Gem Iron

Gem Iron
made in Australia 1940s

Gem scones are unique to Australia: they are ‘damper’ scones made from flour, water and milk – the basics- as this was all that was available during the war. Damper is a rough bread that can be made over a camp fire.

Real scones are made with sugar…and- served with jam and cream. Real luxury after the war. But during the war when this gem iron was made – you were lucky to be able to assemble flour and milk. Water was available as an alternative to the milk…if necessary…or to water down the milk to make the gem scones.

This gem iron made twelve scones over the fire, or in the oven. It is made of cast-iron, and now has a patina of rust. Good thing that it can be easily cleaned [if you wish] – or if like me you like the historical patina…

…the gem iron is for sale: $AU45.
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Jolly Jinks!

Jolly Jinks plate
made in England 1940s

Jolly Jinks children’s plates and cups were made by Ridgway, in England. They are now quite the collectors’ piece!

More dynamic than Bunnykins, Jolly Jinks plates evidence bunnies as artists, as sports players, as newspaper readers and as young things getting up to high jinx. This plate is signed Ridgway, Jolly Jinks with a little rabbit logo; and features all the above.

The plate is in excellent vintage condition, and is for sale: $AU35
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Kitschy wall plaque [sold]

Kitschy 60s 3D wall plaque
made in Japan

I love kitschy ceramic wall plaques: this one depicts a 60s version of Holland [note windmills, dykes, narrow houses- all the usual iconography.] That this is depicted in three dimensions- makes it even more fabulous! And in a rustic timber [ceramic] frame: too good!

This plaque is in excellent vintage condition and ready to hang: and is for sale: $AU35

 

 

Vintage Australian linen teatowels [sold]

 

Australian vintage linen teatowels
made in Australia 1950-60s

This is a fantastic – unused- set of vintage linen teatowels. Many people are upcycling these into children’s clothing and cushion covers. The graphics! The colours! The fact that the hard-wearing linen survives washing!

The Australiana!

I have made several teatowels into cushion covers for friends- the calendars are particularly good for a friend’s birth year. I use recycled vintage linen and notions for the back – the ultimate in upcycling.

This set of 10 teatowels [unused, in fantastic vintage condition] is for sale: $50

I have collected a great deal of vintage teatowels- ask me for your State or Calendar Year!

Aboriginal motif kitsch

Aboriginal motif salt & pepper shaker sets, and small jug
made in Australia c.1950s

While none of these items has a maker’s mark, the salt and pepper shakers at the back are possibly by Terra Ceramics, and the round shakers to the left are possibly Florenz Pottery. The small jug is probably Studio Anna. All these potteries were making tourist and souvenir pottery by the 1950s, and these appropriated [and westernised] indigenous motifs were hugely popular. Post war arts and crafts saw a rise in the popularity of Australiana – replacing traditional English motifs with ‘Australian’ themes; invariably Aboriginal motif works were black, tan and white.

This group works well as a set, or could form the basis of a larger collection. The items on their own are very kitsch…but somehow when grouped the kitschness is subverted into a subtler aesthetic.

This set is for sale: $AU125

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50s Australiana kitsch

Gambit Ware ‘Australiana’ leaf plates
made in Australia 1950s

Here is another part of my collection: anything botanically themed always gets me in. Add to that these plates were designed and made in Australia- celebrating our unique flora in the post war period. AND this is ‘Ceramique’ – an early melamine material that was developed to revolutionise ceramic – it would ‘never chip or break.’

The stylised plates came in simple pastel colours, but were quite botanically detailed- they include wattle, banksia, kurrajong, mulga leaves- to name a few. The simple colouring meant that each leaf shape was reproduced in six colours- so one could buy a set of six ‘for display OR kitchen purposes’!

This image shows another part of my collection- at last count I had 50 plates. Plates with their labels intact are worth significantly more. The Ceramique has certainly lived up to its name- there isn’t a chip or a crack on any of the plates, although colour fading has occurred on a few.

Kitschy – yes. But 50s Australian kitsch- I love it!

This selection of Gambit Ware is for sale: $125 [13 pieces]

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50s Australiana kitsch

Gambit Ware ‘Australiana’ leaf plates
made in Australia 1950s

Here is another part of my collection: anything botanically themed always gets me in. Add to that these plates were designed and made in Australia- celebrating our unique flora in the post war period. AND this is ‘Ceramique’ – an early melamine material that was developed to revolutionise ceramic – it would ‘never chip or break.’

