Features
One-room schoolhouses still educate visitors Schools housed generations of young learners in 19th, early 20th centuries
(Photo by Kyle Bush)August 2022Cover Story One-room schoolhouses still educate visitors Schools housed generations of young learners in 19th, early 20th centuriesby Corbin Crable As a new school year begins across the country, it can be easy to forget that one-room...
Summer al fresco Before packing up a seasonal picnic, feed your head with these historical facts
Photo by Mike Leavenworth on flickr July 2022Cover Story Summer al fresco Before packing up a seasonal picnic, feed your head with these historical factsby Corbin Crable One of the great joys of pleasant weather lies in the simple picnic, a summer activity whose...
Get into the groove Vintage concert posters are collectible pieces of music history
June 2022Cover Story Get into the Groove Vintage concert posters are collectible pieces of music historyby Corbin Crable Whether tacked onto the wall of a bar or plastered onto a streetlamp post, vintage concert posters announced small, intimate shows and big,...
Your home away from home Vintage campers ready for summer adventures
May 2022 Cover Story Your home away from home Vintage campers ready for summer adventures by Corbin Crable As temperatures grow warmer and nature calls out to you for yet another summer adventure, many longtime camping enthusiasts are gassing up their vintage campers...
America the Beautiful
April 2022Cover Story America the Beautiful Ad campaigns deter littering, encourage preservation of country’s natural beautyby Corbin CrableIt’s hard to believe that what we know as recycling today was largely unfamiliar to Americans just a few decades ago. You likely...
Magic between the pages Children’s literature enjoys a storied history
March 2022Cover Story Magic between the pages Children’s literature enjoys a storied history by Corbin CrableYou remember them fondly from your childhood – you joined them on their adventures in the fantasy worlds they inhabited, and they sparked your imagination, as...
Shopping for school supplies sparked excitement, anticipation
Photo by Kiy Turk on UnsplashAugust 2022Everything Old Shopping for school supplies sparked excitement, anticipationby Corbin Crable New academic year Though we’ll soon be enjoying the final vestiges of summer, there’s another big event about which to be...
Play ball! Baseball rules, customs looked very different a century ago
Photo by Boston Public Library on UnsplashJuly 2022Everything Old Play ball! Baseball rules, customs looked very different a century agoby Corbin Crable Play Ball! Baseball Rules Fan or not, there’s always something to enjoy, when watching a summer baseball...
June weddings have been popular for hundreds of years
Photo by Orio Nguyen on UnsplashJune 2022Everything Old June weddings have been popular for hundreds of yearsby Corbin Crable Wedding season With the arrival of the summer season comes another season in tandem – the wedding season. June -since ancient times It...
Let’s go camping this summer
Photo by sendi gibran on Unsplash May 2022 Everything Old Let’s go camping this summer by Corbin Crable Arrival of Summer With the arrival of summer, it only seems appropriate that our editorial content in this issue include ways to welcome the season for which...
Here comes the ragman – reuse of household items has old roots
Photo by Nareeta Martin on UnsplashApril 2022Everything OldHere comes the ragman – reuse of household items has old rootsby Corbin Crable You’re going to learn quite a bit about the recycling campaigns born out of the 1960s and ‘70s in this issue of Discover...
Reading remains a lifelong love
Photo by Mael BALLAND on UnsplashMarch 2022Everything OldReading remains a lifelong loveby Corbin Crable In this issue, we will explore the rich history of children’s literature, which has given birth to generations of lifelong readers, myself included. Growing...
Early Americans saved family history with decorative Frakturs
August 2022ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Early Americans saved family history with decorative Fraktursby Anne Gilbert Frakturs show family history in pictures These days when we get a printed birth or marriage certificate, we put the document in a drawer or bank document box. It...
Commemorative collectibles depict historical events
July 2022ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Commemorative collectibles depict historical eventsby Anne Gilbert Commemorative items for Collectors The recent celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee has created many commemorative items for collectors. There are t-shirts,...
Some surprising facts about early American folk art portrait artists
June 2022 ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Some surprising facts about early American folk art portrait artists by Anne Gilbert Paintings and prints of family ancestors, whether they are American, Chinese, English, or from another country, continue to be popular collectibles. They...
What’s hot in antiques and collectibles for 2022?
