tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21874057860918044362024-03-19T10:10:37.986+00:00I. Franks Antique SilverA blog about old and antique silver. We'll be sharing the most intriguing facts, information and images we can find about antique silver, old sheffield plate and silver plate.I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-40419142110644908612018-03-21T15:18:00.002+00:002018-03-22T14:06:06.704+00:00 EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANCE<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJPdhXucuR4RepdX-rAMFASuRER4_n_l9_CPxOxPqalBohR4WhgPf5ElKdAnXei45h_SoFDUQFGK3SJNjfOKBWYQGg26qCKu4lukfpQzXoJm_Uy7DmWsYYfP_kUFXCOj6w5rNCDd6omg/s1600/b9894-silver-egg-cruets-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJPdhXucuR4RepdX-rAMFASuRER4_n_l9_CPxOxPqalBohR4WhgPf5ElKdAnXei45h_SoFDUQFGK3SJNjfOKBWYQGg26qCKu4lukfpQzXoJm_Uy7DmWsYYfP_kUFXCOj6w5rNCDd6omg/s640/b9894-silver-egg-cruets-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">There are four egg cups, which have been decorated with a cross punch, pierced pattern and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">rippled</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>edges.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">The egg cups stand on a footed frame, which has the same delicate detailing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">The frame has a central handle and, once you pop those eggs into the cups, the whole thing is easily<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">transported from kitchen to table, with elegant ease.</span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">If you're hoping to wow your guests at breakfast over the Easter weekend, then look no further. This magnificent egg cruet will, surely, do the trick. Made by Henry Wilkinson & Co. and bearing a Sheffield hallmark for 1857, this cruet oozes Victorian charm.</span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Could there be a more pleasing way to start to your Easter Sunday?<br /><br />Click to view our complete list of <a href="https://www.ifranks.com/silver-egg-cruets" target="_blank">silver egg cruet sets</a>.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-37846246284970128662017-11-21T10:55:00.001+00:002017-11-21T10:59:25.798+00:00HO,HO,HOLBORN<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="600" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/KL-MEghAF3lm-D7Jp3moPXvR3g_x2c5UV_yOb50P8-tlZ3jgm59aysRhdnkcalWBGMGjeuXj0cyY2cvXRG6j3hrOjwtehqSxfFsD1U1nZJdqQ-HxsQvGHwt9SSOyKGGmvICM56LV" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="600" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Christmas is now fast approaching, things seem to becoming a bit more hectic.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suddenly, you realise there isn't as much time for preparation as you might have hoped.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trying to fit in the shopping, the food preparation, the parties, not to mention</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #eeeeee;">going to work, all the while still doing the mundane chores that need to be kept on top of, can be exhausting.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I don't know about you, but I am not the kind of person who has most of their to do list done by sometime in October. I only wish that were true.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, if you are like me in any way, perhaps the news that our annual festive shopping event takes place this Wednesday, down here at the Vaults, will help to ease the impending turn of the calendar marking December.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The event ties in with the turning on of the Christmas lights on Chancery Lane, so it should be a jolly event all around.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From 3PM-6PM on the Wednesday 22 November we will be doling out the wine and the mince pies to help get you into the spirit of things.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, should you find yourself in the neighbourhood this Wednesday, why not come along and join us in a glass while you browse around. </span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-81b3a63d-de32-e43f-e866-ee7ee45d96f3"></span><br /></span> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You may just find that a visit to us solves all your Christmas dilemmas. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7l4FHbdIF_GwAkrIFD8ikE-hoWVVO9F5IfjHpeew0u-WQFtsjNhxbHdwJL488Uo_WdkG_rXMc-iGC7A5oH1cX4tcUi3Ul7Llj8LpjIIw7ABDpT8kodHERMqbQzX1v29j3WoiG9TF" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-77727668944008105682017-10-13T16:07:00.002+01:002018-03-22T13:57:36.549+00:00CURIOSITY & WHIMSY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8jUWvAyKxvgKLNTUlYV4Vg0kwgPNGPIB3oaqKmypzFzN931n0_GcEYgZ7PN4e-tAb0U0mCQSR-2ikSc-ZsNEXjstvr0ABxtnm0Mew_LQ87seOi2sOX0Xea0xcK9Kezysal9VuGwBvoE/s1600/b7839_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8jUWvAyKxvgKLNTUlYV4Vg0kwgPNGPIB3oaqKmypzFzN931n0_GcEYgZ7PN4e-tAb0U0mCQSR-2ikSc-ZsNEXjstvr0ABxtnm0Mew_LQ87seOi2sOX0Xea0xcK9Kezysal9VuGwBvoE/s640/b7839_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Hi, and welcome to our new occasional series in which we highlight some of the more unusual items</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">we have here at our shop. The items we will be selecting are things which always pique people’s interest, myself included.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The world of silver offers up many things, from the standard and useful, items that are still being produced today, to things that are most definitely from a bygone era. It is some of those items I hope to feature here.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">There was a time when the minds and imaginations of silversmiths were allowed to run wild and if something could, in some way be produced in silver, it probably was.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Of course, some of these things, though lost to us now, would have been very useful and even necessary then. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">While some of these items may still retain their functionality, others are found to have lost their place in being indispensable objects. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Fortunately, because of some of these objects maintain their charm and beauty, they have become desirable simply through the connection with days gone by.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So, with that in mind, I begin.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Today's object is a big hit down here; once people figure out what it is!</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2TUwg9aXvwYizcCgdnI17waZV3E6qYtEgTo_g2Lg099Q9R8qH14mEl0gTwUu3u4JEFuzYiifyEvmdst3jMiV1s4yJAp4Tpw-DfTYKobnFBTUHqDi24ywV6KS4g_FOorfVlvxnahvDJ4/s1600/b6314_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2TUwg9aXvwYizcCgdnI17waZV3E6qYtEgTo_g2Lg099Q9R8qH14mEl0gTwUu3u4JEFuzYiifyEvmdst3jMiV1s4yJAp4Tpw-DfTYKobnFBTUHqDi24ywV6KS4g_FOorfVlvxnahvDJ4/s400/b6314_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I present to you, this curious Victorian item.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This is a delightful object, with hidden depths.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Upon first glance you might wonder what function this decorative item might have. It looks nothing more than an elaborate handbag on stilts. Pop that on the floor of a disco and watch the crowds dance around it!</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">It is not until you open it that its true purpose is revealed.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">What you will find inside is beautiful and detailed lattice work and, commonly, gilt interiors. These elaborate grates would serve to secure its contents…….Biscuits!</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Yes, this is a foldable Victorian biscuit box.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Easy to transport from room to room when entertaining, the box folds up to a manageable size.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Once the box is fully opened ,the grills slide into place, and now you have perfect serving dish. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Of course you could put what you like in there, sweets, bon bons,cookies,crackers, whatever takes your fancy.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">These enchanting boxes were mostly made in silverplate, though rare sterling silver ones can sometimes be found. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The shell shaped biscuit box proves to be the most popular style, but several other sorts can be had as well. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">One of the most eye-catching of these, in my opinion, would be the orb shape, which opens like a flower to reveal three sections. It really serves to impress.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 12.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} </style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4c4NjG9bt8HHJtEl3AmRPtBtHzMxZJVvx3wPoO6kx1gM4S0Wg8a8jjP2vRE10qUfio7f2GY6CT1htKmN2zG9kkwiOzguSxYqO5UYcF1BdaqMAZ1wVHzRz5JVuIK_RoHqK6EJ_c2TQv0/s1600/b7839_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4c4NjG9bt8HHJtEl3AmRPtBtHzMxZJVvx3wPoO6kx1gM4S0Wg8a8jjP2vRE10qUfio7f2GY6CT1htKmN2zG9kkwiOzguSxYqO5UYcF1BdaqMAZ1wVHzRz5JVuIK_RoHqK6EJ_c2TQv0/s400/b7839_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Here down at the vaults, we have recently noticed the demand for these boxes, in all styles, has been on the increase. I think people appreciate their functionality as well as their beauty. Not only are you getting something of use but it comes with a little bit of history as well.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Whichever one you might choose you are sure to have something that will have people talking for years to come. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Now, which one would you choose.?</span></div>
<style type="text/css">
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 12.0px}
span.s1 {font-kerning: none}
</style>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-31549367614148913142017-09-05T15:29:00.000+01:002017-09-05T15:33:27.144+01:00ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gnZP5NnNl3XOhFU9DygM6kVCAqHJIsiuZRJR4Rtfeorp9ZbLVWxKtHySDBSosdbdblbWzwj_OBarV6uvroDNA5AU6CDb-GZyb9xDGcqKhEngZj_6mXsifhbRJOFqHO97IhuGzF3wssU/s1600/el2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1600" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gnZP5NnNl3XOhFU9DygM6kVCAqHJIsiuZRJR4Rtfeorp9ZbLVWxKtHySDBSosdbdblbWzwj_OBarV6uvroDNA5AU6CDb-GZyb9xDGcqKhEngZj_6mXsifhbRJOFqHO97IhuGzF3wssU/s640/el2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, the calendar has once again turned its page to September, the leaves are turning brown, heralding the advent of autumn.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here at I.Franks, the crunch of the leaves underfoot serves to remind us that our annual foray into the world of Lapada will soon be upon us.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year’s fair takes place in its usual spot under the marquees in Berkeley Square, Mayfair from 15-20th September.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Truth be told, we have been busy organising this prestigious event since departing last year’s show.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The wonderful thing about Lapada is, that no matter where your interests lie, there is something for everyone. With exhibitors from all areas of the antiques arena, it is unique opportunity to view the very best of antiques from across the country under one roof. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I.Franks has a longstanding relationship with Lapada which means anyone who is new to us can be assured of our knowledge, quality and expertise. Our established clients are already aware we strive to seek out the very best items that can be found in the world of silver.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each year we welcome the opportunity to introduce people to the fantastic range of items that are available in this most beautiful of materials, silver.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year, once again, we have some fantastic pieces up our sleeves and cannot wait to reveal them to our visitors at the fair. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, what we have on display at the show is merely a taster to vast amount we have on offer here at the London Silver Vaults. With so many pieces to choose from, our biggest difficulty each year is what deserves its time in the spotlight.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlights from this year’s exhibits will include a large and impressive Warwick Sideboard Dish, a one of a kind silver gilt altar set, with semi precious stones, a rare 1940's Christofle Dessert Trolley and an almost life-size silver elephant (perhaps that's a slight exaggeration but it is big). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We will, as always, have a striking selection of goods, ranging from the grand and spectacular to smaller collectables. Our unrivalled stock will contain examples of the best work and silversmiths from the Georgian and Victorian periods as well as Arts and Crafts Silver and the best of 20th Century Design. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While a visit to our stand is bound to please, a visit to our shop will allow us the chance to present many other wonderful pieces to visitors. So, not to worry if you are unable to make the show, a trip to see us at the Silver Vaults will be equally enchanting.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are visiting the Lapada Fair this year you will find us at stand A4 near the front of the venue. Please drop by and say hello. Jonathan and Daniel will be happy to show you around.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please get in touch with us at </span><a href="mailto:sales@ifranks.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sales@ifranks.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> if you would like a ticket.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-bca82472-526d-acf3-f9b4-2a40f44fbf70"></span><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We hope to see you there!</span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-24617067421739171872017-03-11T10:41:00.003+00:002017-03-11T10:42:34.391+00:00DING DONG, IT’S HONG KONG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vw_N3hzbb0B_5_Tg-F3bHhLF3nnyg9_scy-VZwS1hIacq18TcURM2UcE5jGr3VOAaK0Xq2Rh-bABdb4xah32etuCfKglLjcd2UIMNactlE-K2yvs_MOKCruoBKhtn5X2iO5bN_hO62I/s1600/20170209-IMG_0006-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vw_N3hzbb0B_5_Tg-F3bHhLF3nnyg9_scy-VZwS1hIacq18TcURM2UcE5jGr3VOAaK0Xq2Rh-bABdb4xah32etuCfKglLjcd2UIMNactlE-K2yvs_MOKCruoBKhtn5X2iO5bN_hO62I/s640/20170209-IMG_0006-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-9e5ac8bb-bcf0-78df-3b3c-c24fb155532a" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">We are very excited here at I. Franks, as the team have headed to Hong Kong to showcase</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">a collection of our silver in one of Hong Kong’s most stylish shops, Maison Huit.