On a recent whirlwind trip back home I acquired a couple more of Nana’s treasures. Now, Nana was a great collector of antiques and sometimes questionable curiosities. Rather than just collect these pieces of treasure I am trying to piece together where they’re from – an interesting prospect when one of the items is a musical cigarette lighter. I never thought I’d see the day, a 3-in-1 curiosity. A waterwheel house, a music-box and a cigarette lighter all rolled into one. I haven’t been able to find too many identifying marks on it yet, but you never know what a good clean might turn up. So far, all I have found out is that musical cigarette lighters quite often came out of Japan – perhaps that is where this one is from? I haven’t been able to place the music it plays, but it doesn’t seem very conducive to lighting up. Perhaps some sort of subliminal messages there?

The second item is a lovely wee vase with a swallow on it and some silver around the neck of the vase. This one did have some identifying marks, but I think I probably need a lesson in reading/interpreting them! The mark is Bridgewood & Son, England. Up to now, I have discovered this pottery company operated from 1853 till sometime in the 1990s. That is quite a few years for my little piece to fit into, perhaps a bit more research is in order.