Category: Uncategorized

I am loving the look of these antique salt-glazed stoneware bottles and crocks- especially the three bottles with the advertising. These date back to the end of the 19th Century and hail from England, Ireland and Canada. Also in the photo are three gin bottles from Amsterdam and a large wine jug in the front from France or Belgium. A few little marmalade crocks and a butter crock round out the group. I love the pocked surface and iridescence of the salt glaze, the natural creams, golds and browns and handmade forms of these pieces.

Here are some lovely antique games that I found recently at an estate sale. I did a bit of research and found out that they were made by an English company named R. Journet. The Company is best known for producing compact, boxed, dexterity puzzles. They challenged the player to move items or ball bearings through mazes, obstacles and traps with the aim of accurately positioning these items in pre-determined locations or holes.
Robert Journet started in business with a toy shop in 1878 near Paddington, London and produced the first dexterity puzzles in the 1890s selling mainly in the UK and then expanding into the US from 1918.

He died in the 1930s and his son Frederick continued to expand the Company until taken over by Abbey Corinthian Games in 1965. Production continued into the 1970s.

Typically, advertisements of their other games were printed on the box base and were usually tongue twisters or numbered lists;

–  "Popular Portable Puzzles Providing Positively Perplexing and Perpetually Pleasing Posers Presenting Persistently Provoking Problems Providing Profuse Pleasure, and Producing a Palliative or Placid Panacea to People Possessing a Propensity for Persistence, Patience, Perspicacity and Painstaking Propensities."

I will be selling these individually- please inquire by e-mail.

Another great decorative collectible category is vintage and antique games. I particularly love table top "bagatelle" games which were a sort of precursor to pinball machines. You would prop the game up at an angle and play it with glass marbles. These games also make striking wall decor- especially a collection of them. They are fairly difficult to find. The one pictured here was made in NYC and has fantastic art deco graphics depicting an urban/industrial landscape. It is in good working order ( I have had some fun playing it) and even has some of the original box. I will be bringing it to the flea in Williamsburg this coming Sunday with a $75 price tag.

 (from my collection)

Wax Milk containers or cones from the 1930s to the 1950s are among my favorite collectibles. They are graphic, charming and easy to display. Not limited to milk, I have seen some great apple cider and orange juice ones. We still often buy our milk and juice in waxed paper containers today- not cone-shaped, of course, and not so great-looking as some of these examples. Click here for more info on the history of milk containers.

 (love the root beer one!)

The red roses in my front garden looking so fiery on this hot day.