Royal Doultons

If you’re headed to the china cabinet to use your good dinnerware this holiday season – you know, the items that will become family heirlooms – there’s a good chance they’re Royal Doultons.

One of the most well-known ceramic and home accessories manufacturers on both sides of the pond, Royal Doulton pottery, stoneware, cookware, glassware, tableware, and even linens have become synonymous with those special occasions that call for a touch of class and sophistication. Even today, the company, at more than two centuries old, is creating new traditions for families in the United States, its native Great Britain, and around the world.

The early years

Founded in London in 1815, the Royal Doulton company was the result of a collaboration between John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Watts, who worked as a foreman at a London factory. In the beginning, their small company produced only salt glaze stoneware pieces, mostly jugs and jars intended for pubs or inns.

Jones left the company after only five years; Watts stayed on until 1853, and the following year, the company was renamed Doulton & Co. John Doulton’s son Henry, who had been working in his father’s studio since the age of 15, took over the business from John upon his death in 1873.

Throughout the mid-19th century, the company had branched out from stoneware to manufacturing circular sewage pipes, due to a cholera pandemic between 1846 and 1860. The cholera pandemic, which killed 23,000 in Great Britain in one year alone, was traced back to contaminated water as the original method of the disease’s transmission.

Though the company wasn’t known for its plumbing items – among them, cast-iron bath tubs – it added a variety of housewares to its catalogue in the ensuing years, including mixing bowls and storage jars. Later, Doulton added decorative objects such as vases and plaques, having moved on from the original salt glaze finish to an underglaze painting.

Now a household name

By 1871, the company brought young artists into its employ at its studio in Lambeth, a district in London, bringing in students from the nearby Lambeth School of Art. Many of the artists were young women, and most of the surviving pieces from that studio are signed and dated by the artist.

The company was a household name by the end of the 19th century, when Doulton & Co. had more than 4,000 employees on its payroll. Henry Doulton, having run his family’s company and overseen its dramatic expansion for nearly 25 years, retired in 1897 and died just a few months later.

As the Victorian era came to a close at the dawn of the 20th century, the company had already begun making architectural terracotta – columns, arches, sculpture. Many were designed in the British Art Nouveau style that became popular during the reign of King Edward VII; the monarch would later grant a Royal Warrant that allowed the company to change its name to the one we know today – Royal Doulton.

As the 20th century progressed, though Royal Doulton continued the production of its sewage pipes as well as its decorative ceramics, the company shifted its focus to manufacturing high-quality bone china. Figures, too, would become increasingly popular, with the highest-quality pieces produced between the end of World War I in 1918 and the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

A brand fit for a prime minister

One of the most well-known artists in the company’s studio in Burslem, Charles Noke, produced some of Royal Doulton’s most sought-after ‘character jugs’ – jugs in the likeness of a variety of people, from grizzled fishermen to soldiers to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

“Until his death in 1941 (one of his last models was a character jug of Winston Churchill) he oversaw many of the factory’s most popular 20th century lines, including the rich brown glazed Kingsware, the practical and decorative Series Ware and the range of loving cups and jugs modelled with scenes from British literature and history,” according to antiquestradegazette.com. “Noke showed the first Doulton figures at the Chicago Exhibition in 1893 and 20 years later was responsible for launching a designated range of figure models – known as the HN (Harry Nixon) collection – while the first character jugs, John Barleycorn, Old Charley and the double-faced Mephistopheles, arrived in 1934. … Although made across a century in a bewildering variety of subjects, styles, and colors, Doulton figures and ‘tobys’ are instantly recognized and widely collected around the English-speaking world.”

Hopping into a postwar world

In the post-war years, Royal Doulton acquired ceramic filter company Gloucester-based Aerox Ltd., and, a few years after that, Beswick Pottery, which specialized in porcelain figurines (including figurines of characters from the popular Beatrix Potter books). Royal Doulton’s immensely popular “Bunnykins” figurine series, which had been introduced in the 1930s, later ceased production and re-introduced in the late 1960s, was a series of nursery dishes and collectible figurines of anthropomorphic rabbits. The original pieces were illustrated by Sister Bailey, an English Roman Catholic nun.

Between 1971 and 2005, Royal Doulton was owned by conglomerate Pearson plc, and later by Ireland-based Waterford Wedgewood plc. Today, Royal Doulton is owned by New York-based KPS Capital Partners. Collectors can still buy contemporary pieces – including a cookware, dinnerware, and crockery collection from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay — at www.royaldoulton.com.

