Small English collectibles

As a remembrance of my English grandparents, I collect items made in England. I have small saucers decorated with detailed and colorful colonial scenes and fish bone plates featuring detailed renderings of Currier and Ives prints.

I particularly enjoy my collection of English egg coddlers produced by Royal Worcester. An excellent reference site I use to identify the pattern of my egg coddlers is: http://www.coddlers.com. Although antique stores frequently charge as much as $22 for the large coddler and $18 for the small ones, I have been able to find them for as little as $2 and pay an average of $12 - $18 for them. They seem to be more plentiful on the east coast than here on the west coast. I was told by a shopkeeper in Charleston, South Carolina that they were a popular wedding present in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on the east coast. I have also noticed that there is usually a distinct difference between the large and small version of a single pattern. Here on the west coast, the most plentiful pattern seems to be "Birds". My current collection includes the patterns Evesham, Lavinia, Birds, Bournemouth, Torquay, June Garland, Louise, Strawberry Fair, A Skippety Tale, Pershore, and Woodland. I would be interested in any of the other patterns featuring naturalistic images of animals and flowers (I don't care much for the stylistic). I would really like to add one of the "Old Game Series" pattern to my collection (if the price is right).

I was in an antique store in the little town of Monroe a few miles north of here (Eugene, Oregon) and saw some beautiful porcelain jar lids, that originally capped jars of English fish paste, adorned with detailed Victorian scenes. The antique store wanted $325 each for them.

So, when my sister and I traveled to London last spring, I kept an eye out for them and found a wonderful one complete with the jar as well at the Portobello Road Antique and Street Fair for only 48 pounds (about $96 U.S.).

Civil War figurines and miniatures

An unpainted crushed pecan shell figurine.

In 1993, my husband and I helped my daughter move to Charleston, South Carolina. After we got her settled in we had a chance to do some site seeing. We toured Boone Hall Plantation where the miniseries "North and South" was filmed and took a launch out to Fort Sumpter. On the weekends, the old slave market in downtown Charleston is converted into a thriving flea market and street fair. There I found some figurines of Civil War soldiers made out of a resin created with pecan shells.

I bought five of them and wish ever since I had bought all the seller had as I have not been able to find any more since then. The pecan resin takes paint very well and I was quite pleased with my first effort. I even added gray streaks to the beard and mud smudges to the boots.

1990 Melanie Wilkes miniature by the
Franklin Mint

I also discovered that the Franklin mint produced some beautifully detailed resin "Gone With The Wind" miniatures. I was able to win the bid on several of them up on Ebay. Some of them come glued inside a small ornate bell jar but I actually prefer the stand-alone versions.

1990 Scarlett O'Hara miniature by the
Franklin Mint

Victorian figurines and miniatures

I have always admired the graceful feminine fashions of the Victorian era so I have been naturally drawn to any figurines I encountered dressed like the men and women of that period. I began by collecting Victorian figurines by Home Design. The Home Design figurines are really nicely detailed and I have found them for $20 or less.

On Ebay, I also found some exquisite Victorian lady Christmas ornaments from Louis Nicole in the $20 range, too. At my local flea market, I happened upon a wonderful set of snow white Victorian children figurines. They were priced at only $25 but I walked on by then returned the next day and they were marked down half price. Even though my display space was at a premium, I couldn't pass them up. I later saw them at a Department 56 store for a lot more than the $12.50 I paid for them! I had similar luck with a beautiful Lenox china figurine. I had previously admired several at an antique store on the coast with price tags of $125 each. Then I saw one in mint condition at the flea market for $50 and talked the vendor down to $35!

The Franklin Mint has produced some wonderful Victorian miniatures. These beautifully detailed miniatures were produced by the mint in 1984.

Each vignette stands about 2 3/4" high and depicts a scene from the upperclass social life from 1898 to 1908 - garden parties, ice skating, attending the opera, the theater, the races, etc. The figurine at the left is entitled "At the Cafe-Concert 1906". I had to bid on them individually on Ebay but managed to acquire them for between $7.95 and $10.95 each.

