Santa Candy Container

Santa Claus is as popular a figure in antique Christmas collectibles as he is in today’s decorations. Most are more festive than this papier-mâché figure. Santa is usually portrayed holding a small Christmas tree, carrying his famous sack of toys, surrounded by reindeer or accompanied by a child or angel. Depending on the age and […]

Folk Art Child’s Sled

Do you have fond childhood (or more recent!) memories of spending a winter day sliding down a snowy hill? Sledding is a pastime that has been around for a long time. Archaeologists have evidence that the earliest sleds were used not in cold, snowy climates, but in ancient Egypt. Heavy loads like stone for construction […]

Advertising Premium “Log Cabin Express” Pull Toy

Toys have been used as advertising premiums for more than a hundred years, from the cloth dolls that first appeared in the 19th century and baseball cards initially issued by tobacco companies to Cracker Jack prizes and more recent toys in cereal boxes or kids’ fast-food meals. This “Log Cabin Express” toy, which sold for […]

Budweiser Advertising Lamp

Some advertising icons have obvious connections to their brands, like Planters Peanuts’ Mr. Peanut or the RCA Victor dog with his head tilted as he listens to a phonograph. Others, less so, like the Clydesdale horses and Dalmatian dogs featured in Budweiser advertising items such as this hanging lamp with “The World Champion Clydesdale Team.” […]

Flame Rocking Chair

Furniture functions stay more or less the same, but styles change according to advances in technology, changes in society and the whims of fashion. Even if you’re not familiar with the history of furniture, you can tell that a plain Pilgrim trestle table, an ornately carved Victorian sofa and a Bauhaus tubular steel chair belong […]

Pie Safe

Part of the fun of antiques is learning about how people lived in the past. You can often find new uses for items whose purposes have become obsolete. This softwood cupboard with painted and punched tin panels sold for $384 at Conestoga Auctions. It’s a pie safe, which is not something you would see in […]

Empire-style Stool

Antique collectors know that styles repeat, pieces can be replicated and design periods can be revived. This stool was made in the 20th century, but its style is from the Empire period, which lasted from about 1815 to 1840 in America. Empire style originated with the French Empire in the early 1800s and was inspired […]

Advertising Soda Fountain Tip Tray

American companies have used patriotic imagery in advertisements for more than a hundred years. It appeals to customers and shows pride in American industries. Current trademark law prohibits using the American flag in advertisements, but there are plenty of other patriotic symbols to use. This tin lithographed tip tray, which sold for $2,010 at an […]

Halloween Lantern

Halloween originated in harvest festivals, and some seasonal fruits and vegetables, especially pumpkins and apples, are part of today’s celebrations. Historically, symbols of the season included other plants. We may think of jack-o’-lanterns as strictly pumpkins, but they come from a legend of a man who wanders the earth for eternity with a lantern carved […]

Skull and Bones Paper Clip

When Halloween approaches, it’s time to look into the spooky side of antiques. While there are plenty of antique decorations and toys made specifically for Halloween, you can see related symbols in more everyday pieces. Skulls in particular show up on all sorts of collectibles, from poison bottles to Victorian mourning jewelry to toy pirate […]