Mystery tools identified.

Sally Grant asked me last fall if I'd help her identify something in a box of odds and ends that had been passed down in her family...   She had absolutely no idea what it was or what it was used for..  It took us a while to connect but I could tell her exactly what it was..


























It was a set of sterling silver ribbon bodkins.  And I could tell her how they were used and offered to find a approximate value for it.

She had no idea who the set had originally belonged to and could not even remember anyone in her entire family doing any sewing or handwork.

Even the original case is in fairly good shape considering that it is over 100 years old.

I did find this set on ebay for $383 and found two others not as ornate as Sally's in the $100-$200 range.  She is going to pass it along to her granddaughter and is delighted to have all the research to go with it..





AND...


in the process of looking for bodkins in antique sewing tools, I found a treasure for myself.  It is an antique measuring gauge with a sterling silver handle...and the price was barely more than buying a modern one... And it will be perfect for ribbon folding..  It does have an M monogramed on it which probably kept the price down but my middle name is Margaret.....and my mother's middle name is Margaret and my grandmother's name was Margaret.  And my granddaughter is Madison...  It  is about 100 years old also.....