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">When one of the shop’s founders, Jane Chao- Lee, came down to visit the London Silver Vaults, she came into our shop and an idea was born.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Impressed by our fabulous selection of fine silver and silver plate from all eras and the exceptional knowledge of Jonathan and Daniel Franks it seemed a great opportunity to collaborate on bringing some of our vast collection to Hong Kong to introduce friends, old and new, to the many styles and choices available when considering silver, whether it be at home for yourself or as a unique and treasured gift for a loved one.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">It would be our great pleasure, if you find yourself in HK, to meet with us and see first hand</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">all the weird and wonderful things we have on offer.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Along with our pop up shop, we will also be giving a talk about the British hallmarking system</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">where Daniel will share his knowledge in order to help you become a bit of an expert yourself!</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The talk will take place on the 16th March at 3pm.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The exhibition will run from the 16-18th,so drop by if you're in the area.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Should you wish for a more intimate approach, we are running a VIP sales event, by appointment only from 13th-15th March 11:30 to 7:30 pm. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Please get in touch to book your appointment and we look forward to seeing you there.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">You will find Maison Huit at No. 8a St. Francis St, in the fashionable Wan Chai district of Hong Kong. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Zaijian !</span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-54819603546567894502016-09-09T15:39:00.002+01:002018-03-22T13:56:14.952+00:00OOH LA LA LAPADA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4ZGbx8cKG_8yTV9vgwvUCrWk_SkTavT0TgX48vs6Yzd64UZSZrW4XDQ6WIxt4wT-qDeZtWgDAjDbYkEswjGH2g6RAH-jgCjI0sTVnnoy2sfP1dyWhi6z_Pxyp94F8iexZFMqHQSh0E8/s1600/Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4ZGbx8cKG_8yTV9vgwvUCrWk_SkTavT0TgX48vs6Yzd64UZSZrW4XDQ6WIxt4wT-qDeZtWgDAjDbYkEswjGH2g6RAH-jgCjI0sTVnnoy2sfP1dyWhi6z_Pxyp94F8iexZFMqHQSh0E8/s640/Card.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-241111ab-0f5f-05fc-7ef2-1c62787c5713" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, here it is September again. And, down here at the London Silver Vaults, that can only mean one thing…….LAPADA!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As summer winds down and summer holidays become a distant memory we, here at I Franks,</span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">begin to focus on what is, surely, one of the most glamorous events on the antiques calendar.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is fantastic about Lapada is, it gives people the opportunity to see what is exciting and unique this year ,not only silver, but all other mediums as well.</span></span></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With dealers from across the country showing here, it allows people the chance to shop under one umbrella without the need to travel the length and breadth of the country to seek out those special items.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So whether you're into painting, sculpture, furniture,stamps, jewelry, or indeed, silver you will undoubtedly see items here to please and to tempt you.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At I. Franks we are veterans to the Lapada fair and always look forward to welcoming people onto our stand.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is a unique opportunity for us emerge from our subterranean world down here at the vaults and show our goods on another level. Literally.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can make a day of it here, if you choose, without the need to even leave the marquee.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lunch is available each day from 12-4 pm. Of course, even if you don't fancy a nibble, you might still wish to wet your whistle, and thankfully, Mr. Foggs will be on hand to provide liquid refreshment to all weary shoppers.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This year, at I. Franks, we have some stunning pieces lined up to invite temptation. Come and see for yourself; we are certain you will like what you see.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So whether you are shopping for a special item to treat yourself or looking for an outstanding gift to present to someone, we hope to be able to provide you with the ideal thing.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This year you will find on display plenty of things both practical and whimsical.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jonathan and Daniel will both be at hand to offer up our usual professional advice and knowledge.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As longstanding members of Lapada, you can be confident of our quality and our expertise in fine silver. We are a fourth generation family business and are passionate about our trade.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course, everything bought can be taken with you on the day or shipped globally.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With all shipments fully insured you can rest assured your items will be turning up safely on your doorstep at a time that suits you.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you come and visit, be sure to drop by and say hello to us at our stand. We will be at hand to offer advice and inspiration.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You will find us located on stand A5 near the front entrance of the venue.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Should you be unable to attend this year remember, you can always come and visit us down at the vaults, where you will be able to view our full and extensive collection of beautiful silver at leisure.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Either way, we hope to see you soon.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This year's fair takes place from 13-18 September at its usual location in the heart of Mayfair, in Berkeley Square. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you want more details about the fair and wish for an invitation please don't hesitate to contact us via email at </span></span></span><a href="mailto:sales@ifranks.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">sales@ifranks.com</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-49410659318478711332016-06-11T10:13:00.003+01:002018-03-22T13:57:11.427+00:00The Lighter Side Of Sssilver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineNt61S8OvlAWseA-yzROzdwzsMmST8Dbod0YH8dSz_s_Y5lRkB9LFPNzjHjfo63x4XF960ECOfLv_RDdMmHo2S9UVOwMtXrpy-v1xhdXZ5tPpCiiYmxy3cKNjoC4SAJIh75GuDHWVTs/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineNt61S8OvlAWseA-yzROzdwzsMmST8Dbod0YH8dSz_s_Y5lRkB9LFPNzjHjfo63x4XF960ECOfLv_RDdMmHo2S9UVOwMtXrpy-v1xhdXZ5tPpCiiYmxy3cKNjoC4SAJIh75GuDHWVTs/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s blog inspiration has come to me because one of our items, here at I. Franks, is about to have a star turn on television.</span></b><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Thursday the 16th of June if you tune into BBC One you will find a production hosted by Fern Britton entitled ‘For What It’s Worth’</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The programme is a game show, which pits teams against each other, answering general knowledge questions in the hopes of adding antiques to their collection and win the game. </span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The piece which we have featured is a rather magnificent creature, which upon first glance, does not necessarily reveal its purpose. </span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This sterling silver serpent is a splendid example of silver as a statement piece. </span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvcmcIpBCtnWILd6lolCfcyZhFUbJi_tiKj2z2D4Qph_fKzMstj0TmGRH9ldsmRW86tnFAYasfQuSfd64AYSc0911zRHRJsehsaZkSXraDU4IhBN0-RKyaEQb_g3dW4Pi9Ip7wbGR1tQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvcmcIpBCtnWILd6lolCfcyZhFUbJi_tiKj2z2D4Qph_fKzMstj0TmGRH9ldsmRW86tnFAYasfQuSfd64AYSc0911zRHRJsehsaZkSXraDU4IhBN0-RKyaEQb_g3dW4Pi9Ip7wbGR1tQ/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This particular silver serpent bears a 1893 London hallmark and was made by Joseph Braham.</span></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, here we have an ‘impala’ horn, with the snake's head secured to the base of the horn itself. </span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, what is it?</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The head of this Victorian serpent is made from sterling silver and when pulled off, it reveals inside, a silverplated reservoir in which to put lighter fluid. </span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, it turns out this creature is actually a table lighter.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will occasionally come across these impala horns with a gimbal lighter attached but it is much more unusual to come across a beast such as this.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The symbolic meaning of the snake is of fertility and the creative life force. It also represents rebirth, renewal and immortality. A powerful symbol indeed.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I picture this piece once adorning the table in the study of a well heeled gentleman.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Port in hand, passing around the fine cigars and then offering up a light with this stunning</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">table piece. I feel certain many a deal was done over brandy and a fine havana while our silver serpent friend oversaw the proceedings.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Should you be looking for a light to impress today, thinking silver is a good place to start.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A huge selection of lighters in all shapes, sizes and guises can be found if you look around.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As well as the classic pocket lighter, lighters were and are, available in many different forms.</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are looking for something eye catching that has the wow factor then perhaps an unusual table lighter might just fit the bill.</span></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwskd0ciOsPDgHKEMWHQF6R-znKGT-qnkHymB6hOqZU__pT73sutJCWUdWF45eTkd-1plO6rEwbThcmlAKBa5gnKSKYBlvPjmIJQLf1LcO6ClfV0Sw3JpAUnMsNgW2rKzJhsrMCX5Sjcg/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwskd0ciOsPDgHKEMWHQF6R-znKGT-qnkHymB6hOqZU__pT73sutJCWUdWF45eTkd-1plO6rEwbThcmlAKBa5gnKSKYBlvPjmIJQLf1LcO6ClfV0Sw3JpAUnMsNgW2rKzJhsrMCX5Sjcg/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our lighter would make a unique gift for someone who is tough to buy for, and should you find yourself struggling to find the ideal present, a trip down to the London Silver Vaults will certainly provide some inspiration.</span></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-0b1ff608-3ec0-8bd9-8583-708b2100323d" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As well as an array of items you may have already considered, you are sure to stumble across many things which you might never have seen before. And, amongst the treasures found here,is bound to be just the perfect thing.</span></b></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-73880001486091889552016-05-14T11:07:00.001+01:002016-05-14T11:07:58.899+01:00Pick Up Victorian Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApMOniONQ75C_DeAF5WZVVSSc759WtqUWQrPvxObVz_3LjLOe3fMwEVDQHREccWLRtigBNib_4cIVtXI_pJZ-GrH0h0XxfoMmyUuFfwNpfV4OrUjxKPcSg-RSuRqNQHYYXQry7D_7gUQ/s1600/King%252C_Hetty_-_1910_%2528male_impersonator%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApMOniONQ75C_DeAF5WZVVSSc759WtqUWQrPvxObVz_3LjLOe3fMwEVDQHREccWLRtigBNib_4cIVtXI_pJZ-GrH0h0XxfoMmyUuFfwNpfV4OrUjxKPcSg-RSuRqNQHYYXQry7D_7gUQ/s1600/King%252C_Hetty_-_1910_%2528male_impersonator%2529.jpg" /></a> </div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When browsing around down here in the vaults you will notice a large selection of various silver cases in the shops.</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At first glance most people assume that most of these might be cigarette cases but, upon closer inspection,you soon realise they are far too slim to hold a cigarette.</span></b></div>
