We’ve put our feet on the top and bottom of this week’s fresh to market vintage. At the top, we have proof positive that if you put little feet on a decorative item, its cuteness expands by a factor of a million. Look at the little paddles on this tea for one set. Any day that starts with breakfast standing on duck feet is going to be a fine day.
And at the bottom, we’ve unrolled a puzzle box full of antique Singer sewing machine feet. What an assortment of sewing machine needs and what a presentation. It’s the ultimate merger of cleverness and functionality. Of course, we would expect nothing less from Singer.
Sandwiched in the middle is a delicious cloisonné bracelet and a King Cole paper doll set, a premium from Lion Coffee. The paper dolls are from the same era as the Singer puzzle box. If you have a good imagination, and we know you do, you can imagine them belonging to the same household. Oh the stories vintage can tell…like our weekly fresh to market vintage stories.
Duck Footed Cracked Egg Tea Set For One
Around 3500 BC, an Egyptian potter made a bowl with two human feet. It rather resembles the hieroglyph of “to bring.” The idea of adding feet of any kind to a ceramic is not so new. In the 1970s, I would walk down from my dorm into downtown to admire the most amazing Carleton Walking Wear tea service. I couldn’t buy them then because my weekly allowance was too small compared to their value. But I admired them all the more and even now I always keep my eyes out for things with feet. This Just Ducky Belle Casa Tea ensemble by Ganz must have been a wry bit of a creation by the designer. So why not add a touch of humor to your daily darjeeling or Nescafe!
9 Piece Just Ducky Belle Casa Tea Set by Ganz, $88.99
-Mary Ellen, Aunt Hatties Attic
Blue Cloisonné Bangle Bracelet
The blue background on this bracelet reminds me of a beautiful clear day. The cloisonné is reminiscent of floating clouds in the sky, with the forefront of pink and white cherry blossoms. The epitome of a spring day. There were loads of cheap cloisonné bracelets made for the tourist trade. This is not one of those. The detail and flat finished inside as well as the smaller circumference help it to stand out from the crowd.
Blue Cloisonné Bangle Bracelet, $34.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Vintage Ephemera, Lion Coffee Paper Doll Set
Great ephemera produced in the 1890s by a company with a fascinating history. According to the Lion Coffee website, the company, which was founded in 1864, was so successful as a mail-order business that the US Postal Service invented bulk mail to ease the task of counting all the promotional pieces sent out in the 1890s. Who knew? One more reason collecting vintage is so much fun—there’s always something new to learn. Read more about Lion Coffee’s back story.
Victorian “Old King Cole” Paper Doll Set, $24
-Linda, Selective Salvage
Singer Antique 1889 Puzzle Box with Attachments
If you’re a sewist, you might have attachment issues. You might need a specialty foot to sew some special sewing thing. This is not a want, it’s a need. Having the right tool for the job is essential. Would you try to assemble a piece of Ikea furniture with a hammer instead of an hex key? Of course you wouldn’t. So why would you try to put in a zipper without a zipper foot?
One of the NextStage vintageneers had a need this week too; she needed to sort out the contents of this antique Singer wooden puzzle box full of attachments because nothing was going to be right with the world until she did. The box was a jumble when it came to us, and she identified all the pieces and got them to their proper spot. Antique and vintage Singer sewing machines have collectors that are fiercely loyal to the brand. We hope this puzzle box finds its way to one of them soon.
Singer Puzzle Box of Machine Attachments, $65.
-Laurie, NextStage Vintage
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