Egg Cups 6 Crafted Layered Wood Sovereign Woodworkers Wanganui New Zealand - Vtg

Description

Egg Cups 6 Crafted Layered Wood Sovereign Woodworkers Wanganui New Zealand Vtg 80s.
Perfect for gift-giving. Purchased as a souvenir gift on a trip to New Zealand in the 1980s. Never used, these vintage 1980s, layered/inlaid wood egg cups are handcrafted by woodworking artisans in Wanganui, New Zealand. They are new, never used, with no chips, scratches, gouges, discolorations. Each egg cup has a base and is handcrafted from different types of wood found in New Zealand. These vintage types of egg cups and various layered wood products are rare and hard to find online, in consignment shops, in retail stores, in antique shops, etc. Each egg cup has a gold sticker affixed to the bottom that reads "For serving hot or cold foods, rinse and dry, made in New Zealand by Sovereign Woodworkers Ltd., Wanganui". Stored in a cool dry place. Comes from a smoke-free/pet-free home.
NOTE: EGG CUPS WERE ONE OF THE ITEMS WHERE ONLY A FEW WERE PRODUCED, MAKING THESE RARE AND COLLECTIBLE. MORE COMMONLY, ONE CAN STILL FIND BOWLS OR PLATES, also valuable when made by Sovereign Woodworkers of New Zealand.
Each egg cup measures 2-1/4" tall X 2-1/4" dia. at the base X 1-3/4" dia. wide at the top.
About Sovereign Woodworkers, New Zealand
Sovereign Woodworkers Limited was established in a vacant shop in Tawa Street, Gonville, a suburb of Whanganui in 1949 by Leonard Austin Brasell, Arnold (Arnie) H. W. Burling and Edwin (Wyn)  H. Hart. The company had its immediate origins in Austin Brasell’s own home workshop a few years or so before. Here he developed a woodturning hobby to produce a small range of inlaid and laminated wooden souvenir ware which he marketed mainly in the metropolitan centres. One of his most successful products was his 12-inch “Sovereign” ruler – named from a wordplay on “ruler” – with 18 samples of native timbers. Seventy years after Brasell produced the first ruler featuring New Zealand native timbers in his home workshop, it is still a popular item with New Zealanders and tourists. There would be few products that have had such longevity. The success of Brasell’s home operation soon required staff, so he employed Arnold Burling, followed soon after by Edwin Hart and the trio established a partnership in 1948. In 1949 a shop in Gonville was rented, Sovereign Woodworkers formed and a nearby vacant lot purchased for a timber store. Two more staff members were employed. During the 1950s and 60s the company bought several of the surrounding Gonville shops, established a country-wide distribution and, by the late 1960s, had expanded to employ 20 staff and over 100 different lines of wooden souvenir ware. “Each different species has different characteristics, and some woods present problems which must be overcome. The ornamentation of our woodware is accomplished by choosing laminates of different native species to produce attractive colour patterns. The wastage of wood in sawdust is very great. The time required for one item, such as a box lid, to proceed through the factory from raw material to finished product is weeks or months. This is necessary to ensure adequate drying after each glueing process”. Brasell retired as manager in 1970 but remained as the company chairman. Sovereign Woodworkers continued under the management of E. H. Hart and later under Chris Hart and Brasell’s son Rodger, but changes in the tourist market during the 1980s saw the company downsize to six full-time staff. In 1992 the firm was placed in receivership after a potential joint venture with a Taiwanese investor fell through. About 1995-6 the Gonville factory was purchased and New Zealand Timber Arts with Ian Cragg as manager continued to produce laminated woodware for the souvenir market. New Zealand Timber Arts moved its operation to Bulls in 2000 thus ending the 50-year association with Gonville. In July 2020 Ian Cragg announced that Timber Arts was closing due to a downturn in sales.
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