Mint The Shop – Archives

Musical porcelain geisha

How pretty is this Japanese Otagiri musical geisha? I’ve sold a few of these figurines before, but I think this version is the most attractive of them all! The difference is in the base, which is normally plain white, whereas here her mount is black complemented by a pale blue-grey glaze – it’s somehow a touch more classy! And in addition to her good looks, she also works perfectly well – click here to watch a video of our geisha in action.

Dimensions: 21cm tall x 9.5cm in diameter (at her widest)

Price: R250

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog (more…)

Vintage brass deer

I’ve bought and sold a good few of these brass deer over the years, but this is the first time that I’ve come across this leaping version – isn’t she just delightful? I love the action of the composition, although I’m not as sold on the design of the base as I am on the deer itself. I’d probably have preferred something a bit plainer (just a smooth piece of brass?), although I suppose the artist was trying to convey the feeling of uneven earth, which it does a decent job of. But at the end of the day it’s really the deer that steals the show, and she’s quite lovely!

Dimensions: 14cm tall x 26cm long x 7.5cm at its widest

Price: R180

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog (more…)

The Little Mermaid figurine

Perhaps it has something to do with my Danish heritage, or maybe it’s just the fascination that we seem to have with mermaids, but I’ve always love the image of the Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale! Isn’t she just so beautiful? She might be a far cry from the original statue that sits in Copenhagen, but this vintage ceramic version is still quite lovely! There;s no maker’s mark that I can see, but she’s still a decent quality figurine, with absolutely no signs of wear.

A lovely piece for your bookshelf or mantelpiece, or your little girl’s dressing table.

Dimensions: 18cm tall x 12cm wide x 7.5cm deep

Price: R180

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog (more…)

Vintage nativity scene

I know it’s not quite Christmas yet, but I figured it was close enough for me to show off this beautiful nativity scene – basically I just couldn’t wait any longer! Isn’t it so lovely? Even if you’re not into Christmas decorations, you have to appreciate the beauty of this piece! My favourite part is the star that seems to shower down on Joseph, Mary and Jesus, but the whole composition’s quite special. Sadly there’s a small chip in the alabaster (at least I think that’s what it’s made from) on the one corner of the star, as well as what appears to be a manufacturing defect just below that, but I don’t think the damage detracts from how special this little sculpture is.

This is definitely one of the most lovely nativity scenes that I’ve ever seen – hopefully there’ll be other people out there who agree with me!

Dimensions: 20cm tall x 10cm wide x 9cm deep

Price: R220

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog.  (more…)

Ceramic dog figurines

These little guys came from the same home as the delightful Greyhound and Alsatian that we had for sale a week or two back. There are no makers’ marks on this pair, so unfortunately I can’t tell you much about them, but they’re just as delicate and as good a quality as the German figurines. They are a bit smaller though, but just as lovely, and in mint condition!

Dimensions: Each figurine measures approx. 11cm tall x 15cm long x 4cm wide

Prices: R120 each

Note: Mint puts up three new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog (more…)

Lucia Ware deer

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of these Lucia Ware deer – they’re just so delightful! I especially like the smaller deer, possibly because he’s a bit harder to come by, but I think it’s probably also his stance that makes him so attractive. Sadly the taller deer has been quite badly damaged, and someone’s done a rather shoddy of of repairing him (click on ‘more’ to see photos of the damaged ear), but you could probably get away with it of you displayed the deer on a slightly higher shelf, plus I’m throwing him in more or less for free – he’s obviously not worth much being so badly damaged, but it seemed a waste to just discard him, especially when the two deer look so lovely together!

Dimensions: Tall deer – 26cm tall; Short deer – 19.5cm tall;

Price: R140 for the pair

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog (more…)