<a name='more'></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They are, in fact, card cases and they can be found in many different styles most often embellished with engraving or decoration.</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These little cases would have been a desirable item back in the day, as one would always need a calling card to hand to present upon arrival when turning up at someone's home or business.</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike today, when business cards are most likely to be handed out between people who have genuine business, back in time the calling cards could serve another purpose; they could also be used as a way of wooing members of the opposite sex.</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Handing out a saucy or witty card would certainly draw attention to yourself. </span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, it was unlikely that a gentleman would be able to meet and chat up a respectable lady in a pub so, other means of offering up your best chat up line would have had to come into play. </span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you look at the messages on these old acquaintance cards, as they were known, they were full of hopeful messages of pursuit. </span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Imagine, a handsome young man approaches and presents, with flourish, a card which reads:</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May I have the pleasure of escorting you home this evening? If so, keep this card. If not, please my I sit on the fence and see you go by?”</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-16f2c3a2-aea0-9ee9-fa27-db2c4f44a51b" style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think, if you got such a card today, you might be looking for the nearest police station to report a stalker.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or, maybe, one which reads:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love made on short notice. Give me a trial before going elsewhere. Reduced rates to married women. Wholesale dealer in love,hugs,squeezes and kisses. PROFESSOR HUGGUM.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Samples free on request. Special attention to other fellow’s girls. No extra charge for work on Sundays. Office hours from 1 to won.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIqXCKsJ0ULnJohqnlIT0kO_fD3CkQSlZ93Q00lTRcHHTdvMTMcCwurFsosEDiFe5JP71nk92EbWEh11Ey_dAYvpsJHIBF1HtLcAUH1J68ktWXgmNvd6wLEhLuen8WxJO7bo9eJ4L4uY/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIqXCKsJ0ULnJohqnlIT0kO_fD3CkQSlZ93Q00lTRcHHTdvMTMcCwurFsosEDiFe5JP71nk92EbWEh11Ey_dAYvpsJHIBF1HtLcAUH1J68ktWXgmNvd6wLEhLuen8WxJO7bo9eJ4L4uY/s1600/11.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, obviously Professor Huggum didn’t mind if the lady he was pursuing was otherwise engaged and I do wonder how he could hand out such a card and not be set upon by the men of these damsels he was attempting to woo.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few examples of these cards have been found in which women were the ones handing out the cards such as:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am Anna ‘Butch’ Engle Who the devil are you?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This card is emblazoned with a picture of a cheeky devil on it. I should imagine that Anna was quite a brazen character. A bit forward, don’t you think?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These cards went out of fashion after the Victorian era when, perhaps, the rules of dating became slightly more relaxed.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, even the way I, and my generation, used to date, seems somewhat outdated and old-fashioned. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this world of Tinder and Grindr and all the rest, we can be searching for the one, anytime, anywhere, be it work on the train or even the bath. Technology allows people to choose an exact match without the pain of kissing too many frogs in the process.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e4CoOWO-5eOP80eevLVYOEO6fOjRbH-vxZam_1909KVqWjxd_SA6J9NPqDWoAXirdLCZa9CpbzpYY_Di3VX7cfnzbD9bV70M1antIRkep2A2FlCDrmL9vOGu8iAEU1_FQ2rPrsD84YU/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e4CoOWO-5eOP80eevLVYOEO6fOjRbH-vxZam_1909KVqWjxd_SA6J9NPqDWoAXirdLCZa9CpbzpYY_Di3VX7cfnzbD9bV70M1antIRkep2A2FlCDrmL9vOGu8iAEU1_FQ2rPrsD84YU/s1600/12.jpg" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thankfully, I am lucky enough to have found my prince because, quite frankly, these new fangled ways are a bit beyond me and I wouldn’t know where to start.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is a long way from the rather quaint and yet somehow a bit creepy days of the Victorian dating scene and I do wonder, whatever could be next.</span></b>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-80694009408073214612016-04-23T10:26:00.000+01:002016-04-23T10:28:24.351+01:00SOVEREIGN SOUVENIRS<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1geh8KqedqosmBDKvW_w-g4Nz3YkbPMmTM-qGbD0Lojr4eS4q8Ks7Z4ZcveSzIuSU7H7qdVEJFPG7_7Nuug6TNWmDakhIMD-PsGXiKlAYEQQ7h_-tCBq_lf0yEPe1agJFXOgNPNpnHCI/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1geh8KqedqosmBDKvW_w-g4Nz3YkbPMmTM-qGbD0Lojr4eS4q8Ks7Z4ZcveSzIuSU7H7qdVEJFPG7_7Nuug6TNWmDakhIMD-PsGXiKlAYEQQ7h_-tCBq_lf0yEPe1agJFXOgNPNpnHCI/s640/maxresdefault.jpg" width="499" /> </a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until this week most people may have assumed that the Queen’s birthday is in June when her birthday is marked by the Birthday Parade in her honour, known as Trooping the Colour. This is a public occasion where her Majesty, members of her family and the general public gather to watch troops from the Household Division march past Her Majesty with the mounted troops taking precedence.</span></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can expect to see riders, foot guards,drummers,pipers, as many as 400 musicians, all parading down The Mall to mark the occasion. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, as I’m sure everyone, here in the UK at least,is now aware, the Queen’s actual birthday falls on 21st April and she has just marked her 90th year, having been born in 1926. That is quite a milestone, I’m sure you’d agree. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This day she usually celebrates privately, with members of her close family, however owing to this landmark number it has been more of an event than is usual.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, once the private celebrations are out of the way, the nation will be able to join in on the public events to mark the occasion. This year's Trooping the Colour takes place on Saturday 11th June.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As well as the pomp and ceremony surrounding the day I’m sure Her Majesty receives many gifts as well, from the practical to the ridiculous.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In her time on the throne she really has been given some odd and eccentric things. Of course many of the things she has received she has treasured and truly appreciated. Many other things she has graciously accepted but you know she must wonder what on earth she is going to do with, for example, the lacrosse stick, gifted from Canada. I don’t really see lacrosse as her sport. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A gift from Canada that did hit the right note was a Burmese horse, given by the RCMP, which the Queen subsequently rode at the Trooping of the Colour from 1969 to 1986. An appreciated choice there. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK27wy5KBPVvu88fXgxj-Payg3-zkX6wlELfGARyMYKvZFUZGhePgjqJLQ0zkWlSBdE1GWk4b4Pb7S7dWWEWc8Vf-fvez6IXsVmZbZuxOgxuuzTdTeuYZkXsaE9sqwJ_8Atwh8w-4DZDg/s1600/b7371-silver-vases-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK27wy5KBPVvu88fXgxj-Payg3-zkX6wlELfGARyMYKvZFUZGhePgjqJLQ0zkWlSBdE1GWk4b4Pb7S7dWWEWc8Vf-fvez6IXsVmZbZuxOgxuuzTdTeuYZkXsaE9sqwJ_8Atwh8w-4DZDg/s1600/b7371-silver-vases-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-426d-05fd-0dcd-62968e580347" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A beautiful vase, fit for a majestic bouquet</span></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She has received many living, breathing gifts during her reign; jaguars, sloths, turtles, beavers and an elephant, to name but a few.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many edible gifts come to her as well, sometimes in numbers quite immense. 50 cases of pineapple, anyone? At the other end 2 tins of tuna, just enough for a midnight snack for Prince Philip and her.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Obviously, most of the gifts bequeathed to her have cultural and symbolic meaning for the gift giver, so receiving, for example, a waka (Maori canoe) is really a special gesture.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Naturally, she would be unable to keep many of the things she receives and, as a result, the Queen is probably one of the world's greatest re-gifters. Many museums and zoos have reaped the benefit of the world's generosity towards the Queen. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m sure that amongst the many items she has accepted there has,no doubt, been plenty of silver to be seen, such as the beautiful silver dressing table set given by the diplomatic corps which you can see on the British Pathe website. As recently as last year, the Queen received a sterling silver bud vase made by Tiffany, a gift from Michelle Obama.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-4269-6846-639b-5da951b05e54" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which brings me to my point. If you are looking for a gift that would be fit for a Queen, be it yours or Her Majesty herself, I think there is no better place to start than a look around down here at the London Silver Vaults. I think you may just be royally impressed.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef_sZSG6x90eGtP270uu3BPDsmHwVKC9eUOrjq_nD32wCMC0UvFpnwGpByD9V8X9Iy45AYQEkhIUuS8Oc_iJwrgVWhr9CS5cT6elDE5dkMlZVYCw1xPqqAKoyfp_Zk4Ken2HEI7umI38/s1600/b2513-silver-animals-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef_sZSG6x90eGtP270uu3BPDsmHwVKC9eUOrjq_nD32wCMC0UvFpnwGpByD9V8X9Iy45AYQEkhIUuS8Oc_iJwrgVWhr9CS5cT6elDE5dkMlZVYCw1xPqqAKoyfp_Zk4Ken2HEI7umI38/s1600/b2513-silver-animals-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-217a31be-426d-95a2-c6be-f97b9005e76f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hallmarked in London in 1977, a sterling souvenir of the Queen’s corgi’s</span></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-48997405559616024892016-04-09T11:40:00.000+01:002016-04-09T11:41:02.680+01:00BEAN THERE, DRANK THAT<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAw13tZ2n9FQ6G_BOMsA6fQmQ70WIkxaxO98Ybo22nRGnOX8d2DH2hyueARctre754-WPYw3cDuoSKVMBGdta9471aLPy0xK62N7kNrE7TaH0F7FH6aVM8kAOYicDYkKpQNqteb6hvG0A/s1600/20160409-Capture0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAw13tZ2n9FQ6G_BOMsA6fQmQ70WIkxaxO98Ybo22nRGnOX8d2DH2hyueARctre754-WPYw3cDuoSKVMBGdta9471aLPy0xK62N7kNrE7TaH0F7FH6aVM8kAOYicDYkKpQNqteb6hvG0A/s640/20160409-Capture0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Java, Joe, Jitterjuice….whatever you choose to call it, there is no doubt that coffee is as popular, if not more so, than it’s ever been.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the moment, within 1 minutes walk from the London Silver Vaults, there are more than a dozen places where you can get a proper cup of coffee. The competition doesn't seem to stop anyone from opening new ones either, with our most recent two opening within a week of each other and close enough to throw a bean at.</span></b></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know that here in the UK we are known as a nation of tea drinkers but recent years have seen us embrace coffee as our go to morning jolt.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We take it so seriously now that, here in London, we even have a week long coffee festival.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aficionados can follow the trail in search of their ultimate cup.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rise of the American chain coffee houses may have blazed the trail here in London but it's the Australian and New Zealand coffee houses that seem to scoop all the accolades.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course coffee has been on these shores for many centuries now and has always been a drink for the fashionable youth and those who fancy their caffeine come from something other than tea. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> During the 17th and 18th centuries the coffeehouses of London are where people gathered to exchange news, thoughts and gossip. Due to the lack of alcohol sold in these establishments they were seen as a meeting place where serious ideas might be born. Such was their reputation of generating thoughtful conversations, they became known as penny universities, owing to the fact that the price of a cup of coffee was one penny. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Things seem much the same when you enter a coffeehouse in 2016. Full of earnest hipsters whiling away the hours while on their devices with a table that might well be a mobile office.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, I’m sure, a hub for creative ideas. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m sure the coffee selection available today is much larger. Somewhere along the way someone saw that this was an opportunity to be seized, offer an exotic array of blends with a multitude of ways to serve it, and make your fortune in this deep dark elixir. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that it is such a specialised beverage, people are beginning to take their coffee at home far more seriously as well.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can now have all the paraphernalia at home to grind, froth and percolate your perfect cup.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, even if you don’t opt for the full blown espresso machine at home, you can still up your coffee game by serving it in something special.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Georgians were the first to produce stylish wares to present your coffee at home. Made in sterling silver, the coffee pot was both practical and elegant.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWYN5O7oNR8l97coolbwv2yIry3L1nNwdkj1bpxAHf6SnDzBjN37lqE6jRrXpYU4v2hQavLuPP7OnAYZTZNj44Y8eOwgdp5b2_VYEBnh4NsjxRyZ6OKR8JdH3nYbdHq7W_5tWJpFTppg/s1600/b1046-silver-coffee-pots-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWYN5O7oNR8l97coolbwv2yIry3L1nNwdkj1bpxAHf6SnDzBjN37lqE6jRrXpYU4v2hQavLuPP7OnAYZTZNj44Y8eOwgdp5b2_VYEBnh4NsjxRyZ6OKR8JdH3nYbdHq7W_5tWJpFTppg/s1600/b1046-silver-coffee-pots-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hallmarked in London in 1728, this Georgian pot will have seen a lot of action over the centuries</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here at I. Franks we have some stunning examples of Georgian coffee pots, bearing hallmarks from as early as 1728, heading right the way through the eras to an Elizabeth II hallmarked in 1976.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, if you are lucky enough to have an espresso machine at home you may not feel the need to possess a coffee pot but you can still add a touch of silver by simply using a lovely little silver coffee spoon.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2bf17c8-fa6c-3a4d-5bcc-63202fb6ec61" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most often sold in sets of six, they are a nice and affordable way to add a touch of elegance to your daily grind.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyyUedRPi-ZVxaRyOAWtuDrRlurX4YDdSLLx55jSbIr6dbbwDNq-K3I2PnykCqLIVYv0x_US09UH4ynAlc2JtrtLfRmXAHvfCWCtJxJW6yEYFbdzOPhlVHSd4xsHRo4udedfYXbvhCuEw/s1600/b6892_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyyUedRPi-ZVxaRyOAWtuDrRlurX4YDdSLLx55jSbIr6dbbwDNq-K3I2PnykCqLIVYv0x_US09UH4ynAlc2JtrtLfRmXAHvfCWCtJxJW6yEYFbdzOPhlVHSd4xsHRo4udedfYXbvhCuEw/s640/b6892_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hallmarked in 1976, this pot has the modern edge</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-21532251484988404252016-03-19T11:40:00.000+00:002016-03-19T11:40:16.877+00:00Bear With Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgFYGy7LgXsTvGoJWEnOZIWvQfHAuUSIeM6uatbsj5iWgqkgJEKXXmJ_o10qWz-HhzFqndIcZ_VS-IP096iKYqvrfRzrysJWhve565fYoIss1ah5QNQDMchz_ih0GpGcCgbsmmtE0uXc/s1600/Mr-Selfridge-office-427337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgFYGy7LgXsTvGoJWEnOZIWvQfHAuUSIeM6uatbsj5iWgqkgJEKXXmJ_o10qWz-HhzFqndIcZ_VS-IP096iKYqvrfRzrysJWhve565fYoIss1ah5QNQDMchz_ih0GpGcCgbsmmtE0uXc/s1600/Mr-Selfridge-office-427337.jpg" /></a></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-59f964a0-8e6c-9da3-28a0-18fa4c9a33c2" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-59f964a0-8e6c-9da3-28a0-18fa4c9a33c2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a bit of a celebrity in my midst here at I.Franks. </span></b></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-59f964a0-8e6c-9da3-28a0-18fa4c9a33c2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have been watching any telly over the past couple of months you might of seen him.