Features
A Head Above The Rest, Lady head vases brought touch of class to one’s home
Lady head vases can be found for sale online, with prices for more common pieces ranging from $10 to $100. (Image courtesy of eBay)September 2023Cover StoryA Head Above The Rest Lady head vases brought a touch of class to one’s homeby Corbin CrableThey added a dash of...
Fifty years of ‘Discovering’ began with a modest ‘guide’
Discovering front page images collage by Patti Klinge August 2023 Cover Story Fifty years of ‘Discovering’ began with a modest ‘guide’ by Ken Weyand After spending a decade as a copywriter (and later copy chief) in the advertising art department of The Kansas City...
A modern style Art Deco movement was elegant but accessible
This 1931 Packard Model 840 Dietrich Convertible Victoria was the centerpiece of an exhibition on the Art Deco movement at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO. The exhibition, “American Art Deco: Designing for the People, 1918-1939,” ran July 2022...
Tupperware: An American icon
A housewife hosts a Tupperware party in the 1950s. (Image courtesy of Click Americana)June 2023Cover StoryTupperware: An American iconby Corbin CrableThey’re durable, they’re colorful, and they’re cherished hand-me-downs that have survived decades in your kitchen and...
Fill ‘er up! Oil and gas collectibles remain popular with collectors
A metal sign advertising Mobilgas from the company that would later become Exxon Mobil. The company used the mythological winged horse Pegasus on most of its advertising and logos. (Image courtesy of eBay)May 2023Cover StoryFill ‘er up! Oil and gas collectibles...
Just Your Type – Typewriters find second life as beloved antiques
(Image courtesy of Patti Klinge)Apr 2023Cover StoryJust Your Type Typewriters find second life as beloved antiquesby Corbin CrableHear that clickety-clack as the keys pound away. Feel the smooth keys under your fingers as they fly across the keyboard. Marvel at...
Items crafted in Occupied Japan were designed to kick-start postwar economy
Photo by Tianshu Liu on UnsplashSeptember 2023Everything Old Items crafted in Occupied Japan were designed to kick-start postwar economyby Corbin Crable Made in Japan If you’re a collector of ceramics and porcelain, it’s likely that you’ve checked on the bottom of...
Happy 50th anniversary, Discover Vintage America
As the years rolled on, the cost of color printing became more affordable, and four-color printing became the standard. The printing process has become more streamlined as well, with digital files now being sent to our printers in Breese, IL, where the magic happens....
Goodbye to a longtime colleague
Photo by Christelle BOURGEOIS on Unsplash July 2023 Everything Old Goodbye to a longtime colleague by Corbin Crable Honor to dedicate this issue to ... Just because we know that death is a part of life, that acknowledgment never makes that loss any easier when it...
Anniversary is a time to remember days, people past
Photo by Lucas Law on UnsplashJune 2023Everything OldAnniversary is a time to remember days, people pastby Corbin Crable50th anniversary This year includes a couple of very special occasions that are near and dear to my heart. The first, we’ll celebrate with all of...
Good luck finding these long-gone jobs
Photo by Leon Seibert on UnsplashMay 2023Everything OldGood luck finding these long-gone jobsby Corbin CrableGas Station Attendants It’s about that time of year when people pack their bags, gas up their cars, and hit the road on a summer vacation or road trip. Our...
Bring on the bunnies
Apr 2023Everything OldBring on the bunniesby Corbin Crable Easter Sunday is coming up quickly, on Sunday, April 9, and if you live in Kansas City or are at least from here, that can mean only one thing – a trip to the Country Club Plaza to see the Easter...
How do you display your collection?
March 2023 ANTIQUE DETECTIVE How do you display your collection? by Anne Gilbert Curio Cabinets Whether a collection is large or small, over the centuries, furniture was made just to show it off. It began in ancient Rome, with royalty and the wealthy, who used table...
