VINTAGE WATKINS ESSENCE RACK with WATKINS COOK BOOK No. 1 (C. 1960)

It's a common misconception that these essence racks were a shop counter display piece but in actual fact they were available for anyone to purchase for their home kitchen. It was sold by the local Watkins dealer, a door to door salesman, back in the 1950s and 1960s. They were probably never seen on a shop counter as all of Watkins products were only sold door to door at the time when these were available. The rack is pictured on the last page of this cook book with an explanation of how you could acquire one for yourself.

This cook book was found amongst a bundle of other cook books that belonged to my Great Auntie Doffie. I can only assume that she must have been given it when the Watkins man came to call. I wonder if she ever had her own Watkins Essence Rack?

Does anyone remember the Watkins man?

There is actually a recipe in the book on how to start a ginger beer plant to use in making your own ginger beer.

(Not for sale - Part of my own Kitchenalia collection)

ALADDINS FAIR TREASURES - March 2017

I decided to visit the Aladdins Antique & Collectables Fair at Windsor yesterday. It had been some time since I'd been to an Aladdins Fair, but as it was the last day of my holidays I thought I deserved a treat. Not only did I manage to pick up a few treasures but I also caught up with some of my collector friends, bumped into a cousin of mine and enjoyed a leisurely lunch with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Overall it was a very pleasant day and a great way to finish my holidays.

Below are some of the items I came home with.

Not a big haul but I think there are some unusual and interesting items among them

An enamel chamber pot and a ceramic 'The New Slipper Bed Pan'

Sandland Ware cream and sugar featuring 'Down Somerset Way' transfer print

Crown Lynn (New Zealand) child's 'Georgie Porgie" mug

Miniature sad iron - 9cm long

Set of four 'Dulcet Piano Peds'

Willow cookie press and carved wooden handled bread knife

'Philips Model of the Human Body (Female)'

I may keep some of these items for my own collection but many will be coming up for sale soon. Feel free to message me if something takes your fancy.

Collectomania - Showcasing A Collector's Passion

If you are a collector, or if you have ever known a collector, you will understand how passionate they can become over collecting what can sometimes be thought of as very obscure objects. I personally know this myself as a collector of Baby Feeders. Not every one shares my passion and in fact many would ask 'why on earth do you collect baby bottles?' To me it is the fascination of the social history and the development of these everyday items. I like to collect things that have been used by the average person in their everyday life and have become a piece of social history.

Karen and I, with our close friends Cliff and Judy, went along to see the Collectomania display at the Queensland Museum a few weeks ago. We are all passionate collectors and were curious to see what sort of collections would be featured in the display. It had been indicated that some of the collections might be considered quite weird by some people. We wanted to see what other people were actually collecting. The following photos probably show a bit of a biased view as they are mostly of the collections that appealed to me.

 

The first thing that you see at the exhibition, just before you enter, is a cool red tractor in front of a wall of number plates.

I was immediately drawn to the number plate collection as I have a small collection myself fixed to the front of my shed.  Some rather unusual ones here. Makes me want to look out for some more for my shed.

The first thing that hits you when you get inside is this huge Ceiling Medallion from the old Regent Theatre.  This theatre was built in QueenStreet, Brisbane in the 1920s. It has been the centre of an ongoing battle to save it. Most of this historic building has now been lost except for its heritage listed foyer.

Regent Theatre Ceiling Medallion information.

Other Regent Theatre items included a row of seats, some heavy curtains, a chandelier and spot light.

I just had to take a photo of this Fire Fighting Collection seeing that my eldest son Laurie is a firefighter. We gave him a fire hose nozzle like the one featured here when he graduated as a fire fighter. See my Fire Fighting Collectables post.

Fantastic collection of Padlocks and this is only about half of what was on display.

Someone even collected old Washing Machines. Nice to see some old washing powder boxes in original condition. How many of these would have been saved?

There was an incredible collection of Beaters. I was amazed to see how many different types and mechanisms there were. Again, this is only half of what was on display. Well worth seeing, especially if you collect Kitchenalia like I do.

Another amazing collection. This time it's a collection of Salesman's Samples of Sanitary Ware (bathroom fittings). I wonder who would collect things like these??? These samples are not easy to find.

