Some Pit-a-Pat Items That Don't Come Along Very Often...

As an antique and vintage dolls house collector with a special passion for the 1930s/40s era, I just love the c1930s Pit-a-Pat dolls house furniture. These particular pieces are becoming increasingly difficult to find so it is not often that I have any to sell on KT Miniatures' website these days. However yesterday I was delighted to be able to put up for sale three separate listings under the Pit-a-Pat heading. 

The first was a Pit-a-Pat gas cooker. Now not everyone is a fan of these Pit-a-Pat items, and I do understand. Isn't there a saying that goes something like..."one person's junk is another person's treasure"? Personally I find that there is something so enchanting about the Pit-a-Pat style but am not sure if I could actually explain why, other than in my eyes they simply ooze nostalgia. So maybe it just reminds me of my own childhood, as I grew up in a c1930s lodge house and went to an infant school that was housed in a c1930s building. Much of  the furniture in my childhood home originated from the1930s and 1940s.

 

Now ok, it may be missing the top plate rack and the paintwork may be described as rather worn, but at least the main structure is there and it still retains its very special Pit-a-Pat charm.

 

The door still has its original bead knob and opens, although the original Pit-a-Pat lettering is missing off the door. I can't quite decide if a previous owner has deliberately scratched it off, or if the white panel of the door has been painted at some point in the distant past? The original metal tacks are still present that represent the control knobs. 

 The door opens to reveal the original two wooden shelves. 

 

  The two round mesh disks that represent the gas rings are still intact which is rather nice, as these are so often missing. I quite like the criss cross scored lines on the cooker hob top that the manufacturer has added for extra detail. As mentioned above, the rack is missing and should sit on top of the plinth at the top of the cooker back. 

Around the back of the cooker you can see the original black and red Pit-a-Pat paper square label still fully intact, which is nice to see. Did you know that a Pit-a-Pat item is more valuable with the label than without? I am not surprised that this little gem sold within an hour of going up for sale. 

 Another piece that was put up for sale yesterday, is this sought after white painted wooden Pit-a-Pat kitchen sink with drainer. 

Again, like the cooker, it is missing something ie. the original taps, but a previous owner has cleverly added two bent nails to represent the taps. 

The wooden sink has been created to stand on a wooden frame.

It is particularly delightful to see the separate grooved wooden draining board present. It slots onto either side of the sink edge. Again like so many of the Pit-a-Pat pieces, any separate loose components were easily lost in young hands. The metal taps appear to be another commonly seen casualty, as they tended to drop out over time and then become lost forever. 

Of course, you do not have to have the draining board but it would be a shame not to. However having this option does make this piece very versatile. 

And like the cooker the original red and black Pit-a-Pat paper label is still present. 

And finally, this Pit-a-Pat rexine upholstered three piece suite was also put up for sale yesterday.

 

 This is probably one of the most instantly recognisable of all of the Pit-a-Pat pieces and so very 1930s in style! Rexine is a type of mock leather material that was used in the 1930s.

Underneath the sofa is the original oval red and black Pit-a-Pat label, which I understand is believed to have been the earliest of the paper labels, dating from approx c1932-1934.The square label as seen on the cooker and sink above, is believed to have succeeded  the oval label. These chairs all have the original bead feet. 

At the time of writing this blog, the cooker had been sold but the sink and chairs still available. All can be seen on KT Miniatures' Pit-a-Pat page: CLICK HERE