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Glass rolling pins were common throughout England as love tokens, many from sailors to their girlfriends before going on a voyage.
Glass rolling pins were common throughout England as love tokens, many of them from sailors to their girlfriends before going on a voyage as an indication of their desire to marry upon their return. They were hollow and made of plain opaque white or coloured glass with painted pictures on the outside. In some traditions is was said that they were also used for smuggling spirits. This rolling pin is made of blue glass, with a picture and inscriptions in gold, red, green and yellow paint. The picture shows a sailor telling his sweetheart he must leave for the sea, with a harbour containing several ships as a background. The inscriptions are partly worn off and are as follows: '------ Loves I as I Loves ------ // PAIR as happy as WE T. W. // LOVE BE TRUE // Now weigh the anchor hoist the sail // Launch out upon the pathless deep // Resolved however veers the gale // The destined port ----------- to ----- // [two more lines illegible]'.

1 ornamental rolling pin: glass; good condition[cont'd] The picture on the rolling pin shows a sailor telling his sweetheart he must leave for the sea, with a harbour containing several ships as background. The inscriptions are partly worn off and are as follows: '...loves I as I loves..., PAIR as happy as WE, T.W., LOVE BE TRUE, Now weigh the anchor hoist the sail, Launch out upon the pathless deep, Resolved however veers the gale, The destined port...to...'