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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...
Landing Among the Stars NASA collectibles enjoy resurgence in popularity
The NASA logo, also referred to as “the meatball,” was designed by a NASA employee in 1959, the year after the organization was founded.Mar 2024Cover Story Landing Among the Stars NASA collectibles enjoy resurgence in popularityby Corbin CrableAmericans will be...
Pinball Wizard Pinball machines stay in the game even 100 years after initial release
Detail of a vintage pinball machine. (Image courtesy of Design Market)Jan/Feb 2024Cover Story Pinball Wizard Pinball machines stay in the game even 100 years after initial releaseby Corbin CrableClack! go the flippers as the ball is launched. Pop! go the bumpers as...
The Reason for the Season Nativity scenes from around the world depict birth of Christ
The Night Arch Nativity is beautifully hand-carved and painted by artisans in Indonesia. (image courtesy of TenThousandVillages.com)December 2023Cover Story The Reason for the Season Nativity scenes from around the world depict birth of Christby Corbin Crable For...
Posters’ Persuasive Power U.S. propaganda during WW II attempted to rally Americans around war effort
J. Howard Miller’s “We can do it!” poster was designed to boost morale among American women who went to work in factories and in shipyards during the labor shortage created by World War II. (Image courtesy of 1st Dibs)November 2023Cover Story Posters’ Persuasive Power...
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,...
Space Age design dominated postwar America
https://firefly.adobe.com/generate/imagesMarch 2024Everything Old Space Age design dominated postwar Americaby Corbin Crable This issue of Discover Vintage America will present decades of vintage NASA collectibles, which have chronicled our fascination with space...
Pachinko is Japan’s answer to pinball
Photo by Emile Guillemot on UnsplashJan/Feb 2024Everything Old Pachinko is Japan’s answer to pinballby Corbin Crable In this issue of Discover Vintage America, you’ll read about the storied history of the pinball machine, from the controversy it faced in the game’s...
Stores shine spotlight on ethically sourced, sustainable items
https://firefly.adobe.com/generate/imagesDecember 2023Everything Old Stores shine spotlight on ethically sourced, sustainable itemsby Corbin Crable If you’ve ever taken a leisurely stroll throughout the picturesque, quaint downtown Overland Park, KS, you likely have a...
Holiday celebrations made special with cherished traditions
https://firefly.adobe.com/generate/imagesNovember 2023Everything Old Holiday celebrations made special with cherished traditionsby Corbin Crable Far too often, we don’t truly appreciate traditions when we’re living them in the moment. This is especially true for those...
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...
Mustache sentiment cups make trendy bargains
May 2022 ANTIQUE DETECTIVE Mustache sentiment cups make trendy bargains by Anne Gilbert Take a look -- Mustaches and beards are seen everywhere! It couldn’t be a better time to give a second glance to gifting or collecting antique and vintage mustache sentiment cups....
Some ‘almost’ antique kitchen and dinnerware
February 2025Good Eye Some ‘almost’ antique kitchen and dinnerwareby Peggy Whiteneck When I began collecting mid-century American-made kitchen and dinnerware sets, I quickly learned that even items made by entirely different manufacturers could be pleasingly matched...
Little lights for winter celebrations
December 2024Good Eye Little lights for winter celebrationsby Peggy Whiteneck Candlelit fairy lights (AKA fairy lamps) were popular in the 19th century before access to gas and electrical lighting. George Miller Clarke invented fairy lights in England in 1844, just...
Gobble up these collectibles for Thanksgiving
November 2024Good Eye Gobble up these collectibles for Thanksgivingby Peggy Whiteneck Pilgrim forms made of cloth, straw, or ceramics are useful as decorations for Thanksgiving but not so much for the rest of the year. Broadening our focus, there are many...
Fall in love with New York – quilting adventures with the American Quilt Study Group
November 2024Covering Quilts Fall in love with New York – quilting adventures with the American Quilt Study Groupby Sandra Starley What could be better than touring New York in the Fall with a lot of friends and antique quilts? Not much! Once again I had the...
Adventures in quilt rescue
October 2024Covering Quilts Adventures in quilt rescueby Sandra Starley Several years ago, I acquired a funky leaf appliqué quilt from an online auction. I put in a single small bid, then forgot about the item. I was surprised to find that I was the new owner,...
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...
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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...
“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...
