As long as I go to auctions, I will never stop learning. I’m always finding items I have never ever heard of before and taking them home to research. Many of them have nothing in common, except me, and I learn so much about so many things through my finds.
Take my walkthrough at one of my auction houses last week. I was checking out the tray lots when I came across two that I found intriguing. One was a tray of small items, including a miniature oil painting on a tiny wood easel, metal flower frogs, a bone-handled man’s razor, a broken shaving brush and a Schrafft’s candy tin (Schrafft’s was a famous candy and cookie maker in Boston that later expanded into restaurants, including one on Fifth Avenue in New York).
What I found most interesting on the tray were a White Star Line ship tin and a brass medallion/plaque for an old Stoddard/Dayton car.
On another tray were six of the cutest dinosaur mugs, 3 sets. Their bold lavender, turquoise and pink colors made them stand out against other items on the shelf where they sat.
The White Star Dominion Line to Canada tin
I immediately recognized the name of the White Star Line as the British company that owned the Titanic. The writing on this tin, though, showed that it belonged to a White Star service from Liverpool to Canada (Darn!). This 4 ¼” x 3” tin had the red White Star and Dominion Lines flag emblems.
Here’s what I found about the service on the website European Emigration, The Historical Records:
“The Dominion Line was founded in 1870 as the Liverpool and Mississippi Steamship Co. The expansion of the service to Quebec and Montreal led to the change of its name to Mississippi and Dominion Steamship Co., abbreviated to Dominion Line. The majority of its weekly service to Quebec and Montreal were emigrants to Canada calling on Irish ports en route. IMM (International Mercantile Marine Co.) bought the company in 1902 which maintained the Canadian trade from 1909 until 1926 as a joint service with White Star.”
Inside the tin were the ports of call:
Liverpool, Quebec, Montreal – Summer Service
Liverpool, Halifax, Portland, ME – Winter Service
The flat tin has a lot of wear and its share of dents from use.
Stoddard/Dayton car medallion/plaque
I knew about the Ford Model T, the Packard and the Duesenberg. But the Stoddard/Dayton?
Now, I was curious, because I love vintage cars – the artistry, the craftsmanship, the size. They were as big as tanks and the best of them were oh so luxurious.
The Stoddard/Dayton was manufactured from 1905 to 1913 by the Dayton Motor Car Co., in Ohio, according to Wikipedia. The company produced high-quality cars with powerful engines. A two-seater won the first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909. The photo below is of a 1911 Model 30 from the site Fotki Inc.
By 1911, the Stoddard/Dayton brands sold for $1,350 to $6,250, according to Wikipedia. The company made rich men’s cars while Ford and GM were making them for common folks, and selling more.
The brass medallion/plaque measures 3” x 2” and has holes for two screws on the side. I’m not sure where or if it was placed on the car. There is some corrosion to the metal at the top and some scratches.
Dinosaur mugs
The word “Japan” is stamped on the bottom of these six mugs. The lavender one is a brontosaurus. The pink one looks like a Tyrannosaurus rex. The turquoise one is a Triceratops. They have a round fat shape, just the right diameter for little hands. Unlike the real thing, these dinosaurs are a whole lotta fun.
