Features
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...
Our favorite Christmas characters Yuletide TV specials continue to draw nostalgic audiences
(Image courtesy of Classic Media)December 2022Cover Story Our favorite Christmas characters Yuletide TV specials continue to draw nostalgic audiencesby Corbin Crable The holiday season is a time for nostalgia, savoring warm memories created with friends and family –...
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...
Support your local small businesses this holiday season
Photo by Tim Mossholder on UnsplashDecember 2022Everything OldSupport your local small businesses this holiday seasonby Corbin Crable Ideal gift for that special someone If you’re still looking for the ideal gift for that special someone on your holiday...
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....
Tips for selling antiques for greater success
April 2024Good Eye Tips for selling antiques for greater successby Peggy Whiteneck Antique buyers have more types of buying options today than they did 15 or 20 years ago. The Internet and online auctions have revolutionized the antiques trade. However, that also...
Collecting Japanese Kutani and Satsuma Wares
March 2024Good Eye Collecting Japanese Kutani and Satsuma Waresby Peggy Whiteneck I generally prefer collecting Japanese to Chinese antique pottery and porcelain. This is because, in China, the practice of honorifics, in which late items are marked as being from...
Celebrating American Stretch Glass
February 2024Good Eye Celebrating American Stretch Glassby Peggy Whiteneck This year, the American Stretch Glass Society celebrates its 50th anniversary (stretchglasssociety.org). The group holds an annual convention and show, this year scheduled for Aug. 15-17 at...
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...
Journeys in quilt history: Political patchwork edition
February 2024Covering Quilts Journeys in quilt history: Political patchwork editionby Sandra Starley Learning about the past can be fun! One of the things that I love most about collecting antique quilts, blocks, and fabrics are all the interesting tidbits of history...
My Old Kentucky Home – Quilt adventures with the American Quilt Study Group
December 2023Covering Quilts My Old Kentucky Home – Quilt adventures with the American Quilt Study Groupby Sandra Starley I recently revisited “My Old Kentucky Home,” having lived there briefly as a youngster, for the Annual Seminar of the American Quilt Study...
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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...
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...
“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...
‘Victorian Costume for Ladies, 1860-1910’ (2nd Ed.)
October 2021Books for Collectors‘Victorian Costume for Ladies, 1860-1910’ (2nd Ed.)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...