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a British period drama airing on ITV at the moment , Mr. Selfridge, which tells the story of Harry Gordon Selfridge, set in London, beginning in 1910.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The story takes place in the early part of the 20th century, a time of (for some), glamour and newly found freedom, particularly women.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A specially built set was recreated in North London to capture the shop as it would have looked in the first part of the 1900’s. </span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Mr. Selfridge’s office you might have noticed a rather admirable looking object adorning his desk.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That object was a rather impressive silver bear, which took pride of place.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Last week the final episode of the series was aired so I thought I should give our little star a mention, as he has now returned to our shop.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The item in question is a lovely silver plated ink well. It is a model of a polar bear standing on the rocks and he is quite an impressive fellow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdECqsTIfDAjCi51-TCey37tWskZTSkMbOdGwWU2aZHw9hiahKul3310g8pu1X3bK2PmIi5y5lHMYiZ8tY3TthGuApVjZV1k6BJKj6_zbn-B4wpJniqiYpzthBYv9uJhwTBTjCkt05BXg/s1600/20160319-Capture0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdECqsTIfDAjCi51-TCey37tWskZTSkMbOdGwWU2aZHw9hiahKul3310g8pu1X3bK2PmIi5y5lHMYiZ8tY3TthGuApVjZV1k6BJKj6_zbn-B4wpJniqiYpzthBYv9uJhwTBTjCkt05BXg/s640/20160319-Capture0003.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He bears (pardon the pun) an import mark and he is ca. 1930.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We reckon he is just the type of thing that a powerful businessman might have on his desk.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I mean, what else is much more powerful than a polar bear? Certainly a symbol of might.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though few have need of an ink well these days, he is so eye-catching, he still deserves to be displayed proudly on someone's desk. </span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the moment I have him on display in my shop cabinet where he sits alongside another, equally lovely, example of fun and functionality, a seal on a rock. </span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both of these are charming objects and I am confident that they will soon find a home.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until that day comes I am more than happy to have them share my space.</span></div>
</b><br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-74993991531387240882016-03-05T11:03:00.001+00:002016-03-05T11:23:06.477+00:00 The Chatelaine, A Victorian Must-have<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwokE2itDLLqJiTHTAguZ-dgMnIiZRWL9fkFUVrUBWaIRZJ8U9YwVyF_3wL0LSXSOUNkGkUmZHIfXLHZCQ1RKWBcrHoAuOi0UU9g79hGrCiPYBHeMrHuiDczCr9WDDo3hUngwB0ZoS6U/s1600/english_lady_62_quaddles_by_quaddles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwokE2itDLLqJiTHTAguZ-dgMnIiZRWL9fkFUVrUBWaIRZJ8U9YwVyF_3wL0LSXSOUNkGkUmZHIfXLHZCQ1RKWBcrHoAuOi0UU9g79hGrCiPYBHeMrHuiDczCr9WDDo3hUngwB0ZoS6U/s640/english_lady_62_quaddles_by_quaddles.jpg" width="636" /></a></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These days we don’t have to search far to find new gadgets that are meant, somehow, to improve our lives and become items we simply can’t live without.</span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having the next must have, can’t live without, item may seem like a new phenomenon but it goes back further than you might think.</span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, during the Victorian Era they were always looking to create new gadgetry to try to make life a little easier and create items that people simply couldn’t do without.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you look to the silver industry, all manner of things were being produced to pique people's interest.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The item I am focusing on today is a neat little thing we have in our shop at the moment.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is called a chatelaine and was something I should imagine most Victorian ladies would have had on their wishlist.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was basically a kind of customised tool belt which a lady would attach at the waist and would dangle all the items she needed close to hand.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps a nurse would have notebooks, pins, a thermometer maybe. Or a seamstress could have to hand her scissors a tape measure and a thimble. The possibilities were endless and you could continue to add to it as time went on.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The chatelaine came about before the Swiss made their army knife in 1891, so you have to wonder where they got the idea. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘La chatelaine’ is the title given to the female head of the grand country estates in France. The concept for the chatelaine was said to have been taken from the vast amount of keys these estate managers would carry about their person.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soon after the chatelaine was popularised it became more about the fashion than the practicality and every fashionable young thing would have desired one.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So be you and artist, wishing to carry your paint boxes and brushes, or a lady in mourning carrying about reminders of a loved one, a photo, a lock of hair, a chatelaine was a solution to a problem.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The jangle of carrying these items would make a status giving racket too. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A must-have item for every stylish gal about town.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi6bThWwfAVlt84SklFrHxiRUWqy8RQvB0eZkS03h5ZPh1t4sYoWtzrtQ48IbbzmGwD7tKoKZ5HIZQhR0CpCQUzMVtnt0EAfeGBBaPup0tkoDJr7nb5DvzqocJJxEPfznNdEWGwqUBsk/s1600/20160305-Capture0001-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi6bThWwfAVlt84SklFrHxiRUWqy8RQvB0eZkS03h5ZPh1t4sYoWtzrtQ48IbbzmGwD7tKoKZ5HIZQhR0CpCQUzMVtnt0EAfeGBBaPup0tkoDJr7nb5DvzqocJJxEPfznNdEWGwqUBsk/s640/20160305-Capture0001-2.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is the chatelaine to be found in our shop with its pen knife, thimbles, scissors, pin cushion and a dressmakers pencil. Ideal for the home seamstress.</span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-10cbdf7f-4661-ccd2-3f99-644f41449b1f" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-86456220733113938802016-02-16T10:06:00.000+00:002016-02-16T10:06:53.341+00:00Good Morning Britain<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO6MZhler-uiN53G1eqBbc2v5cJwP_LIj40NMFfBzdV2y_-GQ9gD0YMCQPlbNQEr4WfbmRJhXVLduyDEAq7zoy7n-kxDillgK9e7Y8u8BL1M-zpi_6Tq2vTe4XM-lIOp8poAYlJBw95w/s1600/IMG_0477.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO6MZhler-uiN53G1eqBbc2v5cJwP_LIj40NMFfBzdV2y_-GQ9gD0YMCQPlbNQEr4WfbmRJhXVLduyDEAq7zoy7n-kxDillgK9e7Y8u8BL1M-zpi_6Tq2vTe4XM-lIOp8poAYlJBw95w/s640/IMG_0477.PNG" width="640" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, What’s that I spy on the table?</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, that would be one of our very own kettles, enjoying a moment of fame on This Morning,</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in a segment in which the presenters have to guess which, out of a selection, has the highest value.</span></span></b></div>
<a name='more'></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Todays collection was our lovely Victorian silver kettle, up against a Hermes handbag and a signed photograph of Marilyn Monroe.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Marilyn photo was the outfront winner with a £10,000 value. You know, with that kind of money you could have two of our kettles! </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep your eye out for our silver on the telly, as we have more to come, starting today with a new Alan Titchmarsh game show called Masterpiece.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The format of the show is that teams will be guided around a stately home and must hunt out the Masterpiece amongst all the collectibles on display. The Masterpiece could be anything from a bottle of wine, a painting, jewellery or, indeed, a fine piece of silver.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first episode airs today on ITV at 3pm.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Could any of our silver be amongst the first lot of collectibles? Might it even be a Masterpiece.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, that would be telling. You will have to watch and see.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There will be more of our silver cropping up on screen over the next few weeks.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6d0d92c1-e986-9570-9d07-ba20d598b14a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will keep you posted.</span></span></b></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-19279932700233353022015-12-21T12:14:00.000+00:002015-12-21T12:14:28.278+00:00R TO Z CHRISTMAS<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HyqxMgn10DfxKW_9LWD-UZbO04TqT09GOMUqXnVNEM43fA0HcoRPx0dRA1MR4e5lYMV92wi2tWNlrMCDg-ILByekTon8dz65XaThBzEyyiV2byI55Zgd8egTMgj4HkSfmH9rJhsQp_A/s1600/b6990_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HyqxMgn10DfxKW_9LWD-UZbO04TqT09GOMUqXnVNEM43fA0HcoRPx0dRA1MR4e5lYMV92wi2tWNlrMCDg-ILByekTon8dz65XaThBzEyyiV2byI55Zgd8egTMgj4HkSfmH9rJhsQp_A/s640/b6990_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, here it is, the final installment of our A-Z of Christmas gift ideas.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By now I should think most of us are running out of time and inspiration.</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is good to know that a gift in silver is something long lasting and will be treasured for years, and indeed, centuries to come. As timeless as Christmas itself. </span></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ing...my bell. Ok, so not technically an ‘r’ but, the sound of a ringing bell does say Christmas.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have lots of bells to ring here. From simplistic plain bells to bells adorned with military figures or an ink stand complete with bell, you'll be able to call people to the table with a beautiful tinkle by choosing one of our jingle bells. </span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cent Bottles...there is something romantic about having your dressing table arranged with eye catching and beautiful things. By decanting a favourite scent into an exquisite bottle, it instantly elevates it to something even more special. A silver topped bottle of beautifully cut glass, filled with their prefered eau de cologne, will be appreciated each time they splash it on.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qOPhyphenhyphenbtuMujmWHcx87q5uKCv6eLaNkmiazg1BS0w0BmelqNp45AFGmn7zPCPnN_2L6iN97k30IlbnnFYhRmUqyrAESAI9l3VRZ6tQZZj03OacDX9l7BcLeMYho8rS3fCyZ7eQ8dNEnc/s1600/b7142_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qOPhyphenhyphenbtuMujmWHcx87q5uKCv6eLaNkmiazg1BS0w0BmelqNp45AFGmn7zPCPnN_2L6iN97k30IlbnnFYhRmUqyrAESAI9l3VRZ6tQZZj03OacDX9l7BcLeMYho8rS3fCyZ7eQ8dNEnc/s640/b7142_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">antalus...is effectively a locked cage to keep all your favourite, special tipples in. The tantalus can be found in silver plate, sterling silver or wood and silver, and we have a fine selection in every style. Nowadays it is unlikely we keep our drink under lock and key, away from the staff, but such handsome stylings means these frames and their beautifully cut glass bottles are still desirable today. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">U</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tensils...my goodness there is a vast array of utensils available in silver. Whether it is serving pieces or dishes we have an unrivalled selection. Basting spoons, ladles,asparagus tongs,sugar tongs,marrow scoops, stilton scoops, grape shears to name but a few. Basically, any food they could devise a specialist tool for chances are it was made in silver. These clever items make great gifts and quite unique, meaning you're unlikely to find that someone else has come up with your idea.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e63fa94-c467-14fe-d4d8-239bfe1b38a4" style="font-weight: normal;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotR28Dwfafk28Tsg4AdQEcCDwFFD-ffMDj8hbtp5OKfbX2VzDHESZzdDk2Xl34i9v9rYr3SX_sxrdiSaenlHlJV-qlRlOIsHa4n2MYYmLZ7TteIThzA3kclNFRze2ZW4sGnkCQv10F54/s1600/b6620_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotR28Dwfafk28Tsg4AdQEcCDwFFD-ffMDj8hbtp5OKfbX2VzDHESZzdDk2Xl34i9v9rYr3SX_sxrdiSaenlHlJV-qlRlOIsHa4n2MYYmLZ7TteIThzA3kclNFRze2ZW4sGnkCQv10F54/s640/b6620_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">V</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ases…who doesn't love a beautiful vase brimming with your favourite flowers. We have a collection here that spans the centuries in many sizes and styles. Beautiful little Art Nouveau</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bud vases for just a single flower or a more elaborate trumpet epergne with a central vase just crying for a loved ones favourite flowers. A few holly berries or some lovely red flowers and Christmas is here.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ine Coasters...have long been a popular gift choice for oenophiles or for anyone you wish</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to treat to a stylish and yet practical present. Not only good looking but, equally important, it will protect your fine furniture too. You may only want a single wooden based silver coaster with a recent hallmark, or perhaps, push the boat out and select a set of four all silver Georgian ones, to really impress. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">X</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cited.... for Christmas... ok now, as we don’t have in stock a silver xylophone at the moment I am struggling to be able suggest something here, but, we do have a lovely bugle should you know someone who would like to blow their own horn. And forget about those pipers piping, how about a sterling silver flute presented in its original box, so someone can be a flautist flauting?!</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Y</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">acht...I am not suggesting we have a silver yacht down here but we do have lots of items that would look great on board,for those lucky enough to have such a thing. How about a ship’s decanter? These wide based jugs were also known as Rodneys, named in honour of Admiral Lord Rodney’s naval victories.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or, you could opt for a tea set so you can add a splash of glamour to high tea on the high seas.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Z</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...is for zoo animals. We can offer you an elephant or a tiger. Why not pick up a penguin for someone you love. We have lions and tigers and bears, oh my. I thought to end, I would throw in that little Wizard of Oz reference because it always crops up on telly over the season. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, that is it from me for another year. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you all enjoy the festive season.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be back next year. </span></div>
