Fire Fighting Collectables

It's funny how when you find and buy an interesting collectable item, other items in the same theme just keep popping up. This has happened to me recently with fire fighting collectables.

We were looking for  something fire fighting related to give to our eldest son, Laurence (Laurie), as a gift for graduating as a Firefighter with Queensland Fire & Rescue Service. The Sunshine Coast Antique and Collectables show was on so we thought this would be a good place to look for that special gift. This was way back in May this year. Fortunately, we found a nice brass and copper fire hose nozzle at the show. The stall holder happened to be a volunteer fire fighter in a country town a couple of hours north west of Brisbane. We agreed on a price and happily took home our first fire fighting collectable. This was proudly presented to Laurie a short time later.

The fire hose nozzle (quite a large one - over 60cm in length)

Laurie had always had a dream of being a fireman, right from when he was a little kid. Now after many  years of hard work, he had now achieved his dream. Well done Laurie. We are very proud of you and your achievements.

Laurie in his fire fighting gear after a night time demonstration

Laurie with his proud parents at his graduation

The next fire fighting collectable came to me as a gift. A good friend of ours was having a clean up and rang to say she had a few antique things that we might like to have. Of course, I was ready to go straight away to check them out (even though I was rather sick at the time). I didn't want to pass up an opportunity like this and a bit of sickness wasn't about to stop me.

One of the items she had was an old copper and brass fire extinguisher complete with hose and nozzle. I had always wanted one of these but was never prepared to pay the antique shop asking prices. This one needs a good polish but overall is in great condition. Unfortunately it doesn't have any brand name on it.

The third fire fighting collectable find is a fire hose standpipe. I was lucky to find this at the recent Nambour Swap Meet. This was the first swap meet that I had actually attended and I was surprised at the sheer size of it. This meet is put on annually by the Sunshine Coast Antique Car Club.

The stand pipe and fire extinguisher

Standpipes like these are used by firemen to connect into the fire hydrant in the ground. We have one on the footpath in front of our home. Standpipes are part of the standard equipment on a fire engine. This one has a name, of what was probably the fire chief of the station, and date impressed into it in three places. They obviously didn't want any components to go missing. The name is L R GRASSET and the date is 1942. It also has a makers mark moulded into it. The Makers mark is for J. DANKS & SON PTY LTD, MAKERS, MELBOURNE. They have been in the plumbing and engineering business for over 150 years and are still going today. You can read a bit about their history in this link.

Apparently this standpipe is still fully functional. The stall holder told me that his next door neighbour recently used it to connect into a fire hydrant to wash down his house.

Detail of the top of the standpipe

Detail of makers mark

1942
L R GRASSET

And again on the copper part

And even impressed into the painted brass section

What will be the next piece of fire fighting memorabilia to come my way? Perhaps more extinguishers, a fireman's helmet or even a fire truck? Hopefully this collection will end up with Laurie.

My Vintage Jelly Mould Collection

Up until earlier this year, the only jelly moulds that I had in my collection of kitchenalia were two clear glass moulds that I found at the Dayboro Day Antiques and Collectables Fair two years ago.

Then I recently managed to pick up four more moulds for my collection from an Aladdins Collectables Fair. This time they were all white pottery rather than glass. I had always wanted some white pottery moulds and had often looked at them in antique shops but they were always to dear for me.

And even more recently I have acquired three more, bringing my current total to nine. Two of these latest ones are white pottery bought from the Sunshine Coast Antique and Collectables Show last month and one is brown salt glaze stoneware bought from Collectorama in Nambour a week ago.

Some of my jelly moulds

The age of these moulds vary quite considerably. I can only estimate most of their ages, however the two T. G. Green moulds are a little easier to date more precisely.

Beginning with what I believe to be the oldest jelly mould is this small Victorian one. It is impressed on the base with No. 25, 5 and a small star or flower mark. I suppose these are the pattern number and size of the mould. It does however have a few chips and a hairline crack.

Small Victorian jelly mould (13cm long approx.)

Next is another very small, early mould but this time from the Wedgwood factory, probably also from the Victorian era. It is impressed on the side with "WEDGWOOD", 24, 31 and the letter H. Again I assume that the numbers represent the pattern and size. Unfortunately this mould has a rather nasty chip and crack. I only bought it because I had never seen a small Wedgwood mould like this and the price was reasonable considering its poor condition.

Small "WEDGWOOD" jelly mould (just 8cm long approx.)

I believe that the next two moulds could be late Victorian or Edwardian.  The first one is quite a large mould that stands about 14cm high. This would make one impressive jelly. This mould doesn't have any identifying makers marks but at least it is in good condition with just a bit of crazing.

Large Victorian jelly mould (20cm long approx.)

