Few in Vancouver have heard of Beriah Botfield.
That's fair given he was a wealthy British politician and researcher who died years before Canada was founded. But then why is one of his ornate dishes here?
Christian Laub, who sometimes spends time thrifting around Metro Vancouver stores when he's not digging for antiques in the wild, discovered a large silver-plated heat tray when at a North Vancouver shop last year. The design appears to be in a baroque or rococo style.
"When I spotted the ornate style of that heating tray I knew right away that it had good vintage to it," he tells Vancouver Is Awesome. "When I initially found it I didn't see the crest at first because it was so tarnished."
However, while in the store, he was able to make out the reindeer and a motto: "J’ai Bonne Cause." Using that he was able to find Botfield, whose personal crest and motto match.
Upon bringing the piece home he did some more research. Botfield came from a wealthy family who had coal mining and iron businesses. Born in 1807, he inherited the family business while exploring interests in literature, geology, and botany, going so far as to become a Fellow of the Royal Society. He married in 1858, but they never had any kids, and he died in 1863.
Given the date of his death, Laub believes the tray was produced at least 160 years ago.
"I wasn't able to make a connection to Vancouver," he says. "My presumption is at some point one of their relatives moved to Vancouver, and that's why the piece is here in Vancouver."
As it has a personal crest on it, it's unlikely to have been sold to the general public when it was first produced, he adds.
"It seems that that was their own personal dishware," he says.
While he's been able to piece some of its likely history together, he likes that it's a bit incomplete.
"In a sense, I love that the piece not only has the history to it, but it has a mystery to it," Laub says.
That said, he's interested to learn more about the item and how it came to be in Vancouver - a city that didn't exist when it was made.
Right now it's sitting in a china cabinet; the antique dish hasn't been used yet but he and his wife may break it out for a special dinner. The tray works like a modern steam tray system, with boiling hot water kept just below the part holding the food.
Not his only find
Laub, it seems, is good at finding things. Not only did he find the 'mother lode' of Vancouver utensils while bottling in the woods, but he's made a few discoveries in local thrift stores, including a set of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs dishes made in Japan in the 1930s.
More recently he came across more utensils, but this time in a store, not a forest.
"I was interested in those pieces because there was a direct connection to the pieces I had found," he says.
Tips for thrifty finds
Finding interesting items in local stores is a bit of a rainy-day activity for Laub.
"Sometimes I go in to challenge myself to find something that has a good vintage to it that the thrift store hasn't identified as a collectible item," he says.
While he's enjoyed thrifting, he notes it's getting less fun and more difficult these days as more people scour the shops, and the shops raise their prices.
"The heyday of thrift stores is all but lost," he says.
That said, he does have a couple of pointers for people. He often checks the silverware first since there's not as much produced anymore, so it's more likely what a store has will be older.
"And if you're inspired to go to thrift stores, beware of replicas," Laub says. "That's a common thing these days; you'll think you found something good and it'll actually be a replica."