</b>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-21538646266251753642015-12-14T10:56:00.001+00:002015-12-14T11:09:45.900+00:00SHINY, HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU, WEEK TWO<b id="docs-internal-guid-5564986b-a013-f5af-9871-5391f5920610" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVQO0dh1D4MEPVoUkCgmK535ye86W-30Ee4jhyo81nrWR-sRJRpoksdMKDbkGZ7h99ZkHY55amUYkRBKv4gVUk0BakDVglC6avBt5emHRIKEsJ8VU84Bvyn7fkxpExaRj7d1jrxFyes8/s1600/menuh+%25281+of+1%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVQO0dh1D4MEPVoUkCgmK535ye86W-30Ee4jhyo81nrWR-sRJRpoksdMKDbkGZ7h99ZkHY55amUYkRBKv4gVUk0BakDVglC6avBt5emHRIKEsJ8VU84Bvyn7fkxpExaRj7d1jrxFyes8/s640/menuh+%25281+of+1%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="color: #999999;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ok, folks. It’s week two of our A to Z of Christmas which brings me to our next collection ideas for gifts in silver. We left off at the letter I, and so, here we go with:</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Jam Pots… I think most of us probably will have more than a quick cup of tea and a bowl of cornflakes on Christmas morning. For some reason, it seems appropriate to have a full on breakfast (almost like a trial run for the big event). No reason the breakfast table shouldn’t look special too. A lovely jam jar to serve your favourite condiments in will certainly cheer things up.</span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a name='more'></a><br /><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-5564986b-a013-f5af-9871-5391f5920610" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Knives...and forks and spoons...Christmas is the one time of year when everyone will bring out their best crockery and cutlery. Here at I. Franks, we have knowledge and expertise that goes back generations. If you are looking to invest in a cutlery set I would strongly recommend dropping down and getting some expert advice from the family who has long been happily helping people choose a set that is just right for them. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br />Light...as in, let there be light. Nothing sets the mood more than the right lighting. As your tree<br />sparkles and twinkles in the corner choosing the right ambience for the rest of the home is crucial. We have a vast selection candlesticks,chambersticks and even some lovely sterling silver electric lamps. What a bright start to the holidays.<br /><br />Menu Holders...which also suit being used as name place card holders are highly collectable and the design range means you a likely to find something that will suit whomever you choose them for. We've got highland dancers, animals, birds or simple and elegant art deco stylings.<br />Hopefully, something for everyone. Put people in their place, with sophistication and fun.<br /><br />Napkin Rings...another way to guide people to their seat at the big meal is for each person to have their own napkin ring. These are available as plain as you like or elaborately decorated.<br />They make a great stocking stuffer and will get used year upon year. Can I just say, here in my shop I have created a candelabra tree using napkin rings as baubles. You can pinch that from me, should you wish, because it looks great!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLTqLDn8_dC5YOH1AyDvI3w_MEhTJ5SHSzjp0qpYy84WG9QGhkKS3f5GBbLRGlwUgJLMAQ4V-AiGJanv_vvwr90sMLHXJf6Uqh1APlf6WgwZ7gpgZ8HsZrfvbWFfXUl6POrbOutEkNJc/s1600/b6242_1.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLTqLDn8_dC5YOH1AyDvI3w_MEhTJ5SHSzjp0qpYy84WG9QGhkKS3f5GBbLRGlwUgJLMAQ4V-AiGJanv_vvwr90sMLHXJf6Uqh1APlf6WgwZ7gpgZ8HsZrfvbWFfXUl6POrbOutEkNJc/s640/b6242_1.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Oil... and Vinegar and salt and pepper and mustard and cayenne too. We have a fabulous array of cruet sets in both silver plate and sterling silver. Whether you are looking for a simple<br />oil and vinegar set or a more elaborate soy frame with bottles for every condiment you can think of we've got it covered.<br /><br />Photograph Frames...you've captured the moment and what better way to display that precious image, than with a beautiful sterling silver antique frame. From clean sleek deco styling, to a touch old fashioned Victorian adornment, you will find many styles and sizes to choose from.<br />Your loved ones deserve to be surrounded by silver.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtb3gA0VBEQB1_G8SHPpOBZ9EyfGTL224XkhLgf9IwU5pf-cYSxlFtAGPU6uIZjauW_7B1rXoIjfddubMe_lsndByb0tnYjdiMUylvaOVwzrB-hc3HjvxwhYrQamCcr3dY4Wdt-dcKJE/s1600/b6069_1.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtb3gA0VBEQB1_G8SHPpOBZ9EyfGTL224XkhLgf9IwU5pf-cYSxlFtAGPU6uIZjauW_7B1rXoIjfddubMe_lsndByb0tnYjdiMUylvaOVwzrB-hc3HjvxwhYrQamCcr3dY4Wdt-dcKJE/s640/b6069_1.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Quaich...the quaich, so beloved by the Scottish, will be appreciated by anyone who loves their simplistic style. This two handled drinking bowl not only symbolises friendship and union, it makes a lovely little bowl to hold sweets or cufflinks or anything you like. Slainte!<br />And, if you are still looking for ideas, check out next week's post for the last of my A-Z of Christmas. Hopefully, we can find some inspirational ideas to ease your shopping blues.</span></span><b id="docs-internal-guid-5564986b-a013-f5af-9871-5391f5920610" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-58217571173948949332015-12-07T15:58:00.001+00:002015-12-07T15:58:59.949+00:00CRACKING CHRISTMAS IDEAS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLzg6Te14mTxJrfdsG61DsTEH6ac_p2jyVcqMLb7VPEmB-hoc-QjS4c-MNRKL1yTxa2Z7ubGOWnTlP2O3oiAYWcEs2S241KbF8pl8WB36_4SzlbwrztYVbc-GGTFessF8NIzt7EZi_Mg/s1600/20151020-Capture0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLzg6Te14mTxJrfdsG61DsTEH6ac_p2jyVcqMLb7VPEmB-hoc-QjS4c-MNRKL1yTxa2Z7ubGOWnTlP2O3oiAYWcEs2S241KbF8pl8WB36_4SzlbwrztYVbc-GGTFessF8NIzt7EZi_Mg/s640/20151020-Capture0005.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Here it is, December, and for those of us that haven't got everything wrapped up yet (you know, not one of those people who were,actually, nearly done in August) the hunt starts in earnest to seek out that perfect gift. It is to those people I will be presenting my A-Z of Christmas ideas, in silver, over the next couple of weeks. </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-7d4416e6-7d20-d92a-d805-c8c062687e5a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">So let us begin:</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nimals...we have a great collection of sterling silver and silverplate animals, birds and fish </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;"> which will be sure to please the animal lover in your life, whether it’s a large </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;"> centrepiece for the table or a small ornament for someone's collection.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">oxes...doesn't everyone love a box to stash treasures, or jewelry or fine cigars.Be they plain or ornately decorated you will find our silver boxes in a style and size to suit.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ocktail Shaker...it is definitely cocktail season and what better gift for the mixologist than a lovely vintage shaker. The cocktails will almost certainly be made with added flair with a silver or silver plate shaker to add some glamour to the event. That will raise your spirits!</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">D</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ecanter... how many times does someone you know get a fine bottle of whisky or port because, quite frankly, you just can't think of anything else for that person who has everything.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Why not choose a stylish decanter to put that inevitable bottle of vintage single malt in.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pergnes...nothing says celebration more than a well laid table and, let's face it, the Christmas table is the pinnacle. With our selection of epergnes, you are bound to find one that</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">brings the table together in dazzling fashion.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">F</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lask...now here is a hip idea. How nice to be popping out after Christmas lunch for your wintery stroll armed with a comforting nip in your pocket. Warms the cockles, doesn't it?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">G</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">oblets...a fine silver goblet is a gift that people will treasure forever. It can be used immediately to partake in the Christmas wine and then every other time the occasion calls for it. Makes a great vase too, when not being drunk from.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbkZwwSF62Wea-ZV6GPCgZ8JFILURDxaUumUhRpL8iK2IgQJ59aG4jA06q3XJ7QykFxpuEIMCgfkKlLw0gNkkpI7uuDwNsJ-PxF76Tk0WA8PvrgkO0MpaFBWHSFgzcjdirT7PlEEOFcY/s1600/b6876_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #999999;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbkZwwSF62Wea-ZV6GPCgZ8JFILURDxaUumUhRpL8iK2IgQJ59aG4jA06q3XJ7QykFxpuEIMCgfkKlLw0gNkkpI7uuDwNsJ-PxF76Tk0WA8PvrgkO0MpaFBWHSFgzcjdirT7PlEEOFcY/s640/b6876_1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">H</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and Mirror...harking back to the days of elegant dressing tables, who wouldn't love an ornate silver hand mirror. Or, go for enamel in a colour to compliment the boudoir. Glamourous and chic.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nk Stand...when you picture Charles Dickens at his writing desk, you must, surely, get the image of plume in hand dipping into the ink pot. What better way to excite a budding writer than present them with a beautiful ink stand. Who knows, it might just help inspire them to write the next Christmas Carol. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">I will be back in a week with the next selection of ideas for your friends and loved ones. Until then, happy hunting.</span></span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-48238509553624397832015-11-27T15:06:00.000+00:002015-11-27T15:12:34.248+00:00In the Library With a Candlestick?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uuv5_3euEPh4m9FU_EVfSCIi_uJmcQu_BCC-M4HnCu3Ncvc_Puegz8I1LnMuOp4_7DGfgqXsXgtnman5V1Z83LYW8b24NPiEL1QrE1z7a_wkP3kQoK0TDWD28y1bfuglpR-4bgEOcvE/s1600/b4875-silver-candlesticks-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uuv5_3euEPh4m9FU_EVfSCIi_uJmcQu_BCC-M4HnCu3Ncvc_Puegz8I1LnMuOp4_7DGfgqXsXgtnman5V1Z83LYW8b24NPiEL1QrE1z7a_wkP3kQoK0TDWD28y1bfuglpR-4bgEOcvE/s640/b4875-silver-candlesticks-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-050c3dbf-4965-4e58-f37a-db4e17c586d3"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Choose your weapon.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">With winter nearly here and Christmas around the corner one thing is certain…. The board games in cupboards and closets up and down the country will be coming out again.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know they say it nearly every year, but apparently, this looks set to be one of the coldest winters since our last coldest winter.</span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #999999;"> Even if it turns out not to be true, there is no denying most of us tend to spend a lot more time indoors during these dark and dreary months. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a result we search for things to occupy ourselves and, when all other forms of entertainment have been exhausted, bring on the games.</span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Board games have been around for millenia. The first one was probably a game called Senet and examples were found among artifacts in ancient Egyptian burial sites from around 3500 BC.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Evidence of early board games have been discovered in many cultures from Iran and Greece to Italy. Most involved boards with grids and various pieces to move as well as some form of dice.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The first commercial boardgame is thought to have come from Italy around 1500. It is called Gioco dell’Oca (Game of the Goose) and is still being produced today. Apparently it has always been in production, albeit occasionally re- branded and altered, but with the basic principals remaining the same. Take that Monopoly! </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">And, on that subject, the game of Monopoly was invented by Elizabeth Magie Phillips and was created as an educational tool to help explain taxes and private land monopolies, She took out a patent in 1904 and she self published ‘The Landlord’s Game’ in 1906. Eventually, in the 1930s a version was bought by Parker Bros and the Monopoly we know today,was born.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Today's Monopoly is available in dozens of variations. The original game used Atlantic City as its model but now many modern cities have their own adaptations. Here in London we have our own version which I have witnessed being used to base a themed pub crawl on, with people in fancy dress attempting to visit pubs on every stop on the London board. That must take as long as the actual board game used to seem to take when I was little.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">When we purchased a new edition a couple of years back I noticed they now do a version which uses electronic banking eliminating the need for cash. How are the cheaters going to</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">sneak those notes from under the banker’s noses now?