Sculptura Phone

Today's catch o' the day from a morning of yard sales. This is the 1970s era Sculptura from Western Electric, sometimes called the donut phone, and we'll have it at tomorrow's Sunday Antique Market priced to sell.

We also found a few other things for tomorrow as well as a couple of handy kitchen tools to keep.

Catch o' the Day

Yes, it's true I am a slut for shoes, so today's 2nd hand store find is a pair of desert boots by Tricker's of Jermyn Street. Beautifully bench made and a great fit with the only caveat being that the crepe soles don't go well wet with tile floors. I nearly went tits up at the library. The tiles were dry, the soles were wet.

Found the shoes after this morning's audition for the Don Cherry bio pic and before a birthday lunch with Rosemary at Not Just Dim Sum. (Which rhymes with yum), on Finch at Yonge. Pretty funny since we live a five minute walk from Chinatown.

1920s Deerskin Condoms

They're guaranteed five years, but since they're probably from the 1920s, '30s...

The art deco package design is striking, plus more graphic sexual allusions than you can, uh...shake a stick at: from the negative space to the really long horns. Are they deer or gazelle? Ah, who cares?

From the genuinevintage.com collection of packaging & design.

Biggest Diamond Ring Ever!

Found this today at the Sunday Antique Market...and it's a gem. For the CSI challenged, it's 3" top to bottom. It's probably from a store display but I just couldn't resist my pre April Fools Day joke-ette.

Hudson's Bay Company Blanket Coat

Now that spring is here, it's time to buy that winter coat at a reduced price. We picked this up in Arizona a few years ago (it gets cold in the desert) and have decided that it's time for it to have a new home. In other words, it used to fit me, now it doesn't.

Very unusual, this blanket coat, in that the stripes are vertical; the factory made coats are all horizontal. Double breasted, fabric covered buttons, and peaked pocket flaps. So, this was either a test production or custom made from an HBC point blanket.

Size is about 38-40. Dates from the 1950s-'60s, I believe.

Vintage Burberrys Trench

There's so much information on the origins of Burberry on the net that it doesn't bear repeating here. Very simply put, Burberry invented the trench coat.

This Burberrys' trench is a Ladies, size small - medium and about twenty years old but in great shape; just one of the 200 odd items we'll be bringing tomorrow to the Sunday Antique Market. And it's priced to sell.

Crocodile Club Bag

This week at the Sunday Antique Market, I'll also have this vintage crocodile club bag. Although it's in great condition I wouldn't recommend it for daily use. For more info on club bags have a look at our other site vintageluggage.com

Victorian Smoking Cap

As you've probably surmised, I have a thing for hats (and shoes and the list goes on...). This week at the Sunday Antique Market, I'll have this wonderful Victorian smoking cap: silk lined, embroidered velvet with a silk tassel. It's in good condition but there is some loss to the plush of the velvet. It's a (dare I say it? Why not?) a hair small on me which would probably make it a size 7. They're becoming very hard to find in wearable shape.

Smoking caps and jackets were, of course, used to prevent the stench of tobacco smoke from migrating to one's clothing and hair. Very sensible indeed.

Ceiling Fixture

Everything still aches after doing the Vintage Clothing Show, but I'm slowly, very slowly, starting to recover. One of the things that aided in this recovery was finding this great 1920s-'30s ceiling fixture. Cast iron, patinated, decorated and apparently rewired within the last ten years. I'm sure that there's a name for this particular style but have no idea what: almost like a transitional deco, but not really. The kind of fixture one would see in middle, middle class homes in the parlour, perhaps. Picturing dad in his chair, with pipe and paper, junior on the floor playing with his trains. The radio's on with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy bantering and Mom, Mom's in the kitchen doorway wiping a dish gazing at the happy family.

It's movie moment. A Life magazine ad.

I'll have it for sale this Sunday at the Sunday Antique Market.

And the week is still young yet, who knows what else will turn up.

Reworked paisley

This short cape appears to date from the 1920s-'30 and was made from a much older paisley.

And it came with a matching bag. The bag's zipper was made by Waldes, an American company in Queen's, NY. Zipper dating info was gleaned from the Fedora Lounge Blog

This is one of the pieces that we sold at the Vintage Clothing Show.

Lilli Ann Suit

One of the great finds we're bringing to this Saturday's Vintage Clothing Show is this classic Lilli Ann suit; circa 1950s fitted wool with rhinestone detailing and with a Lincoln Road, Miami Beach vendor's label.