Antique tea set

This entry is a bit of a reversal. More like a “currently mine.”

Present: Unbeknownst to me, over the last eight or so years, my father and his soon-to-be wife had been perusing antique shops and fairs in search of a perfectly mismatched bone china tea set for me. With the sixth and final teacup purchased just a month or so ago—the set was complete, and ready for them to present to me for my birthday. I was completely surprised and delighted to receive my very own china tea set—not to mention, truly touched by the years of thought that went into this special project. They had fun working on it, they said, and I feel regal sipping my tea from one of these dainty little cups.

Past: Of course, I would have love to have known the stories behind these items—who owned them prior to me, where did they live, in what manner were they used, etc.—but that is to remain a mystery. So, I did the next best thing: a little Google research. Here’s what I know about a few of the pieces . . .

Teapot: Manufactured by Homer Laughlin and distributed by Household Institute, this Priscilla pattern teapot dates back to 1944.

Creamer & sugar bowl: This floral Wedgwood pattern is stamped with the date August 1922 (or 1923) on the bottom. The handles have a unique look and feel with a gently twisted green stripe pattern.

Yellow teacup: Manufactured by a company called Aynsley that makes bone china in England, this cup seems to date back to 1934. I love the buttercup-yellow scalloped exterior of this cup!

Cream scalloped teacup: This was the last piece that my dad and Nancy picked up from a place called United House Wrecking in Stamford, CT. It’s a Wedgwood teacup, Edme is the pattern, and one site tells me that it is from the 1970s, while another says it dates back to 1908. Whoa, 100 years old! Though, quite possibly, this cup and saucer were not exactly meant to go together. The stamp on the bottom of the saucer doesn’t quite match the cup—though they’re both the Edme pattern. I suspect it’s the cup that’s really old. It looks like it has history behind it.

Green-tipped teacup: This is the one piece that’s from Japan, manufactured by Noritake. Apparently, this company had a million and one different styles to its insignia that it stamped on the bottom of its pieces. Presumably, this piece is from the 1930s or 1940s.

Pale yellow border teacup: And this is the one piece that’s from the U.S. It’s a pattern called Her Majesty, and it’s made by America Chinaware Corp. No info on the date—and it feels a bit sturdier than some of the other pieces. I feel like it came from a proper yet modest household—and that they used their china on a regular basis. And why not? Nice things don’t deserve to stay in hiding . . .

My old chest of drawers

Past: For the first six or so years of my life, I had this ugly grey bedroom furniture that had belonged to my father, I believe, when he was a boy. But I was just a little kid. What did I know—or care—about furniture. And then, one day, along came this new (massive!) bedroom furniture. A full-size bed with a headboard, dresser with mirror, chest of drawers, and a nightstand. It was very grown-up looking. And brown. I hated brown. Especially when I started to notice that my friends all had pretty white bedroom furniture with little pink flowers painted on it. Oh, how I wanted furniture with pink flowers, too. It’s only redeeming quality was that the middle section of the brass handles looked a lot like Sally from the Peanuts.

A decade or so later, I grew into this furniture and its classic good looks and quality craftsmanship were something at last I could appreciate. After graduating from college, this dresser, the nightstand, and my bed and headboard came with me to my first apartment in Boston. They later came with me to my Newton apartment and—with enough wall space at last—I was able to bring up the dresser and mirror, too. Of course, things were still pretty cramped. Even now as a happy homeowner—I just didn’t have enough room for all this furniture in the bedroom.

Present: I’ve seen enough of those home decor shows on HGTV to know that I only had one choice: I had to remove a piece of furniture from the bedroom. And with nowhere else to put that piece of furniture—but enough closet space to hang all those clothes—I posted it on Craigslist for $50—and a story. I needed to know it was going to the right home—and that it wouldn’t be cast out to the curb in a year or two along with the particleboard furniture.

The woman I sold it to had just moved into an apartment in the North End from out of state and was looking to get settled without spending too much money. What really interested me though was that she already had one dresser that looked to be almost an exact replica of the one I was selling. This made me feel like I was reuniting long-lost twins or something! Her aunt and a good friend came down in a minivan to pick up the dresser, told me how nice of a dresser it was—and how much it looked like the other woman’s—and that was that.

I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t at all sad seeing the minivan drive off with my childhood dresser . . . but I’m confident that it went to the right new home.