Chris Bolus wrote in message
...
On Wed, 11 May 2005 01:11:15 +0100, (Steve Firth)
wrote:

Does anyone recognise the description? I think they date from the era
when petrol pumps were a rare sight.

Yes, I recognise the description, my dad used to have one for his
paraffin. Pink IIRC (like the paraffin!).

When I was a kid (1950s) I used to get sent to the local oil shop for some
paraffin for Dad's blowlamp. In the shop was a big can (two actually) like
the one you describe It was fitted with a hand operated pump to dispense
paraffin into the container you asked him to fill. I think each pump squirt
was half a pint, but it was a long time ago, and I can't be sure.
Certainly, I can't remember the shopkeeper having any other means of
measuring what I bought.

The shop and its neighbours was bulldozed in the early 1960s and the area is
now council maisonettes. In any case, health and safety rules would rule
out the use of such containers nowadays - isn't there a limit of 5 gallons
for the amount of fuel you can store in a domestic garage without a licence?

So my guess is that cans this size are rare and might attract some interest
if you put them on ebay. If you do try to sell them that way, photograph
one alongside a standard 1 gallon can, so that people can see just how big
the ones you are selling are. Otherwise people will assume they are just a
squarer jerrycan.

Jim