Life
Old paperweight looks like a forgotten mound of gold coins
An inscribed leather patch on the bottom has a message: “Your friendship is more precious than gold.”
Life
Antique watering can made in Aesthetic style in 19th century
The first watering pot was made about 1580. It was another 50-100 years before someone added a spout.
Life
This Wallace Nutting tavern table sold for $469 at auction
Antique dealers say early 1900s oak furniture doesn’t sell, but even copies can be a good investment.
Life
Vintage tazza is from the late 19th- to early 20th-century
It’s a wide but shallow saucer-like dish, decorated with flowers, and mounted on a stem and foot.
Life
Glass prism likely lit up lower decks of vintage sailing ships
Just an ornament today, it has a slightly green tint, is 4½ inches high and very heavy.
Life
Wear and tear of this antique fountain adds to its romance
The Rookwood piece sold at auction a few years ago brought $2,300, even though it was damaged.
Life
Stumpwork was a 3-D artform of the preindustrial age
This difficult type of embroidery was popular in England from about 1650 to 1700.
Life
Antique sofa is completely covered with shells — not fabric
The furniture sold for $4,613, nearly twice its estimated worth, to a buyer who likes the ocean.
Life
Surfer toy has wheels that let it roll on an eccentric path
The girl’s one-piece yellow bathing suit suggests it was made a date in the late 1950s or ’60s.
Life
Vintage globes can be dated by countries’ upheaval and change
The oldest surviving globe showing our planet was made in 1492 by Martin Behaim of Germany.
Life
What’s a phonolamp? Thomas Edison’s lamp with phonograph as base
The combination phonograph-lamp, designed in about 1920, was made to be kept in the living room.
Life
Unusual pair of Moorish chairs make for great accent piece
Made in the unfamiliar style, the seats were carved, ebonized and have mother-of-pearl inlay.
Life
Mermaid iron sprinkler proves to be a pricey collectable
Collectors look for figurals of monkeys, frogs, ducks, alligators and even a cowboy with lasso.
Life
Special flags have honored fallen service members since World War I
Gold- and Blue-Star flags must be displayed according to strict guidelines.
Life
Tiffany’s many creations fetch top dollar on antique market
His lamps and more are highly prized today, but they fell out of favor shortly after his death.
Life
This antique filing cabinet has 48 drawers for lateral files
Instead of stacking mail inside an envelope in a drawer, the Ohmer’s Sons cabinet files papers flat.
Life
This warped-looking bowl keeps whatever is in your pockets
The French storage dish was meant to hold your money and keys on a dresser in about 1900.
Life
1930’s Donald Duck knock-off made in China sells for $4,200
Because he is a Disney character, there are strict laws about copying the duck’s likeness.
Life
Easter bunny arrived in America the 1700s by way of Germany
Eggs, on the other hand, have been a universal symbol of spring since ancient times.
Life
This old Singer sewing machine isn’t real — it’s a wood carving
The copy an example of fool-the-eye (trompe-l’oeil), a popular theme in a new type of art.