Historical playsets

As I browsed Ebay in search of other historical collectibles I became interested in collecting and painting detailed vintage playset figures. The Louis Marx Company produced a variety of beautifully sculpted playsets during the 50s and 60s that are now highly sought after by adult collectors. I particularly like figures from the Ben Hur playset and the Medieval Knights and Vikings from the Prince Valiant and King Arthur playsets. I also saw a picture of Eskimo figures from the Alaska playset that are nicely detailed and in dynamic poses. I content myself with buying selections of figures since a complete vintage Ben Hur playset now commands almost $1200. An excellent source of information about these playsets is Playset Magazine.

I stumbled across a link to history teacher Ron Barzso's playset website. Ron's attention to detail and selection of activities depicted in his early American, French and Indian War and Civil War playsets are truly outstanding and his prices are quite reasonable.

Since I am particularly interested in ancient history, I have sought out playsets produced by an Italian company, Atlantic, in the 1970s. I prefer 1/32 scale figures as they are easier to paint than tiny 1/72 figures and I have paid an average of $37 per unpainted boxed figure set for them. The Atlantic sets come in a box with a fold out mini history lesson including reference pictures of painted figures that are quite helpful. So far I have been able to obtain the Roman Legions, the Roman Gladiators, the Trojans, the Greek Acropolis set, the Greek infantry, the Greek cavalry, and the Egyptian Pharaoh's Court.

I also learned from a playset figure artist to use model railroad layout materials to create "grass" on the stand the figure rests upon for a more natural look (like the Black Watch playset figure above).

Glorious Egypt

"I see wonderful things!" - Howard Carter, 1922.

I have been fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was a young girl. I saw my first Egyptian mummy when I was 16 and visited the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian. I was not daunted by his crumbling nose and withered body. Although I didn't get a chance to see the original King Tut's treasures when they toured the United States, I found the "Splendors of Ancient Egypt" exhibit fascinating. It was the first time I had ever seen a Faiyum mummy painting and found it so beautiful. It reminded me of Greek orthodox religious icon paintings and, in fact, I have read since then that Greco-Roman mummy portraiture did influence subsequent religious paintings.

Since then I have been fortunate enough to have visited the Getty Villa in Malibu, California and viewed their mummy portrait collection and recently I returned from New York where I saw the spectacular collection of mummy portraits and masks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In addition to surrounding myself with reproductions of Egyptian art like those displayed here, I also collect books set in ancient Egypt by such authors as Margaret George (Memoirs of Cleopatra), Judith Tarr (Lord of the Two Lands), Wilbur Smith (River God), and Lynda S. Robinson. I even used my experience with artificial intelligence software to create a virtual Cleopatra.

Avon collectibles

Although some collectors may scoff at collecting items produced by Avon, I have found a number of Avon's collectibles nicely detailed and well made. As a collector of Victorian figurines, I appreciate the Mrs. Albee figurines that have been awarded over the years for outstanding sales. I admired two of the figurines displayed at a local restaurant for several years before I found out what they were. I then happened upon an entire selection of them offered for sale in a Minnesota antique shop and learned about their origin. Although I couldn't bring myself to pay the $135 - $165 price for each one at the antique store, I found the one at left in a second-hand store in Cheyenne, Wyoming for $49 then managed to get the one at right on Ebay for less than $60. Then I was contacted by a collector who sold me an entire lot of them for only $30 each.

I have also collected the "American Women", "Storybook", and "Women of the World" series of small porcelain dolls. I am told the"Women of the World" doll representing India is very beautiful but I have never seen it. In Cheyenne, Wyoming I found the "American Women" doll representing the American Indian (left) and found her quite endearing, with a carefully detailed leather-looking dress and carrying a basket of maize. Last year I found a wonderfully detailed selection of miniature ducks and geese representing six different wild species produced in the early 80s as well.

Victorian Lamps

Years ago I noticed an advertisement for a class at the local craft shop on how to construct Victorian-style fabric lampshades. I am a pushover for items decorated with lace, silk and roses so I thought it would be interesting to learn how to make some of the elaborate Victorian lamp shades I had seen in antique stores. I selected some cream-colored French batiste semi-sheer fabric and lace with a floral pattern that would make bouquet per shade panel , bought enough 3" silk fringe to adorn the lower edge and headed to the workshop. The instructor taught us how to make our own custom patterns by pressing foil across each of the different Victorian panel shapes that made up the wire frame of the lampshade. Then she demonstrated how to cut the fabric panels leaving about 3/8" border around the shape to give us fabric to wrap and glue around the lamp shade frames.

