the find of a lifetime

Elizabeth II was crowned queen of England on June 2, 1953 when I was only two years old living with my grandmother in the western United States. Growing up in the 50's I was shamelessly enthralled by pictures of a young queen in a flowing gown, crown on her head, riding in a gold encrusted carriage pulled by horses. No doubt all the color and pageantry fueled my daydreams of possibly becoming a princess myself someday. My granny must have known me pretty well in spite of a court order that sent me to live with my parents when I five. On one of her visits to my new 'home' she brought me a tin with the likeness of the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth. Not long after I found the tin in the ash can in the alley behind our house, charred and peeling. My recollections remain intact about this treasure: I thought the Queen was the most beautiful woman in the world, and my dear Grandmother had given me something she knew would make me feel like a princess. Only I didn't know that at the time. I never knew how a candy tin that was a souvenir of the Coronation had found its way to an old lady in Blackfoot, Idaho, nor why it ended up in the trash and furthermore, why my mother was so adamant that it remain there. I have been looking for that tin ever since.

Over the years I've picked up other Coronation tins from yard sales, antique shops and e-Bay but they were never the 'one.' This fall while I was poking around a shop in Minnesota the face of the young queen jumped out at me from a low table. And this is what I saw:

As if someone had lovingly kept this bit of memorabilia in a dresser drawer, it is in perfect condition. Each side has a crown emblem or EIIR or 'A Souvenir of The Coronation of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 1953.' Once filled with toffee, the bottom of the tin reads:

Made in England by George W. Horner & Co. Ltd, Chester-Le-Street, County of Durham.

When I tearfully asked to put it on lay-away I told my story to the owner of the booth. She hugged me and said she'd found it on a trip to Seattle, so near to Canada, and was equally happy it had found me.

The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time. Friedrich Nietzsche

My ownership of this elusive tin comes at the beginning of a new chapter in my life--long gone from Idaho with an empty nest, older, wiser, free-er, battle scarred but hopeful. Most importantly I know how it feels to be a princess.


These are my 'new' thoughts for Sunday Scribblings.