Toy farm tractors come to town for child and adult collectors
February 2023ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Toy farm tractors come to town for child and adult collectorsby Anne Gilbert Antique Toy Farm Tractors Farm toys have been collected for decades. One of the most popular categories is the small toy farm tractor. While late 19th century...
Victorian Gothic revival furniture can be weird and pricey
December 2022ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Victorian Gothic revival furniture can be weird and priceyby Anne Gilbert Victorian Gothic revival furniture You might think that Victorian Gothic revival furniture was made for Halloween. The carved, devilish-looking heads on chairs are...
Collecting Miniature Porcelain Critters
November 2023Good Eye Collecting Miniature Porcelain Crittersby Peggy Whiteneck When I was a kid, I collected bone china animals. These were not expensive to buy nor worth much money, but I sure did enjoy them. The adults in my family enjoyed them, too, as they could...
Hickory, Dickory…. Clocks! – Antique American Timepieces
October 2023Good Eye Hickory, Dickory…. Clocks! - Antique American Timepiecesby Peggy Whiteneck Antique clocks from the 19th and early 20th centuries were made in many forms, from mantel clocks to tall case “grandfather” clocks to banjo wall clocks. Their cases were...
A Collector’s History with Fenton Art Glass
September 2023Good Eye A Collector’s History with Fenton Art Glassby Peggy Whiteneck I’ve been a member of the Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America, founded in 1976, for several years. Unfortunately, I joined not long after Fenton itself ceased making glass in 2011....
The Rolling Stone Quilt Pattern
November 2023 Covering Quilts The Rolling Stone Quilt Pattern by Sandra Starley As I noted in last month’s column, the Rolling Stone block is a classic early pattern that has been popular for more than 170 years. Part of its appeal is the simple, aka easy piecing:...
Rolling Stone Revisited
October 2023 Covering Quilts Rolling Stone Revisited by Sandra Starley Rolling Stone is a classic early quilt pattern that has been gaining popularity for more than 170 years. The block can be constructed in two separate ways: as an even or uneven nine patch. Both...
French Star or American Star revisited
September 2023Covering Quilts French Star or American Star revisited by Sandra Starley One of my all-time favorite antique quilt patterns is the French Star. I love sharing information about the block and hope to uncover more antique quilts featuring this design. I...
Augusta’s Paramount East Antique Mall will close at end of April
March 2024. Augusta’s Paramount East Antique Mall will close at end of April Cynthia Branch, one of the owners of Paramount stores in Wichita and Augusta, announced on Jan. 30 that after 12 years of business, the difficult decision has been made to close...
Vintage Market Days making appearances in Kansas City, KS, and Wichita this month
March 2024. Vintage Market Days making appearances in Kansas City, KS, and Wichita this month If you’re a fan of Vintage Market Days events and you’re in or near Kansas, we have good news – you’ll be able to visit not one but two events in the state in March....
1926 souvenir book marked America’s first 150 years
October 2023Vintage Discoveries 1926 souvenir book marked America’s first 150 yearsby Ken Weyand At the bottom of a cedar chest with other family memorabilia, I found a souvenir book of the 1926 Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, held in Philadelphia. It featured...
Visit to threshers’ show brings back ‘farm memories’
September 2023Vintage Discoveries Visit to threshers’ show brings back ‘farm memories’by Ken Weyand As a farm kid who grew up in the days when farmers were transitioning from horse-drawn equipment to tractors, a part of my brain still remembers when a threshing...
Old recipe book shows how business plans can change
July 2023 Vintage Discoveries Old recipe book shows how business plans can change by Ken Weyand A comb-bound book was recently unearthed among my old files – a reminder of how far Discover Vintage America has come since my fledgling efforts as a journalist/publisher...
“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...
“Christmas Through the Decades”
November 2021Books for Collectors“Christmas Through the Decades”By Robert Brenner Christmas history Those interested in Christmas history will find Robert Brenner’s “Christmas Through the Decades” a colorful, informative and easily accessible guide to Christmas...