As “Blinking Star Antiques”, Tony and I have been asked to provide door prizes and raffle items for various events in the community during Valentine’s week. What better way than to put together an “authentic” Victorian Valentine package?
It turns out that the history of Valentine’s Day traditions is rather fuzzy. While the day as we recognize it today seems to have been celebrated as early as the Middle Ages – at that time the mid-February observance of romance was believed to have been due to the belief that birds began mating in mid-February. Other sources say that Valentine’s Day “evolved” from the Roman festival Lupercalia, which was a spring festival centred around “spring cleaning” and fertility. Seventeenth century records exist of the exchange of gifts at this time, and the hand-written Valentine’s card seems to have become more popular in the 18th Century with pre-printed Valentine paper becoming popular in the early 19th Century.
By the mid-19th Century, pre-printed cards were common enough to incite derision. As cited on the “About.com” website (listed below), on February 14, 1856, the New York Times printed their negative opinion of the printed Valentine card tradition:
Our beaux and belles are satisfied with a few miserable lines, neatly written upon fine paper, or else they purchase a printed Valentine with verses ready made, some of which are costly, and many of which are cheap and indecent. In any case, whether decent or indecent, they only please the silly and give the vicious an opportunity to develop their propensities, and place them, anonymously, before the comparatively virtuous. The custom with us has no useful feature, and the sooner it is abolished the better.
On that note, it may be better to take the attitude that if we can’t beat them, we should join them. Bust out the paper doilies and red construction paper and get to it. I’m going to add some home-made red wine, some local chocolates and maybe a few roses to our packages!
One of Vancouver Island’s best-kept secrets is that there are a wealth of antique shops run by highly-knowledgeable Antique Experts. Fort Street in Victoria is known as “Antique Row”, but that is just the beginning! While Fort Street boasts a high concentration of general and specialty antique shops, you can conduct highly successful Antiquing Adventures all over the Island.
Shops on VanIsleAntiques.com are listed by geographical location – to make your Antiquing Adventure easy. Featured shops have listings at the top of the page, with contact information including a website link (where available) as well as their locations included in a “Google” map so you can get directions to the shops from wherever you may be.
Further, featured shops with websites have links posted to this blog. If you don’t see your favourite Vancouver Island antique dealer either above the Google map on our website, or with a link on this blog – please feel free to put a bug in their ear! Have them call me (Beth @ 250-335-2255) and we can help get their marketing and advertising into the 21st Century (the ambiance of their shops we’re going to leave well-enough alone!).
Antiquing is the ultimate treasure hunt! Joy can often be found hiding in the nooks and crannies of antique and collectible shops as well as at flea markets and 2nd-hand stores. Which “Antiquing Insider” doesn’t dream of finding their treasure for a price they know is an absolute steal?
But when you’ve got a solid idea of the items you’re seeking, haunting store after store without “luck” can become frustrating. That’s the time when it helps to have everyone on the same page – using the same “Antique Speak”. Here are the definitions most commonly used by Antique Experts and Insiders alike to distinguish among the many types of 2nd-hand and antique sales outlets and items.
Flea Markets…
…are temporary or short-term sales of new or used goods by a collection of vendors. Each Flea Market is different in its make-up because the goods sold by individual vendors run the gamut. Vendors rent table or booth space from an organizer – sometimes a community group. For example, the Lighthouse Community Centre in Qualicum Bay runs a regular Flea Market on the 2nd Sunday morning of each month. Breakfast is served by a local service group or club. A regular animal swap now also occurs in the parking lot outside. This Flea Market has become a community event and is a great place to meet new people (and you actually get eggs with your pancake breakfast)!
2nd Hand Shops…
…are store-front locations selling mostly used goods. The shops are generally run by one owner or charity. Each shop has its own “feel” depending on the type and quality of the goods sold. 2nd Hand Shops run by charitable organisations have little to no control over the items that are donated, so haunting these shops is really a matter of luck if you’re in the market for something specific. In contrast, a 2nd Hand Shop run by an independent proprietor generally has a focus for its goods – and the owner can provide more service if you have specific requirements. Like an antique dealer, an independent 2nd Hand Store owner often keeps a “wish list” for clients.
Collectibles…
…are items, whether old or new, that have a special niche market. Beanie babies are collectibles, as are vintage erotic post-cards. “Collectibles” is a broad term, and as a result can be (and often is) mis-used to describe almost any item. People often become “collectors” of items believing that the item(s) will substantially increase in value “some day”. This belief is fueled by the occasional inevitably well-publicised story of just such an event happening. The market value of “collectibles” can fluctuate wildly depending on any number of variables. Don’t hang onto something just because it “might be worth something some day” – hang on to it because you love it.
Vintage…
…is a term generally used to describe items that aren’t yet considered to fall into the “Antique” category; meaning that they are between 50-100 years old (more or less). In constrast to “antique” items, vintage pieces were made in the industrial era and are often one of many that were mass-produced. As a result, a vintage piece’s condition is an important factor in its value – especially if there are many examples of the vintage item in existance.
Antiques…
…are generally considered to be items that were made by a single craftsperson prior to the era of mass-production. The US government defines antiques as items being over 100 years old. These definitions were not mutually exclusive prior to the late 20th Century, but now there are items of mass-production that are in excess of 100 years old. What to do? Purists will tell you that they still adhere to the definition that addresses an item’s manufacture: antiques are made by a single craftsperson, and are more valuable if the craftsperson can be identified and documented.
My mind isn’t on antiques anymore, as we have our first Christmas guests with us and the teenaged boys arriving on Saturday. We’re all about Christmas now at our place, and showing off some of the tourist attractions and activities in our neck of the woods.
As Christmas approaches, the excitement of having Santa visit is growing. I’d like to share with you one of the websites that we love to check on during the holiday season – even though the youngest in our crew is now 12.