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyKaYi0joZ2RMjjISexzXTreFcsRDYnp_vI60h0hzRdr0Nm1roXrIqTR16IPmavzqOf9fMULGZ17FX9zBhpxRJD6LAkwO650QdGo-GPxJj2FaGFUkx7YGk2yT0YnwMdBZSk_7YNjkIxs/s1600/20151127-Capture0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyKaYi0joZ2RMjjISexzXTreFcsRDYnp_vI60h0hzRdr0Nm1roXrIqTR16IPmavzqOf9fMULGZ17FX9zBhpxRJD6LAkwO650QdGo-GPxJj2FaGFUkx7YGk2yT0YnwMdBZSk_7YNjkIxs/s640/20151127-Capture0002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-050c3dbf-4978-68e5-5c04-3cbd834c08d4"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-050c3dbf-4978-68e5-5c04-3cbd834c08d4"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Draughts, played by everyone from Queen Hatasu in ancient Egypt to my Grandad in modern Canada. A gilt and silver plate version above, available from our shop.</span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">In 1938 the world was presented with Scrabble. This game was known to keep my mother and her friends up to the wee small hours. She even pulled an all nighter once, I recall. My board looks much the same as my mother's did and really only the words in the dictionary have evolved. Evolved scores a letter score of 14 by the way.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">A game called Murder came to us in 1944 and was soon renamed Clue or Cluedo. This game created by an English musician by the name of Anthony Pratt and was originally devised as a game to offer distraction in bomb and air raid shelters. It was bought by Waddington and then not officially launched until 1949, owing to post war shortages. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The object was to work out which character murdered whom and where, with what. I used to love the tiny figures; the wrench, the dagger, the lead pipe, the revolver, the rope and, of course, the candlestick. I always wanted it to be the candlestick.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Special editions of this game over the years have seen these pieces in brass or gold plated and ,of course, sterling silver. Why not.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The great fun of board games is their endurance. That I am playing the same games that my grandparents played is quite remarkable. And, when my own grandchildren are old enough, I'm sure we will indulge in a bit of post Christmas dinner boardgaming ourselves. Let the games begin, I say.</span></span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-62601607511797498162015-11-14T11:57:00.001+00:002015-11-14T12:27:57.429+00:00Curiouser And Curiouser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAJjMdRQNVxjxTvcPupnNIoG7pTKX9Qnujtscnygggp0_Fg7-cCZNHKMem82DKiuedaSs-RU5_uux8yjMn7gVfCB6ZTCb9xzvX-S50heXgJ_JAQOvr2Nqaq-ApgiMXxDDipP0F4klRNc/s1600/1book24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAJjMdRQNVxjxTvcPupnNIoG7pTKX9Qnujtscnygggp0_Fg7-cCZNHKMem82DKiuedaSs-RU5_uux8yjMn7gVfCB6ZTCb9xzvX-S50heXgJ_JAQOvr2Nqaq-ApgiMXxDDipP0F4klRNc/s640/1book24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">In case you hadn’t noticed, there has been a lot of talk about Alice in Wonderland recently.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">This is due to the fact that 2015 marks 150 years since Lewis Carroll’s book about a young girl’s surreal adventures in a magical wonderland were first published. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The book, published on 26 November 1865, was titled Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland but the original title was intended to be Alice's Adventures Underground.</span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #999999;font-size: 14.666666666666666px"> Should I ever decide to write a book about my time here at the London Silver Vaults, I might just pinch that. Sandy’s Adventures Underground has a nice ring to it, I think.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The book has never been out of print and has been translated into nearly 200 languages. You won’t, however, find it in Chinese as it was banned in China in 1931 because they believe animals should not use human language.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Lewis Carroll was, in fact, the pen name of a gentleman born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson on 27 January 1832.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Carroll was a man with many hats and, as well as writing, he was also a respected mathematician, logician, an anglican deacon and a photographer.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">He wrote the fantastic tale of Alice while working at Christ Church College in Oxford.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">It was there he would meet the Dean of the college, Henry Liddell, and the Dean’s young family, including a girl called Alice.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">One summer, while on a boating trip up the Thames, Carroll began to tell Alice and her two sisters a magical tale of a young girl and her adventures. With no intention at that stage of producing a book, he eventually wrote these tales down in a dairy, as the children would beg him to recount the story again and again. He was to eventually turn his diary notes into a novel which he presented to Alice Liddell for Christmas in 1864. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWM4L0n31HQe8T8aKfsOs0CWztN5OMoja5SMMum0qJNPTW5i65VCl3DMHpBxgsDsYxOUk0POJmWPGwLW2DDJGZc0_fUDNZWh9eku9vv16iYs-GV_1BW8qfUtRXMYK6h__KwRMCiMI1Zg/s1600/20151114-Capture0005-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWM4L0n31HQe8T8aKfsOs0CWztN5OMoja5SMMum0qJNPTW5i65VCl3DMHpBxgsDsYxOUk0POJmWPGwLW2DDJGZc0_fUDNZWh9eku9vv16iYs-GV_1BW8qfUtRXMYK6h__KwRMCiMI1Zg/s640/20151114-Capture0005-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Croquet anyone?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">He then elaborated the story and added new characters such as the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat and eventually self published this new version in 1865 after being convinced by fellow writer Henry Kingsley to do so.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Many of the characters in the book are loosely based on the people around the college whom the children would have known. In fact,The Dodo is said to represent Carroll himself. Carroll's real name was Charles Dobson and, as he had as stammer, he would often introduce himself as Do-do-dodgson. Or so the story goes.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">After the book's release its popularity grew quickly and this resulted in Carroll writing a sequel, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, published in 1871.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Alice eventually became the most popular children’s book in England.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">On 14th of January 1898, just shy of his 66th birthday, Lewis Carroll died of pneumonia.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">He left behind a legacy which will surely delight young and old alike for at least 150 years more.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Should you be looking to throw your very own Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in honour of this occasion,</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">why not start off by having your own Adventure Underground right here in the London Silver Vaults. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">You can “begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Deep underground, you will find a treasure trove of fine silver that is simply out of this world.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Among these corridors you are sure to find many items to make your own Mad Hatter’s Tea Party </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">truly special. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5bae48d5-05bd-3023-7db0-0be3303e82a6"></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Remember, as the Mad Hatter says : It’s always tea time.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPYU4qXu4qqy55FsTugFc9GBAYUUvuN0ZB4onkE29EOuIOsc000bCst-ZrUEv8tmeF-WjHb7IcGvw4yVFp3yOrmkeWSoHaK-msAlYoWcymvud4PANQjTlDxOfiN31kNt12fQCow9OSXo/s1600/20150623-Capture0004-2-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPYU4qXu4qqy55FsTugFc9GBAYUUvuN0ZB4onkE29EOuIOsc000bCst-ZrUEv8tmeF-WjHb7IcGvw4yVFp3yOrmkeWSoHaK-msAlYoWcymvud4PANQjTlDxOfiN31kNt12fQCow9OSXo/s640/20150623-Capture0004-2-Edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">…. like a tea tray in the sky</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></div>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-26800341321602418202015-11-07T11:25:00.003+00:002015-11-07T11:27:34.238+00:00Spy vs. Spy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoBoatJDDeA-Stjd_ajpd5PU9vajrYrsLD5P7McgkrvluBLfR3sVyKqY-BiWjVp8DZ7FVtHZutpfoLS9KE92bh0r4BlEZ_Fl-JBrOBzPDwFRvSiOJDH-AUYCDeHuAMGzi37sIUIgksFU/s1600/8446295874_91e78074e6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoBoatJDDeA-Stjd_ajpd5PU9vajrYrsLD5P7McgkrvluBLfR3sVyKqY-BiWjVp8DZ7FVtHZutpfoLS9KE92bh0r4BlEZ_Fl-JBrOBzPDwFRvSiOJDH-AUYCDeHuAMGzi37sIUIgksFU/s640/8446295874_91e78074e6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This autumn we have seen the release of a new film in the James Bond franchise. Spectre is the 24th film to be released and the fourth time with Daniel Craig as The Man himself. The word on the street is that this will be Daniel Craig’s last time playing one of our most enduring and invincible spies.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having been our Bond for the last 10 years it seems as though the search is now on for someone else to take up the reigns. The speculation and rumours as to whom it may be will be sure to keep us guessing for quite some time.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a few names I've heard being bandied about including Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Colin Firth. There are others too, and I'm sure the list will get longer before someone is finally chosen.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is, of course, if Daniel Craig doesn't decide he might like to slip into that dapper suit at least once more.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, the fun of James Bond is all the gadgets he has at his disposal. I find with each film as the action steps up, the gadgetry levels decrease. I'm not going to lie, I find that a little disappointing. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Truth be told, I have always preferred the Mel Brooks/Buck Henry American tv show from the sixties, Get Smart. This is because the futuristic apparatus Maxwell Smart had available to him was just so cool. I mean, a shoe that turns into a telephone. Boy, did I want that. Who knew that the mobile phone would come to us all one day! </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course the phone in the shoe wasn't the only communications device. You might have seen a phone necktie, comb, clock or watch. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Y3pOsFGpDZDPj8hv8z_lIGms0zpBGYjtoES395oc86zQcBFZQSRn0leJzGRegUQ_sKIKqp4giTIiMt5p0Mz6c2n9-EkJhRAsFrHpNnN_Sy2rPdPVc05kfma0UUD-iAEOs7lps68lfQ/s1600/2497643461_288bfb2f8c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #999999;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Y3pOsFGpDZDPj8hv8z_lIGms0zpBGYjtoES395oc86zQcBFZQSRn0leJzGRegUQ_sKIKqp4giTIiMt5p0Mz6c2n9-EkJhRAsFrHpNnN_Sy2rPdPVc05kfma0UUD-iAEOs7lps68lfQ/s320/2497643461_288bfb2f8c.jpg" width="313" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Max Smart’s sidekick,99, had plenty of her own devices too, with a telephone makeup compact, a gas expelling lipstick, a tear gas pen and a lighter that fires bullets.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All those groovy gadgets and the fact that Max Smart drove, in my opinion, THE coolest car ever, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, puts him ahead of James in the coolness stakes for me.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fun of Get Smart was the fact that he was a bit clumsy, not like the suave sophisticate that is James Bond. You wouldn't find Mr. Bond constantly bumping into his own invisible wall. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not that James Bond hasn't offered up some pretty neat tricks in the gadget stakes over time.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout the twenty odd films we have seen, among other things, trick briefcases, jetpacks, a ring camera, a wrist dart gun and a Lotus car/submarine. We even had a robot dog, which was then to become a real option, now available to all.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think maybe we have always had a fascination with gadgetry. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Victorians had a fondness for novelty items and would often produce things that at first glance would not necessarily be what you might think. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might find a walking stick that reveals a hidden flask, perhaps with a compass on the handle top. Maybe a locket that houses a monocle. This is an item we had in the shop recently. I was sorry to see it go, but the person who bought it was thrilled with it, so it went to a good home. I have even seen a pistol purse which stores a small pistol in a secret compartment. Check out Steampunk Spy-Fi online to view all sorts of nifty pre James Bond gadgetry. </span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e165-1043-3a27-02d0572e2d68"></span><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are couple of spyish things we have in stock at the moment.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQsF2rb7pYq9Jswx8K7w0v5K-p39wXNv7sAkwoHRbAV9DJmQq5TsU9HdPlO78Z0sEyVSkrX3ffybgUCPmxCZxqiCCMGl1RC3CJC3zKPxnn5ek1YYAhYKrUSHecw1UZgFn5V-1842WGko/s1600/20151107-Capture0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQsF2rb7pYq9Jswx8K7w0v5K-p39wXNv7sAkwoHRbAV9DJmQq5TsU9HdPlO78Z0sEyVSkrX3ffybgUCPmxCZxqiCCMGl1RC3CJC3zKPxnn5ek1YYAhYKrUSHecw1UZgFn5V-1842WGko/s640/20151107-Capture0013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1ae-8aa1-91b5-18f197e5a3f3"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1ae-8aa1-91b5-18f197e5a3f3"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This grenade cigar cutter and lighter is the bomb!</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1ae-8aa1-91b5-18f197e5a3f3">
</span>
<div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1ae-8aa1-91b5-18f197e5a3f3"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1ae-8aa1-91b5-18f197e5a3f3">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6csWjI49C1BXPW8qAKodVP-WoeJ2HuGNnhwnL5Sdm4zPX4lWGan0OnSPMz3ehQUgWDK-6isi6UmQC_9j0qJgKHCeVUjP-8ghYL8EIZxZo1tvKvzJEIwDVf0SHtlDbgb77dib0cZKRwQ/s1600/20151107-Capture0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6csWjI49C1BXPW8qAKodVP-WoeJ2HuGNnhwnL5Sdm4zPX4lWGan0OnSPMz3ehQUgWDK-6isi6UmQC_9j0qJgKHCeVUjP-8ghYL8EIZxZo1tvKvzJEIwDVf0SHtlDbgb77dib0cZKRwQ/s640/20151107-Capture0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1af-6fc9-4287-018f44d7bf89"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1af-6fc9-4287-018f44d7bf89"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This box by Asprey has a mechanism which requires a special shaking technique to open it so only you can access it.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1af-6fc9-4287-018f44d7bf89">
