Regarded as magic in the 1650s, this device was refined into the more scientific sounding sciopticon by the mid-1800s.
Whatever you call it and however you use it, this birch wood cart with white enameled wheels attracted $2,650 at auction.
Whimsical, attention-grabbing bookmarks like these are both fun and practical. This set of nine sold for $130 at auction.
Kenneth Bates brought the craft out of jewelry houses and into the hands of hobbyists. This piece sold for $1,188 at auction.
This 19th-century, tulip-shaped vase was made with pressed glass and natural gemstone coloring. It sold for $960 at auction.
Adorned with colorful glass “jewels,” this miniature brass snail’s shell was striking enough to fetch $51 at auction.
This secretaire cabinet, made around 1830, was refinished in an elaborate East Asian style. It sold for $9,274 at auction.
Fire screens were once made of wood, leather, wicker and papier-mache. Then came the bright idea to use stained glass.
This calendar clock, which sold for $5,100 at auction, is said to correct for the days of each month, even in leap years.
This Steuben Glass Works piece contains a tiny 18k gold partridge in — you guessed it — a pear tree.
This country store Santa holds an American flag even though the North Pole is his traditonal home. It sold for $441 at auction.
Frederick Hurten Rhead designed Roseville Pottery’s most famous art pottery line, named for an Italian Renaissance sculptor.
“Fantasy furniture,” hundreds of years old, can depict both real and mythical animals. This piece sold for $3,276 at auction.
With three-dimensional designs painted on the shade, lamps like this don’t need darkness to provide decorative value.
This tea table from the pioneer of art nouveau is stylistically similar to his cameo glass. It sold for $2,800 at auction.
Though it’s adorned with the all-American turkey, this platter bears the marking of an English pottery company.
Like so much of Coca-Cola’s vintage advertising, this banner circa 1950 is a collector’s item. It sold for $150 at auction.
