’s worth a lot more, and you would probably be in danger of catching a food-borne illness if you actually used it to store your lunch.) So what star was featured on this valuable lunch locker? Rambo, of course! Adrienne!!!! (Sorry, wrong movie.)

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., has an exhibit called “Taking America to Lunch.” It is features approximately 75 metal lunch boxes and beverage containers that spans the time frame from the 1890s to the 1980s.