Features
A bridge to another time Covered bridges still stir up our nostalgia
Missouri’s Sandy Creek Covered Bridge, located in Hillsboro, is seen framed by winter snow. (Image courtesy of Facebook)September 2024Cover Story A bridge to another time Covered bridges still stir up our nostalgiaby Corbin CrableThe covered bridge The covered bridge...
Fun Under The Big Top Circus collectibles reflect colorful history, memories
This vintage-looking circus tent evokes a feeling of nostalgia and memories in the making. (Image courtesy of Vecteezy.com)August 2024Cover Story Fun Under The Big Top Circus collectibles reflect colorful history, memoriesby Corbin CrableRevelers young and old have...
Adventure Awaits Travel posters jump-start travelers’ wanderlust
The Royal Mail Lines Pacific Line took travelers to any number of South American countries. The cruise ship company’s life was short, operating only from 1932 to 1965. (Image courtesy of antikbar.co.uk) July 2024Cover Story Adventure Awaits Travel posters jump-start...
Privacy, please Outhouses were a part of daily lives in centuries past
Outhouses usually were located 50 to 100 yards from the back of one’s home. (Image courtesy of Daniel Coronoa / Unsplash.com) June 2024Cover Story Privacy, please Outhouses were a part of daily lives in centuries pastby Corbin CrableWe all take indoor plumbing for...
Two of a kind Salt and pepper shakers make inexpensive, colorful collectibles
These shakers have their original cobalt blue glass liners with silverplated frames and lids. (Image courtesy of Antiques and Teacups) May 2024Cover Story Two of a kind Salt and pepper shakers make inexpensive, colorful collectiblesby Corbin CrableIt’s one of the...
What a doll! Barbie continues to inspire after all these years
Barbie, seen here in her original design, made her debut at the North American International Toy Show in 1959. (Image courtesy of Flatiron Nomad)Apr 2024Cover Story What a doll! Barbie continues to inspire after all these yearsby Corbin CrableRuth Handler had seen it...
Libraries remain essential part of our communities
Photo by Seven Shooter on UnsplashSeptember 2024Everything Old Libraries remain essential part of our communitiesby Corbin Crable September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, and if you’re a lifelong reader like...
The Greatest Show on Earth
Photo by Becky Phan on UnsplashAugust 2024Everything Old The Greatest Show on Earthby Corbin Crable For generations, circuses have given the American public the chance to forget their troubles and be entertained by physical comedy, fantastic feats of derring do, and...
We all scream for ice cream in July
Photo by Brooke Lark on UnsplashJuly 2024Everything Old We all scream for ice cream in Julyby Corbin Crable In 2024, July celebrates its 40th anniversary as National Ice Cream Month, so grab a spoon and enjoy a heaping scoop while I share a bit about its history. July...
If you sprinkle when you tinkle…
Photo by Adobe FireflyJune 2024Everything Old If you sprinkle when you tinkle…by Corbin Crable This month’s cover story relays the history of outhouses, those quiet but stinky outdoor private places where everyone did their business in the 19th century. First,...
The seasoning with a storied history
Photo by Lachlan on UnsplashMay 2024Everything Old The seasoning with a storied historyby Corbin Crable Everyone knows there are two types of people: Those who crave sugary snacks, and those who would prefer something salty instead. I’ve always fallen into the latter...
Action figures were toy industry’s answer to Barbie
Photo by D A V I D S O N L U N A on UnsplashApril 2024Everything Old Action figures were toy industry’s answer to Barbieby Corbin Crable As little girls in the late 1950s and early 1960s played with a new doll named “Barbie,” their younger brothers probably wondered,...
Prices vary for early Russel Wright-designed items
1927 - 2023ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Prices vary for early Russel Wright-designed itemsby Anne GilbertThe big hunt for Russel Wright (1904-76) Fiesta pottery, chrome objects and furniture that began in the late 1970s and ‘80s, has leveled off, as have prices. It all depends...
Would you recognize a Chinoiserie-finish antique?
May 2023ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Would you recognize a Chinoiserie-finish antique?by Anne GilbertJapanning or Chinoiserie Whether you call it Japanning or Chinoiserie, if it was made before the 20th century, call it expensive. Even some examples made in the early 20th...
Once-popular painted porcelain plaques can be pricey and reproductions
April 2023ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Once-popular painted porcelain plaques can be pricey and reproductionsby Anne GilbertPainted Porcelain Plaques Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, 19th-century small or miniature painted porcelain portrait plaques were hot collectibles. When they...
