small unopened ointment container found... open it?

[BlazinGTO]

While searching for bottles on the property I live at I found a small metal container. it has words written in a circular pattern on one side. large letters in larger circle and smaller letters around the middle. its very rusty but completely closed and quite heavy for its size. The words are all raised letters and I cant see any paint. if there was its long gone.

only words i can make out so far are OINTMENT around the outside. and something like ------NG'S CO. in small letters.

Any value to this thing or should I bust it open? Any tips to clean the rust and expose the letters better?

BTW, I'm a uber amateur detector and now a bottle hunter since finding bottles from the 1800s on the property yesterday.

Heres the pics of the ointment container and some other stuff. A large copper container, a 1942 mass license plate, and these steel shoe shaped plates. Found about 10 of them in vaious sizes and shapes. Cobblers templates? This town has a long shoe factory history....

 

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[BlazinGTO]

the dark spot on the side of the container in the first pic is from what seems to be where the contents are ever so slightly leaking and affecting the metal. It is on two spots. seems like the top would pry off and the metal is still intact and strong.

 

[BlazinGTO]

"RUSSIA WAS OINTMENT" 1859

Well I opened it. And the letters are more legible from the inside since the metal is still shiny. I used silly putty to imprint the letters after I cleaned it off some. The outside letters say "RUSSIA WAR OINTMENT" for sure. Doing a search on google yields a scan from a March, 1859 New York Times scan containing an advertisement for it.

it smelled like lanolin or something like shoe polish. it was bright orange but quickly turned blackish. i guess from oxidation.

heres the link to scan. http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers...ork NY Times 1859 Jan-Mar Grayscale (462).pdf

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

Nice find, it can be a little dicey opening up a jar that has been fermenting for 100 years.
ZDD

 

[worldtalker]

Recon if ya had one of these it would be safe God Bless Chris