Monday, January 28, 2013

Miniatures from Alexandria

This probably sounds very exotic, but actually, there's a Sydney suburb called Alexandria, and that's where my sister and I went on Friday, to shop at Petbarn and go to a large antiques and collectables centre.
It was very hot - the centre is not airconditioned, and while there were some large floor fans dotted around the place, they didn't reach all areas. However, we had a good look at all the stalls, and we both found things to buy.
Here's the dolls house furniture I found:




Some lovely vintage 70s upholstered chairs, and a 1960s TV!

The chair and sofa look handmade:




The chair is about 3 1/2 inches across, 3 3/4 inches deep, and 3 3/4 inches high.




The sofa is about 5 1/2 inches across, 2 1/2 inches deep, and 2 1/4 inches high.

They seem to have a makers mark on them - see the arrows on two feet of each piece, like this: /|\





I haven't seen this mark before. It looks a bit like the broad arrow, that was (and is) used to mark government property in Australia and other British colonies, and appeared on convict uniforms and convict-built bridges etc. But I don't know what it would mean on dolls house furniture from the 1970s. I'd love to know who made it!

The TV is actually a salt and pepper shaker set:


You raise the salt and pepper containers by turning the ON button on the front of the TV!


The screen of the TV can be pushed in slightly, to insert a photo between the screen and the frame surrounding it.

It's just under 3 1/2 inches wide, 3 inches high, and 2 inches deep.

It came with its box - it's called the Tiny T-V salt and pepper set, but it doesn't have a maker's name, it just says Made in USA and Pat. Pending.




Perhaps someone will recognise it?

I also bought a card of lace, which feels machine-made, probably nylon or polyester, and has a sweet design I thought would look good in a small dolls house - it's 3/4 inch wide:


It was fun going shopping with my sister - the first time we've really been able to do it since I arrived before Christmas. And it was lovely to find some vintage dolls house furniture, too!

16 comments:

  1. Great finds, Rebecca! Believe it or not, I actually have one of those TV sets too! A good friend gave it to me recently, knowing I would like it! I recall her telling me that she had it from when she was little, but I can find out more. It is nice to see the original box!

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    1. Oh, that's great, Chris! Have you used it in any scenes? I must go back and see if I can spot it now .... If your friend does know more, I'd be very interested. I'm curious, too - did your friend, or her family, actually use it as both a photo holder and for salt and pepper? It seems a curious combination!

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  2. Very cool finds. I like the 60's style of the couch and chair and the TV is very neat.

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    1. Thank you, Troy! I consider you the star finder of dolls house miniatures at estate and garage sales and antiques shops, and I'm very pleased to have actually found some myself now!

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    1. Thank you, Sans - and thanks for visiting! :-)

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  4. Lovely finds. The furniture from that time has a special charm.
    Happy you feel strong enough to make post on your blog after beeing so sick. Great!
    Greetings from Lilian in Sweden

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    1. Thank you, Lilian - I actually saw a real life version of the orange sofa in the next vintage furniture shop! I'm very happy to be blogging again too, and have more to post about :-D

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  5. Perhaps the arrows meant 'this side towards the seat'? to assist in correct construction?

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    1. Now that's an interesting thought - it would certainly explain why it's an arrow. I'm not sure that the arms of the chair and sofa have an inner side and an outer side - I'll have to check.

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  6. Your TV was a fabulous find. I love the detail. I never really think of antique shops for a source of minis. I'll have to check them out.

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    1. I'm always hopeful when I look through antique shops and op shops, but I rarely find any miniatures - apart from over-priced (largeish) miniature china or dolls I could buy more cheaply on ebay. It makes finds like these even more exciting!

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  7. Hello from SpAin, i like TV. Great finds. Keep in touch

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    1. Hi Marta, I'm glad you like the TV - it's great, isn't it?

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  8. My parents first TV in 1955 was almost an exact replica of your little set...no salt and pepper in it however!

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  9. Wow! It's very stylish, isn't it? I'm glad your TV didn't have any salt and pepper - on a real size TV, that would be a lot of s&p! ;-)

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