Next is another large mould that is over 23cm in diameter but only 7cm deep internally. It is nicely decorated inside with a pattern of grapes, leaves and other fruit. Again, a jelly or what ever else that would come out of this mould would be most impressive. This mould is clearly marked in green on the base by a circle surrounding the letters V&B over an M. It also has a rather indistinct impressed mark of what I think is "No 249", the letters JH over the number 37 and possibly the number 1 on the side. There are also two holes in the foot rim of this mould enabling it to be hung on the wall for either storage or display. This mould is in very good condition with only a small chip on the rim.

Large V&B M jelly mould (almost 24cm across)

My most recently acquired jelly mould is a lovely, glossy, brown, salt glaze stoneware mould.  It has no markings identifying where it was made but looks very similar to the Bendigo Pottery products (although it could have been made almost anywhere). Dating this mould is rather difficult as it could have been made as early as the mid Victorian era or right up to the early 20th century. Its condition is very good with it only having a few small chips.

Salt glaze stoneware jelly mould (17.5cm long approx.)

The two glass jelly moulds would be more recent than the previous five moulds, probably early to mid 20th century. They are both unmarked and in good condition except for a chip and fracture mark in the first more decorative one. I knew it had a chip but didn't even notice the fracture when I bought it. I was a bit disappointed to find it when I got home. It goes to show that no matter how hard you exam an item before buying, you can still make mistakes. The lighting is not the best around some of the stalls at Aladdins Fair where I bought it from. If you are paying big money for an item, it really should be examined in bright, natural sunlight. Thankfully the stall holder had this mould very reasonably priced which I now understand was due to its condition. When I think back, this mould may have even been marked A/F which usually means "as found". It is a sellers way of letting you know that this is the condition that they got it in. Always examine any item marked A/F very carefully before buying.

Both these moulds probably came from the Crown Crystal Glass Company. This Sydney based company was formed in 1926 and produced glass wares up until the late 60s. It eventually merged with the American company Corning in 1972 to become Crown Corning. 

1st glass jelly mould (17cm long approx.)

2nd glass jelly mould (17cm long approx.)

The last two jelly moulds are both from the company famous for its blue and white Cornishware range, T.G. Green & Co. The first smaller jelly mould is fairly plain and has an early GREEN & Co LTD, GRESLEY, ENGLAND with church mark on the base. I believe this jelly mould would date from the 1930s.

Small GREEN & Co LTD jelly mould (15cm across approx.)

The following jelly mould is the last in my collection and most definitely the youngest in age. It is quite a decorative and good sized mould. It's from the T. G. GREEN LTD "SPECTRUM" series of wares and would date from the 1970s to 80s. Not really very old. I wouldn't normally include an item as late as this in any of my collections except for it being from a well know maker.

T. G. GREEN "SPECTRUM" jelly mould (21cm long approx.)

Well that's my jelly mould collection. I suppose it is now time for me to go and use some of them to make some jellies and see how they actually turn out. Who knows, I may just feature the results in a future post. So fellow collectors, stay tuned for part 2 of "My Vintage Jelly Mould Collection".

Also, as usual, I would appreciate any helpful comments about the items that I post, especially about their age and company of manufacture. Hopefully I will be able to learn a little more about them.

Australian Gumnut & Gum Leaf Vases

Here are some more of my treasure finds from the Caloundra Show.  I had been looking for a vase like this for sometime now and was surprised to find three all together on one stall.  My intention was to only buy one of the small ones but the persuasive stall holder (also a friend of mine) offered me the three at a price I couldn't resist (aided by some prompting from his good wife).


These handmade, pottery vases were most likely made by one of the Sydney potteries in the 1940s - 50s.  Not sure I will ever be able to find out which one as none of them have any identifying marks.  Each of them have some applied branches, gum leaves and gumnuts on a sponged background.  The large vase is also modelled as a large branch with strongly impressed graining.

Large vase (note the nice blue/green interior)

Detail of large vase

Large vase showing actual size

The large vase has a few small chips to some of the leaf edges and a small chip to the rim.  This is not surprising as this type of decoration on pottery is extremely vulnerable to damage.  Thankfully the damage is not too obvious due partly to the intricacies of the decoration.

Back of large vase

Detail of one end of the large vase

The smaller vases below are moulded differently to the large vase but still include very similar applied decoration.  The decoration on the vase with the yellow interior is very similar to the large vase's decoration whereas the other small vase has the same blue/green colour interior but slightly differently modelled leaves.  I suppose it just depends on which potter did which part of the decorating process.

Small yellow interior vase showing actual size

Detail of small yellow interior vase

Small blue/green interior vase showing actual size 

Detail of small blue/green interior vase

Each of the small vases also have some very minor nibbles to a couple of leaf edges though these are extremely hard to see.  Overall the condition of the three vases is extremely good considering their raised decoration and age.

