Just look at these lovely Staffordshire cats, you could almost reach out and stroke them!   I have always wanted to have a pair like this, so much more delicate than the dogs and so much more intricately moulded - note the separate front legs.   They look wonderful on my mantelpiece - even though they have little cracks showing all down the backs, probably stress cracks caused by the firing, they are not damaged as such, they have probably always looked like this.  I think I shall gloat over these for a while before I send them down to be displayed in Burford!

Something else I have always liked are this pair of Staffordshire figures of Scottish Huntsmen, depicted returning home from the chase with the deer they have caught flung over their saddle bows.  It is surprising how  often you can see two items described as 'a pair' when they are identical - as you can see from the figures here and the cats above, a pair are not identical but mirror images, so they can be displayed facing each other.   These look wonderful on the hearth, I hope they don't go too soon!

Here's a beautiful creamware commemorative mug - the decoration depicts Britannia.   It's not very big but in very nice condition, probably dating from around 1810 or so, I haven't had chance to look it up yet!  Look at the lovely colours, not a bit faded or rubbed.

These mugs are lovely to collect as they are a wonderful piece of social history.  If you know anything about this one in particular, please let me know, as trying to look them up takes ages!

Here's another commemorative piece, a pretty jug commemorating Sir Robert Peel, who was Prime Minister of England in the early part of the 19th century.  Again, I haven't checked the dates but I expect it was something to do with the Reform Bill in 1832 (or has my 1966 History GCE finally let me down?),

And finally, a piece of pure self-indulgence!  My lovely collection of (smaller) dumps, they look like an exotic fungus!  

To be honest this isn't the best photo in the world to show them off - so I have put another one, using a flash, in as well!