Friday, February 24, 2012

Favorite Things -- Salt Cellars

I'm weird. Pretend you didn't know that. While some people get a thrill from finding beautiful chachkies in a shiny, brightly lit store, my heart flutters while sorting through second-hand stuff at thrift shops, flea markets, salvage yards and garage sales.

'tomball antique district' photo (c) 2007, ljmacphee - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

There's just something exciting about digging through boxes of unloved, abandoned objects. It's a treasure hunt with a 90% chance of an allergy attack. That's part of the fun. 


I learned pretty quick to carry a bandana, a pack of tissues and a bottle of Purell at all times. 


One of my favorite castoff things is a set of dreamy, sea green porcelain salt cellars with gold trim. A former landlady gave them to me. Until about 6 years ago, I didn't even know what a salt cellar was.




A salt cellar is a small cup or bowl that is used to serve salt. Pretty simple. They were fairly common until the mid 1940s. A set usually includes tiny spoons. Either my spoons are missing, or the fluted edge was used to sprinkle the salt. I may never know.


The maker's mark on the bottom reads, "Epiag / Cecho-slovakia." It's listed on most pottery websites as "unidentified" with regard to the date.


Salt cellars are hard to find, at least in east Tennessee. This is the only set I have. But that's another great thing about being a lover of vintage things. As long as there are still people who clean out attics, closets and garages, the search will never be over. 


Zyrtec should pay me to shop. 

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