Stuff is good!

The 12th January 2020 will mark our five month anniversary of embarking on this crazy self-employment business, and what a five months it has been!
We've had a lot of fun vicariously buying strange and wonderful things and researching their history to add to our listings, and learnt a lot along the way.
In the spirit of 'end of year' reviews, here are our top five things we came across in 2019.

The 100 Year-Old Calculator

Felt & Tarrant Series J Comptometer - not exactly pocket-sized

The Comptometer was first patented in 1887 by American Dorr Eugene Felt and is considered to be the first commercially successful adding machine for accounting.
Felt & Tarrant produced several variations between 1888 and the early 1970's, when technological advancements in computing led to its demise.

Our model here was bought at auction - we both love old tech and this was so beautiful and interesting we just couldn't pass it up! It is a J series model, manufactured between 1928 and 1938 for the UK market, having columns for pre-decimal currency.
The case has a metal casing in racing green with fantastic art deco design features, and composite keys in cream and green.
It's no wonder these machines were used for so long, and this one has been refurbished at some point in the 1960's, probably having been traded in and subsequently rented out.
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Recycling old tech - not just a modern idea!
​

Remembering Our Mining Heritage & History

Miners' Federation of Great Britain & National Union of Miners 100 Years Commemorative Badge

Miners strike rally, London 1984 [source: Wikimedia Commons]

Living in the North of England in the 1980's you couldn't help but be aware of the volatile political and social issue that was the closing of the coal mines (for more info read the Wikipedia article here).  
If you were around in 80s you couldn't avoid the miners strike! The National Union of Miners called their members to strike after Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government decided to sell off the nationalized industry and close numerous pits. Given that the pits were the main employer in many northern towns the price these communities had to pay was more than workers could stomach. A year long strike saw proud men and women nearly starving (food parcels were sent from Russian workers!), pubs closed, businesses closed, children went without, but the miners stood tall. Strikers were harassed and demonised by the government and the police (I  remember regularly being stopped by the police demanding to know if I was involved in strike action or was  a union sympathiser).
In the end Thatcher won, pits closed and communities were destroyed, but the miner still stood tall.
​When we came across a large collection of miners strike badges we had to get them and even after all these years they still brought a tear to my eye and an anger at the injustice of it all.  Never forget!
​[Adam]

So Many Sylvanian Families!

A tiny toy house ... with even tinier toy houses!

Originally created by the Japanese gaming company Epoch in 1985, Sylvanian Families quickly became a world-wide phenomenon, and it's not hard to see why! These adorable toys are cute and fuzzy and come with miniature accessories that just make you go "Awww!".
We were lucky to get a few pieces from a HUGE collection and had much fun researching and setting things up for photographing (and definitely not playing with them).
From a giant tree house to the tiny toy houses opposite, everything was in immaculate condition, and it has been great being able to find new homes for them with other equally as excited collectors around the world ​ヽ(^◇^*)/

(People's Republic Of) China Doll

I completely fell in love with this doll when I saw her and if I'd had my way she would have been MINE! But, if I kept everything I fell in love with we would need several warehouses or possibly our own island to store them (we're working on it).
She reminds me of the children seen in propaganda posters from China, which is appropriate as she was produced in the People's Republic of China c. the 1960's.
​Unfortunately for me she sold very quickly (dang it!) so I'll have to wait and hope we find another one soon.....
​[Jax]

Shiny Shiny!

GPO Relay Type B

Horizontal Moving-Magnet Galvanometer GPO Pattern

Adam loves shiny things and I love old mechanism so these amazing pieces of antique brass tech were a must have. We also both enjoy researching, which is a good thing because these had us stumped for ages! It turns out both these objects have a connection to the electrical telegraph system used from the 1840's and superseding the optical telegraph system.

The GPO Relay Type B was made in the 1920's by Elliott Brothers of London, and was used to amplify the power to telegraph receivers which was lost when messages were sent along long cables. It would originally have sat in a wooden base with integrated terminals.

The Horizontal Moving-Magnet Galvanometer GPO Pattern in an even earlier piece, dating from around 1890 and most likely made by Reid Brothers of London. Galvanometers were used by engineers to test current strength through the earliest transatlantic telegraph cables. This one even has a name and number engraved on the underside, possibly relating to the engineer who owned it (because you wouldn't want to lose such an expensive piece of equipment!).

Both are amazing pieces of early technology and an important part of electronics history, and we just love them!