NZR cup and saucer in need of lots of TLC :)

One would have to be rather silly to buy something like this wouldn't they?
I couldn't resist them as they made my heart ping
I'm going to try to clean them up, as they must have been thrown out of the train and left by the side of the railway line.
The saucer has been glued together and there is a crack and a big chip out of the cup.
It actually looks like the saucer has been in a fire at some stage?

Good luck with that Ev! cheers Marl

Not too bad for the first go at cleaning the cup ...

Looks good Ev. We sometimes use a product called Polaris Stainless Steel Reviver to clean badly marked things. It is great for getting those annoying black cutlery marks off and doesn't seem to cause damage. It is in some supermarkets but not all. A powder type cleaner. Have used it on various patterns, Landscape for one which is prone to marking, and also various Temuka products. Discovered it by chance when I was trying everything in the cupboard to clean something.Cheers, Marl

Thanks Marl, I managed to find some today when I went to the supermarket and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

That is amazing stuff Marl !!!
Just cleaned the cup with it and the rust marks just melted away ......
Only a little improvement on the saucer, but I will keep trying.
Will take a photo when I get around to it

Glad to have been of help, cheers

Rightio before and after shots ....



The saucer hasn't responded ..... yet!
Anyway that silver cleaner is just marvellous for those annoying 'rust' marks
The person who sold this to me thought that the rust marks were from tomato sauce ...??!
Don't think so

Do you have any Steradent Ev? I have found that just covering an item with water and popping a Steradent tab in overnight, while it may not remove the marks, it somehow loosens their hold, and then they clean up much easier.

Okay Ev, you've just blown my current theory on black monograms preceding blue ones on NZR cups as this is an early example with the 48-55 backstamp!

Seriously, this is the first blue one I can remember seeing that backstamp on.

Questions:
I'll have to assume that the cup is the standard size because it's just too tricky to compare cup sizes without them being side by side, however, ...
... considering the discussion I've been having with Bruno it would be very helpful to know the size of this saucer, whether 145, 155-7, or something else entirely.

Also, do both items have the same 48-55 backstamp?

Oh, do please note that I may have it wrong on which came first I did get it right on transfer position. This is blue so the transfer is opposite the handle.

I did see one in a museum, and I have emailed them about it, that has the transfer centred at about 135 degrees from the handle, mid-way between the normal black and blue positions. Odd!
.

I will get back to you with this Jeremy.  I didn't think this was a matching pair as they were so busted and broken and probably salvaged from somewhere.  Yes the insignia matche.  The saucer is NZG vitrified.  I will take a photo tomorrow.

Another mystery !!
The NZR cup and saucer have the same backstamp !!!
The stamp above isn't on either of these pieces !!!!!
The cup has 2D4 stamped on the base.
The cup is the same size as the one I have with the Silver Star emblem which was first made in 1970.

Well then I'm back where I was thinking that the black monogram preceded the blue one unless something else turns up.

I thought the 700 cup diameter increased by 6mm or so mid-60s. I'll have to check back through topics to see where that was written.

I'm not familiar with the Silver Star monogram, esp on a 700 cup (so I'll look for that next) but I'm pretty sure the size of 700 had been upped by 1971 so all things considered your cup looks set to be about 1964. ("5" appears on the base of 1965 cups.)

UNLESS you mean same as a 783 cup in which case ignore the above.
AND my references to "55-64" marks and year numbers starting at 1965 appear to refer to only the GREEN vitrified backstamps as from the Silver Star example the Crown and Star backstamp in BLACK appears to have remained until 1970, when the Silver Star shapes were first made, or even later.

I'm didn't get a diameter measurement on the saucer, Ev, although bearing in mind the 55-64 backstamps I don't think it is of any importance any more.
.

Finally replaced the blackened saucer with a pristine one
The cup looks much happier now