Life
The trick to telling if your dish is antique Worcester porcelain
When you hold the 18th-century plate up to a strong light, the white china appears to be light…
Life
This toy refrigerator from 1840s has spot for block of ice
A recent auction sold the play icebox with its original pristine box for $1,440. It is 5½ inches…
Life
This strange table is one of modernist Italian designer’s works
It’s actually a nest of four tables, designed by Gianfranco Frattini in the 1960s.
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Egg cup frame made of sterling silver is over 200 years old
An English breakfast could be served with very fancy and expensive dishes and silver serving pieces.
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French window bench in style the last half of the 18th century
This Provincial Louis XVI fruitwood window seat was sold at a New Orleans auction for $1,625.
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Impressive tea caddy features inlay picturing Queen Victoria
Tea was a luxury in the 18th century, so special boxes were made for it with a lock…
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Egg chairs popular among midcentury modern designers
At least five famous midcentury modern designers made chairs that looked like large hard-boiled eggs with a cutout…
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Old Satsuma vase made in Meiji period sells for over $14,000
The piece features intricate reticulation and decoration. The original insert was signed by the artist.
Life
Mystery of the elephant swinging clock made in 1900 solved
The “swinger” keeps time and the pendulum keeps swinging, but there is no sign of a power source.
Life
Rare bottle from 1890 shaped like a Prussian military helmet
The 7-inch vessel is made of dark amber glass with a wooden spike and a partial German label.…
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Antique mixing table had nothing to do with recording music
The furniture was used in a Southern dining room to mix drinks. There were special shelves to store…
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First terrestrial globe known to historians likely made in 1492
If you’re looking for one made before the 1930s, check country names. For example, Persia became Iran in…
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Picture frame was designed for a family during the Civil War
It held a picture of President Abraham Lincoln and another picture of the family’s uniformed soldier.
Life
This mourning picture from about 1830 sold for over $22,000
The watercolor was made for Amos Tyler, who died in 1829, probably in Massachusetts, at the age of…
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Figure of British naval hero adorns iron umbrella holder
Few collectors today would recognize Horatio Lord Nelson, who lived from 1758 to 1805.
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Pottery sandwich looks good enough to eat — except for the frog
This David Gilhooly sculpture sold for $2,125. He added frogs to his artwork as a running joke.
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Tradename and logo for Baker Furniture Co. in use since the 1930s
This Biedermeier secretaire a abattant has a “Baker” label. It sold for $1,063 at an auction in 2019.
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Antique lobster doorstop from early 20th century sells for $1,800
While this rarity appears to have original faded paint, watch out for reproductions made since the 1980s.
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Prices steadily going up on vintage ad signs in good shape
Would you believe a whopping $1,080 for this sign from the early 1900s?
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Stove circa 1895 covered in tiles with Walter Crane drawings
The buyer also got the stove’s impressive provenance: a family scrapbook that identified previous owners.