Compote? Lustre?

Sterling Silver Hallmarks

Here are a couple of hallmarks for your perusal. The first is from an old looking, small, 2 piece spoon. The second is from a grapefruit spoon. Somewhere I have a book on silver marks and will see what I can figure once I find it. On either, knowing the maker would be helpful.

An Old Safety Pin?

Okay, I know this is old, but am hoping some pin expert can date this for me. It was holding a sweater shut on a vintage (1920's maybe) doll that I will post shortly. I am wondering if this pin has value on it's own, or is it just an old pin?

Is this a coin? A token? Just a chunk of metal?

What is this? I see it as an old coin or token. I see it as an item of extreme historical value. Okay, I also see it as a cool ball mark too. It's about 3.5cm at it's widest point. Do you recognize it. Any hints. Does it deserve more respect than I give it?

Pressed Glass Marble?

Here is a very odd marble. I am not sure how old it is or anything else about it. I find it strange because there is a seam and the thingy inside is askew. Did they make pressed glass marbles? I might think someone tried to cut through, but it does not appear the cut goes all the way through, which doesn't explain the askew thingy. Besides that, the cut is very clean and smooth.
So? Any ideas.

The marble is sitting on a very nice miniature Coalport candle holder. Too bad some of the flowers are, predictably, broken.

Lace Shoulder Covers. Shrugs?

Let's see now. I know this is lace. I would go out on a limb and suggest it is crochet. I can tell you it is old. It belonged to my grandmother at the very least. Most of her stuff dated to the early 1900's.
These garments puzzled me. After all, the one barely covers the shoulders and the other only a bit more. It was explained to me that it was impolite for a woman of old to bare her shoulders. This was a way around it. What is this called? The closest I could find was a "shrug". Are these shrugs? It's as good a name as any, but it's so nice to be sure.

Old Sterling Silver Fraternal Pin K 5 Sterling Silver

This is a small pin I found. It looks like it has some age to it. Hopefully someone will recognize it and tell me what organization it belongs to and any other bit of information worthy of sharing.

Made in Occupied Japan Donald Duck

Meet my duck. I researched this for hours and found very little information. Oh, I learned a great deal about Occupied Japan Collectibles, but nothing about this duck or anything similar. Do you recognize it? Is it infact Donald? I notice the WBD on the stamp in the picture and though Warner Bros Division. I have yet to research that. I'll just leave you with this now and add to it anything I learn. Please share any opinions you may have.

Let's Get Started

Somewhere, in the profile area I think, I wrote at length of how this blog came about. As I wrote I got to thinking it was in the wrong spot. It wasn't profile stuff but blog stuff. I cut it and came to create the 1st post. My JRT (Jack Russel Terrorist) needed some attention. I became distracted. I did other things including, apparently, copying something over what I had written. So here it is again. Maybe not the same words, but the same gist.

I was researching an old toy this morning. I researched for about 3 hours and came up with zip. Maybe my researching skills suck, but I don't think so. I went as far as looking for a blog or chat where I could post my item and let the masses have at it with what they know or surmise. I couldn't find such a place, so here it is.

Research is the main purpose of this blog, but it is not limited to that. Buying and selling is permitted. Posting an item for an opinion on value is cool, but I'd prefer only items you cannot find elsewhere. Or you could just post your favorite collectibles to show off. You may be showing off something some else is interested in and open a dialogue about it.

The title is almost self explanatory. One main function here is to research collectibles. That one is a no-brainer. London Ontario is where I live. I read on a local blog that London was being called a "hot bed" of bloggers. Maybe even THE hotbed. This may be true or just a blogger's musings, but I may as well contribute by increasing the number by one. This is not to say that this blog is limited to London, Ontario or even Canada. That's just where I sit. I welcome people from all over the world and even out of this world. I bet aliens have some pretty cool stuff!