A 7.5 lb Goldfish

[hatzicho]

I went to a local farmer’s market today. The market is a very old and traditional one and is held since maybe a hundred years, 3 times a year. In former times it was for people living around this area and offside the big towns sometimes the only possibility to get tools, working clothes and kitchen equipment. My family went there since generations and these days, it is a 30 minute drive with a car, in older times it took more than two hours to get there by feet through the mountains and afterwards all the way back, carrying all what you bought.

Anyway - traditionally there are a lot of salesman dealing with so-called Solinger steelware at this market and beside knifes and other things they also have whetstones for sale. Never found anything really interesting since I am going there - but today was something different.

I was looking at a market stand with knifes and just before turning away to continue my walk, my eyes felt on a huge purple stone that was sold as a whetstone. The stone measured 17.5 x 11 cm and was unbelievable 5.7 cm thick.
The stone had a new unknown label at the upper side and a price notice.




Sideview:





When I took it in my hands and turned it around I saw the rest of an old label and I directly recognized that it was an old Goldfish whetstone.




I asked where this stone comes from, hoping to get some more information, but only got the answer that this was an old stock whetstone, no other information available. After dealing a certain time I paid less than 30 € for the stone and the salesman told that he was some kind of lucky to certainly get rid of this huge and heavy piece of stone.
I took the stone in my pocket and went my way continuing to visit the market.

After about one hour I had went through the whole market and certainly came around the market stand where I bought the stone. And what was that? I couldn’t believe my eyes. The same large stone was laying again on the same place!!!
Automatically I grabbed at my pocking thinking I might have lost the stone on my way and someone brought it back. But of course it was still there, all the way I felt the heavy weight of the stone.

So I took this new stone in my hands and turned it around and really – it also got a Goldfish-label. A different label to the first, but also a label I had seen before and clearly a Goldfish.



Of course I also bought this one too and of course now I asked – “How many of the stones do you still have for sale?” But unfortunately – this was the last on he had.
Each of the stones has a weight of 3.3-3.4 kg means 7.5 lb.

Here are the two stones in comparison to a Goldfish at typical size 6 x 1.5 inch.




Happy market day !!!