Emptying The BIG Sideboard

This tea set belonged to my grandma. It's been wrapped up in the sideboard, as has most of what follows, since we moved here, fourteen years ago. A couple of pieces are cracked, but as I looked at it I did think that when it comes back it really should be used. It's marked 'Paragon China England' and also has a 6-sided star on it.

A variety of handed down cutlery. This fish set has bone handles and pretty engraving on the knives. The coffee spoons were my mums' and the top of the spoon is made to look like a coffee bean. I'm thinking the pastry forks will work a treat with the tea set.

I'm also thinking it all needs a bit of elbow grease and a bottle of Silvo!

The blue tin is marked Kandit. Not sure of its' provenance. I think the Japanese bits were from my dads' side of the family. I can think of no reason that they were acquired...no one went to Japan as far as I know. But my dad did work for a Japanese chap, so maybe that's were they are from. My beloved 'Edwardian ladies vases' as I call them; because they remind me of the shape of the necklines of posh Edwardian evening gowns. (Just in case you were wondering!). Never looked to see if they had any markings. The orange 'stuff' is part of my collection of Fire King items. I really must Google this to find out more. I've had it longer than Google's been going, I think. It is American and a bit like Pyrex.

Pretty bowl picked up when I was a student, probably, for pennies. I have a few oddments in this sort of style that I used for everyday. Now, it is a bit more treasured! The marking on the base is 'Grindley England' with a little galleon. Apart from the well-known stuff, I really know nothing about crockery/china. Again, back to Google.

A mish-mash of glassware here. The Christmas stuff is from Jonny-Loulous and is that old that some people would call it vintage I guess. This has had regular use. The pink-stemmed glasses have a tale. For those of you who remember Woolworth's, each store used to hold a yearly Valentines competition and we were lucky enough to win it! There were 2 plates, 2 sets of cutlery. the glasses, caviar, chocs and wine, all in a wicker hamper. There are photos somewhere; when and if I find them, they will be scanned. A couple of sets of those cutie 50s/60s glasses. The boxed set is covered in lucky charms - 4 leaf clovers and the like. The ceramic bird bottle stop was my dads', so that's pretty ancient! More modern are the 2 Coke glasses, the one on the right celebrating the Winter Olympics at Lillehammer in 1994.

One of my favourites and probably the most unusual is this amazing Caravan & Camping Club side plate that Mr B found. The marking is a lion and the name 'Maddock'.
How cute is that print?

It is weird going through all these things and almost cataloguing them. We have been avid collectors of 'stuff' for years and have bought things because we liked them. Now, with the arrival of 'Vintage' adding a spin and inflated prices, it makes me wonder are any of our things now valuable and should they be treated as 'precious' which somehow strikes me as a shame.

Maybe we just need to start a museum??
Z xx