Friday Goodies.

First, my coworkers' parents came from Germany, and "Omi" brought me a teacup she's had in her cupboard in Germany for a while. It's Japanese and super dainty and see through. I've had my thermos tea today from it, and I'm pretty pleased. That's the second time I've sat around at work and had a tea cup dropped onto me. A trans atlantic teacup, even.

Then at lunch I kidnapped Mr Snork and dragged him to an estate sale, conveniently on the way.  Everything was really pretty but expensive.  I fell in love a little with an iron, the kind you put coals into, and it irons..  But everything was priced a la antique shop in Orange County, CA, so I let that dream go.  For $65 that iron needs to be fully functional and I can't expect Jesse to make with BBQ coals every morning before work..

But, I did find and dig through a cup of silver tea spoons - an obsession relation to teacups, but a lot less space consuming, so, yay?  I found two I really liked, and had to talk the hostess into getting them - they were being sold as a 12 piece lot for $68, and she was reluctant to sell separately, but eventually, I got 2 for $10.

I deciphered one hallmark to be Wallace and Sons,  

the spoon with the pretty pine cones.

The other seems to be "IS" in some wings, or feathers, or may be just an "S"?

a "Pat .88", 

and a "sterling" on it.

It looks pretty old, or "haunted" as my little brother says, so naturally, it appeals to me even more.  As does this kind of research, on some obsessive compulsive level.  There is an International Silver Co, but it seems that all their hallmarks spell out the name. 

 ~

PS, after I typed up this blog, I went back searched just the "S" letter, and came up with George Shiebler & Co.  They were dissolved in 1910, which explains the rubbed out hallmark and its general 'haunted-ness'. 

~

PPS, after some more nosing around, I found the pattern.  Discontinued in 1888!  Extra haunted.   I might take it up to NorCal with me next time, to drink tea with and freak out the small anti-antique siblings.   

I think I'll go back tomorrow and check out the other spoons I left behind.  Shhh.  Don't tell the Mr.   It's the most haunted thing I have, after the Russian imperial silver spoons my dad brought me for my birthday.  Monogrammed with "K", conveniently, for my Russian nickname - 'Kuzya'.  Kuzya is a small, very dirty unbehaved housekeeping troll in a popular Soviet time cartoon, but never mind the details.  The spoons are pretty rad.