Messages

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: ?C? & A England, metal boot with mouse and compartment

« on: July 24, 2012, 01:09:20 am »

From what I've been able to find on places like Ebay, I now think the compartment is a match holder. It seems pretty strange though, being as it's screwable - not exactly easily accessible, should you need the contents quickly! Similar ones seem to be going for around £12-20, although some don't have the compartment.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 10:48:14 am »

Thank you for your help, KC! I'll have a look around and keep you updated, if I come into a small fortune!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 10:44:59 am »

Typed 'lawn roller' into Ebay and one 'antique' one has come up, but has only 14hours left on the bidding and has no bids, at £12 I guess location matters though, as this isn't the sort of thing that could be posted!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: ?C? & A England, metal boot with mouse and compartment

« on: July 23, 2012, 10:43:53 am »

I was surprised to find it; the previous house owners left some ornaments on top of a door frame. I was getting them down today, to be taken to a charity shop but noticed that was really heavy, so decided to take a closer look. I was really hoping for a forgotten stash of money inside the compartment!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 10:39:27 am »

Thanks very much for the info! Where are you seeing them for sale? Here (in the UK) I can't really find anything on Ebay. Would be great to get a bit of cash for it though!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 10:33:15 am »

AHA! I type 'sod roller' into google and I finally find what I've been after!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 10:32:39 am »

Thanks KC, perhaps it isn't a bracken roller after all. Is there a certain name for these types of things then, or are they just called a 'sod roller?'

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 10:16:31 am »

Bracken is like an invasive fern species. But good point, I never considered the other potential uses. I just wish I could find something on Selfridge & Co, or Invincta. I can't find anything at all!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: ?C? & A England, metal boot with mouse and compartment

« on: July 23, 2012, 07:06:21 am »

Here is a photo of the boot's underside. I hope the reflections aren't too off-putting.

You can see the unscrewable compartment and also the ". & A, England"

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: ?C? & A England, metal boot with mouse and compartment

« on: July 23, 2012, 05:41:17 am »

Here you go!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 05:39:19 am »

Sorry, ghopper! Hope these work:

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Antique Questions Forum / What I think is a bracken roller

« on: July 23, 2012, 05:05:07 am »

Hi all,

As I said in a previous post, I've just moved into a new property. The garden is very steep and has been mostly taken over by bracken. I was saying to my Dad, that a lot of places control bracken by rolling it (although this now always seems to be done on the back of a tractor). I was clearing some bushes away later that day, and came across what I think is a manual, hand-operated bracken roller. It looks old and is like a ton weight! Due to the steepness of the garden, I think if you managed to roll it down there, you'd never get it back up again.

One side of the bracken roller says 'Selfridges and Co, London' and on the other side, it says "Invincta" (actually in inverted commas). The roller seems to actually consist of two separate rollers, next to each other. One seems a bit seized up, but could probably be freed.

Does anyone know anything about this sort of thing - is it even a bracken roller? I've google'd it a lot and can't find anything on hand-operated bracken rollers, or the names that are displayed so boldly on it.

Thank you very much!

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Antique Questions Forum / ?C? & A England, metal boot with mouse and compartment

« on: July 23, 2012, 04:59:38 am »

Hi all,

I know nothing at all about antiques and probably don't have one.

I've just moved into a new house and the owners (who were in their 70s) left some items lying around. I noticed one is considerably heavier than the others and it's silver in colour, and the bottom looks like chrome. It's a boot, about 5 inches in length, with a mouse sitting on top of the boot. As I turned it over, I noticed a screwable compartment (which was empty, to my disappointment!) and I could make out '...& A, England" on the underneath. I can't quite tell what the first initial was, it just looks like a dot.

Does anyone know whether this is anything special? It's pretty heavy, for it's size.

Many thanks!