Weird and Wonderful 'Trucs'

One of the many joys of dealing in vintage and antique items is that you never know what you are going to find so every now and then it isn't that surprising if you come across something so eccentric and frankly mind boggling that it reminds you what a vast, diverse and fascinating world we live in.

The item that prompted me to start thinking about the weird and wonderful was a very strange truc I found at a brocante in the Charentaise village of Hiersac.  As is often the way it was the box that first attracted me to the item.  Anyone who goes antiquing on a regular basis will know the lure of the closed box and this one with the highly recognisable name 'Christofle' clearly emblazoned on the lid was an obvious draw.  

It was only when I opened the box that the true mystery began.  The truc nestled inside was a silver plated dish with strange cut-outs on the top and another dish (like a plunger) inverted and fitting snugly inside the top one.  The stall holder informed me that it was a wedding present from his marriage in the 1960s.  He went on to explain that this enigmatic object was a butter curler and if you fill the underside of the top dish and insert and depress the plunger the butter comes deliciously oozing out of the top in curls.  This unusual butter dish would then be placed as a centrepiece on the table for everyone to take their portion and admire the owner's obvious sophistication and taste.    

Would you have guessed what it was?

I did overfill it a bit as you can probably see!

Woohoo... I can't tell you how satisfying it was to see the butter oozing out!

I find items like this truly irresistible and as far as I was concerned this truc was up there with muffin dishes. The fact that something as silly as a muffin dish once had a place in society really makes me smile so I have therefore made it my mission to one day own a particularly elaborate one.    

So here are a few more examples of my trucs that I feel fall into the category of the 'weird and wonderful':-

1930s Miniature Spy Camera - What home would be complete without one?

1920s set of china figures for bonsai tree landscaping... really, I kid you not!

A retractable chain for chandeliers - I wish I had ceilings high enough to need it! 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing these fascinating items (that you never knew you needed until now) as much I did when I found them.   Don't you agree that the world be a much sadder place without butter curlers and muffin dishes?