Month: July 2020

Up until the 15th century, time was tracked primarily by sundials. One of the most important milestones of modern civilization was the advent of weight- and spring-driven mechanical clocks. These made it possible for people to improve their personal and collective efficiency by enabling them to coordinate their efforts with others. Clearly, the Industrial Revolution … Read more

Individuals and companies have been advertising their products and services for centuries. Rarely found today, the oldest examples of advertising are usually the most desirable. However, items from the 1950s and 60s are often sought after as well, making advertising a broad antiques category. We’ve talked about advertising ephemera in another post, but old advertising … Read more

There is nothing more plentiful in the average American home than clothing and textiles. Despite the fact that we regularly wear only a small fraction of what we own, when you take into account seasonal clothing, stored pieces that are out of style or no longer fit, footwear and accessories, it’s not unusual for a … Read more

Today’s younger generation is living a decidedly more casual lifestyle than earlier generations, and they’re finding it necessary to live in smaller spaces, including a lot of condos and lofts. These spaces are not conducive to traditional antique furniture, and new furniture is amazingly expensive while being rather poorly made. This is why “modern” furniture … Read more

If there is one thing that every reader of this post probably has, it’s ephemera… and most people don’t even know what that means! Simply put, ephemera is any piece of printed matter that was meant to be useful for a short time, yet continues to be of interest today for any number of reasons. … Read more

If your grandparents were living in this country back near the turn of the last century, then you may still have a few pieces of their pottery stashed away. Unlike pottery from much of the rest of the world, the clay used for American pottery is usually quite robust, with excellent strength and solidity and … Read more

If you’re like most people, you probably have an ancestor’s pocket watch stashed away. At some point or another, its worth may have crossed your mind. While some old watches are valuable, the vast majority are actually worth less than $100. Like most antiques, it’s all about the old rule of supply and demand.  While … Read more

Almost everyone has at least a few pieces of jewelry stashed away that they’ll never wear again, or never wore at all. The good news is that now is a great time to turn those unwanted baubles into cash. As of this publication, precious metals are at near all-time highs, and vintage and antique jewelry … Read more