Royal Doulton collections have their loyal collectors, but there’s always room for more, according to antiquestradegazette.com.

“For casual collectors who buy Doulton simply on the strength of subject matter or personal preferences, this is a buyer’s market in need of new entry-level collectors. Online trading, and eBay in particular, has proved well-suited to Royal Doulton, but it has brought a glut of examples to light – too many for even the large number of collectors in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to absorb,” the website states. “But rarities, those that plug holes in the collections of the top tier of Doulton collectors, are a different matter. Here high three- and four-figure prices are the norm with a clutch of hard-to-find early figures capable of selling at over ($5,000 U.S. dollars).”

And though it can be difficult to know where to begin your Royal Doulton collection, there are opportunities around every corner, according to online antiques seller Roundabout Antiques.

“A Royal Doulton figurine may begin at a variety of sources, a chance gift, a souvenir picked up on holiday,” the website states, “or an appreciation of Royal Doulton craftsmanship can initiate a lifetime of extremely satisfying collecting.”

Whether you enjoy the occasional celebratory cigar or a petite Virginia Slim, you’re part of an ever-shrinking demographic of people – those who smoke. Until the late 20th century, it’s an activity that’s been enjoyed for centuries as part of one’s daily routine. Now, though the number of smokers nationwide dwindles as we learn more about the harmful effects of nicotine, items associated with and used in the act of smoking – called tobacciana – remain as collectible as ever.

Cigarette lighters

We’re not talking about those cheap, plastic, disposable lighters – cigarette lighters used to be serious business. Invented in the early 1800s, these lighters ranged from manual (igniting by a flint striking a wheel, which then ignites a fuel-soaked wick) to automatic (using a simple push button).
Smokers used manual lighters for about a century, from when they were invented in the 1820s until the 1920s, when the automatic lighter was invented. From the early 20th century onward, these lighters became increasingly elaborate in their design.

Starting in the early 20th century, the older models were elaborately decorated and even served more than their original purpose.

Attract female customers

“To attract female customers in the 1930s, some companies created lighters that combined various accessories, such as cigarette cases and compacts, and added rhinestones or decorative enameled rhinestones, or designs,” according to an article in Collectors Weekly. “In the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, Ronson produced the Ronson Master Pack, combining a lighter, cigarette case, and watch.”

One of the household names in cigarette lighters, Zippo, was founded in Pennsylvania in 1932.

“Zippos were standard issue during World War II, as their sturdy windproof construction made them ideal for soldiers. But these wartime Zippos are hard to find, as many were left behind or lost. Many of the lighters made for soldiers were covered in a ‘black crackle’ finish that soldiers could carve names and drawings into with knives or pins. This ‘trench art’ can increase the value of a Zippo lighter significantly,” Collectors Weekly states. “Zippo became an aesthetic icon, and by the 1950s was making custom-decorated lighters for different companies, clubs, and teams to be used as advertising or gifts. Businesses gave monogrammed lighters to their employees for celebrations of service or retirements.”

Since 1955, the production date of each lighter has been stamped on its interior; pre-1955 lighters are considered especially valuable due to their rarity. Zippo lighters specifically can range anywhere in value from $30 to hundreds of dollars depending on their condition and rarity.

Cigarette cases

If you enjoyed smoking during the early to mid-20th century, you kept your cigarette case as closely to you as your pocketbook or your compact. Designed to keep your cigarettes from being crushed, they were considered to be “decorative personal accessories,” making a bold statement about your style and sophistication.

“There are two general categories of antique and vintage cigarette cases,” according to Collectors Weekly. “The first is the case designed for home use. In the late 19th century, Fabergé made rounded sterling silver cases with delicately worked surfaces and a slender row of tiny rose diamonds on the case’s thumb piece. In the 1920s, Art Deco cigarette boxes were fashioned out of polished panels of sterling, with stepped covers that recalled the shapes of Mayan temples. By the 1940s, home cigarette cases were being produced out of laminated slabs of Bakelite.”

The second type of cigarette case – the more common type – was the rec-tangle designed to fit in your pocket or in your purse. Both types of case were usually made with silver, though the fancier models were embossed and engraved. Fashion house Cartier even produced cases encrusted with diamonds and other precious gemstones.

