Shangas' Antiques & Victoriana

[ziggy]

The level of complexity of this safe overall, especially regarding the security locks, is fascinating. Even a professional safe cracker will be challenged trying to get through. I’m impressed.

[shangas]

Here's the safe (right) next to my writing-slope (left).

Surprisingly, they're both the exact same size!!

And Eus, the hat is rabbit felt.

Here's a front-on picture of the strongbox after I cleaned it up. I lubricated the locks and dials and polished off some of the grime so that the knobs really stand out. I also darkened the dials a bit with paint so that you can actually SEE the numbers now. Previously you had to guess where they were!



It now turns, opens, shuts and locks very smoothly. I also removed the "High Class" plaque, and cleaned it (it was clogged with gunk underneath!) and bent it back into a more fitting shape. Then I screwed it back on.

Can't have a strongbox without treasure inside it. These are the pieces of gold and silver passed down to me through the family, or which I purchased out of my own pocket.



Everything there is certified gold or silver.

[ziggy]

Sept 30, 2014 2:02:45 GMT shangas said:

Here's the safe (right) next to my writing-slope (left).

Surprisingly, they're both the exact same size!!

Blimey, that writing-slope of yours looks every bit its age, lol. It deserves all the respect it gets . Don’t scratch it any more and don’t try to do it up, it looks great for another 100 years just the way it is. I love it. The fact that it is the same size as the safe, do you think they were made by the same company or manufacturers simply followed a specific measurement standard for the sake of uniformity, even in those days?

[ziggy]

Sept 30, 2014 2:02:45 GMT shangas said:

It now turns, opens, shuts and locks very smoothly. I also removed the "High Class" plaque, and cleaned it (it was clogged with gunk underneath!) and bent it back into a more fitting shape. Then I screwed it back on.

Can't have a strongbox without treasure inside it. These are the pieces of gold and silver passed down to me through the family, or which I purchased out of my own pocket.



Everything there is certified gold or silver.

The safe you already know I think is awesome even without looking inside. Thanks for the makeover. It looks like the sort of thing my grandpa would have had. If he did, he would have given it to one of his sons. I didn’t see anything like this in my household. We had the large metal boxes (no fancy locks) my mother used to store our “Sunday Best”. Haha! They were about the size of the boxes used to deliver the bodies to Brackenreid in S1 and also in The Black Hand, except they were plain-colored and flat-topped (we had black, silver and green, just like the strongbox). It needed 2 strong people to carry each one even when empty. My mum said they kept the clothes much fresher even though we had the more modern suitcases all around the house.

I like the ring with the blue stone. It looks like a fish eye (I know it’s not). I like the other stuff too, but this caught my eye. What stone is it and does it hold any special memories for you?

[shangas]

The writing slope and the strongbox are NOT made by the same manufacturers.

Slope was made in England in 1863. The box was made in Japan in 1930. And those boxes you keep your clothes in at home sound like steamer trunks. If they are, take good care of them. They can be pretty valuable nowadays.

The gold ring with the blue stone belonged to my dad. He doesn't wear it anymore so he gave it to me.
The white ring with the blue stone is my graduation ring from university.

[ziggy]

Sept 30, 2014 23:12:51 GMT shangas said:

The writing slope and the strongbox are NOT made by the same manufacturers.

Slope was made in England in 1863. The box was made in Japan in 1930. And those boxes you keep your clothes in at home sound like steamer trunks. If they are, take good care of them. They can be pretty valuable nowadays.

The gold ring with the blue stone belonged to my dad. He doesn't wear it anymore so he gave it to me.
The white ring with the blue stone is my graduation ring from university.

Thanks for the info.

And I’ll be sure to tell my sister to hang on to her “steamer trunk”, just in case. I don’t think she needs much persuasion anyway. There’s a story that runs in my family about those trunks and it’s no folk tale.  It's real.

P.S. I like your avatar too!

[shangas]

My avatar is the inside of my pocketwatch.

[ziggy]

Oct 1, 2014 1:57:38 GMT shangas said:

My avatar is the inside of my pocketwatch.

Cool!

[mrsbrisby]

Dear, dear Shangas.  Finding this thread was like finding gold!  Your collection is wonderful and like everyone else I am amazed at the quality and variety of these marvelous objects.  You have a very discerning eye and  it is soooo cool that you actually use these thing!  I too have memories of my father sharpening his single-edged razor using the strop and working his soap into a lather.  I don't know why he quit using his shaving things and he must have discarded them.  That is kind of sad.  

You are very kind and generous to share your wonderful collection.    Your desk, especially, give me a good idea of what a desk would have looked like back then and that helps round out entire scenes.  

I also appreciated your sharing items from you cultural history as well.  Learned something new and enjoyed the process.

Cheers!

[shangas]

Thanks. Feel free to ask questions about whatever you see. Always happy to answer.

[shangas]

"...Written with a J pen, on royal cream paper, by a man with a weak constitution..." - Mycroft Holmes - The Greek Interpreter.

Ever wondered what a 'J' pen was? Here's one, from my collection:

[shangas]

These are not, strictly speaking, antiques. They're modern reproductions. But they are representative of what the bobbies would've carried back in the old days. Constables like Crabtree, Higgins, Jackson and so-forth would all have carried these on them:



One solid wood truncheon. 15 inches long. With a lanyard (originally made of leather). Officers carried these from Victorian times all the way up to the 1980s and 90s.

One Metropolitan police whistle and chain. Constables carried these from 1884-1972.

Darby handcuffs. Carried by constables until the 1960s in Britain when more familiar lever-lock ratchet-cuffs replaced them.

[snacky]

Oct 14, 2014 11:02:48 GMT shangas said:

These are not, strictly speaking, antiques. They're modern reproductions. But they are representative of what the bobbies would've carried back in the old days. Constables like Crabtree, Higgins, Jackson and so-forth would all have carried these on them:



One solid wood truncheon. 15 inches long. With a lanyard (originally made of leather). Officers carried these from Victorian times all the way up to the 1980s and 90s.

One Metropolitan police whistle and chain. Constables carried these from 1884-1972.

Darby handcuffs. Carried by constables until the 1960s in Britain when more familiar lever-lock ratchet-cuffs replaced them.

LOL, where did you get those! What a great collection!

[mrsbrisby]

Oct 14, 2014 16:38:41 GMT snacky said:

Oct 14, 2014 11:02:48 GMT shangas said:

These are not, strictly speaking, antiques. They're modern reproductions. But they are representative of what the bobbies would've carried back in the old days. Constables like Crabtree, Higgins, Jackson and so-forth would all have carried these on them:



One solid wood truncheon. 15 inches long. With a lanyard (originally made of leather). Officers carried these from Victorian times all the way up to the 1980s and 90s.

One Metropolitan police whistle and chain. Constables carried these from 1884-1972.

Darby handcuffs. Carried by constables until the 1960s in Britain when more familiar lever-lock ratchet-cuffs replaced them.

LOL, where did you get those! What a great collection!

Thanks so much for sharing these.  Those shackles do look very uncomfortable and I bet that truncheon could hurt. The more things change the more they stay the same.

[shangas]

Whistle - from a trip to London.
Handcuffs - from a trip to flea-market.
Truncheon - from a trip to military surplus.