The heyday of glass lampshades
September 2024Good Eye The Heyday of Glass Lampshadesby Peggy Whiteneck Most of the lampshades made before the late 19th century were glass globes for oil lamps. Sometimes these would be produced in colored glass for both the lamp base and the shade. But most shades...
Snagged in the Web?
August 2024Good Eye Snagged in the Web? by Peggy Whiteneck Whether we’re collectors or dealers, most of us will come across items for possible acquisition that we haven’t seen before and about which we may know little or nothing beyond a gut intuition that it’s...
The Beat(er) Goes on
July 2024Good Eye The Beat(er) Goes onby Peggy Whiteneck While they’re less often used today, most readers will be familiar with egg beaters – items with a top handle and hand crank above a pair (usually) of beaters that rotate when the hand crank is turned. The first...
Journeys in quilt history – political patchwork quilts
September 2024Covering Quilts Journeys in quilt history – Political Patchwork Quiltsby Sandra Starley There is no better way to learn history and have fun than through examining, studying, and researching antique quilts. In preparation for my American Quilt...
Mission impossible – The International Quilt Museum heist
July 2024Covering Quilts Mission impossible – The International Quilt Museum heistby Sandra Starley Imagine being let loose in the most amazing quilt museum in the world and getting to pick out any quilt to take home. Well … This was my most recent quilty...
Want a break from quilting? Try a new bag (Bag making 101)
June 2024Covering Quilts Want a break from quilting? Try a new bag (Bag making 101)by Sandra Starley Quilted bags, totes, and fabric pouches of all sizes are having a moment. Why not join in on the fun? As I have mentioned several times, giving yourself a...
Raytown’s Festival of the Trails Commemorates Pioneer Heritage
September 2024. Raytown’s Festival of the Trails Commemorates Pioneer Heritage Raytown’s Festival of the Trails will step off on its fourth annual observance Saturday, Sept. 14. The event commemorates the three westward pioneer trails that wound through the...
Flea Market tradition continues in Brownville
September 2024. Flea Market tradition continues in Brownville Brownville will host its 67th annual Fall Flea Market and Arts & Crafts Show, Sept. 28-29. Taking place at Main Street and the Depot, attendees will marvel at the variety of antiques,...
Big deals in store for Iowa’s Largest Arts and Crafts Show
September 2024. Big deals in store for Iowa’s Largest Arts and Crafts Show You won’t have to drive far to find bargains at Iowa’s Largest Arts and Crafts Show this fall. The show, sponsored by Callahan Promotions Inc., collects more than 250 exhibitors from...
World’s Fair souvenir book reveals styles of the ‘thirties
September 2024Vintage Discoveries World’s Fair souvenir book reveals styles of the ‘thirtiesby Ken Weyand Six years ago in my column, I recalled a trip my mother and her parents made in 1934 to the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. Recently, I discovered a...
Old ‘Wonder Tower’ in Colorado offered views of 6 states
August 2024Vintage Discoveries Old ‘Wonder Tower’ in Colorado offered views of 6 statesby Ken Weyand Back in the mid-1920s, a favorite ‘”tourist attraction” in eastern Colorado was a crude 65-foot tower built on what was reported to be the highest point between New...
Old brochure touts Ford’s automotive progress – in 1935
July 2024Vintage Discoveries Old brochure touts Ford’s automotive progress – in 1935by Ken Weyand A few years ago, I chronicled the story of a long “road trip” my parents and grandparents took to California in 1935, a couple of years before I was born. My parents and...
“The Handbook of Vintage Cigarette Lighters”
September 2024 Books for Collectors “The Handbook of Vintage Cigarette Lighters” by Stuart Schneider and Ira Pilossof By Corbin Crable Vintage cigarette lighters can be found just about everywhere you look, including at garage sales, estate sales, swap...
“The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls” By Hilary Shilkitus James
April 2024Books for Collectors“The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls” By Hilary Shilkitus JamesBy Corbin Crable You’ve seen the more contemporary Barbie dolls everywhere, but Hilary Shilkitus James’ book “The Complete and Unauthorized Guide...
“NASA: Space Flight Research and Pioneering Developments” By Hans-Jüergen Becker
March 2024Books for Collectors“NASA: Space Flight Research and Pioneering Developments” By Hans-Jüergen BeckerBy Corbin Crable Those fascinated by what exists beyond Earth’s atmosphere are sure to gobble up Hans- Jüergen Becker’s tome “NASA: Space Flight...