If you’re just starting your collection, a good option would be to begin by collecting cheaper, tin cases, manufactured between the 1920s and the 1950s by the major cigarette power-houses of the day – among them, Chesterfield and Lucky Strike.

Cigarette holders

Used by both women and men, the cigarette holder was considered a luxurious fashion accessory, plain and simple. Their petite size and slim design gave women an “overall tall, slim, and graceful impression,” according to the 2015 article “A Symbolic View of Cigarette Holders” by F. David Mulcahy and Melissa Sherman in the academic journal Issues in Social Science.

“The cigarette holder became a fashion accessory for women in the early 1920s and remained popular until the 1960s. … It is argued that the artifact became a symbol of assertiveness for many women both in real life and fiction,” according to the article’s abstract.

Besides being considered extremely stylish, cigarette holders served multiple purposes — to prevent cigarette ash from falling onto a woman’s clothes, as well as to prevent staining a woman’s gloves or hands. In addition, longer cigarette holders cooled the smoke and reduced tobacco stains on one’s teeth. These holders were made from a variety of materials, from wood, amber, and ivory to enamel and tortoiseshell. The length of the holder you used depended on the activity you were enjoying alongside it: when having cocktails with friends, for instance, you’d employ a shorter cigarette holder, while an evening at the opera called for a much longer one, usually 16 to 20 inches in length.

Cigar boxes

Cigars have been packed in boxes made of wood, aluminum, brass, and tin, among other materials, since around the end of the Civil War. Usually, these boxes could hold two rows of 25 units apiece.

“Novelty cigar boxes are highly collectible, and some were designed in such a way that they had other uses after being emptied—for example, during the Depression, companies offered cigar boxes that could later be used as jewelry boxes,” according to Collectors Weekly. “Cigar boxes were sometimes designed in fun shapes to catch the attention of potential buyers. These include cigar boxes in the shape of log cabins, cars and buses, bottles, books, and trunks, as well as those that can be used as checkers or back-gammon boards.”

Cigar boxes, especially those more common models made of heavy cardboard, can be found at most antique stores for only a few dollars each.

Humidors

The preservation of tobacco is a delicate balance of humidity, as too much or too little of it will damage cigarettes and cigars. Humidors – boxes designed to control the humidity level to which the tobacco is exposed, as well as limit its exposure to sunlight – can range in size from small desktop versions to cabinets designed to hold 100 or more, to an entire room.

They are almost always made of wood, with their interior veneer made of Spanish cedar (this type of wood holds more moisture than others, and it even imparts its aroma to cigars). According to Collectors Weekly, humidors should never be directly exposed to sunlight, and their temperature should ideally stay above 54 degrees but below 75 degrees. Humidity should hover between 68 and 75 percent.

“All humidors have a means of maintaining humidity. Antique humidors have a space or metal container in them for a wet sponge. Humidity was also achieved by adding water droplets to a tissue,” according to Collectors Weekly.

“Today, smaller humidors may also employ silica gel beads or high-tech polymer acrylic fleece, while larger humidors are sometimes equipped with electronic sensors that detect when the humidity inside needs to be adjusted.”

Antique desktop humidors in good condition can fetch anywhere from $1,000 to as much as $5,000, according to The Antique Humidor Shoppe, an online vendor that restores and sells antique humidors.

Of course, tobacciana collectibles are as great in variety as they are in number – ashtrays, cigar cutters, advertising, tobacco tins, and the list goes on. These items represent just a tiny fraction of those items still in demand by collectors, even long after smoking has fallen out of fashion.

**Disclaimer:**

This article discusses smoking-related collectibles, which are of historical and nostalgic interest. It is important to note that smoking poses significant health risks. The U.S. Surgeon General has determined that smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other serious health conditions. This article is intended for informational purposes only and discover vintage america does not endorse or promote smoking or tobacco use.

One centuries-old Halloween tradition

One centuries-old Halloween tradition – the carving of the jack-o’-lantern – has illuminated cold autumn nights for hundreds of years, and it’s an image synonymous with the spooky holiday.

Not pumpkins, but turnips

We can trace jack-o’-lanterns back to Europe in the mid-1600s; back then, they were simply referred to as a lantern – vegetables such as pumpkins and turnips whose insides were scooped out and the exterior carved with rudimentary shapes and designs, from which a candle placed inside the hollowed-out item would glow. Later called ‘jack-o’-lanterns,’ the origin of their name is a mystery – it may have referred to night watchmen working in England; or it may have come from an Irish folktale about Stingy Jack, a drunkard who loses a bet with the devil and is doomed to wander the Earth using only a hollowed turnip to light his path ahead.

