Down to the auctions again this week, and this time what a treasure trove! The sale included some private collectors’ collections, always better than a general sale, but of course it does attract serious buyers.

Here’s what I wanted to take home:

The wings on this cute tin plate hen flap as it is pushed along:

Fancy a job in the Navy? I am assuming that this lovely enamel sign would have hung in a coastal town:

I love a cup of tea, and I can imagine this sign sitting in a tea rooms (then again, I can imagine it sitting in my kitchen as well!).

Or if you fancy something stronger, what about some pale ale?

This rather tired tin cake is actually a display stand for Tala icing nozzles and shows the effects each nozzle would produce:

And when you’ve iced your cakes, how about displaying the in this fantastic antique cabinet?

Sadly, my budget didn’t stretch to all the things I coveted, but I could have spent a fortune on the things I loved. Of course, the problem is that it is easy to buy the things you want for yourself, but if you’re trying to turn this into a business, you have to look at things in terms of saleability and profit margins. I have to admit it is something I’m still trying to master and I do find that my heart rules my head more than my bank manager would like, but I am getting there!