Devil Playing Cards Pitcher

Playing cards provide innocent amusement: a game with friends, a magic trick to entertain a child, a round of solitaire to pass some time alone. So what’s a devil doing here? This novelty pitcher made by Royal Bayreuth about 1930 has a body that looks like it’s made of playing cards and has a smiling […]

Owl Andirons

Shining red and yellow eyes peer from the dancing shadows. This could be a scene from a haunted forest—or a cozy living room fireplace. A cast iron figure of an owl perched on a twisted branch decorates each of these andirons, which sold as a pair for $660 at Morphy Auctions. They use the fire […]

Flag Quilt

Quilting has long been celebrated as an American folk art, and American symbols like flags, eagles and the colors red, white and blue often appear on quilts. Some patriotic quilts have elaborate designs with multiple flags, appliques and complex patterns, sometimes incorporating commemorative banners. Others were simpler, like this quilt with a single small flag […]

North Pole Game

On top of the world! In September 1909, The New York Times published Robert Peary’s claims of reaching the North Pole in April of that year, crediting him with the pole’s discovery. However, just a week earlier, another newspaper claimed that Frederick Cook had reached the pole the year before. Both claims have been disputed […]

Puzzle Jug

You don’t often see a jug with openwork around the neck. You could pour liquid in (carefully!), but getting it out would make a mess. If you look closely, you can see small holes in the textured rim. This type of jug is a puzzle jug. They have openings that cause the liquid inside to […]

“Spirit of Ectasy” Automobile Hood Ornament

Looking for a little luxury? This “Spirit of Ecstasy” figure replicates the hood ornament from Rolls-Royce cars. In 1909, car enthusiast John Douglas-Scott-Montagu commissioned sculptor Charles Sykes to create a mascot for his Rolls-Royce. Sykes made a sculpture of a woman bent at the waist, leaning forward so her robe flows behind her like wings. […]

Labor Day Parade Flags

The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882, in New York City with a parade by trade union members, followed by an enormous outdoor party with speeches and picnics. President Grover Cleveland signed the holiday into national law in 1884, and Labor Day parades have been held throughout the United States since then. […]

Antique Drug Store Cabinet

“Doctor Yourself,” encourages this cabinet, made to hold the Munyon Remedies in a drug store. The cabinet lists the “remedies” it contains according to the ailments they claim to “Relieve Immediately.” You won’t find any ingredients lists, warnings or “drug facts” here. These are Munyon’s Homeopathic Remedies from the early 20th century.   James M. Munyon […]

Chinese Porcelain Waste Bowl

I saw a beautiful antique Chinese porcelain bowl at an auction. It was blue and white with painted dragons, and it had an unusual shape— rounded with a flared rim. The description called it a “zhadou,” but did not say what that meant. A zhadou is a bowl for discarding used tea leaves and other […]

Mechanical Rope Twister

Early 20th century farms and households had many unusual appliances with identities and purposes that have been lost to time. Look at this device with toothed wheels and a hand crank, that sold for $266 at Conestoga Auction Company in Pennsylvania. Is it a kitchen gadget—perhaps a fruit or vegetable peeler? Some kind of grinder […]