Old & Interesting Things ....

The above photo shows what I can only guess is an old brass communion cup, and a brass bell with "A Paris" on the front & "0000" on the back
One of the many Primus stoves which have come my way .....

This Primus stove has "Made In USSR" clearly stamped on it's base

Over the years, I've often had local Tanzanian's approaching me with things to sell - from dazzling Tanzanite stones wrapped in pieces of grubby cloth (don't buy from anyone who is not a registered dealer & who cannot supply you with a genuine certificate of authenticity !) to old rusted cowbells, padlocks, coins, dusty clothbound books, monogrammed silver plated spoons and forks, old wooden cigar boxes, battered tin teapots and gramophones.

I can never get a straight answer as to where any of these items originated from - most often I am told that they are remnants of the "colonial era" and have been passed down from grandparents/elders who were given them as gifts by European settlers who they used to work for here. Many of the items are old enough for me to know that a.) they did not originate from here and neither were they made here and b.) they must have been brought here by someone, mostly European settlers as I doubt very much in those days that local Tanzanians would have had the means to import them, especially as air travel was scarce (non existent ?) and there was no other way of reaching foreign shores except by ship.

I've always loved history and felt a connection to things from the past. To hold something very old in my hand and to try and imagine who it once belonged to, and what sort of a life they led - well, it is just something that has always fascinated me. Over the years I have bought items from people that have really interested me. Of course I will never know the history behind these items, or how old they really are - but it's nice to conjure up stories about them, and wonder about their previous owners.

I own a few old brass Primus stoves (like camping stoves, these are fueled with kerosene/paraffin), all of which I bought here in Tanzania. Internet searches to find out how old they are have yielded few results, even though some of them have clear markings engraved into them.

I have one Primus stove which bears the markings "Monitor - British Made", another which reads "Primus No. 1 - Made In Tanzania - under licence" (it also has "Optimus Primus" written on the burner/top section) and then another which reads "Primus No. 5 - Made In Tanzania - under licence". Interestingly, the caps on both Tanzanian made Primus stoves bear the name "Sweden" but the cap of the British made Primus stove had had it's name filed off. The fact that the Tanzanian Primus stoves say "made in Tanzania" and not Tanganyika indicates that they were made anytime from the early 1960's as this is when Tanzania gained her independence and was no longer known as Tanganyika.

(I usually have these Primus stoves on display as decorations out on our veranda, but did not photograph them all as they haven't been cleaned for a while and are all rather dull and dirty at the moment !)

I also have a beautiful carved brass communion cup (well, what I think it is as I was told it originated from a Church) but on asking the owner if she had any more (as there would surely have been a set of them ?) I was told "No". I also have a lovely & very heavy brass bell marked "Paris" (the top/handle of the bell looks like it has been modified though) and coins, cowbells, very old padlocks, books and silver plated cutlery - some of it very well worn.

Maybe someone reading this post (or Googling information on old Primus stoves one day in the future) will be able to shed some light on any of the items mentioned/pictured above. I really don't know. All that I do know is that the history and origins of most of these items are a complete mystery to me - and probably always will be !