This site just keeps getting better and better. It all started with a mis-printed phone number in a Colorado newspaper. Kids were to phone to talk to Santa, but got the main operations number for NORAD instead. Once the NORAD staff figured out what was going on, they started to tell children that they had Santa on their radar and began giving updates.
In the past, NORAD has tracked Santa’s journey across the globe with video updates regularly. Now you can follow NORAD on Twitter and Facebook. The Facebook page has extra video of Santa’s mission briefings and news coverage.
Have a safe and happy holiday season… we’ll catch you again in the new year.
I spent a day at the BC Cancer Foundation’s 2nd Annual Christmas of Hope Antiques & Collectibles Extravaganza. (Inhale, here.) There was a considerably lower turnout for the Antique Appraisal event on Saturday than in the past and during the debriefing we asked the following questions:
Are there other considerations that we’ve missed? We think these events deserve the effort to make them more fun and get antique fans out and about!
(Lots of shops listed to the right will be happy to sell you porcelain figurines, oil lamps and little spoons while you wait for your doctor’s appointment.)
Blinking Star Antiques, Box 365, 5527 S. Island Highway, Union Bay, British Columbia
250-335-2255
Hours: By Chance or Appointment
Specializing in Sterling Silver. Many pieces available online (www.BlinkingStar.ca).
British silver decanter labels date from the mid 18th Century. These pretty little items hang around the neck of a decanter or carafe to identify the contents.
Wine was originally decanted from casks to make serving easier; and decanted from bottles because of the amount of sediment present. Today, most wine is decanted to increase aeration. Spirits are transferred into decanters as an esthetic.
Regardless of why you elect to decant your wine and spirits today, here are 5 reasons give some festive bling in the form of Hallmarked Sterling Silver Decanter Labels
The Hallmarks guarantee that the labels are Sterling, and also tell the date of manufacture as well as the silversmith who made the piece.
Silver is a good investment. For the current “spot” price of silver, click here.
Decanter labels at Blinking Star Antiques range in price from $40 – $400, and can be purchased online.
Antiques make classy gifts.
Antiques are green.
Resources
The Wine Label Circle: An association for those who study and collect silver wine labels and those in other materials, furthering research into their history and encouraging contemporary design.
In a previous post , J.R.’s Discontinued China (on Antique Row in Victoria, BC) advised that you should NEVER break up a set of China. But what are rules for if not to be broken?
J.R.’s also advised that if you were trying to sell a set, you could expect to receive no more than 25% of the cost of replacement. While you’ve been given the honour of storing all of this family history, you’re probably in the unenviable position of trying to find the next “heir”. If you’d like to keep the China in the family, breaking up the set isn’t necessarily a bad idea. It allows more family members to have a piece of the past, including the stories that go with the pieces.
In the past, we’ve advised people to have pieces framed, and displayed prominantly. Now we have a new idea (Thanks to Tony Duke for his creativity).
This sushi needs a home - perhaps some Royal Albert?
Antique “Sushi Sets”. Sushi is easy to make, popular, and the tools and accessories are readily available. China sets can be repurposed as Sushi sets.
A Sushi Set For Two Usually Inlcudes:
2 smaller plates
1 serving plate
2 bowls for miso soup
2 small bowls for wasabi, ginger and other condiments
2 pairs of chopsticks
Don’t forget that teapots, teacups and saucers can be used for green tea or saki!
Creating Great-Grandma’s Antique Sushi Set will require the addition of some Japanese chopsticks, and perhaps some coordinating modern small condiment bowls. Finishing touches might also include a bamboo rolling mat and perhaps a small cookbook (or card with a few website addresses) with instructions for making sushi.
While you’re enjoying sushi with the grandchildren – you can pass along a few family stories.
Suki desu ka?
Share Your Ideas for Keeping Christmas “Green and Out of the Red”
I wondered why there was so much information on Victorian Christmas traditions and very little on earlier traditions. The resources I found are listed below, and are definitely worth reading.
Society in the 18th Century had no significant middle class. The upper classes celebrated Christmas, and the effort required for the mid-winter celebrations was borne by the servent class who had no significant holiday time.
After observing Christmas Day, the holiday season lasted the 12 days until Epiphany (January 6) and was observed with feasting, parties and hunting.
The following verse from The Virginia Almanac published by Joseph Royle in 1765 captures the festive spirit of a colonial Christmas (from the Victoriana website). Notice that there are no references to buying lots of gifts or stressing yourself out.
Christmas is come, hang on the pot,
Let spits turn round and ovens be hot;
Beef, pork, and poultry now provide,
To feast thy neighbours at this tide;
Then wash all down with good wine and beer,
And so with Mirth conclude the Year.
We wouldn’t leave you hanging by just telling you to get a real tree and then not tell you how to decorate it! One of the most popular eras for decoration was the Victorian – and many Victorian items still exist today.
Victorian Christmas decoration was characterised by:
Lots of greenery. A “holly cart” would deliver sprigs and boughs to homes in town for people who couldn’t get out themselves.
Holly and Ivy were used to decorate. These ever-green plants were both natural in England.
Trees were generally decorated with small toys, candies, cookies, fruit and nuts, paper cutouts, popcorn strings and candles.
Later in the Victorian Era, glass ornaments were also produced. These are the kind of lovely hand-painted ornaments we often haunt the antique shops for.
www.VanIsleAntiques.com is your on-line guide to antiquing on Vancouver Island - shops listed by geographical area, list of appraisers on the Island... and and Upcoming Events Calendar.
By the mid-19th Century, pre-printed cards were common enough to incite derision. As cited on the “About.com” website (listed below), on February 14, 1856, the New York Times printed their negative opinion of the printed Valentine card tradition:
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