Victorian Sideboard

Busy weekend for the the Sea Witch as I moved out Halloween decor and began setting up for the Christmas holidays.  Queen of Hearts, like so many antique stores in our area, is preparing for their annual Holiday Open House.  Always so much fun but a lot of prep work behind the scenes.  I have been wanting to bring in a lovely, late Victorian sideboard that I had in my dining room.  It is an English sideboard made of hand carved oak and a heavy red marble top.  But the real jewel of this piece is the oak and glass display case that sits upon it.  This sideboard has a ton of storage space and I made marvelous use of it these years.  The display cases were my favorite item on the sideboard as it kept silver from tarnishing so quickly and kept the dust away.

As sideboards go, it is not a massive piece so it doesn't take up a lot of space in the room you place it in. 

Close up of the original and very heavy marble top and the glass cases.  Beautiful architectural glass and mirrors show off your best treasures.

Silver just sparkles in these cases.

I was fortunate this year to come across a lot of pretty silver and silverplate. One of my favorite things to share and sell during the holidays. 

As long as I was moving out the last of my high Victorian pieces, I decided to bring in my pair of cherry parlour chairs.  Beautifully carved accents with original patina and upholstery.  The seating brocade had begun to shred where you bend your knees so I covered it with rich red taffeta.  I never remove anything that is original and leave any re-upholstering to the new owners.  

It's starting to get crowded in my booth and I haven't yet begun to "dress it" for the holidays.  See the pretty desk blotter on the desk and behind the mirror?  I found that beauty this weekend.  It is the softest leather in pine green and I nearly squealed with delight when I saw it still had the original hand marbled paper on it.  Lovely post Edwardian desk piece.

 A fantastic find.  Actual book value of this flow blue piece is in the $400's but it has issues.  Four major cracks in the lid and heat damage to the glaze on the top portion of the tureen.  Still, this is such a pretty piece that I couldn't resist it.  Priced it cheap so I know it will find a welcoming home who will use it as a decorative piece for their flow blue collection. 

I adore soup tureens, they just invoke a different time and place for me. Family sitting around a table, exchanging the events of the day, all enjoying a hearty soup from a pretty tureen.  Okay, okay, one of my sins is showing...I fantasize meals. LOL.  Especially soups.  There is just something so magical about them...must be the stirring of the pot that draws me to them.  Of course, I come by this honestly, my mother adored a good soup or stew boiling over the stove.  Peasant food, my dad would tease here, but he always enjoyed the board of fare she would lay down at each meal. 

Found two deviled egg trays. These sell like wild fire this time of year.  Can never have too many to offer up.

A real find.  A rare, Clarice Cliff red transferware planter.  Took a lot of digging to find out the value as they are not easily found.  This one has lots of crazing and a 2 inch hair line crack from use. Still, it is a pretty thing and a nice piece for a red transfareware collector.

A yard sale find.  I don't usually stop at yard sales in my area as they are pretty much baby clothing and blue jeans.  I saw this pretty centerpiece display and added a tall glass vase and candle holder courtesy of my dollar store.  Poured a cup of white rice in the bottom to seat the candle and liked the look so much I almost kept it.

Another pretty find, 6 holly leaf/berry dessert plates from Portugal. What fun to serve drop in guests your best Christmas cookies on.

You know me and carnival glass funeral vases.  I'm a sucker for them. Uncommon pattern and the lustre is fantastic.  I'm keeping this baby for my own for now.

Pretty vintage etched bottle with old cork and metal pull top. 

I like copper clad baby shoes.  They make me smile.  I will put holiday picks and pretty ribbons in these.

Yup, that's a gator head.  About 6 inches in length sitting next to a cow horn.  As you can see, the treasure I found was quite eclectic this weekend.  I'm thinking of tying his mouth up with a pretty red ribbon and adding a candy cane.  Holiday picks will go in the horn for hanging on a tree or mantle.

A real treasure that I will keep.  If you are an "old school" Catholic, you will recognize this piece. A lovely Chantilly lace with rhinestones headscarf from France.  Original tag still attached.  WW2 era, these were brought back as gifts to mothers, sisters, wives & lovers.  My mother would wear one to Mass during Lent. 

Now the real find. I love American Primitive and this small traveling trunk is fantastic. Lots of wear but still has the original paint, drop handles and a name penciled on the front.  You can barely see it but it reads "John M Quigg..."  Have to break out my black light to see if I can get a good read of the rest of the name and the location underneath it. Couldn't believe my luck when I fell into this lovely item. 

Now below, is my ...

new "old" sideboard.  I moved the Victorian piece out and found this lovely, oak sideboard with even more storage space...which is what I really needed.  I also like the cleaner lines of this piece...more my style then the fru fru of classic Victorian.  Still, I will miss the glass cases for display.  I really liked that but you trade one thing for another.  What this piece does allow me to do is display my Early American Pressed Glass (EAPG) lidded compotes and servers.  Many of these are missing the lids as they are the first to go from either being dropped or so chipped they are tossed aside.  I love stacking them like cake plates and filling them with pretty foiled candies for the holidays or antique ornaments.

The mirrored back drop is deep enough that I can display antique copper lustre and a few of my carnival glass funeral vases.

A closer photo of the EAPG pieces.  Many of them are a pale sun purple and I know that is a deal breaker for the opinionated collector of EAPG...but I love it and embrace it.  This was the glassware of the common people of the 19th century.  Lots of pretty, elegant, flowery, political and animal patterns are available.  Often overlooked at flea markets and thrift stores, at first glance it looks like cheap pressed glass. Once you know what it is you can spot it a mile away. Because it is not easily recognized for what it is, you can often walk way with valuable pieces for a few dollars or less.

The queen in my personal collection. This piece stands 12 high, about 10 in diameter and in perfect condition other then the pale shade of sun purple. 

So it was a wonderful weekend of interesting and terrific finds.  Hope the world treated you as kindly as it did me and blessings to you and those you love. Sea Witch