This collection is an example of the entire possessions that an immigrant coming to Australia in the 1950s was allowed to bring with them. They were only allowed to bring one suitcase. In that suitcase would be the sum total of their earthly goods. So much must have been left behind. Great sacrifices were made to begin a new life in Australia. Fascinating insight into our immigration policies after World War 2.

Here we have an interesting collection of all sorts of things that were just found around a country property. I think these came from somewhere like Blackall. A collection that really wouldn't have cost anything to put together but is clearly preserving our countries farming history. I suppose that is why I like this collection so much as I really collect things for their history. Interesting to see they found a Chinese soy pot on the farm (top shelf). These are often found on the goldfields.

Not all collectables on display were old. This was a fantastic display of World War 2 German Soldiers. Apparently the owner chose to collect German soldiers because of their colourful uniforms. Other countries mustn't have been as flamboyant as the Germans.

Detailed diorama of a German garage during wartime.

There's also a very detailed model of Bilbo Baggin's Hobbit Hole from Lord of the Rings. This model was made by Maddie Chambers in England in 2010. You can read all about it and see lots more photos in her blog.

You can stand on a stool and look down into each of the rooms. The amount of detail is incredible. The longer you look, the more you find. Has to be seen to be believed.

Detail of the front door of Bilbo's Home.

There were many more collections on display but the ones above were what I consider to be some of the most interesting. Some of the other collections included snow globes, stickers, spoons and even finger nail clippings. Although I would never collect some of these things, the exhibition did show how varied people's collections could be. It also showed that you don't have to spend a fortune to compile an interesting collection. After all, I am sure the collection of fingernail clippings didn't cost much if anything at all!

Why not go along and check it out for yourself and make your own mind up about the different collections on display. It's on at the Queensland Museum, Brisbane until the end of the year and entry is free.

My Collectorama Treasures - June 2013

Went to Collectorama on Saturday. It's a huge Antiques & Collectables Fair held four times a year, in the Nambour Show-grounds on the Sunshine Coast. Today, being the first official day of winter, meant a cold and dark start for me if I was to get there before the gates opened. You guessed it, I ended up arriving about a half hour after it had started. Still got reasonable parking though and don't think I really missed much.

I spent about three and a half hours looking around, picking up a few treasures and catching up with a few friends here and there. I started with the lower covered area.

My first find was a Salter No. 8 flat iron or sad iron on Ashley's stall. This type of iron aren't rare but they are usually to be found in a rather poor condition. This one (pictured below) was in very good condition and also very reasonably priced. Ashley always has many old irons for sale as he is an avid collector of irons as well as many other metal items. Lately he has been selling of his surplus at bargain prices which has enabled me to add to my own collection of irons which forms an important part of my overall kitchenalia collection.

Next I found this tool pictured below. The stall holder said it was for measuring the thickness of sheet metal and the gauge of wire. Not sure if this is correct as I can find no evidence of it ever having any markings on it that would indicate this. I showed it to another stall holder who thought it was more likely to be a special tool used for bending wire. But bending wire for what purpose remains unknown so it looks as though a lot more research will need to be done by yours truly. 

I found another item to add to my kitchenalia collection. This time it was a nice tin mould, maybe for jelly or something similar. Looks a bit like a beetle doesn't it? I believe it is supposed to be some type of fruit shape.

It was time to check out the two storey main pavilion next. You often find some of the better (and unfortunately dearer) items in there.

At one of the downstairs stalls, run by a nice guy from Maleny named Steve, I came across a convict brick with a large impressed heart mark. He believed it to be a genuine convict brick and after a bit of research, I am inclined to agree with him. Looks like another item that will require more research and a post of its own. I had bought some things from Steve before, namely rabbit traps, so knew that his prices were very reasonable to start with and that he was also open to consider any reasonable offers. I noticed that he had a huge circular saw blade on his stall but unfortunately it was already sold. So glad I talked to him about this because he told me that he had another one at home that I could buy. I gave him my card and he said he will bring it along to the next Collectorama in September for me. Don't know how I'm going to wait till then to get it. Hope he doesn't forget and sell it before hand.

Upstairs in the main pavilion I found the rolling pin shown below. I already had a few rolling pins but none with ends like this one. It's also quite a long one and in very good clean condition. Would be great for making pizza because of its length. Another nice addition to my kitchenalia collection.

I finished the morning by looking around the other covered area (the split level one) to see what else I could find.

