The last time I found a charm like this was 18 months ago. They don't appear very often, even on Sandy's wonderful site, Sandy's Vintage Charms, which is where I bought this one.
This "mechanical" charm was made in the 1960s and is valued at about $45. The rare charm has an alley cat trying to get into a garbage can. When you open the lid, a fish skeleton pops up.
This is what I made with the last charm like this that I bought: Animal Talk Rescue Auction
Animal Talk is the rescue that "gave" me Constant the Wonder Dog. I fostered him from the age of 3 weeks, bottle-feeding him at first (around the clock, pretty much). Once I'd had him a week I knew he was mine and I formally adopted him from the rescue at 8 weeks.
I've also fostered more litters of kittens than I can remember, or count, over the past nine or 10 years. I plan to get another litter of "bottle babies" soon. See my other blog: Kittens
Most likely my first litter of the year will be two young kittens (not bottle babies) who need a foster home until April 3. I responded to an e-mail from the rescue asking for foster homes, but haven't heard back yet. I didn't have time to call Missy at the rescue today as I was busy with a variety of things, like teaching Japanese to my new neighbor, Sage. Sage is the most delightful 6-year-old, and he is really into learning Japanese. A little sponge, that's this boy's brain.
I'm going to make a necklace for him with one of my old Japanese coins. He is going to love it. It will be a 5-sen coin from the 1920s, like the one in this photo: Asian Influences. The sen coins in any denomination are no longer made, not since WWII, I believe.
Oh, I have one more sweet cat charm. It's like this charm of a mother and baby rabbit, except that it's a cat and kitten in the same cuddly pose. I waited a long time for this one, but they do pop up once in awhile on Sandy's site. And sell almost immediately.
However, since Sandy's a friend (We met when I went to London with Younger Son last spring), she lets me know when she gets a charm she knows I want.
I'm going to make a similar bracelet for the cat/kitten charm, except that I will use amber-colored vintage glass beads. I don't have a photo of the beads on my site yet, but they are very cool. Vintage, but somehow modern again.
Please e-mail me if you would like me to hold this bracelet for you. You don't pay anything until you see a photo of the finished bracelet and then commit to buy it.
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@ Jeanne Sather 2011.
