Archive for Fascinating Finds
What am I? unusual antique identification
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What am I?
Here is this weeks What am I? Do you know what these are? These special type of scissors have gone completely out of fashion these days but were regularly seen in fashionable Victorian and Edwardian households. You can also see them at banquets and in the poshest restaurants.
Very collectable these days – especially in their original boxes and when they have a full set of Victorian Silver hallmarks:
Grape Scissors
Grape scissors can be identified by their rounded tip and the handles being angled away from the blades.
This particular pair of Grape Scissors are fully hallmarked for London 1897 and have the makers mark “GJDF”. I believe that this makers mark is for: George Maudsley Jackson and David Landsborough Fullerton of Josiah Williams & Company a high quality and sought after silversmith.
Here are the hallmarks for those interested:
Hallmarks on Grape Scissors
What am I ? – antiques object identification
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Mystery object
The first in an occasional series of mini articles I will be writing on identifying your antiques. Antique dealers are often faces with strange items they dont recognise – things from the past which are not often seen today. Before we can work out a value we have to know what it is. Should I by this item? what can I tell my customers about this ? So antiques object identification , knowing what and item is, is quite important to me.
This piece is made of porcelain and has the Wedgwood backstamp dating from the very early 1900s, it is prettily decorated and so you can guess that is was for use by a lady. This is a small object, quite delicate and not for heavy use. Any ideas?
Here is is again showing its original intended use as a ring tree:
Wedgwood Ring Tree
Completely Riveting
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Victorian soap Dish - Indian Tree pattern
In the days before the advent of strong fast setting glues, it was common place to mend broken china and glass items with metal rivets. Apparently this work was often performed by travelling workers who moved around the country looking out for work. These riveted pieces still turn up occasionally and are even collected by some. The photos here show a Victorian Indian Tree pattern soap dish where the base has been completely broken in two and riveted back together. The rivets were then painted white to match the china. Strangely the riveting hardly shows on the inside of the dish which makes me wonder why they riveted on the side that did show?
Rivets in place