</span>
<div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1af-6fc9-4287-018f44d7bf89"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1af-6fc9-4287-018f44d7bf89">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcC9rbGrLHj35Bbmo5_A-dSL0u0_thLAA2NlEW-dJf1nvSUN5D1G_kOgbzBVtBlISpLliuUygKo7Cg0jEa3dhyphenhyphen5dhbIehwOhoSEppPRGOsmntL0qmXqTEXf0YT8OOJvMKaB2YziiZZnQ/s1600/j7544-silver-animals-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcC9rbGrLHj35Bbmo5_A-dSL0u0_thLAA2NlEW-dJf1nvSUN5D1G_kOgbzBVtBlISpLliuUygKo7Cg0jEa3dhyphenhyphen5dhbIehwOhoSEppPRGOsmntL0qmXqTEXf0YT8OOJvMKaB2YziiZZnQ/s640/j7544-silver-animals-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1b1-6048-b1b7-bb8f10165197"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1b1-6048-b1b7-bb8f10165197"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This hawk is a spice canister with detachable head. Perfect for stashing your top secrets.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1b1-6048-b1b7-bb8f10165197">
</span>
<div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1b1-6048-b1b7-bb8f10165197"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3315e901-e1b1-6048-b1b7-bb8f10165197">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-32025605766873854312015-10-31T11:27:00.000+00:002015-10-31T11:27:46.056+00:00Hallo Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGK7o1jJbeJa_TppL7IOl2fDT3Y6MSHSXBfQ13wR-7AdWTrG9kSZOesnFsYq_2pgLfXBrlDgt8Ga59_zZLaoJjyql6iytiUxbI4_McF6CgLhxKVps_imkBFK_DWB_lA1YbKOYpAfWvR4/s1600/halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGK7o1jJbeJa_TppL7IOl2fDT3Y6MSHSXBfQ13wR-7AdWTrG9kSZOesnFsYq_2pgLfXBrlDgt8Ga59_zZLaoJjyql6iytiUxbI4_McF6CgLhxKVps_imkBFK_DWB_lA1YbKOYpAfWvR4/s640/halloween.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Well, I suppose children up and down the country will be donning their outfits for Halloween once again. Along with the ghosts and ghouls and goblins I’ve a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of characters from Frozen this year too.</span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Though it has not always been a tradition here in the UK to embrace the whole Halloween idea, it has grown in popularity here year upon year. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">In Britain and other Christian nations the roots of Halloween probably lies in the fact that it falls on the eve of a major Catholic festival, All Saints Day. The fact that this time of year also sees the harvest when many a feast and celebration would take place means it could well be how Halloween came to be in the first place.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Halloween has also long been associated with paganism and Celtic tradition. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The Celts themselves believed that with the long dark winter nights came demons and so would build fires which they believed would ward off any evil spirits.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">They would be surprised to learn that this tradition would eventually turn into an event that</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">children across the globe would look forward to.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Once costumes have been decided upon the next thing to be done is choosing the pumpkin for the Jack O’Lantern. This was not always a pumpkin. The first lanterns were carved from turnips. I know from personal experience that the turnip is not the easiest of vegetables to take your knife to, so it's probably just as well they made the switch. Besides, the bright orange skin has definitely got a more harvest look about it.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The tradition of dispensing sweets and treats comes from another Celtic belief that putting out food would appease any spirits that might be roaming about.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Because Halloween is associated was Catholic saints, Protestant England began to commemorate a different event and declared the 5th of November to be Guy Fawkes night to mark the capture and execution of Guy Fawkes, the man who attempted to blow up parliament.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Other on the other side of the world, in Mexico, the marking of All Saints Day is known as Day of the Dead where folks dress up like ghouls and parade through the streets. In Hong Kong we have Festival of the Hungry Ghosts where the lighting of fires and the offer of food and gifts takes place.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Back here in the UK, the tradition of lighting bonfires came from the Druids who would light fires to ensure the sun would return after winter. The Druid priests would often throw cattle bones into the flames thus, it was a bone fire or bonfire. Lighting a bonfire seemed an appropriate way to represent Guy Fawkes’ foiled attempt to sabotaging our Houses of Parliament.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-76fcdb8e-bd98-3d1a-ca31-6d0af6cdecde"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">So, here in Britain these days, children are lucky enough to have the opportunity to celebrate two different rituals. I wonder how many of them will still be tucking into their sweets when the first firework of Bonfire Night goes off?</span></span></span><br />
<span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gA06-UvRoqKlB-iMjZvqC-0l4FfqRudIlk7nZ9zepC6fkXf-gJt-PK-utLncoVqKwP0s33PAstImbC6-divhlyo9YH5r3_xd2T1h-RxUy1iAdYPhKz6UBw2T4nbKTP44WOMk1Y7-E1U/s1600/b6318_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gA06-UvRoqKlB-iMjZvqC-0l4FfqRudIlk7nZ9zepC6fkXf-gJt-PK-utLncoVqKwP0s33PAstImbC6-divhlyo9YH5r3_xd2T1h-RxUy1iAdYPhKz6UBw2T4nbKTP44WOMk1Y7-E1U/s400/b6318_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-76fcdb8e-bd9e-c4b4-5108-476ad1c1d754"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Detail of pumpkin finial atop an antique silver coffee pot.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Witches brew, anyone?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XOaXyQDJ016AZDTEpmCa7dJnNQIIZcdW6LJXW6y2FRFutSIn8OYtDDEHFnDNIl1eps7g7fi7yLDAjbff9V5xefH5JH1bctBtijcde_8En8UvQooGmH7VPdQL03lhTfo4NRZa2ml99-8/s1600/DSC_0015_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XOaXyQDJ016AZDTEpmCa7dJnNQIIZcdW6LJXW6y2FRFutSIn8OYtDDEHFnDNIl1eps7g7fi7yLDAjbff9V5xefH5JH1bctBtijcde_8En8UvQooGmH7VPdQL03lhTfo4NRZa2ml99-8/s400/DSC_0015_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-76fcdb8e-bd9f-c40f-2808-52569aeff73c"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A pair of Victorian bon bon dishes. Perfect for treats, no tricks. </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">All items available from our shop, or email us an enquiry.</span>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-40303908549091127902015-10-24T12:06:00.000+01:002015-10-24T12:07:15.019+01:00Animal Magic On Your Table<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TALt3yIZuP7XDG4hMQk5WcqP4-nK9eaZMDZlWUkNKVcVFWEG8YAFmtYbM6Xfbli0d4G7EIuDt610NZyLmIFOQ73yiokkh-xBaR_xqzmcFGfxWvDHg0NgGAhUCgLcXbkZsRv8_0zKA-o/s1600/Dining_table_laid_at_Chatsworth_House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TALt3yIZuP7XDG4hMQk5WcqP4-nK9eaZMDZlWUkNKVcVFWEG8YAFmtYbM6Xfbli0d4G7EIuDt610NZyLmIFOQ73yiokkh-xBaR_xqzmcFGfxWvDHg0NgGAhUCgLcXbkZsRv8_0zKA-o/s640/Dining_table_laid_at_Chatsworth_House.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-997f-141e-8989-6fc6b850ea54"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The dining room at Chatsworth House</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">With winter just around the corner, now comes the season of socialising and entertaining.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Before you know it we will be scrambling around in our lofts and cupboards in search of all the necessary bits we need to host the perfect party or dinner.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Where summer tends to be a more casual approach to feeding your guests, often al fresco over hot coals, winter seems to lend itself to a more formal approach.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Though most of us are unlikely to enjoy formal dining on a day to day basis, a lot of us will still push the boat with the occasion calls for it.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">However, back in time, it would have been much more likely that formal sit down dinners happened on a more regular basis.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The Georgians enjoyed long and elaborate meals, often lasting several hours, with endless dishes served up on beautiful porcelain and fine sterling silver serving dishes.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">By the time we see the reign of the Victorians, astute hosts began to realise that throwing the perfect dinner party was a way to improve one’s social standing. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">The more items of cutlery and utensils you provided the more you were showing people just how affluent you were. It was not unusual to be faced with up to twenty utensils at one place setting alone! Pickle fork anyone?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Along with the many tableware items that were of practical and specific use, what better way to show off your wealth and importance than to adorn the table with items which had no use whatsoever.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">As well as the table being laid with the necessary tools for the job, you might find silver candlesticks, flower bowls and possibly a decorative pheasant or, perhaps, a cock or two.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">As well as the Georgians, the Victorians too, had a particular fascination with the animal kingdom. It shows up time and again, and is reflected in their use of fine materials to recreate various lifelike creatures.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8Cq1wZKzUO8JjpmnjaDrmeEl7aGogbEeJ099acKuLqwiG3CDPyqjYPHWqB4s0ulNnn8tH8UAuTQC1YOUb2sV5Lr_YFcAegXCyaT8heeo0dOQda1XV1c-oB6eituR0I4kjNPoq76Kj6A/s1600/b1531-silver-animals-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8Cq1wZKzUO8JjpmnjaDrmeEl7aGogbEeJ099acKuLqwiG3CDPyqjYPHWqB4s0ulNnn8tH8UAuTQC1YOUb2sV5Lr_YFcAegXCyaT8heeo0dOQda1XV1c-oB6eituR0I4kjNPoq76Kj6A/s400/b1531-silver-animals-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9981-ae4c-b6e6-7a457499f704"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9981-ae4c-b6e6-7a457499f704"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This handsome pair of fighting cockerels, though only made by Edward Barnard in 1970, is a reminder of making something simply as a showpiece. </span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9981-ae4c-b6e6-7a457499f704">
</span>
<div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9981-ae4c-b6e6-7a457499f704"><br /></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9981-ae4c-b6e6-7a457499f704">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Some fine models of birds and beasts began to be made in sterling silver. The less wealthy could emulate the look by choosing silverplate.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Although most often these models could be very realistically recreated, you will come across some rather dubious figures on occasion. When you consider most people at the time would never seen some of the animals that had been lovingly sculptured ( including the silversmiths themselves), it’s hardly surprising. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Most likely, the silversmith would be working from sketches and drawings done by intrepid explorers and this would be the only reference they would have.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Really, how many people at the time would even know what an elephant looked like? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">So, in a way, a silversmith could only be as realistic as the sketch he was presented to work with. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">However, they were prized and admired for their value perhaps even more than their accuracy.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">For me, some of the most charming examples are not necessarily the truest representations.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Dressing the table with odd and unusual things meant your guests would certainly have something to talk about.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVPe6rKtUon-2z9vy5jQxtlFq52cSuAMPjh-sZhyphenhyphenCj9pYalVm7EPT7_AWTMZhvZkxxQgiZYgL_PE3v6SxSoIZdOZbinjqYf-F_BG6lQZpVm94JxfDYbLXErimKIbBO9MjQKaMIDuD7e0/s1600/b6240-silver-sauce-boats-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVPe6rKtUon-2z9vy5jQxtlFq52cSuAMPjh-sZhyphenhyphenCj9pYalVm7EPT7_AWTMZhvZkxxQgiZYgL_PE3v6SxSoIZdOZbinjqYf-F_BG6lQZpVm94JxfDYbLXErimKIbBO9MjQKaMIDuD7e0/s400/b6240-silver-sauce-boats-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9984-d53b-8ffb-a3ce5dde20e1"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9984-d53b-8ffb-a3ce5dde20e1"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Detail of a Georgian sauce boat with eagle head handle</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9984-d53b-8ffb-a3ce5dde20e1">
</span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9984-d53b-8ffb-a3ce5dde20e1"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hallmarked in 1748.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4b313ec-9984-d53b-8ffb-a3ce5dde20e1">
<div>
<br /></div>
