Thursday, February 26, 2009

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Before I get into the item descriptions I have for display today, please take time for this brief commercial message! My previous posting is the announcement for a Dog Toy drawing - absolutely FREE to you! If your name is chosen, you will receive a really nifty interactive toy for your pooch, courtesy of ME, ClassyChassy, and my 4 Corgi Girls! They have their own toys, and the one I'm offering as the give-away is a brand new never-used straight-from-the store-toy - complete with tag of 'ingredients' used to create it! Don't MONKEY AROUND - read the post below this one and enter the drawing! The directions for sign up are in the post! I'll look forward to hearing from you!

This is a snapshot of a portion of my china hutch. You can enlarge the photo by clicking on it, and you'll see the items a little better. Careful you don't loose an eye! The indian on the horse near the back of the photo has been a favorite of mine - it is actually a Carnival Prize, the kind you would win at the county fair for playing a game of knocking down the evil cats with a softball! It's pot metal with a lovely bronze finish. I have seen the little horses with western saddles on them, but this is the first one I've seen with the Chieftan worshiping the Great Spirit astride his war pony. Thought-provoking, indeed. It was purchased from my etsy shop, and will be on its way to a new home in Utah this afternoon.

You can see an old letter scale in the background as well - it's from the early 1900's. It belongs to Mr. Wonderful - he had it stashed away in a box so I hauled it out, cleaned it up, and now it's in my hutch with other treasures and curiosities. Mr. Wonderful also is proud of the metal cow laying beside the Indian's pony - it's a childhood toy, quite possibly from a set, made of pot metal and painted with enamel paints. It is hollow underneath - maybe I could use it to play a 'shell game' with the Corgi girls sometime - like 'Let's hide the cheese nubbin'?? Hmmmm- sounds like FUN!

Another item in the picture above is my gift to Mr. Wonderful - he spied one like it in an oriental resteraunt - It's a SANITARY Toothpick Holder, and very very old! I've seen them on ebay for sale and some had the original boxes, so thats where the Sanitary comes in! You push the woodpecker's head down, his beak has prongs which poke the wood of the toothpick, then you push the bird's tail and the bird pops back up to hand the lumber to you! I'm not sure of your definition of sanitary - I've cleaned it and everthing, but nowdays, in order to be sanitary, an item has to be individually wrapped for the user. Guess they weren't very fussy way back when. I purchased it from one of my favorite sellers on etsy, as I really support buying homemade, and buying from other etsians. My way of helping to 'boost the economy' - put money in the pockets of the consumers - not huge corporate wallets.

The last item in the forefront of the photo is a pocket watch. It belonged to a man, Jacob Stercula, who took my father in when he was just a small fry. Dad had lost his mother to pneumonia, and had only his daddy to care for him. Times were tough, and 'Uncle and Auntie', as us kids later knew them as, helped to raise my father. Years later, Auntie passed on, and Uncle came to live at my parent's home with Rusty, his orange tabby. Uncle lived to see just shy of his 100th year, and saw many changes in his world. Imagine never having a phone or TV - no gas cook stoves for them - only wood heat, no electric, He had seen many new inventions since his early years growing up as a shepherd in the mountains of Poland, carrying his bible with pressed Edelweiss within its pages. This watch and chain were his. There is a 'charm', if you will, added to the fob links. It is brass, and has an image of the Pope in the year 1908 and the front of it reads "Pope Pious X Golden Jubilee". On the reverse it says "Pittsburgh Diocese Celebration , November 15, 1908". The mechanisms within the watch are now silent. It would cost a weeks' wage to get it repaired, and so it sits, a memento of the past, entombed with the company of relics from another time.

Check out Coloradolady for more Vintage Thingies! Many thanks to her for hosting this weekly event!

19 comments:

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

OK, you have maded me cry this morning, love all your items, but the woodpecker tooth pick holder brought back such sweet memories. My Mom had one of these on the kitchen table for years. I had forgotten about it.
Thanks for sharing.

Rechelle ~Walnuthaven Cottage~ said...

What wonderful treasures. I love, love, love the old watch...

Bea said...

What fabulous treasures! Thank you for sharing the story of the watch. What a wonderful man Mr. Stercula was.

LADY JANE said...

Love your treasures...especially the pocket watch and the lovely story behind it! What a great share! Happy VTT!

LADY JANE said...

Love your vintage treasures! Especially the pocket watch and the beautiful story behind it! Happy VTT!

Anonymous said...

What treasures you have. I loved the old watch and the story. What memories it holds..and what stories it could tell. Happy VTT and have a lovely weekend.

Roslyn said...

I remember thos toothpick holders, sanitary,NOT!
I love the pocket watch with all it's family history & evidence of Uncle's devotion to his faith-I bought oa pocket watch at an estate sale for DH it's late 1800's & still works!
Blessings,
Roslyn

Anonymous said...

My heart's racing...i adore those scales and all your other treasures especially the woodpecker toothpicker..i saw one like it in the latest issue of Romantic Homes (p47)but it was labelled a matchstick holder..what a handy little thing indeed :)

^..^Corgidogmama said...

What nice treasures you have, the watches especially got my eye!

Coloradolady said...

lovely items.....that toothpick holder looks so familiar, I think I had a relative who had the exact same thing. This was lots of fun!

Picolo said...

Please enter my Standard Poodle, Cosmo, and my Bichon Frise, Sparky, in your dog-toy give-away.

Thanks!

Picolo (aka Mimi)

SueLovesCherries said...

Wonderful memories! Thanks for sharing them with us! I especially like "Uncle's" having his own memory of the Edelweiss in his Bible as a remembrance of his homeland.

Janet, said...

Lots of old things. I like the toothpick holder, it's very unique.

Unknown said...

+The story of the pocketwatch is amazing!

farmlady said...

How interesting and what wonderful memories.
I love the pressed Edelweiss in the pages of his bible. Lovely, really lovely!

Susan said...

A fellow Michigander, hello. You have some treasures with a piece of family history and that is priceless.

Anonymous said...

Oh my. Is it wrong of me to fall in love with your husband's cow?
That is precious as are all of your delightful treasures. What a collection you have my dear!

Infrared Goggles said...

What a lovely cabinet of wonders! My favorite is the sanitary toothpick dispenser. Wow, I have never seen one like that. For some reason it reminds me of the drinking woodpecker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk71GY02diY) my grandmother had when I was young. Now it is sold as a science/physics toy, but it fascinated me for hours. Sometimes the simplest things are still the best.

Miri said...

Lovely collection...the metal cow and toothpick holder are just wonderful. What a nice and caring man Uncle was!