I had to adapt my design as I covered my frame with the semi-sheer fabric then overlaid the lace on top of that. I was quite pleased with the result and the lamps still adorn my living room. Since then, however, I learned to used the "wrap with bias seam binding and stitch fabric to wrapped frame" method that I much prefer to the glue method. I can stretch the fabric much tighter and get a more professional finish with the stitched method. All of the other lampshades I have made were fashioned using the stitched method and when my married daughter came to visit, I taught her the stitched method as well.

Soon I was haunting flea markets and second-hand stores looking for suitable lamp bases. I prefer figural bases if I can find them although Capo di Monte porcelain lamp bases make exquisite Victorian decor as well. Finding just the right base and creating shades that resemble a delicate Victorian confection is very rewarding. They also make a wonderfully personal and unique wedding gift if the bride admires Victorian design. I created a pair of lamps for my daughter and son-in-law for their wedding that had satin shades adorned with lace and beaded floral motifs that I bought at a wedding shop.

Centuries Miniatures

With my passion for history, I have been drawn to historical portraiture in all of its forms. I found historical miniatures particularly interesting and accomodating to my limited display space. One of the first group of miniatures I purchased for my own collection were Centuries Miniatures produced by the Franklin Mint in 1982. Each miniature portrays a woman in a typical fashion of a particular year in history. Each miniature stands apx. 54 mm tall but is much "thinner" than typical 54mm miniatures. For example, their heads are about 30% smaller than average miniatures of this size. Since they are porcelain, it is also difficult to find them undamaged as well. They were originally sold by monthly subscription for $15 each and the collection included a bell jar for display. I was fortunate enough to purchase ten of these miniatures as a group for only$5 each. Lady Eleanor c. 1415 (at left) in the green dress was purchased separately for $7.95.

My early collecting adventures

One day, I saw an intricately decorated metal plate made in England by Daher. It cost only a few dollars and really brightened up my kitchen. I soon learned Daher metalware was made in a variety of patterns and shapes and, because they were light, I could affix them to my plain birch cabinets with 3M mounting squares without driving nails that would damage the original birch. I had started my first collection. My sister pointed out that since we were of English heritage, the Daher pieces reflected our ancestry. She showed me her collection of English Royal Worcester egg coddlers. I loved the delicate images of birds and flowers and began looking for them as well. I also found beautifully decorated saucers, pitchers, and even fish bone holders bearing the distinctive "Made In England" stamp that were affordable as well.

I have always had a passion for history and historical portraiture. One day I found some beautiful miniature Victorian portraits in ornate frames labeled "Cameo Creations". I bought the pair for less than $20. I soon learned they too were produced in a variety of frames featuring different portrait prints from a host of mostly 18th and 19th century artists. I not only appreciated their beauty but was inspired to learn more about the "great masters" who had produced them.

I also began collecting small dolls and figurines in period dress. Although I couldn't afford Royal Dalton pieces (costing hundreds of dollars), I found nicely detailed pieces from Home Interiors for less than $20 and even a beautiful Lenox figurine for only $35. At an auction I bought a box of Jan Hagara ornaments shaped as Victorian children for only $5 per ornament not even realizing at the time who Jan Hagara was! (No wonder the auctioneer couldn't imagine why I didn't want all three lots.)

When I travel I look for items that remind me of my experiences that I can add to my collections. When I visited Williamsburg, I bought a miniature porcelain fife and drum corps. When I toured the Stronganoff exhibit, "Art of a Russian Nobel family", I found a distinctive Russian doll in 18th century attire for less than $20.

Several years ago I read the Masters of Rome series of novels by Colleen McCullough and became absolutely entranced by ancient Rome and the surrounding Mediterranean cultures. Since then I have begun searching for affordable dolls, miniatures, models, figurines, mosaic kits, jewelry, and art featuring ancient themes.