Regardless of where their name came from, these lanterns were created for the purpose of warding off evil spirits; in the beginning, they were left on windowsills instead of outside one’s front door.

Here comes harvest time

Here in North America, ‘jack-o’lantern’ first appeared in written form around 1837 and was associated with the harvest season, not Halloween. The link between the jack-o’-lantern and Halloween began in 1866. The following appeared in a Canadian newspaper:

The old time custom of keeping up Hallowe’en was not forgotten last night by the youngsters of the city. They had their maskings and their merry-makings, and perambulated the streets after dark in a way which was no doubt amusing to themselves. There was a great sacrifice of pumpkins from which to make transparent heads and face, lighted up by the unfailing two inches of tallow candle.

Jack-o’-lantern Featured

Just less than two decades before, the jack-o’-lantern featured prominently in author Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which told the tale of a schoolteacher’s frantic pursuit by what is assumed to be the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier who was decapitated in battle and whose head was replaced by a jack-o’-lantern. The teacher is presumed to be missing the next morning, and the only “evidence” of the pursuit is a smashed jack-o’-lantern nearby.

 Pumpkins would be the new crop that began to be used in the U.S. with the wave of Irish who immigrated there in the 1840s due to Ireland’s potato famine. 

“They arrived in America to celebrate Halloween and were able to find a very particular new world crop that was much larger and easier to carve than their root vegetables of home; the winter squash, the most famous of which is a pumpkin,” according to an article published by Andrew Huntley of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

A spooky squash

By the mid-19th century, jack-o’-lanterns carved from turnips and pumpkins had found their way into folklore and literature and were commonplace; in 1867, the relatively new medium of photography captured the first image of a jack-o’-lantern; the photo was published in Harper’s Weekly. And starting in 1842, magazines began printing instructions on how to carve pumpkins with different kinds of faces.

Before the tradition of mischievous kids and teens dashing the jack-o’-lanterns to the ground began, those same youths would use the carved pumpkins to frighten others.

“Before Halloween was widely celebrated in the United States, kids started taking pumpkins — which were overwhelmingly plentiful during the months of September and October — and carving faces into them. After sticking a candle in the pumpkin to light it up, kids would run around, frightening people with the spooky-looking objects,” according to an October 2018 article by TIME Magazine.

Though the holiday of Halloween began being celebrated in North America in the mid-19th century, the holiday was mostly meant for adults and considered much too scary for kids. By the early 1900s, that had started to change, however, and by the mid-20th century, families began to throw lavish Halloween parties, complete with games like bobbing for apples and paper decorations from companies like the Dennison Paper Co. Between 1912 and 1934, Dennison published an annual catalog that included Dennison products and ideas for Halloween parties.

Don’t forget to snack on those seeds

With the arrival of a more family-friendly Halloween season, pumpkin carving began to become a family affair, teaching children how to fine-tune their motor skills and use their imagination. While carving your pumpkin into a bonafide Halloween jack-o’-lantern, roasting pumpkin seeds can add a tasty element to the carving process, though the cleaning of the seeds can prove laborious. One of many easy pumpkin seed-roasting recipes can be found at www.tasteofhome.com/article/roast-pumpkin-seeds.

Outrageous Pumpkins

Outside of the home, pumpkin-carving contests allow novice and veteran carvers alike to test and show off their skills to audiences. The most well-known of those can be found on The Food Network – “Outrageous Pumpkins,” in which carvers vie for a $25,000 prize.

“’Outrageous Pumpkins’ is not just another carving competition; it’s a revolutionary display of artistry, craftsmanship, and the sheer power of imagination. This vibrant reality show unfolds on the Food Network and elevates the age-old autumn tradition of pumpkin carving into a competitive spectacle,” reads a description of the program. “Witness elite carvers from across the nation push their creative boundaries to craft the most astounding jack-o’-lanterns ever seen. With a perfect blend of classic designs and audacious 3D carvings, ‘Outrageous Pumpkins’ stands unparalleled in its endeavor to reimagine and redefine the art of pumpkin sculpting.”

