The first is a Staffordshire pottery money box in the form of a small house. The Staffordshire potteries produced countless ceramic cottages during the 19th century, usually as mantelpiece ornaments and crafted as ‘flatbacks’ but this one has a slot in the roof so it could double as a savings bank. Pieces like this were often intended for children, quietly encouraging thrift while still looking cheerful on the shelf.

The second item is a pastille burner modelled as a toll cottage, complete with an octagonal “umbrella” roof. Pastille burners were designed to hold small scented pellets which, once lit, would release fragrant smoke through the windows and chimney. The effect must have been rather pleasing, with wisps of smoke drifting out of the tiny building. Pastille burners were more than simple decoration: their fragrant fumes would have been an indispensable mask over the pongs of early 19th century households.

The third piece is a ceramic pen or quill holder formed as a swan sitting among foliage. Desk ornaments of this kind were popular when letter-writing was a daily habit rather than an occasional chore. The swan’s curved neck provides a natural rest for a pen, turning a simple writing accessory into a small decorative sculpture.

None of these pieces are grand or rare, but that’s part of their charm. They’re the sort of quirky, imaginative ceramics that Victorian potters seemed to produce endlessly—and which still make auctions such enjoyable places to hunt for treasures.