Can’t answer your question, but I worked briefly for MJB in San Francisco the early 1970s. While there, I learned that Western Can was a “secret” subsidiary of MJB.

Why?

Well, the majority of Western Can’s business was making and printing coffee cans, which they sold not only to MJB, but also to Hills Brothers, Folger’s, Mannings, Safeway, S&W, and a fair number of others. MJB was afraid that their coffee roasting, grinding, and packing competitors would quit buying cans from Western Can if they knew that MJB owned Wescan.

My own souvenir from then is a 20 pound MJB can — almost, if not exactly, the same size and shape as a 5 gallon kerosene can — that was scratched before it was filled. From Western Can, of course.

John

Best regards,
Volkan

BEDIAZ-MUSIC

The Vigilant Six-20 with the f6.3 lens and Diomatic shutter was made between 1940 and 1948 at a list price of $17 (in 1940s dollars). My guess is that your camera was made in the early 1940s – the Vigilant has unfortunately no date stamp like some later cameras.

The f6.3 lens should be better than the f8.8, specifically in low-light situations, but the difference will not be huge.

Thanks you!