A World of Possibilities with French Antiques

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French antiques are amazing aren't they? They offer us French lessons on beauty, culture, history and give us hours of guessing game brain teasers. Yesterday's object could be used in many of the ways you described. I could see them as corn on the cob handles… how chic is that! But unfortunately they are not, and as I am giving one of them away I won't be eating my corn on the cob in chic style anytime soon.

Yesterday's French antique guessing game object is not the top part of a frame either.

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Nor is it a rattle, nor a handle for one of them either. Nor is it used as a door hinge, though wouldn't that be beautiful. It isn't the handle for a letter opener, nor a sealing wax stamper, nor the top part of a walking cane.

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Nor is it the top of an incense burner, nor is it the regal part of an urn and it isn't the part that screws on top of an old globe. But it could be.

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Yesterday's French antique guessing game object is not part of a perfume bottle, nor a drawer pull, nor the screw to attach a lamp shade into the lamp. Nor is it….

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a piece of a cutlery such as the handle for a fork, knife, nor a sugar spoon… even though I have a sugar spoon with the exact same design on top.

It isn't used as a party token, nor a game board piece, nor baked in a cake or used with food. Though I think all these guesses are brilliant and clever and very possible it isn't something to use with food.

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Nor is it the top of a key.

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Hey what are you doing here? This is serious business… no,  it is not an antique piercing devise.

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Nope, it ain't a hat pin, nor the decorative bit for a hair clip, a cuff link, nor a lapel pin… did I say that already?

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I loved Kas' creative response:

"They were sewn into royal children's clothing so if a child of royal blood was ever kidnapped the child would pull them out of the lining of their frocks and toss them on the ground (like bread crumbs). The silver gilt helped them to shine in the moonlight making it easier for the royal guards to follow the trail and safely rescue the child."

But these French antique pieces are too heavy and would weigh down a child.

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Yesterday's French antique guessing game object is not used as a watch winding stem nor part of a clock, nor a toothpick, nor for royalty to use as a Q-tip to clean out their ears. Chic gross!

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It is not a finial for a teapot, nor a lamp. Though it is a decorative screw for something (that sounds a bit naughty doesn't it? Or at least suggestive. I can hear it now… I'll ask French Husband to do some sort of "Honey-do" and he'll ask me for a decorative screw. (Did I really write that??!!) 

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It isn't the top of a scepter, nor a crown topper (though it looks darn nice on top of this wooden crown). Ed of Willows had a great story too: "They are tiny flag pole toppers from Munchkin Land. The lion is simple but what looks like an angel is actually one of the flying monkeys, all cleaned up after the Wicked Which was killed."

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The right answer and winner is Marie-Noelle  who nailed it when she guessed (and she was the first one to guess it as such) "it is used as the top of a cork," a bottle stopper. Though the one I bought and showed you yesterday is missing the cap, and sized cork, and the bottle of 1969 Chateau Margot.

The one on the right is one that I have had for a long time, the other two (that I showed yesterday) are the ones I  found recently at the French Brocante.

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As you can see here. The one I own is on the right. The creative winning answer goes toLisa Boni who guessed they were music box dancers.

Congratulations Marie Noelle and Lisa Boni!

I hoped you enjoyed the French antique guessing game… don't be sad if you didn't win this time, there are millions of French antiques in France and this is just the tip of the ice berg of guessing games to come.

                                             

                                          



Comments

35 responses to “A World of Possibilities with French Antiques”

  1. thanks anyway corey it was quite entertaining.

  2. Congratulations to the winners! There were so many possibilities, non?

  3. Marie-Noëlle

    WOWWWW !!!
    The first game won … EVER !!! I’m thrilled ! and I thank you for organizing all those guessing games… I LOVE them ! They’re great fun !

  4. Great, just great!!! And congrats to the winner. Will keep my eyes peeled as I would just love one of these to adorn any bottle of wine 😉

  5. Twirling with excitement! What a lovely surprise to find that my answer was deemed the most creative! Thank you! I always enjoy these!

