Birds Eye Maple Breadboard Wire Basket Kitchen Gathering

This kitchen gathering may be simple in form but is chock-full of character and charm.  The small wire basket and mat along with the knife are included and look great atop the breadboard. 

Old Birds Eye Maple breadboards are hard to find and I was lucky to acquire this one.  The breadboard was chosen for the warm color that is consistent with maple and the beautiful birds eye grain in the wood is certainly a plus!  Chop marks are present on both the front and the back near the edges where there is also a hint of darker patina.  A very small hole is located on the front of the board in the middle as shown in images 2 & 3 but does not go through to the back.  There are also some areas on the front edge located on the right hand side where there are slight gouges present as referenced in image 4.  This board has a whisper of a waxy feel but is smooth to the touch from being used on a daily basis.  The board sports nice rounded edges and does posses appropriate wear. 

This fine little wire basket has French origin and is adorable!  The handle has been double wrapped and there are decorative circles just below on each side.  This basket gently flairs out in the middle to lend a semi round, pleasing shape.  I filled it with excelsior and small dried onions for a unique primitive look.  This rare basket is in excellent condition. 

I fashioned a little mat that fits nicely underneath the basket from an old burlap feed sack that mimics a basket weave design as shown in image 12.  This fabric has been treated with "fray check" all around so the edges will not unravel… (a typical trait of burlap).  

Lastly a fish scaling or filet knife was added for its unique shape.  This knife's blade is made out of carbon steel which signifies it is a pre 1920's piece and so is the ferrule (metal piece the holds the blade in place and is attached to the wooden handle).  There is a crack near the bottom as shown in image 9.   There is also a darker area on the wood handle where a piece of tape used to be.  This tape residue left a dark spot on the wood as it may have been left on there for a very long time.  There is no sticky residue left behind from this occurrence. 

This unusual gathering does not take up much room and displays extremely well whether it be on a table or on the kitchen counter!  Enjoy! 

Breadboard stands 14" Tall (including the handle), 9 3/4" board itself and measures almost 7" top to bottom and is 1/2" thick.  French Wire basket stands 5" tall including the handle, (basket itself stands 2 1/2" tall), the top opening measures 2" across (front to back) and the bottom also measures 2".  Burlap mat measures 3 3/4" by 4 1/4".  Fish scaling knife stands 9" Tall, measures 1" across the handle @ the widest point.  Carbon steel blade measures 4 1/2" tall and measures 3/4" just above the ferrule (the widest point).