It’s not too late to learn

And if you’re new to the art of carving up a jack-o’-lantern but don’t have any courses being offered in your area, you’re in luck – a business called Manic Pumpkin Carvers offers an online workshop for beginners later this month.

Live Pumpkin webinar

The live pumpkin webinar – only for beginners – is $15 and takes place from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. To register, visit www.maniacpumpkincarvers.com.

When you’re finished carving up your scary squash and ready to leave it on your porch, keep in mind that completed jack-o’-lanterns will look their best for three to five days before they begin to soften, get moldy, and spoil, according to Good Housekeeping.

We’d also love to see your Halloween jack-o’-lantern creations. Send photos of yours to editor@discovervintage.com.

The covered bridge

The covered bridge evokes visions of a lazy Sunday afternoon drive through an idyllic countryside. But the covered bridge is an increasingly rare attraction, much like so many of the tiny towns to which they stand as gateways.

A vanishing treasure

By the arrival of the 21st century, only one in 10 American covered bridges have survived – though, if built well, they can last up to 100 years. The primary culprit, of course, is the cost to maintain and restore them. Still, their history and their stories are being kept alive by the people and institutions around them, making them beautiful, historic pieces of engineering.

According to Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation, more than 9,000 covered bridges in the U.S. have been lost since the earliest-known construction date of 1800.

And, according to The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges’ website, many reasons exist for the advent of these structures, including “providing shelter during inclement weather or so horses wouldn’t be afraid to cross the water. However, the real reason is to protect the structure supporting the bridge. Without protection from the weather, the wooden timbers supporting the bridge would decay and eventually collapse. By keeping them dry, they will last much longer.”

The oldest surviving covered bridge in the U.S. was built in 1825 in Cooperstown, NY, while the longest American bridge is relatively new – built in 2008 in Ashtabula County, OH, it spans 613 feet. Speaking of Ohio, it’s the state with the second most covered bridges, with 148. The top spot can be claimed by Pennsylvania, which has 213.

A blog post on the website of Kansas-based Kaw Valley Engineering says the design of such bridges is simple.

Paint it red for safety, longevity

“Typically, the bridge is a combination of an arch for its load bearing capabilities and truss for rigidity. Patented in 1817, the Burr Arch Truss is the most common design for a covered bridge,” Kaw Valley Engineering’s post explains. “Looking at the historical bridges, you will notice something in common with many covered bridges – the color! Most bridges were painted ‘barn red.’ It would be great to say this was for safety or longevity reasons. But it is simply a cost-cutting measure. Barns, bridges, and other wooden structures were typically painted red in the 1800s because it was cheap to make. All three ingredients were readily available: milk, rust, and lime.”

Though they’re exceedingly rare to view in person, covered bridges appear in pop culture quite a bit – most notably in the critically acclaimed 1995 film “The Bridges of Madison County,” starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, based on the 1992 novel of the same name.

Filmed in Madison County, Iowa’s town of Winterset

Filmed in Madison County, Iowa’s town of Winterset (also the birthplace of Western film icon John Wayne), “The Bridges of Madison County” tells the story of an Italian war bride who lives with her husband and children on a farm in Iowa. When a photographer for National Geographic comes to town to take pictures of the town’s iconic covered bridges, the two strike up a brief but passionate love affair (the book and film would later be adapted into a 2014 musical).

An annual celebration of the past

The real Madison County takes great pride in its storied history and the popularity of its covered bridges, hosting its annual Madison County Covered Bridge Festival. The event, which has taken place each autumn since 1970, features craft demonstrations; food, arts and crafts vendors; live music; an antique car show; and a parade, among other activities. This year’s festival takes place Oct. 12-13 at the Winterset Courthouse Square. In addition, attendees can take bus tours of each of the county’s covered bridges, as well as a stop at a historic schoolhouse.

Past participants in the festival say they enjoy the festival’s small-town charm and the local historical perspective it provides.

“We love the small town feel to Winterset on festival weekend. The town square becomes the hub with a lovely selection of street vendors and shops,” one Facebook user wrote on the festival’s page earlier this summer. “We enjoy visiting the covered bridges, but mostly we have enjoyed how the local community have welcomed us into their family and we have made lifetime friendships.”

Another user wrote, “Can’t wait to roam the countryside again, checking out the bridges, making new friends, and eating good food!”
Events like Winterset’s festival keep alive the memory of the covered bridges that represented a simpler time. It’s a time, according to blogger Linda Hosler, we’ll never regain.