  6. Those are beautiful! I love coming to your blog and learning about things. Very interesting! I will be keeping my eye out for those corks!
    Thank you Corey!

  7. I would never have known; thanks for the wonderful photos today, too.

  8. How divine…….
    cheers to the winners and to you for our contiued french lessons in life.
    Love you
    Jeanne

  9. That was fun! Thanks Corey!

  10. I should have played! I thought about the cork thing and I even thought about the music box dancers!! Weird! Usually I’m terrible at your games. I do love reading about them though. I also loved FH showing up to surprise us. btw, you’re hilarious!

  11. Congratulations for those who won!!! 🙂

  12. Your guessing games are so much fun! I wish the history teachers I had in school made learning history as much fun as you teach it!

  13. I was going to guess that! Actually, that’s not true, I was going to say fancy price tag holders for giant wheels of cheese.

  14. So fun, and the guesses were very creative!

  15. I would never have guessed that in a million years! Not only do you inspire us with your wonderful words but we get free lessons in antiques! How cool is that? Congrats to the winners!
    xo,
    Lynda

  16. Thanks for all the fun…I love peoples great imaginations..esp the phial of laudenum..how very Dickensian!!

  17. OMG, Corey. That is a lesson to me. I was thinking, “It’s the top of a cork”, than I blew off the idea because it seemed so obvious. Shame on me. LOL Congratulations to Marie-Noelle who did not hestitate.

  18. That really was a challenge. Congratulations to the winners.

  19. Delightful entertainment. Merci beaucoup!

  20. Congrats to the winners!
    All great guesses.
    Rosemary

  21. It’s nice to know what they really are. Congratulations to the winners!
    I must brush up on French antiques.

  22. Congratulations to the winners… I had fun reading all the creative ideas that everyone gave for what they thought it could be used for…
    And you truly kept us in suspense with what it was not during this post..
    I never would have guessed
    Fabulous post
    HUGS
    JO

  23. Merci. Todays answer was just as interesting and as much fun as the guessing yesterday.

  24. This was a most amusing game with an even more amusing answer. Very ingenious responses from all your readers!

  25. Bravo aux gagnantes. i have discovered with great pleasure Lisa Boni’s blog, very cute and interesting.
    No blog for Marie-Noëlle?
    Thanks for the entertaining.

  26. What a fun blog! I find myself checking it every day! Thanks for sharing! From the Riviera, Cy

  27. i love your guessing games! i’m always intrigued and love the other responses too.

  28. I thought of that, but it had already been guessed, I think. Interesting post – good photos.

  29. What fun! Merci, encore!

  30. Happy Congratulations to the winners ~ so much fun Corey!

  31. What FUN!!! This posting had such a delightful almost carnival atmosphere about it.
    ******
    I brought a bit of a grumpy spirit to the table as I flopped down on my settee and flipped open my laptop with a groan after a particularly wearing day. I selected you from my list of favorites and popped on for a visit. I had some catching up to do, so I went to yesterday and began browsing.
    I read a bit and a smile crested my lips. I read a bit more and my pulse quickened. I sat up and read with a hint of Miss Marple rising in my mind. What could this be? Knowing I was too late for the contest didn’t dampen the game a bit for me as I spun wild ideas.
    I raced ahead and read this “solution” post with a carefree spirit and lots of giggles. What wild imaginations you have sparked among your readers! Aha! Mystery solved — and yet not even CLOSES to the ideas I had been courting.
    FUN FUN FUN!!! Thank you Corey. I so needed a pinch of your humor.
    p.s.
    I went on to catch up on all of the past posts I had missed while away on a short holiday. YOU HAVE BEEN BUSY at that keyboard. Sheer delight to read all about an Americaine in Paris and further Sud. You’re a gem. I love coming to visit. : )

  32. Wonderful answers! I think Kas’s is my favorite…

  33. more, more, more!
    I mean…encore, encore, encore!

  34. Marie Noelle knows so many things ! I may get her a job in my shop

  35. See there, I knew it! I never get these things right ! I should have just guessed a lemon juicer like I always do and be done with it!
    HA !!!!!

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