This piece is another one of the collection of the most charming little gifts from Danny since we met in early 2021. A part of a systematic plan towards some greater objective. He is after all retired but still a military man. This was clearly his not-so-cryptic suggestion for the both of us to meet at some exotic and romantic location for a kiss.
By this time he was enthralled with me being his online girlfriend, looking forward to any of my messages whether it'd be about my stacking interests to how whole my day went. This vintage silver lipstick compact gift is a clever reminder of his personal objective, stemming from a conversation after sharing an unmasked version of this 👇 2021 photo in my favorite vintage Valentine's 1950s outfit.
On the Night Shift of February Valentine’s day 2021
“It goes with your vintage Valentine’s dress.” Danny suggested that we could meet anywhere, he had a huge Airmiles balance that we could meet anywhere in the world sending me my flight ticket without spending a red cent.
Monogram "M.A.S." - Marked "950 Sterling Silver."
Button released vanity mirror
Total Weight 49g, without lipstick
Dimensions; 60.8mm X 19.2mm X 17.6mm
The mirror has no cracks and springs up quiet with no rattle. Then latches down with a little solid snap.
My suggestion is the Port of Hong Kong. Why? According to a few ancient Kowloon addressed letters my grandma from my mother's side I may still likely have distant cousins. I told Danny that I would like to make contact with them. Danny said he'd been there on a deployment and wouldn't mind seeing Hong Kong again. So my primary mission is to reacquaint the family ties before they become lost forever. I'm sure my counterpart Chinese cousins have wondered if their great-great Grand-decendants continue to thrive in the new country. At the same time gathering information about the mainland location in China of a once-upon-a-time family owned farming parcel and home compound that was taken over by the Communist agricultural collectives. I wonder how many distant cousins and family survived Mao's Great Leap of starvation.
With the compact held in my left hand I can remove the lipstick applicator with my right hand. The fit is snug enough that the applicator won’t slip out of the compact and snug enough that the compact does not rattle like a cheap maraca. The inner cup of the applicator is revealed here, with the lipstick dispensed by using my right thumb to extend and retract without too much effort.
Filling in some of the blanks in the story of a fore-mother had single-handedly fought off a gang of thieves raiding the home compound that evening while the men were in town doing some business. She went to the special hiding place and grabbed hold of an antiquated Mauser pistol then stepped onto the middle of the courtyard and yelled, "Get out or I will shoot you!" With both hands she fired the pistol into the air repeatedly until the clip ran out of ammunition. The thieves can be heard panicking somewhere in the darkness and in a chaotic manner dashed out at the front gate. A shoe from one of the thieves was found left behind by the front iron gate.
I have yet to identify the Maker of this marvelous vintage piece. The lack of an exact corresponding item hasn’t been found using an image search, ChatGPT could only approximate with similar products. My credits to Danny in finding obscure items of rarity, I dare not ask him what he paid for this. The only clue is the “950 Sterling” stamped under the applicator shaft indicating this is of Mexican or Peruvian origin, and that it was custom handcrafted for the original owner. Upon close inspection the floral design appears hand tooled similar to the handiwork of the skilled artisans that the create those magnificent Hobo Nickles. The design also functions as an anti-slip texture minimizing the user dropping it.
I don't think they were able to find any more ammunition for the pistol hoping that reputation of a gun here would be a deterrence. I've already mentioned part of this story in an earlier post, I just added more new details and questions to date.
And about that pistol, that was likely from her cousin Corporal Yin who joined the KMT's Nationalist army serving as a Field messenger that are typically equipped with a pistol, messenger bag and a bicycle conveying orders and messages to and fro between combat units and the command staff. My investigation is to find out whether he deliberately left his pistol behind to give the family some protection which was my theory, or he didn't bother with the added weight of this heavy pistol and confident in his Kung Fu biking skills. He never returned and was presumed 'Missing in action."
My Conclusions; I believe that this is just a custom crafted lipstick compact and may very well be part of a set used along side with a matching powder compact. My instincts say that this was crafted under one of the old Taxco Silver company names at the time when these were more a group of independent artisans decades ago. I date this vintage piece somewhere between 1930 to 1950. Well preserved having been used sparingly, a few minor blemishes indicating it was dropped a few times I will deem as ‘Character’ beauty. An intact flawless mirror that deploys smoothly with a little squeeze of my left thumb and snapped closed with the same left hand Index finger. Ergonomically efficient, slight chunky feel, made to last and performs well. This does not feel cheaply made! The only issue is finding refills in matte black!
I don't know how long I would plan to spend there in Hong Kong along with other places on the mainland to find answers to these and other stories of my ancestors. It would depend on what progress I can make and what resources I have that I can make use of in tracing my relatives. Then there are the famous numismatic coin shows to check out. Perhaps meet up with Ben, our favorite dealer at HK Colonial Coins. If Danny were still alive, he'd be right there with me, knowing him I think he wouldn't be content for just one kiss. Come to think of it I probably won't get much accomplished.
And maybe he'd convinced me to get that traditional Chinese Qungua wedding dress. 👰
🚗🍔🌭
Now that vintage Valentine's outfit does not fit well as it did back in 2021 so this time I dressed down into a simple comfy oversized Tee shirt and leggings before my sons took me back to The Lost in the 50s Drive-in Diner for a blast from the past dinner treat.
"Hey, they’ve spiffied up the joint."
"I ordered number 6, the Hawaii Luau Burger $12.99 CAD."
"Adding a Chocolate milkshake."
Dining at this establishment is appropriately accompanied with their select playlist of popular music of the 50s. My elder son bought some of his own music choices as we dined. And I nearly choked after the first bite of my burger. Warning; Lyrics may not be suitable for tender ears. 🎵🎶🤣
And if that wasn’t enough, the next version is taken from the girl friend' side that would make you snort that milkshake out your nose if you're not ready.
The taste Results? It’s been a little more than a year since I was last here. My Hawaiian Luau Burger needs a hint of salt otherwise ‘right-on’ tasty, hand made fries tastes like they been in the warmer for some time and the Chocolate Milkshake is a bit thin, a little too sweet, weak with the chocolate. Looks as they’ve been doing some cost cutting sacrificing taste. A little disappointed on the side dishes.
Inconsistent reviews reveal that quality may depend on who’s doing the cooking.
Thank you for coming aboard my journey back into the 50s, those tunes are still living rent free in my head 😅
Stacking Precious metals and Crypto for those dark stormy days!
The #piratesunday tag is the scurvy scheme of Captain @stokjockey for #silvergoldstackers pirates to proudly showcase their shiny booty and plunder for all to see. Landlubbers arrrh… welcomed to participate and be a Pirate at heart so open yer treasure chests an’ show us what booty yea got!
References & Sources
Skygems Website; 950 Silver Taxco Heritage. Kodner Auctions Website;Taxco Lipstick case. First Dibs Website; Antique art deco lipstick case. 9g 0.999 Silver Egyptian Cartouche made by Trailer Park Poured silver on IG.
Photos are my own shot with an ancient 2018 Samsung SM-A530W or otherwise indicated. P. Image under Pixabay W. Wiki Commons ☠️🎃 Page Dividers by thekittygirl. ❄️🌞 Cameo Raven Brooch from The Black Wardrobe.
"💄And thank you again Danny, where ever you are.💋"
"I’m just a gal in black, not a bloody Financial Advisor!"
