I’ll Just Go Back To 1870 And Ask For Two More

My wife and I used to own a small antique shop. We prided ourselves on our knowledge of the items in our shop. We had a woman enter and peruse our China. She asked about a set of hand-painted soup cups from the 1870s.

Wife: “In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, newlyweds were frequently gifted with ‘blanks’ — plain white China pieces that included a set of porcelain paints so that the wife could decorate them as she saw fit. Some sets are quite intricately painted — usually in floral or animal motifs.”

The woman listened intently. Then, after a moment:

Woman: “I need a set of eight and you only have six. Can you order me two more exactly like them?”

She was not happy when she stormed out to the sound of laughter.