I love Victoriana - Ewardiana. A long term project of mine has been to assemble a fob watch with full accessories, For the uninitiated that's : A sterling silver pocket watch (pre 1911) a fob chain - in double Albert style with two clips at either end and a T- bar at its centre. Next a fob ornament - sterling silver of course and pre 1911 and finally either a vesta case or a soverign case - also sterling and pre 1911. The watch clips to one end of the chain, the soverign case to the other and the ornament hangs from the T bar in the middle. The watch and the case go in a waistcoat's two pockts with the chain displayed in a W shape.
As luck would have it someone gave me an 1890 English sterling soverign case as they couldn't be bothered polishing it, Ebay provided the double Albert watch chain (1870) and I beat a local jeweller down (gently) for the 1899 pocket watch.
The whole exercise was far from cheap - about AU $500 and my next task is to get the watch working. But at the boss's birthday earlier this year I impressed everyone by wearing a black silk waist coat with my magnificent watch and its acessories - well worth the effort.
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