Features
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...
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...
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....
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...
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....
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...
Don’t get tangled in the Web
June 2024Good Eye Don’t get tangled in the Webby Peggy Whiteneck Most dealers will come across items for possible acquisition that we haven’t seen before and about which we may know little or nothing – beyond perhaps a gut intuition that it’s something special or...
Collecting for teetotalers
May 2024Good Eye Collecting for teetotalersby Peggy Whiteneck The history of tea and its dispersion is not entirely known nor clearly understood, but it appears the first tea appeared in China at least as early as 350 BC. Eventually, tea drinking would expand across...
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...
The Churn Dash or Monkey Wrench pattern, Part II
May 2024Covering Quilts Make it modern: The Churn Dash or Monkey Wrench pattern, Part IIby Sandra Starley As I mentioned last month, if you have not been making butter or repairing wagons, you may not be aware of the history behind the classic Churn Dash or...
Quilt history revisited: The Churn Dash or Monkey Wrench pattern
April 2024Covering Quilts Quilt history revisited: The Churn Dash or Monkey Wrench patternby Sandra Starley Have you been churning butter or fixing wagons recently? If not, you might appreciate a bit of background information on the origins of the two most...
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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...
“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...
‘Christmas By Design: Private Homes Decorated by Leading Designers’
November 2021Books for Collectors‘Christmas By Design: Private Homes Decorated by Leading Designers’By Patricia Hart McMillan and Katharine Kaye McMillan Everyone could use a bit of escapism during the holidays. Take a break from the rigors of entertaining for...