Lot 131: A Collection of Antique Copper Household Items including Arts and Crafts Crumb Set and Ale Warmer
A collection of household metalware items primarily constructed from heavy-gauge copper. The group includes a two-piece Arts and Crafts style silent butler or crumb set consisting of a dustpan-style tray and a matching curved brush. The tray is decorated with embossed foliate and scroll designs featuring a stippled circular motif, while the brush features a copper-clad wooden handle with a repeating scroll pattern and natural bristles. Also included is a circular bed warmer or hot water bottle, formed from two spun copper sections joined by a rolled central seam and fitted with a central brass screw-top filler cap. The collection is completed by a traditional conical ale warmer, also known as a muller, featuring a wrought copper body with a folded rim and a simple loop handle secured with two copper rivets. Apart from a small white adhesive label on the brass cap of the bed warmer hand-written with the number 25, no maker’s marks, hallmarks, or manufacturer stamps are visible on the exterior surfaces of the items.
Condition report:
The collection shows signs of age and functional use throughout. The Arts and Crafts crumb tray exhibits visible green verdigris oxidation in the recessed areas of the embossed design (photo 1), along with surface scratches and minor dings. The matching brush shows wear to the natural bristles and oxidation to the copper handle cladding (photo 1). The bed warmer displays significant surface wear and several shallow indentations across the top surface, with oxidation present on the brass filler cap (photo 1). The conical ale warmer shows heavy oxidation and signs of heat exposure at the pointed tip, with a dark, uneven patina, scattered pitting, and oxidation spots across the body (photo 1).
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