PLACE REPRESENTED: Tweed Heads (specifically Razorback Hill), New South Wales , Australia
ITEM: I’m not really sure what this is. I’m assuming it’s a tea bag strainer. (postnote: actually it’s just miniature souvenir ware of a shaving mug – see comments below)
NOTES: Razorback Hill is a long, narrow hill located at the end of Razorback Road between Tweed Heads (in New South Wales) and Coolangatta (in Queensland) which offered a beautiful outlook of rolling hills, the sea to the east, and mountains to the west. At the summit on the western side there was a restaurant called the Chalet. The Swiss owner, Karl Hiendlemayer, began to build his dream in 1916 and added to it over the years until it became a major tourist curiosity. He sold it to the Sutherland family in 1939 and, during the war years, it proved to be amongst the most popular venues for the relaxing and free-spending American servicemen. (see – you can learn things on the internet). Apparently the chalet on Razorback Hill (given the amount of artefacts with “Interior of The Chalet,” label on them) was quite the place to be and, apparently, had a stunning view.
It’s all gone now and has been built up and built out.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1930s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: Czechoslovakia
MANUFACTURER: ‘Victoria’ Schmidt & Company (I believe this “Victoria” stamp was used from approximately 1919-45)
DIMENSIONS: 8cm across x 5.5cm high
Paul of Sherwood Bazaar antiques (www.sherwoodbazaar .com) who has 40 years experience in antiques and collectibles assures me this is a shaving mug. When I informed him of it’s size and the fact that only Tom Thumb could get any use from it, if that’s what it was, he said he meant it was miniature souvenir ware in the form of an old school shaving mug. He pointed out that tea bags were not common (or maybe totally unavailable) in Australia in the 1930s – 40s anyway. I suspect he is right, but why the hell would anyone want to make a miniature of a shaving mug?