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Goblin was responsible for giving the world (well, Great Britain mainly) the iconic Teasmade. If you're unfamiliar, it was a bedside alarm clock that incorporated automatic tea-making facilities so when you woke up there would be a fresh brew ready. It was a subsidiary of British Vacuum Cleaner & Engineering Company and the first Teasmade was launched in the mid-1930s. Goblin went on to produce various versions of the teasmade, along with alarm clocks, table lights and radios. This 1940's piece with a distinct Art Deco look about it is an alarm clock and bedside lamp in one. Working reliably well and rewired, it's a great deal of fun and a true blast from the past. The glass bulb lampshade and silver bracket has been added in later years but it doesn't jar. It's not dissimilar to the original glass shade shape so seems entirely appropriate. We love the metallic teal finish and who can resist the satisfying click of an old-fashioned switch?
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Here's a vintage piece that has seen some action. It's a British WW2 era field telephone, used for communications on the front lines and in military camps. Inside the green metal case, there is a Bakelite telephone and instructions, along with a crank at one end for operation. Designed to withstand volatile war zones, it comes a little battered and bruised but we love the ageing on the outer and inside. This is being sold as decorative, historical piece. We do not know if it works.
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Hand-carved from a single piece of wood, this vintage bowl is wonderfully rustic and tactile. A bowl used for proving bread, although the design is simple, there are decorative notches at the ends and on the sides, along with a rope tie to hang it up. The wood is worn and marked with a super aged patina and various knocks and imperfections across its surfaces - it's seen some life! Use as intended, or use as a bowl for fruit or eggs perhaps.
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Giving a whole lot of 1970's kitschness are these fabulous French shot or small tumbler glasses. Each features a different, colourful horse-drawn carriage illustration - cabriolet, fiacre, caleche, mail coach and cab.
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I say... a pair of original, French, black and white, erotic postcards, depicting two nude women enjoying nature. They are very artistic in their composition and lovely things. Both cards were sent and the writing on the back is in french. One is post stamped 1909. Much sought-after these days, early original examples are hard to come by.
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For 'adults only' these saucy, black and white, woodcut-style postcard were the brainchild of Swiss artist, Felix Vallotten. With the instructions to 'hold to the light' to reveal a hidden naughty scene behind the black, they ever so daft and a hoot! These are Victorian era originals that were never sent so they're in great, vintage order. And what is there to see...? We're not telling!
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Aren't these an absolute delight? Umistakably Charlie Chaplin locked in a cheek to cheek dance with Auntie. Produced in the 1920s at the peak of Chaplin's career, they were the Mattel doll merch of the day! Produced by Dean's, they are rag dolls, made entirely of fabric and the detail is just super... from their expressions to the buttons on Charlie's waistcoat to Auntie's bloomers underneath. They have been loved so they are a little worn and faded but unsurprising given they are cloth-made and their age. They are locked / sewn together in their dance, perhaps a Charleston. They are precious things that are rarely available.Â
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Magic lanterns predated the slide projector. With either a candle or latterly a lamp inside to illuminate richly coloured glass slides that were slotted in the side, they brought to life stories, tales of derring-do and great moments in history. The concept dates back to the late 1600s and their appeal continued through to the late 1800s. Early slides were hand-painted but by the 1840s, image transfers were used instead. This set of 18 glass slides in its original box is Victorian. There are 7 large (24cm x 7cm), 1 medium (20.5cm x 6cm) and 10 small (11cm x 3cm) slides in total. The colours and images are still bright and vivid, although there is wear as you might expect. Depicted are mostly witty scenes and they are utterly charming. Sadly we don't have the magic lantern itself but these are such fun and deserve to be admired. They would look splendid mounted in a double-sided frame and hung in a window or presented in a light box.Â
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An original, USA issue of the infamous gentleman's magazine, Playboy, dating from February 1965. Very tame adult content by today's standards and with articles by leading writers and thinkers of the day, it's certainly of its era. A fascinating record of the times.
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What’s the story?
An original, USA issue of the infamous gentleman's magazine, Playboy, dating from May 1964. Very tame adult content by today's standards and with articles by leading writers and thinkers of the day, it's certainly of its era. A fascinating record of the times.
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What’s the story?
An original, USA issue of the infamous gentleman's magazine, Playboy, dating from April 1967. Very tame adult content by today's standards and with articles by leading writers and thinkers of the day, it's certainly of its era. A fascinating record of the times.
Free UK Delivery!
What’s the story?
An original, USA issue of the infamous gentleman's magazine, Playboy, dating from July 1963. Extremely tame by today's standards and with articles by leading writers and thinkers of the day, it's certainly of its era. A fascinating record of the times.
Free UK Delivery!
