What Is EPNS?

Here's a question we get a lot on the phone and our website.

So here is a bit of info about EPNS.

EPNS stands for Electro Plated Nickel Silver.

Electroplating is the application of a very thin coating of Silver on to base metal often with some Nickel content, it was invented by Elkingtons in 184o and the stamping of Silver-plate was brought in around 1896, to prevent Silver-Plate being passed off as Sterling Silver.

So any items marked EPNS date to after 1896 and they sometimes also feature the A1 stamp.

If you have a set of stamps, you should check to see if there is the Britania or Sterling Silver hall mark, in which case they will be Sterling Silver. The the marks are not Sterling Silver marks, then they may be older Silver Plate.

Most EPNS is not massively valuable, but, is often very pretty and useful.

EPNS can be cleaned, although if you put it into a dishwasher with stainless steel it can mark bady, so better to hand wash it.

The other great thing about EPNS is that it is quite inexpensive and you can pick up some really pretty antique and vintage pieces.

EPNS cutlery sets are worth buying, they're pretty, useful and hold their value well.

I also really love Victorian Silver Plate vases, they're really pretty, add really charm to your home and don't brake if you drop them or knock them over - very handy in my house!

Buttons!

We buy and sell 1000's of button every year and they're one of my favourite things, I love rummaging through a button box, it calms me! A bit bit odd, but, there you go!

My husbands gran once said to me 'you'll never be poor if you've got a button box'. I'm not sure about the scientific or financial accuracy of her statement, but, the sentiment and thought is quite heart warming, especially in the current tricky financial climate.

Then I got to thinking about making do and mending (very now) and that buttons are great for making gifts, decorating bags, making jewellery and other cute bits and bobs. I also thought what a lovely gift in its own right a button box or even a sewing box is too!

So if you fancy buttoning up a perfect gift, here's an idea or two:

Recipe A for a great gift:

1 x Vintage tin
+
1x Mixed lot of 100 pretty vintage buttons
=
A really wonderful gift

Recipe B for a fabulous gift:

1 x Cute Sasss & Belle Felt house box (it is a perfect sewing box)

+

1 x little bird sewing kit

+

1 x vintage tin ( for buttons)

+

1 x 100 pretty mixed lot of vintage buttons

+

1 x pretty bird tape measure

=

A truely fabulous gift

A (very) brief tour of toast racks....

Toast racks are a staple of the vintage breakfast table or tray and have been around for centauries, with the earliest known examples dating to the 1770s.
A toast rack is a small rack, usually in metal, but, they can be found in pottery, plastic and glass. It often has feet and handles, with bars to keep the toast upright and separated, and is designed to hold multiple pieces of toast.
The main aim of a toast rack is to hold the toast and keep it separated, so the steam can escape, and this means you don’t get soggy toast – handy! Although it does result in the toast getting cold quicker - not so handy...
Like most household items toast racks are influenced by fashion, and have mirrored changing styles, which means there are wonderful antique and vintage toast racks to be found.
Toast racks are great for adding vintage style to your home, breakfast table or tray and whilst most of us might only have time to actually use them for breakfast at the weekend, they are also perfect for keeping your post organised. A nifty little storage solution, if you only feel like tackling the bills once in a Blue Moon....
So if you want a toast rack or two, the choice is vast, ornate twirly Victorian examples, stylish Art Deco pieces, sleek 1960s & 1970s stainless steel numbers and quirky 1950s Atomic designs.
Unusual design features, such as shaped handles and feet, unusual materials and colours, like Celluloid, Perspex, Glass and Bakelite and known designers and producers, I’m thinking Old Hall, or if you have the budget, Christopher Dresser, are all points to consider when looking for a good toast rack...
The main point though is: do you like it?
Quick Tip:
An antique or vintage toast rack makes a great wedding present.... it evokes ideas of domestic bliss, doesn’t have to break the bank and is unusual and stylish enough to please even the most discerning of couples!

Fun & Games and cake!

I have a love of vintage games. When I was little we'd have Sunday lunch with my Grandma & Grandpa and after lunch Grandpa would take a nap and to keep us occupied my Gran had a whole draw full of games. She'd set up the card table and get us started on the games and then after about 1/2 an hour she'd wheel in a trolley-load of cakes, buns and biscuits! In the good weather we'd be outside, surrounded by her beautiful gardens and in the winter snug in front of the fire... Bliss. THE perfect Sunday afternoon - cake and games! So when I find a vintage game, I find it's almost impossible to walk away.....
I found this great What is it? game and I was thinking haw easy it looked to play, but, some of the images are really hard to guess!

Being Busy!

We're all working very hard in the office to get loads of lovely vintage things into our online store....
The best items this week are the vintage 1950s Chiffon scarves, we've got them in loads of lovely colours and they remind me of all my Great-Aunties, heading out to the pub in breeezy Barrow-in-Furness, with Bee Hive hair-dos carefully protected by said chiffon scarves. They looked amazing - a little oasis of colour (and noise)!

Sweet Memories

A few years ago a friend gave me a lovely hard back notebook and I decided to start compiling a recipe book. It's going well, I've got Granny's fail safe scones, Mum's chocolate pudding and my friend Debi's scrumptious pear and ginger cake (just perfect at this time of year). The thing is my recipe book is almost entirely cake and pudding! It got me thinking that it's the sweet things, the treats, that make us feel the most nostalgic. Will I ever find that magical combination of equipment and skill to recreate my Granny's baking?

Click here to see our kitchenalia department




As a new Mum I've discovered all sorts of new responsibilities. One of the nicer ones has to be providing birthday cakes! Why not try your hand at some stylish icing with this fabulous forties icing set by Tala. You can always have a tube of smarties at the ready just in case!





Those of you with allotments, or friends or relatives with one, will know that food is plentiful at this time of year. Bowls full of apples and pears are filling my kitchen. What better time to discover some new recipes.

Click here to browse our antique & vintage cookery books.

Who knows maybe one day someone will strive to recreate the magic of my baked treats!

New Term, New Treats...

Up here in Leeds there's a change in the air. Autumn is definately just around the corner, and I kind of like it. We're a student city and this is the moment of calm before Autumn term arrives with a bang.

Our lovely little shop is starting to shape up. We've just had a large delivery of new stock (which always feels like presents arriving) and now we've got to work out how to cram it all in!



Summer term saw vintage style bunting, cuddly owl cushions and these sunshine yellow Suki Bracelets flying off the shelves...






We've got new additions on the way to all our departments. Cute kids lunch boxes you'll want to nab for yourself. Bags of brilliant handbags. And gifts galore for all the different people in your life! There are so many fantastic new treats for you this term so why not come and join us for a cup of tea and a biscuit this Autumn?




You can visit us at 164 Kirkstall Hill, Leeds
or from the comfort of your own armchair at www.ninetyninegifts.co.uk