Old Pharmacist's Prescription Book

We had spent most of the day at the recent Caloundra show and were getting tired and ready to go home.  I told my wife, Karen, that I just wanted to say goodbye to some of my collector friends from Melbourne, who each year make the pilgrimage to Queensland to sell a few bits and pieces at this show.  Karen was patiently waiting for me while I was having a good old natter to my friends when she spotted a book for sale on their stall.  She eagerly waited for me to finish talking to announce her discovery, knowing full well that this was just the sort of item that I had been looking for for my pharmaceutical collection.  Needless to say, I also got excited about her find and had to have it for myself.  I didn't even quibble over the price and was only too happy to buy it from my friends.  I would never have known what I had almost missed if I hadn't gone back to say goodbye to them.

This book is probably my favourite find from the show.  It's an old leather bound pharmacists prescription book from 1922/23 from, I believe, a Middle Park pharmacy in Melbourne.  Middle park is a very old inner city suburb between Albert Park and Port Phillip Bay, just north of St. Kilda. 

The book has nicely decorated page edges.  Edge decoration or fore-edge painting is the decoration of the edges of the pages of a book, visible when the book is closed.

It is quite a large volume being 42cm long, almost 20cm wide and 5.5cm thick.  It contains a complete list of all the prescriptions issued by this Middle Park pharmacy from the 20th of July 1922 to the 19th of June 1923.  Each page contains customer's names, exactly what was dispensed to them (sometimes with instructions on how to take the remedy) and the prices they paid.  The only address that I could find in the book is on one of the front pages and says 83 Carter Street, Middle Park.  Is this the address of the pharmacy?  Probably not as Google maps shows this to be a domestic dwelling, although it fits the period well, probably from the late 1800s to early 1900s.  Maybe this was the pharmacist's own home address and he worked from out of his home.  Just to muddy the waters a little more, above this address is written a name that looks like "Miss Bushell".  Could the pharmacist have been a woman or does this name and address have nothing at all to do with the pharmacy?  We will probably never know.

Below are some photos of some of the pages of this book.  It is interesting to note that there are many different names signed at the ends of each prescription.  This seems to indicate that there were a number of different pharmacists using the same book.  I would expect this to be the case in a chemist shop today but not in an early pharmacy of the 1920s.  Maybe this book actually came from a large pharmacy right in the city that employed a number of different pharmacists?  Another interesting thing to note is that the pharmacy was obviously open on Christmas day as evident by the number of prescriptions issued on the 25th of December.

                                 

Look out for this book on my Pharmacy Dispensing Department display at the September 22nd Antiques & Collectors Fair at Morayfield Leisure Centre later this year. This fair will be hosted by the Queensland Historical Bottle & Collectables Club.

Huntley & Palmers Biscuit Tin

I found this biscuit tin on the weekend at the Sunshine Coast Antique & Collectables Show.  I don't usually buy tins but the shape of this tin intrigued me.  When I examined it I discovered it was a Huntley & Palmers tin which I knew was highly collectable.  I knew that Huntley & Palmers had produced biscuit tins in a wide variety of designs throughout the 19th and 20th centuries (the things you learn from "Bargain Hunt").  It was a good looking tin, the condition was quite good (not bad for a tin over 100 years old) and the price was right so I bought it.

Tin with closed lid showing small recessed pull tab

This English tin was produced in 1907 and was only available for export.  It was never sold in England which would explain why it has turned up in Australia.  It is an oval shaped tin with simulated 'Buhl' work, also known as 'Boulle work' -which is a form of marquetry using brass and tortoiseshell.  This was the first of a series of tins of this shape which included another collectable Huntley & Palmers tin known as the 'Locket'.   It has a hinged lid with a recessed pull tab to open it.

The inside of the tin showing the lid and small recessed pull tab in a raised position

Underside of the tin showing HUNTLEY & PALMERS BISCUITS, READING & LONDON

As I researched the tins origins I discovered that it was produced for Huntley & Palmer by a company known as Huntley, Boorne & Stevens.  Could the Stevens part of this company be a long lost relative?  Who knows?  Only further research will tell.  


The fascinating story of this biscuit company begins in 1822 with the founding of the company by Joseph Huntley.  He produced his first biscuits in the back room of his shop in London Street, Reading.  It was Huntley's younger son, also Joseph, who made the company's first tin biscuit boxes in his ironmonger's shop which stood opposite his father's London Street bakery.  George Palmer, a distant cousin of Huntley, became Huntley's partner in 1841.  Thus the firm of Huntley & Palmer was born.  The company grew from its humble beginnings in the early 1800s to employing more than 5,000 men and women by 1898.  By this time the business was housed in a huge factory that covered 24 acres on the River Kennet and was at the time the largest biscuit factory in the world.  From 1870 until the 1970s, Reading was known as ‘Biscuit Town’ because of the fame of Huntley & Palmers biscuits.  The Reading factory was also used as a location for the filming of the "Bugsy Malone" movie in 1975.


Much more about Huntley & Palmers history can be found on The Huntley & Palmers Collection website.  This website features many of the tins produced for Huntley & Palmer as well as many fascinating movie clips of the factory and audio clips of its past employees.