87/28

Vaughan & Bushnell Mfg. Co. (Manufacturer)

This is a multi-task metal tin opener with a silver finish which has worn off with use. In addition to the tin opener blade, it also has a bottle opener hook and a corkscrew in the handle. It is inscribed, 'VAUGHAN // TEMPERED TOOL STEEL // FLEXIBLE BLADE // THE BEST EVER MADE' and within an oval stamp is the following: 'VAUGHAN NOV MFG CO // MADE IN USA // CHICAGO'. It is one of a collection of kitchen utensils (accessioned under nos. 87/24 to 87/30) used by the donor's mother, Mrs Vera Maud, Kempson, in London and Suffolk from 1928 onwards. The donor gave them to MERL in 1987 after clearing out her late mother's house.

1 tin-opener: metal; good condition

MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Standard museum name: TIN-OPENER // Accession number: 87/28 // Classification: DOMESTIC Preparing // Negative number: 60/15185 // Acquisition method: GIFT // Acquired from, date: MARY KEMPSON, [...], July 1987 // Store: small object // Condition: good // Recorder, date: JMB 9.9.87 // Description: Metal tin opener with silver finish much of which has worn off with use. It has tin opener blade, bottle opener hook and corkscrew in handle. // INSCRIPTION: VAUGHAN // TEMPERED TOOL STEEL // FLEXIBLE BLADE // THE BEST EVER MADE // VAUGHAN NOV MFG CO // MADE IN USA // CHICAGO // Dimensions: Length: 13.5cm // Associated information: see 87/24 // References:', Letter, Ms M. Kempson to MERL, 14 June 1987 – 'Dear Sir, // I have the task of turning out my late mother's home and would like to know if the following items would be of interest to you (or another museum) before I throw them away. // 1) SPONG BEAN SLICER NO 632 // BRITISH MADE CIRCA 1930 // 2) SPONG MINCER NO 25 NATIONAL // MADE IN ENGLAND CIRCA 1940 // 3) ALUMINIUM FLOUR DREDGER CIRCA 1930 // 4) POTATO KNIFE & BUTTER KNIFE (VERY WORN) // 5) SHOE LAST. CAST IRON. 1 HEEL AND TWO SOLES. AGE NOT KNOWN. // 6) E.P.N.S. CUTLERY IN CASES CIRCA 1928 // Yours faithfully // M Kempson', Letter, MERL to Ms M. Kempson, 24 June 1987 – 'Dear Ms Kempson, // Thank you for your letter of 14th June about the items you wish to dispose of from your late Mother's house. We would be interested in acquiring the Spong bean slicer and Spong mincer. The flour dredger, potato knife, butter knife and other cutlery might be of interest to us if we could see them. We would not be interested in the shoe last as we already have several in our collections. // I would like to thank you for your offer of these items and enclose details of the Museum and its location if you are planning to bring the objects here. // Yours sincerely, // Mrs J M Betts // Museum Assistant', Letter, Ms M. Kempson to MERL, 13 July 1987 – 'Dear Mrs Betts, // Just to say how much I enjoyed my visit to the Museum last week as I did not see you again after I had looked round. // I hope my Mother's bean slicer etc will prove to be of interest. I chose your Museum as it was listed as one which collected cooking utensils in a Shire publication. However I did not see anything similar on display so I hope they really are what you wanted. // I am enclosing the details of the two Cycle Museum for you and I remembered later that the name of the one with an exhibition of Bobbin Lace is the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery in Bedford. My memory gets worse as the years pass! // Thank you again for your time, // Yours sincerely, // Mary Kempson'

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