Features
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...
Honoring the dead Dia de los Muertos has colorful traditions, history in both Mexico, U.S.
A row of colorful skulls sits surrounded by marigolds and other flowers. Both have been longstanding parts of the imagery and altar decoration during the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos celebrated every Nov. 1-2. (Image courtesy of Getty) October 2023 Cover...
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...
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...
Item tied to former Kansas mayor, his family
Wallet Photo by Jonathan Duran on UnsplashOctober 2023Everything Old Item tied to former Kansas mayor, his familyby Corbin Crable Last weekend I enjoyed my first visit to Merchant Square in Independence, MO, where I had the pleasure of interviewing Jace Sanders, the...
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....
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....
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...
Feast your eyes on delicious antique custard glass
October 2024 Good Eye Feast your eyes on delicious antique custard glass by Peggy Whiteneck Custard glass is creamy ivory or pale-yellow pressed glass that was popular in the late 19th and very early 20th centuries. It was used in tableware made by some English and...
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...
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...
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Old ‘slate-board’ from the 1800s made learning a bit easier
May 2024Vintage Discoveries Old ‘slate-board’ from the 1800s made learning a bit easierby Ken Weyand While today’s parents and teachers fret about how youngsters are too dependent on smart phones, I was tickled to find an “education tool” from another age in the back...
Old magazine brought back memories of the 1950s
April 2024Vintage Discoveries Old magazine brought back memories of the 1950sby Ken Weyand Like many 15-year-old boys in early 1950s rural America, I was caught up in the popular culture of the times. In those heady days before the Internet killed off or reshaped...
Old geography textbook taught my ancestor the ‘basics’
March 2024Vintage Discoveries Old geography textbook taught my ancestor the ‘basics’by Ken Weyand A small and very old textbook turned up recently in the back of a bookcase. I thought it might have been something I had acquired from an antique shop, but it turned out...
“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...