Kiwi polish

This 70mm diameter tin is simply printed in black and red on a gold ground.

Photo: David Pratt

This 70mm diameter tin is simply printed in black and red on a gold ground and dates from the WWII era.

Photo: David Pratt

These 70mm diameter tins from the WWII era show a variance of design with the Kiwi bird being shaded in black and the KIWI name being gold outlined in black rather than black outlined in gold.

Photo: David Pratt

This small 55mm diameter tin with a butterfly twist off lid is printed in orange, red, yellow and black on a white ground. It dates to post-1952 and pre-1974.

Photo: David Pratt

This small 70mm diameter tin with a butterfly twist off lid is printed in orange, red, yellow and black on a white ground. With a much simplified design it shows the Kiwi in a stylised form losing feather detail with just a dot for an eye remaining. Made in England the company is described as The Kiwi Polish Co Pty Ltd, Ealing, London, W5. The Ealing factory was in use prior to, during and after WWII. This tin design was trade marked in 1974.

Photo: David Pratt

Photo: David Pratt

This strikingly simple and bold design of 1971-1981 shows the strength of the brand – the kiwi logo and name deemed sufficient for the consumer to know of the contents – indeed the words ‘shoe polish’ only appear on the side of the tin and even then only once in very small letters! Kiwi Products (U.K.) Limited were using the Sadlers Court, Yateley, Camberley, Surrey GU17 7RU, address in 1977.

Photo: David Pratt

This tin now sports a bar code and the company is now described as Kiwi Products, Slough, Berkshire rather than Kiwi Products (UK) Ltd, Yateley, Surrey. Slough is the address of Sara Lee which puts this tin into the 1980’s.

Photo: David Pratt

This tin dates after 1995 and the product is no longer made in the UK. The tin now carries consumer warnings.

Photo: David Pratt

On the reverse of the tin much text is duplicated in English, Dutch, French, Greek, German, Polish, Italian, Swiss, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish. A web address indicates a recent vintage and the place of manufacture is given as Indonesia. This tin design is current as of January 2011 – the website indicates that the only colours now manufactured are black, brown, tan and clear but a myriad on ‘modern’ shoe cleaning and care solutions are available, many of which can be put in the ‘convenience’ category.

Photo: David Pratt

Part of a shoe shine kit, date uncertain although Kiwi-France were at Sotteville les Rouen at least as early as 1977 and are still manufacturing there. The ring pull concept was introduced in 1962 with the safer retained-ring in 1975 (as used on this can).

Photo: David Pratt