August 2022Good Eye What’s hot in antiques and collectibles for 2022?by Peggy Whiteneck What's new and what's not Each year, my column revisits this theme for any changes from prior year in the popularity of various antiques and collectibles. There were some surprises...
Growing Asian dominance in a global marketplace
July 2022Good Eye Growing Asian dominance in a global marketplaceby Peggy Whiteneck Asia-based buyers For this month’s column, I’ve been especially interested to see the impact of Asia-based buyers on the market for American-made antiques and collectibles. While you...
Wanted: Experts & expertise
June 2022Good Eye Wanted: Experts & expertiseby Peggy Whiteneck Reliable dealer/seller Expertise in Antiques and Collectibles Many years ago, I wrote a column for Discover on the need for reliable dealer/seller expertise in antiques and collectibles, and it seems...
Learn something new – take a quilt class
August 2022Covering QuiltsLearn something new - take a quilt class by Sandra Starley This year, I have been focusing my column on the benefits of learning new quilting skills whether to stretch your brain or finish old projects. One great way to learn a new...
UFO, PHDS, and WIPS, oh my! Finding and finishing your unfinished projects
July 2022Covering QuiltsUFO, PHDS, and WIPS, oh my! Finding and finishing your unfinished projects by Sandra Starley What is in your work room? If you are like most quilters, you have lots of partial projects, leftovers or orphan blocks lurking in your sewing...
Quilting makes the quilt: Quilting by hand, machine or check?
June 2022Covering QuiltsQuilting makes the quilt: Quilting by hand, machine, or check? by Sandra Starley Once you have your quilt top completed, there are many ways to finish it. You can hand quilt or machine quilt or some combination of the two. I like to...
Marvel at the power of steam during annual Antique Machinery Show
August 2022 ... Marvel at the power of steam during annual Antique Machinery Show The annual Antique Machinery Show returns to Sterling on Aug. 14 to showcase antique tractors, classic cars and vintage trucks and other mechanical wonders in action. The show, sponsored...
Day celebrates the history, heritage of small Kansas town
August 2022 ... Day celebrates the history, heritage of small Kansas town An entire day packed with fun will introduce residents and visitors alike to Yoder as Yoder Heritage Day returns to the city’s historic downtown on Aug. 27. The festival, which traditionally...
At Leavenworth Live, it’s time to boogie
August 2022 ... At Leavenworth Live, it's time to boogie Get ready to grab your sweetie and shake off the summer heat as Leavenworth Main Street brings its free concert series, Leavenworth Live, to town with a performance by local rock-horn band Brass Rewind. The...
Picture book was a 1917 railroad souvenir
August 2022Vintage Discoveries Picture book was a 1917 railroad souvenirby Ken Weyand Rocky Mountain Views One of my relatives who traveled through the Western states by rail in the early 1900s came home with a souvenir book of “Rocky Mountain Views. The origin of my...
Old theater posters gave notice of big entertainment to come
July 2022 Vintage Discoveries Old theater posters gave notice of big entertainment to come by Ken Weyand Late 1800s and early 1900s Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, before the days of Chautauqua or Vaudeville, an assortment of show-people performed on theater...
Toy car had the look of a Chrysler “Airflow”
June 2022 Vintage Discoveries Toy car had the look of a Chrysler “Airflow” by Ken Weyand Back in the mid-1940s Back in the mid-1940s, my wife’s dad, a physician in Hamilton, IL, had acquired a couple of toy metal cars. My wife, Karen, said her dad gave the...
“Valentine Treasury: A Century of Valentine’s Day Cards”
February 2022Books for Collectors“Valentine Treasury: A Century of Valentine’s Day Cards”By Corbin Crable What would the month of February be without the traditional exchanging of Valentine’s Day cards with your sweetheart or best friend? It’s a ritual we all...
“Cabbage Patch Kids Collectibles” By Jan Lindenberger
January 2022Books for Collectors“Cabbage Patch Kids Collectibles”By Corbin Crable The birth of the Cabbage Patch Kids craze in 1983 changed the doll industry forever – and made a veritable mint for Coleco, the company that produced the dolls. But, as author Jan...
“Collecting Classic Video Games”
January 2022Books for Collectors“Collecting Classic Video Games”By Corbin Crable “Collecting Classic Video Games” Just in case you can’t tell, this month’s issue of Discover Vintage America is all about Generation X collectibles, and video games came of age as...