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The Meadows Collection
Adela & Mark Meadows

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Nothing says "luxe" like Caviar...an assortment of (empty) tins

Whether you need an odd container or two...be it for buttons or paperclips or even empty as a  great kitchen or office decoration...these caviar tins are sure to be a conversation starter!

Great graphics...

...and a place to stash things...

...what more could you ask?

Speaking of ask...here are some caviar facts because having one of these tins lying around will label you as a cognizetti and you will be expected to know...

True caviar is the unfertilized eggs of a specific type of sturgeon. Processed and salted, the eggs...also known as roe...are a luxury gourmet item, with some varieties advertised at upwards of $10,000 per kilo.

Beluga is the rarest. It comes in a blue tin and has dark, black eggs of the largest diameter or grain...about 2.5mm.

Other varieties include Osetra (yellow tin) and Sevruga (red tin).

Caviar is highly perishable...it can be pasturized to extend its shelf life, but the quality of the product suffers significant loss. Once a caviar container is opened, the contents must be consumed within a couple of days.

Malossol is a Russian word meaning "little salt"...this signifies a caviar that is the freshest and the highest quality.

Guriev is the former name of a port on the Caspian Sea...it is now known as Atyraü, Kazakstan.

There are 280 calories in 100 grams of caviar.

A sterling silver spoon is not to be used with caviar as it imparts an unpleasant metallic taste...instead, tradition calls for a mother of pearl utensil for serving. Mind you, in most cases, caviar originally came to a re-seller packaged in tin...as these vintage containers attest...but tradition is not to be messed with and mother of pearl is the tradition.

A tin of the size of our largest Beluga example...6.25 inches in diameter and 3.25 inches high would have had its contents divided into smaller, more marketable jars....or else someone was very rich, indeed! The smaller of our Beluga tins measures 4.9375 inches in diameter and 1.3125 inches high.

In ancient Egypt, caviar was offered to the feline deities; in the newly industrialized nations of the nineteenth century, caviar was reserved for the wealthy and served at prestigious functions; in eastern Europe, caviar is served at any festive occasion...birthdays, weddings, etc.

A high-quality caviar is not to be served masked with onions, eggs, capers, and the like...it is best served heaped upon a small piece of thin, toasted bread that has been spread with vodka-infused butter.

Sturgeons are believed to be one of the oldest survivors of the prehistoric age, but pollution and over-fishing have taken a toll and it is now on the list of endangered species. Russia has ceased all fishing for sturgeon in the hopes of protecting the species.

The red caviar tin we are offering measures 4.125 inches in diameter and 1.125 inches high...at one time it contained caviar from Iran. Iran continues to fish for sturgeon.  In 1956, the government of Iran granted a monopoly for the processing of its caviar to a French firm...the product is known as Caviar Volga.

Russian caviar and Iranian caviar are different owing to the peculiarities of the waters and depths of the Caspian sea...each variety has its proponents. (Iranian caviar has been banned from being exported into the United States since the 1970s).

Sevruga caviar comes from the smallest sturgeon...perhaps a meter in length and weighing around 30 to 40 pounds. The roe is characterized by its small...1mm diameter...grains and is prized for its intense flavor.
 
Adding a touch of "luxe" to your storage...all of the tins have a bit of character-enhancing rust here and there, but nothing that gets in the way of their great graphics!

Vintage Balloon Molds

Natural latex is the milky sap that is collected from rubber trees and is a key ingredient for making balloons. Another is, of course, the mold. Balloon mold forms range from those that are straight forward, simple and round, on to elongated versions known as 260s...2 inches by 60 inches...the favorite of balloon animal crafters, and then there are the more unusual fantasy shapes...such as what we present here.

These are ceramic molds and provide a touch that crosses into many collecting disciplines and decorating styles...industrial, funky, folk art, nostalgia included. Selling them individually, we have three of each form available...

First, Mickey Mouse...measuring 9.25 inches by one half of an inch wide and in mint condition.

Plus, a long-eared rascal rabbit...measuring 12.1875 inches by .5625 of an inch and also in mint condition.

Here's a photo of them side by side so you can get a sense of the size of each...

I'm only showing one of each here, but we have three mice and three rabbits...to mix or match as you like.

Painted Zinc Decorations in the form of Grape Bunches

I'm not really sure of the original purpose of these painted zinc grape bunches...most  likely they were at one time part of a sign for a wine shop, brasserie, or vintner. But, whatever they were years back, today they make a very unusual three-dimensional decoration.

Crafted of zinc, they were originally all the same size...7 inches high, 2.75 inches wide, and 1.75 inches deep....as you can see in the photograph, some have lost a bit of their "stem". They are available individually, we have five in all...great for wherever you want to inject a wine theme!

French Tôle Mickey Mouse Raseur

A wee bit rusty (to the surface only) and with a bit of a nibble to his tale, this marvelous raseur in the form of Mickey Mouse stands vigilant to protect you from boring people.

Seeing as we use one as our logo, we are always excited to be able to offer an authentic vintage raseur for sale. Raseurs originated in the early inns and taverns of Alsace and Flanders. The word raseur translates to a person who is boring. When a customer  had had a bit too much to drink or  became an annoyance, the inn-keeper  would set the house raseur in motion. Crafted of a fanciful figure in tôle peint (painted sheet metal) with a counterbalance weight at the bottom, the piece would oscillate back and forth...back and forth...until it eventually stopped...at which time, the boring person knew it was time to leave.

Dating from the 1920s, this version is in the form of Mickey Mouse and is painted on one side only. It measures 13.5 inches high and 3.8125 inches wide including the counterbalance.

Adorable!

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