Shredding potatoes, and carrots, and onions, oh my!

As I was preparing breakfast yesterday, it occurred to me as I took out my well-used Mouli to make homemade hashbrowns, that I prefer using this little mid-20th century marvel to the electric, dishwasher-safe food processor that I received as a gift a few years ago. For some reason, I don't even think about using the electric food processor. The Mouli is just so simple and easy, whether I use it to thinly slice potatoes, or grate nuts or chocolate, or shred potatoes or carrots; I know I sound like a commercial, but I just love it!

I was fortunate to find my Mouli somewhere along the way, shortly before I set up house back in the early '90s; I think I found my little kitchen treasure at a garage sale during one of the local favorite "city-wide rummage" sales. I know I didn't pay very much for it ... I want to say it was less than $10 ... but in my opinion these little beauties are worth their weight in platinum. And you can still find them today, both new and old. (Here's an old one listed on Ruby Lane; this one's in much better condition than mine.) I think the old ones have more character.

Image courtesy Charming and Cheap Vintage Collectibles, a Ruby Lane shop.

I remember seeing the commercials for these early food processors in the 1970s, though I know they've been around much longer than that (the one shown here is marked with a 1950 patent date); I've been a fan since I was a small child and watched my Mom use hers on occasion. It seems to me she used to use hers when making homemade carrot cake (now she just uses a cake mix when she has a hankering for carrot cake ... it's just not the same) but I don't remember her ever letting me do it. I don't know if she was afraid I would hurt myself or if she just wanted to have the fun task of doing the shredding. Yes — that's right — fun. The Mouli makes shredding/grating/slicing fun!

Hmmm. I think I'll make a fresh, homemade carrot cake and take it over to my parents' house and see if she remembers (and still has) her Mouli. I'll let them provide the coffee ...

Do you remember the Mouli? Or still use yours? Is there another vintage kitchen gadget that you just won't retire? Post a reply and let us know.

— Sandy                     

How much is it worth? In a collectibles-related career like mine, I hear this question almost daily. Whether the collectible area in question is baseball cards, books, ephemera, stamps, toys, or antiques in general — no matter what the collecting interest is — it’s a frequent query.

My friend “Anne” (I’ve changed her name because she’s very shy) has several jewelry armoires filled to overflowing with old jewelry. Of the pieces that I’ve seen, none would be considered “valuable” in the monetary sense by anyone other than her. There are many broken pieces, many pieces that are pitted and missing parts, and even odd bits and fragments that she either can’t or won’t part with. To her, though they are mostly made up of steel, plastic, and rhinestones, they are valuable, and she handles them all with reverence. You see, they are most of what she has left of her mother’s and sister’s estates.

Her mother and sister — her sister, especially — were costume jewelry fanatics. Her mother would spend weekends visiting garage and yard sales, picking up “gems” literally for nickels and dimes. Her sister always seemed to have an outstanding order with her Avon representative. And, of course, they frequently received costume jewelry as gifts because everyone knew they liked the wearable bric-a-brac.

The result is Anne’s massive collection of Avon, Hobe, Sarah Coventry, Coro, Park Lane, and of course dozens and dozens of other marked and unmarked pieces, many neglected and most “out of fashion.” All together, the monetary value of her collection is probably slightly more than the proverbial “hill of beans,” but when she looks back through old family photos, and spots a certain piece of jewelry adding that finishing touch to her loved one’s “outfit,” it adds another dimension to her memories and a stronger connection with the past.

How much is that connection with loved ones who are no longer with us worth?

I have many antiques from relatives who have passed. Some I have purchased; others were given to me. Are they valuable? In the monetary sense, some are, but most are not. But they are all invaluable to me because of that connection with the previous owners.

The connection with the past: Isn’t that one of the reasons we love antiques so much, and what gives many of our own antiques added value?

This week, Antique Trader wants to know: Do you have an item that is valuable only to you, or that you are simply not willing to part with?

Let us know by emailing robyn.austin@fwpubs.com, or you can post a reply here.