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Vintage Sailor and Mermaid Hugger Salt and Pepper Shakers

Van Tellingen Hugger Salt and Pepper Shaker

The Sailor and the Mermaid

I have an overwhelming interest in preserving items from the past, especially the 1940’s through the 1960’s.  Periodically I stop by vintage stores or visit antique fairs looking for treasures.  This past summer, I discovered vintage items right in my own garage.

Several years ago, a relative was moving and asked that I take some of the items from the house.  At the end of all the packing, a cabinet full of glassware still needed to be packed.  I quickly wrapped all the glassware in a box and when I arrived at home, I put the box on a shelf in the garage.

Last month, I decided to go through the box.  There were four sets of vintage glasses, a beautiful vase, and a cordial set of red glass complete with decanter and 2 cordial glasses.  I’ll share pictures of those another time.

At the bottom of the box was a very dirty old figurine of a sailor.  I admit that I left the figurine in the bottom of the box for weeks.  Finally about 2 weeks ago, I wanted to put the empty box away and so I took out the dirty figurine.  Much to my surprise, it was a salt shaker.  I carefully washed it and noticed that on the bottom were the words “Pat Pend” and on the back the words Van Tellingen.  

Thanks, as always, to Google, I was able to research the name.  Well sure enough, the sailor was part of a 1940’s salt and pepper shaker called the Sailor and the Mermaid.  The set is part of a Hugger collection because the two pieces fit together as though hugging.

I needed the mermaid and several more Google searches and ebay searches, I found my mermaid.  She arrived yesterday and now my set is complete and I’m very happy to own and preserve it.





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