If you were getting ready for the traditional Christmas party in 1860s England, you might have been searching the storage cupboards for the holiday punch… Continue reading
Remember hearing “Kilroy was here”? Kilroy is a famous “doodle” seen during World War II. No one is sure exactly where it began, but in… Continue reading
Colorful butterflies are admired and even the inspiration for expensive, valuable jewelry. But, many people are annoyed or even afraid of “bugs,” and few would… Continue reading
This 16-inch-high turkey made in 1907 is not a toy, but a “package” that held game parts. It is made of a composition material and… Continue reading
Danish modern chairs were offered in stores in the U.S. in the early 1950s. The Scandinavian designs were inspired by earlier furniture, the 18th-century English… Continue reading
Iron doorstops became a hot collectible with rising prices about 1990. A 1985 book picturing doorstops and several auctions, which included rare doorstops, sent collectors… Continue reading
By Terry and Kim Kovel Special to the Herald Halloweeniana is now one of the major holiday collecting categories, second only to Christmas. Jack-o’-lanterns, figural… Continue reading
An auction catalog offered a “rare Kakiemon enameled porcelain plate” from the 18th century, but there was no further explanation of the age, history or… Continue reading
In past centuries before the invention of the camera, heroes and celebrities were remembered with figurines, prints and plates, and mugs of glass or ceramics.… Continue reading
Most Americans in the 17th and early 18th centuries had very small houses with no clothes closets and little storage space. Storage consisted of built-in… Continue reading
The “jeweled” Coalport porcelain of the late 19th century attracts buyers with its beauty and unfamiliar beading, but few know the history of the porcelain.… Continue reading
Many comic book, movie and TV heroes are so popular that they inspire hundreds of different collectibles. Often, interest in the characters dies about 25… Continue reading
An attractive box can help sell a product, especially if it can be reused in a new way. Since the 19th century, candy containers have… Continue reading
Some of the most popular clocks made after 1944 in the midcentury modern style were designed by an architect and journalist. George Nelson (1908-1986) graduated… Continue reading
Animal horns have been used to make furniture for centuries. Chairs, chandeliers and storage racks made in the 15th century exist in some museums. But… Continue reading
Many artists don’t create just pictures or sculptures. They make furniture, jewelry, dinnerware or even kitchen tools and toys. In the 1920s and ’30s, there… Continue reading
Why not collect food-storage antiques? Food had to be specially prepared to last during the centuries before ice boxes and refrigerators. Long hours were spent… Continue reading
Paul Revere’s name is known to every American school child because of his part in the Revolutionary War and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem with the… Continue reading
Be careful when using old reference books. Modern research methods, excavations, and old documents that were unknown for years have led to changed histories. The… Continue reading
