Serendipity rules
Feb. 9th, 2006 07:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janewilliams20Washington Artillery Regimental Dinner on Saturday, and while we've got the hall, the garb, and the food (who, me, cook?), the crockery is a little... well, it's on loan from the church hall. I've been trying to build up a stock of Willow Pattern tea cups so that at least part of the meal can look vaguely Victorian, but it takes time.
Ebay, and a Willow Pattern teapot to add to the collection - seller in Luton, so I can save postage by picking it up while over seeing my parents and signing Far Isles cheques (yes, CtG, that means you). Nice teapot. Marked "dishwasher and microwave proof" on the base, which may not be period but is very useful.
Anyway, I don't see my parents anything like often enough, and as we were chatting about teapots, my mum remembered that her aunt had left her some teacups and things. Apparently won by my great-grandfather in a fishing competition. She looked them out while I went to collect my teapot, and had them boxed up by the time I got back.
Got home, unpacked, read label on bottom, Googled.
And found, among other stuff, this. Alfred Meakins, and a pattern called Kelvin. 1891. We have 12 tea plates, 12 saucers, 10 whole cups and one without a handle, sugar bowl and cream jug. A bit more Googling didn't give me a valuation as such, but it gave me enough of a feel that I won't be using them until I know more. At least, not by dragging them down a hall in a crate and letting them loose on people who by then will have been drinking for a few hours. Individual pieces seem to go at about $9 a plate, but a set of cup, saucer and plate went for $200. This is an almost-complete set of 12...
Anyway, dating from 1891, it's far too modern for us in 1864! No way I could use such an anachronism! :)
Ebay, and a Willow Pattern teapot to add to the collection - seller in Luton, so I can save postage by picking it up while over seeing my parents and signing Far Isles cheques (yes, CtG, that means you). Nice teapot. Marked "dishwasher and microwave proof" on the base, which may not be period but is very useful.
Anyway, I don't see my parents anything like often enough, and as we were chatting about teapots, my mum remembered that her aunt had left her some teacups and things. Apparently won by my great-grandfather in a fishing competition. She looked them out while I went to collect my teapot, and had them boxed up by the time I got back.
Got home, unpacked, read label on bottom, Googled.
And found, among other stuff, this. Alfred Meakins, and a pattern called Kelvin. 1891. We have 12 tea plates, 12 saucers, 10 whole cups and one without a handle, sugar bowl and cream jug. A bit more Googling didn't give me a valuation as such, but it gave me enough of a feel that I won't be using them until I know more. At least, not by dragging them down a hall in a crate and letting them loose on people who by then will have been drinking for a few hours. Individual pieces seem to go at about $9 a plate, but a set of cup, saucer and plate went for $200. This is an almost-complete set of 12...
Anyway, dating from 1891, it's far too modern for us in 1864! No way I could use such an anachronism! :)
