The Mystery Gift
Here it is, the mystery gift. Sorry for the lousy photos. It appears to be made of silver. I am guessing it may be Victorian from the design, but since I don't know much about silver, I could be way off base. There are no markings on the bottom or the inside. It seems to be in very good condition, although it has a few minor scratches, which are only noticeable when you look at it very closely.
It's about about 6 inches high and 6 inches wide. The top opens up and is hinged.
It has what I think of as rather typically Victorian design: flowers, bows, flourishes (the Victorian equivalent of "flare"). The ring handles on each side are attached to lions' heads. Any suggestions as to what this thing* is would be much appreciated. Thanks.
*It should be noted that I really like this gift. I think it's beautiful and I hope to display it in a prominent place once I figure out where to put all the wedding gifts. I just really want to know what it is so I can write a lovely thank you note acknowledging it.
It's about about 6 inches high and 6 inches wide. The top opens up and is hinged.
It has what I think of as rather typically Victorian design: flowers, bows, flourishes (the Victorian equivalent of "flare"). The ring handles on each side are attached to lions' heads. Any suggestions as to what this thing* is would be much appreciated. Thanks.
*It should be noted that I really like this gift. I think it's beautiful and I hope to display it in a prominent place once I figure out where to put all the wedding gifts. I just really want to know what it is so I can write a lovely thank you note acknowledging it.
posted by Lady Tiara @ 3:34 PM
4 Comments:
At 4/7/06, 5:02 PM,
Big Sky Girl said…
Etta-
Check for a mark in the following places:
the underside of the handles
there is a lip around the bottom-look on the inside
they also sometimes hide them in the floral pattern
if it's silver the odds are 99 to 1 there is a mark
I will look into what it is.
A mystery, yay!;-)
At 4/7/06, 5:17 PM,
Big Sky Girl said…
I think your mother is right. I think it is a tea caddy. At first, I thought it was a little big but I found some on Ebay that were about the same size.
If it's silver and antique it was not an inexpensive item. The only problem is, what do you use a tea caddy for in 2006?
At 4/7/06, 10:15 PM,
Lady Tiara said…
wow, thanks so much for all this info. i will look for a mark in those places; it didn't occur to me to do that. i'm pretty sure it's silver, not so sure if it is an antique, although it looks old to me (but obviously i'm not an expert). as for what to use it for, i do drink a lot of tea (not loose), so maybe i can put my tea bags in it. or maybe it will just be an objet d'art.
At 4/10/06, 9:08 PM,
JordanBaker said…
teeny-tiny ice bucket?
My question: is there any sort of groove or anything in the lip that indicates a spoon may've sat there at some point? Because if not, I would say that lets out most members of the caddy family.
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