A small but wonderful museum in the northern Netherlands focuses on maritime history trade. An interesting display deals with the artifacts collected over two centuries by a Dutch tobacco manufacturer. I went to see the maritime exhibit but wandered into the tobacco exhibit instead, wondering what made people inhale snuff and chewing tobacco in the the past. That's where I first found the story of the pipe-smoker, rocking on his stand. An innocent way to announce closing time for pub-crawling sailors in the 1890s.

Its antique, toy-like look inspired me to create a collection of whimsical décor with an antique look. Each toy is completely handmade from recycled metal, hand forged and painted, then hand-waxed to give it that warm and subtle shine. All designs are made by Authentic Models artists and are protected by copyright. Each balance toy comes with a numbered metal tag confirming that these are made in limited numbers. Each toy comes gift packaged.