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Adorning the table with such frivolous things would be a sure fire way to impress your guests and, hopefully, help you up the social ladder. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #999999;">Today, these charming animal figures will still be found on the dining table, but are just as likely to find their way to the den or the boardroom.</span></span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-35006005207817159052015-10-15T16:25:00.000+01:002015-10-15T16:38:39.347+01:00The Downton Effect<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just in case you didn't see the article in this week's Saturday Times , allow me to present it to you now.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our very own Jonathan Franks and others,offer up a few words about the renewed trend for silver on the dining table. Check out the article and make some time to come down and check out for yourself, what’s on offer down here at the London Silver Vaults. </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-a4d6d0f7-6c18-6091-f48b-e1f1e33ed4a8"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember, Christmas is just around the corner…..</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span id="docs-internal-guid-a4d6d0f7-6c18-6091-f48b-e1f1e33ed4a8"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bK5Bf2lt8iJIHmYeNHeklgZUpgSPTveKjCGR1S93Cs9SphXmje5ocY_NsRZ9e66Ejg8Hdey_fZPNVyvGnGSWZLYOsBc_sU96ZJmGSRWS2GEzHxnoMwbAyBRI2EXwmbeSxSLdUkj6HRw/s1600/article2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bK5Bf2lt8iJIHmYeNHeklgZUpgSPTveKjCGR1S93Cs9SphXmje5ocY_NsRZ9e66Ejg8Hdey_fZPNVyvGnGSWZLYOsBc_sU96ZJmGSRWS2GEzHxnoMwbAyBRI2EXwmbeSxSLdUkj6HRw/s1600/article2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-28341326071531076652015-10-10T11:22:00.000+01:002015-10-10T11:24:03.388+01:00Fancy a Fondant?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9mnBM5A2kpd4zFj_BtS7KQdveTBhhTFrkw6wa7hO40ihf-rToz5WLWFPJeBhpzcEd6Zg-zDrYq1Up8qJHuKbQT7r3tDqmhE8Ogpv8nTrY5S4CO_wpRCtsKhHZru5E-iFo0Gi2EJ-Oi4/s1600/211.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9mnBM5A2kpd4zFj_BtS7KQdveTBhhTFrkw6wa7hO40ihf-rToz5WLWFPJeBhpzcEd6Zg-zDrYq1Up8qJHuKbQT7r3tDqmhE8Ogpv8nTrY5S4CO_wpRCtsKhHZru5E-iFo0Gi2EJ-Oi4/s640/211.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This might be a bit out there, but, is baking the new football?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year’s Great British Bake Off peaked at 14.5 million viewers which is considerably more than last years UK World Cup Final viewing figures of 12.1 million.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year topped last years already impressive viewing figures and makes it the most watched television programme of the year, so far.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are now versions of this show worldwide and its popularity continues to grow.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps there should be a Ultimate World Bake Off. I think that, would really grip us all.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year’s winner was Nadiya Hussein, who started out quietly, I thought, and gained confidence week by week. If I were a betting woman, my money would have been on her a few weeks back, as you could see her determination grow.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her final showstopper was to recreate her wedding cake, which she obviously did to perfection because it earned her the 2015 crown. It proves that love and passion are the most important ingredients of all.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was overwhelmed with emotion when her name was announced and it brought a tear to Mary Berry’s eye as well. I must confess I found myself reaching for the tissue too.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, yet again, this weekend I will be rattling around in the back of my cupboards in search of the cake tins. I will attempt a cake or two before those tins are relegated, once more, to the back of the cupboard. M&S need not fear….I will still need them for cakes.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, back to the tent.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the crucial bits of the judging , as always, was in the presentation. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I’m honest, the wow factor of the designs this year wasn't up there with other years, but it was still pretty damned impressive. And, let’s face it, once that knife goes in, all that presentation means nothing. It’s all about the taste and, according to the judges, this year's bakers exceeded themselves.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, there are ways around one's lack of artistic and engineering skills; find yourself the nicest serving pieces you can. You think how a bit of statement jewelry can elevate that LBD to new heights. A cake stand can do just the same job!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_eoMgelaAiQVOo9LA6FTZC9RSX9g5Nf6wQ7cQm63kKxteIoubQdB1ZP7jqIUe7etCvThQ5WWifUNxtnVTss-pr6-vetQv-dez2d59AUUKkqnCvFCDY4UQV88CM7qw_fb5kuYGdQTNcQ/s1600/b5971_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_eoMgelaAiQVOo9LA6FTZC9RSX9g5Nf6wQ7cQm63kKxteIoubQdB1ZP7jqIUe7etCvThQ5WWifUNxtnVTss-pr6-vetQv-dez2d59AUUKkqnCvFCDY4UQV88CM7qw_fb5kuYGdQTNcQ/s400/b5971_1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ever since the first Bake Off hit our screens we have noticed an upsurge, here at I.Franks, in the sales of cake plates and dessert stands. I don’t think this is a coincidence. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A fetching dessert stand or a lovely box to put your biscuits in is going to tempt someone long before a morsel reaches their mouth. You're already halfway there.</span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-bc6c7d67-513c-db8e-66dd-683da594823b"></span><br />
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, if like me, and probably another few million people, you have been inspired to whip something up soon, why not start out with an unfair advantage. Give your fondant something fancy to lay upon. You will be on your way to a winner before that sponge hits the plate.</span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-53475256642900471122015-10-03T11:23:00.000+01:002015-10-03T11:28:08.710+01:00Borough Market. A Foodies paradise.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzrKM-M5skhDJEkcXLsQZlD6VA6XMKqbgBa9u6aeYAM5DDzql_emtNi4pcniga_xYv_u9Lw-HHPTYeNp2b1xiStLHHWLWT5mEBY94mV47aJKJCTZYn-AtoCUCF273Hi3Y07KTfhvfkpU/s1600/3353652578_5dabe5fc3b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzrKM-M5skhDJEkcXLsQZlD6VA6XMKqbgBa9u6aeYAM5DDzql_emtNi4pcniga_xYv_u9Lw-HHPTYeNp2b1xiStLHHWLWT5mEBY94mV47aJKJCTZYn-AtoCUCF273Hi3Y07KTfhvfkpU/s640/3353652578_5dabe5fc3b_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not all that long ago, London, and the rest of the UK, had a reputation, as having some of the worst food in the world.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having spent most of my life here in London in the world of food and drink, I know that this was</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">an unfair claim to fame.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the eighties I worked in restaurants that were offering up delicious food and fine wines, and cocktails to boot. My social life back then involved a lot of eating and drinking and my friends and I would always try to be first to visit whatever new bar or restaurant we could find.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the likes of Jeremy King, Chris Corbin, Terence Conran, and my own boss for many years, Richard Polo, blazing the trail for new restaurateurs, the eighties set the scene for the future of the British restaurant scene.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, I think we are still the butt of jokes worldwide about the quality of our food.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fortunately, however, the joke is on those who still believe in our musty old reputation. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those of us lucky enough to experience the wide gastronomic selection available here in the UK, know better.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the cultural melting pot always on the boil here, every day there is likely to be the introduction of some new and exotic flavour from some far flung corner of the world.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the pot gets stirred some very exciting unions occur. We are lucky here, to enjoy these new food trends, often at the time of conception.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have truly become a foodie nation. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have a look at our TV schedules. There are endless programmes to show us how to cook, eat, host and, generally, just appreciate good food and drink.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look beyond the TV and you will see this enthusiasm carry through to our very social lives.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A glimpse into the amount of events taking place here in the Capital shows you just how mad we are for all things gastronomical. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the londontown.com listings here is what I’ve discovered we can all do to satisfy our culinary cravings in October. Bear in mind, this is just one month in a whole year of gourmet pursuits available.</span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-5c5d5c04-2d1e-4232-679f-d95e2d36e592" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1.The London Restaurant Festival. Dabble in some restaurant hopping and sample what some of London's top chefs are up to. Over 350 venues are involved.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. London Cocktail Week. Pop up events, including pop up bars and masterclasses, will be springing up across the city with at least 250 bars taking part.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Oktoberfest. Bringing us a touch of beer, sausage and good old fashioned oompapa for four days in East London.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Cake and Bake Show. Bringing to life, the excitement of our favourite baking show, the Excel Centre hosts some of the country's best bakers and some of our favourite contestants, too.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Oysterfest. A seafood festival hosted by the Newman Street Tavern, bringing a touch of Whitstable to the West End. Expect to see some well known chefs taking part in the shuck off.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. The Chocolate Show. Yes, that’s right. A three day exhibition at Olympia devoted to that </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">glorious foodstuff. Watch, learn,taste and buy. Some people's idea of heaven, I'm sure.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. London Porridge Championships. Yes, there is such a thing. Taking place at Whole Food Market in Kensington a competition to seek out the best porridge maker in the country. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. Scotch Egg Challenge. Competitors from restaurants across London participate in a blind taste contest to find our finest scotch egg. Hosted by the Canonbury Tavern in Islington, go along and judge for yourself,free. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is just a list of organised food events you can enjoy here in town. All across the country there are daily and weekly events taking place. You would be hard pressed not to stumble across a church fair or farmers market in most towns on most days not offering some delectable delights to tempt you.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just look online at www.londontown.com or </span><a href="http://www.timeout.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.timeout.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> if you’re looking for something to nourish you. Details of dates and venues can be found there.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, let those who don't really know, mock our wealth of food and drink expertise. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We know better.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSWd0Ow91DOsAgcjKZ0rjRB38usWxgx-4qDtW9B622qJPMOUsLYav-F519U-Bpo4fxwW5WUGi8v5JZkVbj8MXYvx-odOI_ZlUJEnSX3GfRFVYk4xdN7-DRlvnG2vPRUPb-ykB26705fg/s1600/j6775-silver-chocolate-pots-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSWd0Ow91DOsAgcjKZ0rjRB38usWxgx-4qDtW9B622qJPMOUsLYav-F519U-Bpo4fxwW5WUGi8v5JZkVbj8MXYvx-odOI_ZlUJEnSX3GfRFVYk4xdN7-DRlvnG2vPRUPb-ykB26705fg/s400/j6775-silver-chocolate-pots-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c5d5c04-2d39-17c4-7034-37041fda96c5"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">A rare Queen Anne Britannia Standard Chocolate Pot hallmarked in 1712. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
</span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c5d5c04-2d39-17c4-7034-37041fda96c5"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">Available on our website.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c5d5c04-2d39-17c4-7034-37041fda96c5">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: black;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c5d5c04-2d39-17c4-7034-37041fda96c5"><span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c5d5c04-2d39-17c4-7034-37041fda96c5">
</span></span></div>
I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2187405786091804436.post-31005492933391671612015-09-05T11:38:00.000+01:002015-09-05T11:38:00.441+01:00Visit Us At Lapada Fair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3neX_Cg3fwWpktmZboAy8pGyz5SwYDi8gWiPCqC3aOKwwDOtCml7fDPVqoSWdwG1jCgbWYBTf1po7Kb4wPLw4UTJWejxcwKXAhcJQjrOYkpy9VyBjFIAgrL0p6KcfJ0ikQ3VpzUpByG0/s1600/LAPADA-Fair-2013_IMG_2860_PR_LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3neX_Cg3fwWpktmZboAy8pGyz5SwYDi8gWiPCqC3aOKwwDOtCml7fDPVqoSWdwG1jCgbWYBTf1po7Kb4wPLw4UTJWejxcwKXAhcJQjrOYkpy9VyBjFIAgrL0p6KcfJ0ikQ3VpzUpByG0/s640/LAPADA-Fair-2013_IMG_2860_PR_LR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-94240a73-9cfa-2eb9-ec65-72aac7fa23a6" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, it is a busy time for us here at I. Franks as we prepare for our annual pilgrimage to </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">Berkeley Square for the Lapada Art & Antique Fair.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">All systems are go as we plan and prepare to take our stand once again.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">You will find us on stand A4, located at the front of the marquee. Come and say hello.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">Members of Lapada ( The Association of Arts & Antique Dealers) gather together to offer a unique opportunity to browse and buy a wide variety of beautiful and desirable objects under one roof. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3rGNrfG0s3plLwPftt1yQS2-NojytjjVSGsNmjueBNCEo8vVOZUzuaWq3Oc1KfkyVoxMlcO7UGXjrjuo9SlqFZsqGILryHnKYJe5Je13vtn79EgfNvvR7ePvqiln_AkcGUNKWV5wkc4/s1600/20150529-Capture0001-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3rGNrfG0s3plLwPftt1yQS2-NojytjjVSGsNmjueBNCEo8vVOZUzuaWq3Oc1KfkyVoxMlcO7UGXjrjuo9SlqFZsqGILryHnKYJe5Je13vtn79EgfNvvR7ePvqiln_AkcGUNKWV5wkc4/s640/20150529-Capture0001-Edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An amazing piece of art you will see at our stand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">Such is the prestige of this event that we welcome visitors from across the globe.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">This year's fair takes place from the 22-27 of September and I can thoroughly recommend a visit if you fancy a feast for the eyes or maybe getting a jump on this years Christmas presents. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">If this sounds appealing to you, why not get in touch with us at </span><a href="mailto:sales@ifranks.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">sales@ifranks.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;"> and get yourself an invite.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">So, I shall be signing off for a few weeks and will be back soon.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline;">Until then, I'm off to enjoy all the fun of the fair.</span></div>
<br />I. Franks Antique Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18152146247223418802noreply@blogger.com1