The stylised plates came in simple pastel colours, but were quite botanically detailed- they include wattle, banksia, kurrajong, mulga leaves- to name a few. The simple colouring meant that each leaf shape was reproduced in six colours- so one could buy a set of six ‘for display OR kitchen purposes’!

This image shows another part of my collection- at last count I had 50 plates. Plates with their labels intact are worth significantly more. The Ceramique has certainly lived up to its name- there isn’t a chip or a crack on any of the plates, although colour fading has occurred on a few.

Kitschy – yes. But 50s Australian kitsch- I love it!

This selection of Gambit Ware is for sale: $125 [13 pieces]

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Pates posey vase

Pates posey vase
made in Sydney, c 1940s

This posey vase was made by Pates Pottery, which operated out of Belmore, Sydney from 1946 -1990. The deco styling of the vase is deliberate, although it was made much after that period; it seems nostalgia for things past [and styles familiar and remembered] has always influenced pottery makers.

The drip glazes used by Pates were applied by hand, and the vases came in mottled shades of pinks, yellows, and green & brown- indeed it is this mottled glaze that instantly identifies this vase as a Pates vase. The vase is also stamped on the base “Pates Potteries Sydney Australia.”

This lovely green and brown vase is perfect to display wattle – the joey figurine is just along for the ride.

Pates Pottery collectors rejoice: this posey vase is in perfect condition and is for sale: $AUD75

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#50sstyle dress jewellery

This is a collection of 50s Australian dress jewellery:

• two ‘souvenirware’ bracelets featuring Australian fauna and flora,
• six tie pins.

The bracelets feature various flora and fauna on faux mother-of-pearl backgrounds, whilst the tie pins have real mother-of-pearl. Some of the tie pins are gold; others are ‘imitation’.

The bracelets were sold as souvenirware on a cruise ship in the 50s- when the ship pulled into a harbour city these were available as mementos – or gifts- for the folks back home.

The tie pins were a 50s staple for the elegant suited gent: not only did they hold a tie together- they signalled prestige: the size, the styling, the gold…think ‘Mad Men’ – then think the humble Australian equivalent!

The bracelets are for sale: $AU35, and the set of six tie pins: $AU125

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Knitting parapheralia

Knitting Paraphernalia
made in England, 1940-1950s

I am a knitter – and a collector – so naturally I have started to collect knitting paraphernalia. It’s sort of an amalgamation of my interests in the domestic arts- knitting- and technology. So here is a small selection: knitting gauges, knitting counters, and knitting needles.

The knitting gauges are all made from aluminium: the first is an impressed aluminium circle gauge, with sizes 5 to 16. It has no makers mark, and after countless hours [minutes] of research- I can’t find anyone who has ascertained the maker.

The second is a bell gauge made by Emu, in England in the 1940s. It’s a lovely anodised aluminium green: the Emu logo is a ball of wool with knitting needles for legs. It’s unusual in that it sizes needle gauges internally- rather than externally, which was the practice up to the 40s. It’s also unusual that an English firm would use an emu as its logo; at first I assumed this must be an Australian manufacturer.

The third gauge is a ’D-shaped’ gauge by Stratnoid Aluminium – this being the brand name of Stratton & Co, Birmingham. The gauge is unusual in that it indicates imperial and metric sizes.

I have just discovered that collecting needle gauges is a thing: it’s not just me!

The knitting counters sit on the end of the needle, and the end ring is rotated to move the counter to record the number of rows. These are 50s ‘rotary barrel’ counters, and are made of bakelite and plastic, by IX Products, and Millward. Millward termed these counters “Ro-Tally”.

Finally, the tortoise shell knitting needles – of which I have posted previously. Now much prized by knitters who suffer from arthritis, these needles are super-flexible, being made from an organic compound. Artists love them for the same reason.

The shadow box, also c.1940s, is not for sale: it makes a very useful display of all things vintage.

The gauges are for sale: $AU60, the counters are for sale: $AU45, and the tortoise shell knitting needles are $200 for 20 pairs [assorted sizes.]

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