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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...
Walk Like An Egyptian, Egyptomania Resurrects Country’s Magic, Mysticism
(Image courtesy of Classic Media)Mar 2023Cover Story Walk Like An Egyptian Egyptomania Resurrects Country’s Magic, Mysticismby Corbin Crable Though fascination with all things Egyptian has endured since the ancient world, it wasn’t until the last 200 years or so that...
It’s a date! Celebrate your love with these old-fashioned date ideas
(Image courtesy of Classic Media)Jan/Feb 2023Cover Story It’s a date! Celebrate your love with these old-fashioned date ideasby Corbin Crable With the arrival of Valentine’s Day comes a certain anxiety, whether you’re heading out for a first date with a new love...
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...
Turn the page on old reading habits
Photo by Catherine Hammond on UnsplashMar 2023Everything OldTurn the page on old reading habitsby Corbin Crable March is National Reading Month, and with it comes a greater awareness of the benefits of reading. Established to honor Dr. Seuss, one of the first...
How to finally keep your new year’s resolution
Photo by Tim Mossholder on UnsplashJan/Feb 2023Everything OldHow to finally keep your new year’s resolutionby Corbin Crable Keeping your Resolutions How are you doing on keeping your resolutions for the new year so far? Still going strong? Or maybe you’ve...
The history of animal cracker containers and other tins
April 2022 ANTIQUE DETECTIVE The history of animal cracker containers and other tins by Anne Gilbert Chances are that you or someone in your family have eaten animal crackers and loved every bite. Perhaps you are even a collector of the tin boxes they came in....
Collectible old pewter came in many forms
March 2022ANTIQUE DETECTIVECollectible old pewter came in many formsby Anne Gilbert You might be surprised to learn that many items of 17th and 18th centuries still come up for sale at modest prices. Also, there are many collectors around the world, including...
Trendy autograph collecting needs careful research
February 2022ANTIQUE DETECTIVETrendy autograph collecting needs careful researchby Anne Gilbert While many once- popular collectibles are languishing, nothing seems to stop autograph collectors from spending big bucks. The question is, are their purchases...
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...
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...
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...
Ocean Waves quilts revisited
March 2024Covering Quilts Ocean Waves quilts revisitedby Sandra Starley Nature has long inspired quilters. As American quilting developed in Eastern seaboard settlements, it is not surprising that early quilt designs and pattern names often carried a nautical...
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Mother Goose book finds a new home
February 2024Vintage Discoveries Mother Goose book finds a new homeby Ken Weyand One of the “finds” in my collection of “old stuff” is a well-preserved “Mother Goose” book from my childhood. It isn’t guesswork on my part: the book has my name written discretely in...
Old Bible witnessed two decades of family history
December 2023Vintage Discoveries Old Bible witnessed two decades of family historyby Ken Weyand When my grandfather, a struggling grocer in Keokuk, IA, married a young milliner from neighboring Warsaw, IL, in 1880, their lives changed considerably. No longer would...
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...
‘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...
‘Victorian Costume for Ladies, 1860-1910’ (2nd Ed.)
October 2021Books for Collectors“Christmas Through the Decades”By Linda Setnik As the world neared the 20th century during the late Victorian Era, a chapter in the history of women’s fashion was about to come to an end. With a renewed interest in Victorian...