Revelers young and old have been reliving the thrill of the circus finally coming to town by collecting circus memorabilia – and the hobby continues to be on the rise, even if circuses themselves seem like a thing of the past.

“Collecting circus items remains a vibrant and colorful hobby, especially paper products—photographs, posters, literature, business records—and artifacts,” according to a 2022 article by Ingrid Floyd on antiquetrader.com. “The grandiosity of the Big Top, with its music and artistry, resonates still in the heart of every collector.”

Organizations such as the Circus Historical Society (www.circushistory.org) seek to preserve items from the heyday of the circus, which is older than one might think. The first circus took place in 1793 in Philadelphia, with the practice of the performances being housed in a large tent added around 1825. Famed businessman P.T. Barnum joined the scene in 1871, and his partnership with the five Ringling brothers would eventually make the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus a household name, synonymous with circuses.

Collectibles tell tales of the trends and personalities in the industry. For instance, Lloyd writes in Kovels Antique Trader’s blog, a famous clown in the 20th century, Jack LeClair, who drew up schematics for a prototype of a fat suit he would wear in his act. “If a collector obtains the ‘fat suit,’ a photograph of the clown wearing it, and LeClair’s schematic, that’s ‘auction magic,’” Lloyd writes, quoting a Florida auctioneer, Brian Hollifield.

Also expensive but relatively more affordable, of course, are the posters and other ephemera advertising circuses coming to town. These will always increase in value, Berry says, due to the very nature of ephemera itself – items made of paper that aren’t meant to be saved, but instead discarded.

Barnum, known for his innovative marketing just as much as his “Greatest Show on Earth,” would employ teams of people to plaster up the posters in any town within a half hour of the venue where the circus was to take place.

“But these colorful, vibrant posters slapped on barns, sheds and shop windows were only expected to survive a couple of weeks,” Lloyd writes.

Those posters that did survive after the circus left town have gone on to become quite valuable, and according to Antique Trader, posters from the 1930s and ‘40s are especially attractive, vibrant, and colorful – but beware of reproductions, of which there are many. Most of today’s reproductions of classic circus posters were made in the 1960s, “and in the 1970s, the Ringling Bros. sold reproductions at performances,” Lloyd says.

Those who collect circus posters should consider the item’s dimensions when looking for an original, according to Berry.
“An authentic poster measures 42 inches long by 28 inches wide for a one sheet or has dimensions of multiples or fractions of that,” he says in Lloyd’s article.

Lloyd goes on: “Check if a poster has a “P” letter in its margin followed by a stock number. An authentic circus poster does not. Lastly, using a jeweler’s loupe, examine the poster. A reproduction will have pixelation.”

Although the Ringling Bros. circus made a return in 2023 after a six-year hiatus, circus enthusiasts can get a more complete look at the industry and its history at Circus World, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Opened in 1959 and with seven buildings in its complex listed on the National Historic Landmark roster, Circus World offers not only daily circus performances, but also music revues, exhibits, and a massive collection of historical circus memorabilia (the site was home to the original Ringling Bros. Circus from 1884-1918, shortly before its merger with Barnum’s circus). Currently, Circus World is maintained by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Besides boasting a massive collection of more than 9,000 historical circus posters, Circus World also possesses nearly 300 colorful circus wagons from across the United States and Europe. It’s the single largest collection in the world, according to the attraction’s website, www.circusworld.com. And if you can’t make the trek up north to Wisconsin, you can always visit www.circus-collectibles.com, a site displaying the sizable collection of Jovan Andric, a collector from Serbia whose collection includes posters, programs, flyers, tickets, and other ephemera from circuses all over the world (though Andric says he likes to focus on the circus culture of Italy, since they visited his country the most often).

“My passion for circus culture and circus advertisement has been a part of my life since early childhood,” Andric writes on the website. “It was in the mid-1970s when I became fascinated with the colorful visuals of magically drawn animals, clowns and performers covering city walls and store windows. Around the age of 4, I remember noticing posters on street light posts and observing every detail on them.”

If such coveted original items aren’t exactly in your budget, more affordable circus collectibles can be found everywhere online. Original games, photos and postcards, coin banks, cast-iron and tin toys, and even vintage popcorn and peanut bags can be found on sites like 1stdibs.com and gameroomshow.com.