The following two items were both from the same stall in the higher section of the split level area. I was lucky to see them as they had only been put out just before I'd come along (at least that's what the stall holder said). The DeWitt's Antacid Powder tin seems to be over half full but as the lid is stuck firm I have no way of checking this.  It looks as though someone has unsucessfully tried to remove the lid. Still a nice tin with good graphics. Probably dates from the 1950s.

The second item from this stall is a very tiny bottle of Alophen Chocolate Coated Pills (a laxative) with it's original box. It still has six pills left in the bottle. It has a very interesting ingredients list on the label that says the pills contain both strychnine and belladonna. I think the need for constipation relief would probably become a minor secondary problem after taking these pills.

On the same level I also found these two galvanised pitchers. The stall holder believes they were most likely used to bail out the dirty water from washing coppers. As he had about six identical ones (and he said he still had more at home) I am inclined to believe that they would have been used to scoop out feed or grain either on a farm or in a produce store. They are very strongly made and in good condition. I will probably plant them up and use them in my garden somewhere.

I also found some old Edison cylinder records (nine all up) on this upper level. Their cases weren't in very good condition but all (except for one) of the cylinders were very good. I've only ever had three before so now I have enough to play with when and if I ever get my own Edison Cylinder Gramophone. Also, the stall holder only wanted $10 for the lot which made them even more attractive.

One of my last purchases of the day, found on the lower level, was a child's Puss in Boots plate by Bristol, England. This goes nicely with a child's bowl with similar decoration that I already have from the same English company.

Last but not least was this yellow New Zealand Number plate form the early 1960s. It has already found a good home mounted securely on my shed along with all of my other number plates. Good colour for a 50 year old plate.

Oh, and of course no visit to Collectorama would be complete without stopping by for a chat and to buy some roasted macadamia nuts from Hamish. His stall turned out to be quite the meeting place on Saturday with George, Fay and Gordon, all from my bottle cub, also turning up for a chat while I was there. 

The next event that I am looking forward to is the Caboolture Swap Meet Show & Shine on Saturday the 22nd of June. Never been to this one before so hope it turns out to be a good one.

The Concise HOUSEHOLD ENCYCLOPEDIA - C.1930

Found this great old book late last year at an Aladdins Fair. It's called "The Concise HOUSEHOLD ENCYCLOPEDIA" and contains everything you would need to know to run a household in the 1930s. I know it can't be any earlier than 1930 as it refers to a 1930 Traffic Act in the section about maintaining and driving an automobile.

It was in extremely good condition for a book of its type and age. Generally these books look rather tired due to the many fingers thumbing through them for advice over the years. Not sure if fingers can actually thumb through anything but you know what I mean. Maybe the previous owner of this book knew everything and didn't need to refer to it very often.

It's the sort of book that could appeal to anybody as there are not only articles on household management but also on all types of hobbies, pets, cars, etc.. It even tells you how to stuff a squirrel. This is the sort of book that many would remember seeing at their grandmother's place.

 Below is a random selection of pages from the book.

Details on how to make arches for the garden. I like the rustic one made from branches.

Typically English house plan. It always amuses me how they put hand basins in the bedrooms. I suppose this is  a legacy of the days of having a washstand with a jug and bowl in the bedroom.

Lots on how to look after baby. This page interested me as I am an avid collector of Baby Feeding Bottles and accessories. This baby feeder looks like an "Allenbury's" feeder. Allenbury's were the first to really make the double ended boat shape or banana type feeder. This type of feeder could be hygienically rinsed out under running water, unlike many of its predecessors.

Even a section on which is the best chicken for your situation. And in colour too!

Plans to make a nursery or playground swing. And even a short note on what to do if your pigs get swine fever.

How to maintain and repair your mangle. And we complain about doing the washing now. By the way, I am looking for a mangle to go with my kitchenalia and laundry collection. Please let me know if you know of someone who wants to get rid of one.

How to build a practical and pleasing dining table.

Another colour plate. Suggested colour schemes for you house. I suppose this page would have lost its impact if it was in black and white.

And of course, how to stuff a squirrel (or taxidermy). Just what everyone needs to know.

There is so much more in this book to look at. I hope you liked the small selection that I have shown you. Oh well, it must just about be time for me to make a cup of tea, settle into a comfy chair and go through the book from cover to cover to see what other gems I can find.