Saturday, February 15, 2014

This week's acquisitions.

At long last managed to get the Carltonware Kangaroo from 1957. Usually the ears show signs of damage but this one is perfect. The pictures don't it justice - a very beautiful piece indeed. Ref. is GA2197D. Need the Sealion and the Toucan now to complete the set of six.

Another acquisition this week. Again, from 1957, A T G Green Stilton Jar, ref. GA2312. I already have one of these but without the lid so this was a great find.

There is a little more to this though personally due to the fact that I passed this now defunct pottery every school day between September 1972 and May 1976. I have posted this before but it was a while ago.

I lived in Linton, South Derbyshire during that time and my secondary school was in Swadlincote. So every day I would ride the Viking/Victoria school bus from Linton, through Moira then down through Church Gresley to Swad. At the bottom of the hill in Gresley as you just approached Swad on the left hand side was a kiln and the sign T G Green.Back then it was already closed.

Who would have known some 40 years later I would be collecting items made at that very pottery over 50 years after it was shut down promoting Irish Beer!

For those of you fans of the Irish Nectar from Linton, do you remember "Popeye" one of the bus drivers we had that we used to rip the s**t out of? He almost had a nervous breakdown everyday - what a shame because looking back he was a really nice old guy.

Two more modern lighters to the collection. One being very practical having a built in bottle opener while the other being somewhat unusual due to its cartridge shape.