I purchased this Georgian Sugar Caster from an antiques house with the express intention of of displaying my grandmother's gorgeous hat pins.

Imagine my abject horror when I discovered, they don't fit!  The pins are bigger than the holes in the caster.

Having spent what can only be described as an "eye watering" amount of money on this divine piece, I have spent the last 3 years staring at it in my display cabinet, still mourning the cost.

The time has come.... off comes the band-aid.... time to sell.

Per the dealer, this piece dates to around 1780 which is hard to wrap your head around when you look at the fragility of the piece and the fact it was a much used item in its day.

I was told these casters were used for different spices, like pepper, so not just sugar.

If only it could speak and tell us where it's been for the last 240 odd years.

The thing that I marvel the most is the condition... it looks virtually new! With the exception of the tiniest flea bite and a small blemish, it is pretty much perfect. Of course the cork stopper is long gone and I never saw the point in sourcing a replacement but it would be easy to do so for the purchaser.

Now, I suppose you could call it a manufacturing fault but I think of it as a delightful imperfection. There is a flat spot on the belly.  I assume this poor little chap was touching another sifter during the firing process which left him with a wee flat tummy. Personally, I love it and have always displayed him with his little flat tummy facing outwards... he's perfectly imperfect.

The sifter stands 12cm tall and that gorgeous waistline is approximately 6cm in diameter.

I'm having a huge downsize and have decided to let this delightful piece find a new admirer and to recoup some of that cash I spoke of earlier.

Please examine the photos carefully, as they form a major part of the description, and ask any questions prior to bidding.

Shipping is free for Australian based buyers and always includes my "kid glove approach" to handling and packaging.

This particular piece will be literally smothered in bubble wrap, encased in a sturdy box. I'm not going to be the one that drops the ball after 240+ years! 

Also included in the price is the appropriate insurance and signature on delivery... just to be safe.