OBJETS DE VERTU & COLLECTABLES

This term usually means items with no real practical use, but created and appreciated simply as something beautiful. Nowadays many antiques are made redundant by modern technology or fashions so formerly  useful everyday items can become something worth collecting and displaying in its own right; its craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal every bit as worthwhile. Nothing is ever really redundant when you can give it a new life. 

STUNNING FRENCH MID-LATE 19TH CENTURY IVORY NECESSAIRE SEWING KIT

This is a beautiful thing from the days when every lady needed to keep her sewing essentials with her on her travels. Complete with gilt-handled and delicately chased tools comprising scissors, thimble, picker and needle case. The quality of this is beautiful, with the floral chasing even on the hinges. Sadly its suffered some chips to the ivory lid as shown in the images but in otherwise superb condition and the catch works perfectly. Scissors still very sharp as I found to my detriment. 4" wide. £90

TORTOISESHELL VENEERED SNUFF BOX WITH MOTHER OF PEARL INLAY

A lovely little snuff box with tortoiseshell veneer and mother of pearl inlaid floral design on lid. There is some veneer loss in a few places and it may have had tiny feet which are missing. Good honest overall condition and the hinge is solid. £18

TORTOISESHELL VENEERED SNUFF BOX ON TINY BUN FEET

A charming little snuff box of tortoiseshell veneer, one or two tiny areas of loss, with original tiny bun feet and a small silver cartouche on the lid. Hinge is a little loose but otherwise in excellent overall condition. £25

PAPIER MACHE SNUFF BOX WITH ABALONE SHELL INLAY TO LID

A smart papier mache snuff box with inlaid abalone shell on the lid. Good clean condition with a few small chips to the inlay only. £15

VICTORIAN LEATHER COVERED SEWING & CROCHET ETUI WITH TOOLS

An essential item for any industrious Victorian woman - the etui was a little container for important everyday tools that she could keep close by or hanging from her chatelaine. Some, like this late 19th century example, were purpose made for a variety of tasks. This little leather covered case has "CROCHET" embossed on the base and its green velvet interior encloses a variety of crochet hooks, needles and tools. A wonderful piece of social history - I would love to know about the lady who owned and used this and what she made using those tools, perhaps sitting by her fireside in the quiet evening. £38.

VINTAGE GLASS THERMOMETERS

Of course I have to preface this with "do not use these for medical purposes!". They are old, circa 1950s/60s and mercury was still used at that time.  If you need your temperature taken, get a nice digital one. On the other hand if you are dressing a mid century period drama, these are great for doctors surgeries and action props, and both well known British makes - in fact Zeal is still making medical equipment from London today.  £10 each.

CHARMING EDWARDIAN/1920S OPERA GLASSES WITH ORIGINAL CASE

Any well dressed lady attending the opera would have had her own pair of glasses, preferably in a stylish plush velvet case such as this. The velvet has rather worn down over the last century but the glasses are in superb working condition. Next time you attend the theatre, do it in style! £38

19TH CENTURY PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PAINTED AND GILT BOX

Papier-mâché was a huge design craze particularly in the late 19th century when even chairs could be made from it and lacquered for strength. This charming little box is a lovely nod to the style, beautifully decorated in subtle mellow colours with gold accents. What a charmer for any dressing table or sideboard. 4.5" across. £15

LATE 19TH CENTURY JAPANESE PAPIER MACHE PAINTED BOX

The opening up of Japan to the west in around 1860 meant a veritable flood of Japanese culture, style and aesthetics in the late 19th century and into the early 20th - and this little box is just one tiny part of it. Made from papier mache, lacquered and gilded with a beautiful garden scene with musicians. Most likely it was used for snuff or tobacco in a library or dining room from which a gentleman would top up his personal box. Excellent overall condition, no chips and with a lovely patina to the lid. £22
4.75" x 3" x 2"
(12.5cm x 7.5cm x 5cm)

RESIN STONE EFFECT DOG SIGNED J PECORINI

Not being able to keep pets in my rental flat, I long debated over keeping this little fellow instead. Look at that face!! He is moulded from resin and hand painted to achieve a pretty coloured stone effect. A tiny chip on his poor little snout but otherwise in great condition - and in need of a loving home! £8

CHARMING ART DECO CIVIC PEWTER VASE

Civic Pewter were a leading English pewter company from the 1920s onwards and their quality is always reliable. This gorgeously stylised Art Deco vase stands at just 5” tall and should fit even the tiniest of modern homes! I suspect two of the feet have been reattached at some point as it stands infinitesimally uneven! £28

SELECTION OF ORNATE PILL AND TRINKET POTS

Trinket and pill pots are a very collectable field and these vintage examples are a lovely detail for any dressing table or collectors cabinet. All in good condition and ranging in age from late Victorian to mid 20th century, some with paste detailing and ornate metalwork. Contact for more information on individual pieces or bulk pricing. Priced between £5 and 15 each.

MINI GILT METAL PORTABLE ASHTRAY WITH HANDLE

A fun gift for any smokers or collectors of smoking paraphernalia, this little gilt metal portable ashtray is a great travel companion. With, faux mother of pearl lid, side handle and internal cigarette rest, this is a lovely little example of necessity leading to invention! £12.

