It comes to me, well actually a distant friend (in terms of location relative to New Zealand) has suggested that I need to share more about myself. That doesn’t come easy but I respect my friends opinion so let‘s start with something easy. I love trying to unravel the history of some of my pieces (and have even tried to unravel the history of pieces that other people own). Not a history buff but probably more as a history detective, unravelling what can be a complex history. Let me give you an example –
One of the items for sale is a metal helmet carrier, a military hatbox so to speak. Now when this came to us it was a bit of a puzzle – who had it belonged to and how did it end up in New Zealand. Well the “who” proved pretty straight forward, after all his name was engraved on the carrier, as well as the regiment. However this one of the cases where the internet appeared to have little to say. None the less what we did manage to find led to considerable interest – a Baronet (the Second) who never married, a family name that still causes a stir of excitement due to the quality of their work, a father who was respected for his business acumen and his willing role as a philanthropist (see more on the actual helmet carrier page). So we had the “who” but then it came unravelling the how – “how did a helmet carrier of a Captain in the 1st York Yeomanry (later an honorary Major) end up half way round the world?” So more research, more unpicking of threads of information, leading to the discover that the 6th Baronet, and last of the line) lived in New Zealand as a respected horticulturalist, environmentalist and indeed a philanthropist in his own right. Indeed he and his wife donated a property that they left late in life to the crown and it still serves as the residence of the Governor General when that personage in staying in Auckland.
This one military helmet carrier led to hours of research and enjoyment and it is the intention of Auld Curiosities to keep up this kind of research and reporting back, on other items of interest.
