Hoard makes it home

The trip home from Hobart was somewhat chaotic. It all started with a plane with a faulty cockpit screen. After being classified as "disrupted passengers" we were put on later flights and travelled home via Sydney rather than Melbourne. We were not convinced our luggage, including 23kg of silver plated EPNS, would arrive in Brisbane at the same time as ourselves. We were right - it missed two flights out of Hobart - but the airline ensured it was delivered about 9pm Friday night in the dark and rain - ok for us not so ok for the delivery person.

©2014 Barry Smith - Detail from a small silver-plated EPNS tray

Anyway the good news is my small-medium $3 op-shop suitcase with its hoard of silver plate arrived safely home.

©2014 Barry Smith - $3 suitcase finally makes it home

Unpacking it was like delving into a Tardis. I bought a 1 kg bag of clean recycled cloth to pack around the pieces - on top you can see the bolt cutters used for removing handles; and a couple of secondhand Japanese hammers I managed to buy cheaply.

©2014 Barry Smith - A tight and tidy pack

The pieces just kept coming out of the suitcase. In all there were: 8 smal-medium oval trays; 10 long thin trays; 7 rectangular trays; 6 small-medium circular trays; 8 large circular trays; 9 goblets; and 12 tray handles.

©2014 Barry Smith - The hoard

©2014 Barry Smith - The hoard

©2014 Barry Smith - Small circular trays and handles

Some beautiful detailed pieces will become Traveller's Shrines.

©2014 Barry Smith - Delicate design 1

©2014 Barry Smith - Delicate design 2

All the bits were packed into my metal storage bins.

©2014 Barry Smith - Bits in the bins

Whilst I was away and at the Pop-Up Gallery's 1 year birthday party Friday night,  I was given the pieces below by Edith-Ann, Kim and an unknown person (pieces left in our letter box).

©2014 Barry Smith - Gifts from friends

I have plenty of metal to keep me occupied.