SMART VINTAGE PIPE WITH DETACHABLE FAUX AMBER MOUTHPIECE IN FITTED CASE

For the vintage smoking collector, this charming pipe has ornate gilt metal mounts and a detachable faux amber mouthpiece in its original plush lined fitted case. Excellent overall condition, the metal has a few marks but the pipe has been scarcely used. The case is in good condition with very light wear. £28

ONYX TABLE LIGHTER

A lovely and decorative pale peachy/oyster coloured onyx that makes it quite a smart and unusual choice for a table lighter. It sparks so should work once filled, but this has not been tested. The metal top has some light wear and tarnish but the body is in good condition with no chips or cracks except the natural seams found in the mineral. Has some weight to it as you’d expect, so a nice solid piece. 2.5” (6.5cm) tall.  £17 

1920S STERLING SILVER CIGARETTE CASE

This is a classy piece of Art Deco if ever there was one. Hallmarked for Birmingham 1925 and with makers mark for J. Gloster Ltd, it sports machine decoration very much in the style of the period and has a cartouche with initials. It can hardly have been used as it’s in superb condition with only one small dent, the interior is lined in tortoiseshell and has expanding clips to hold cigarettes, business cards, notes or anything else you fancy. £32 

EDWARDIAN STERLING SILVER CIGARETTE CASE

This is a lovely piece of Edwardian silver, hallmarked for Birmingham 1909 with beautiful floral chased detail. It’s the slightly fatter shape of the earlier cigarette cases, than their later 20th century counterparts, with an honestly worn gilded interior where you can see nice crisp hallmarks. £40

EARLY 20TH CENTURY ROYAL MAIL STEAM PACKET COMPANY SOUVENIR MATCHBOOK CASE

The RMSPC was bought out by Royal Mail Lines in 1932 so these lovely souvenirs come from the early decades of the 20th century - the glory days of transatlantic steam travel! Silver plated and in good order, the crest is readable but a little faded. You can still keep those paper matchbooks in here and look super swish when you strike a match! £28

VINTAGE LEATHER COVERED BINOCULARS / FIELD GLASSES

A smart set of French field glasses by Grand Lumiere Paris. In excellent working order and leather covered with minimum wear. The eye pieces have been slightly squashed on top but still work perfectly. £45

LARGE BRASS FIELD GLASSES

Made by W Heath of Plymouth as marked on the eye pieces these are a solid and good quality pair of 19th century binoculars. There is some verdigris on the brass casing which would originally have been leather bound but this is now long gone, leaving a lovely aged patina to the metal work. £50  

19TH CENTURY FRENCH FIELD GLASSES WITH ORIGINAL FITTED LEATHER CASE

These have the lovely patina of everyday use and would have been important to someone in their heyday. Birdwatchers maybe? Or a spy?! Still working, this lovely field glasses were made in Paris and come with their original case. £40

BOXED SET OF FOUR SILVER PROPELLING PENCILS

If anyone plays bridge this could be the gift for them – a charming set of four silver mini propelling pencils in original case. Modern made, and marked “Sterling”. Only one of them has its lead but they could be easily refilled. The case has internal marks from the leads where they have been used and enjoyed over the years, perfect for making up a four for cards! £15

BOXED 1950S CANASTA SET IN UNUSED CONDITION

Canasta was an enormously popular card game in 1950s America and is still played today! This lovely little set was bought for 10/6 from De La Rue of London and has never been used. Complete with both sets of cards, instructions and scoring pads. Perfect for a 1950s home or themed party. Excellent condition, apart from a small piece of sticky tape applied to the back which is best left where it is! £18.

MID-CENTURY LEATHER CASED GEOMETRY SET

This fantastic and complete geometry set could have been made yesterday, but probably dates to late 1960s-70s. It has an insignia on the front which I haven’t identified and all the items are in superb condition in their red plush fitted case. School-days flashbacks anyone? £28

ACME “THUNDERER” BAKELITE WHISTLE

A classic piece of British engineering, Acme have been making whistles since 1870 and the Thunderer since 1884. This is a completely charming Bakelite whistle, still working, though it might not actually thunder! Tests positive for Bakelite using Simichrome. Possibly 1930s/40s, and a lovely bit of social history.  £12

MODERN/VINTAGE CHROME PLATED CIGARETTE CASES

These are more modern made and therefore chrome plated but it better condition than you’d find in antique cases. Which makes them good for gifts or for shop dressing! £17 each 

EPNS EDWARDIAN/1920S CIGARETTE CASE

This little case has seen some use in its life, judging by the tobacco stains which have cleaned up quite a bit, and the wearing to the lovely floral chasing on the lid. Once someone’s daily companion, whose will it be next? £25

SILVER PLATED MACHINE DECORATED CIGARETTE CASE

Likely from the 1930s or a little later, this had that rare thing: an empty cartouche! It has some wear, a small dent to the lid and sadly a broken stretcher on the interior. With a little love and care it could be brought back to life and presented to someone with initials to put in that cartouche! £22

SELECTION OF 1970S KODAK INSTAMATIC CAMERAS

A staple of the 1970s these should bring back a lot of memories. A great addition to any collection or form a solid basis for a new one. Four cameras here comprising the  77x, 155x, 333 and 56x with it’s fitted case. £8 each or £28 for the set.