Chandeliers

Early taverns and large living rooms of many early American homes had a center light fixture that hung from the ceiling. Smaller rooms, such as the bedrooms or kitchen, did not have a center light. The word chandelier originally meant a branched fixture that held candles. A pricket candleholder was often used. Chandeliers were not […]

Grease lamps

Grease lamps were the next to be used by the pioneers. The Betty lamp was the first of these lamps. The first governor of the Plymouth Colony is said to have bought an iron Betty lamp in Holland to bring to America. The Betty lamp was an oval, round, or triangular dish. The dish ranged […]

Candlesticks

A candlestick is any device that holds a candle. The shape of a candlestick can be an indication of its age. The earliest candlesticks were made from solid cast brass or wrought iron. The spike, or pricket, holder for candles was used in Europe beginning in the fifth century. This candleholder impaled the candle on […]

Lighting Fuels

This table shows a selection of common lighting fuels used in America, from the colonial period to the present, and the years they were used. Fuel Date Candlewood/Pine Splint Colonial America Grease Colonial America Candles Colonial America Whale Oil 1800-1840 Argand 1780s-mid-1800s Lard Oil 1840-1860 Turpentine (Camphene) 1820s Turpentine and Alcohol (Burning Fluid) 1840-1860 Gas […]

Argand lamps

By the end of the eighteenth century, there were many inexpensive fuels that gave a bright light when burned in lamps. Some mixtures combined turpentine with alcohol and were highly explosive. Several new types of lamps were made to overcome the danger of explosion. Aimé Argand, a Swiss scientist, invented and patented his lamp in […]

The Talking Machine

Thomas Alva Edison’s phonographs were first manufactured in 1878 and are sought-after collectors’ items. Edison’s phonograph first used tinfoil-covered cylinders that played for only two minutes. By 1885 Alexander Graham Bell, his cousin Chichester Bell, and Charles Tainter had applied for a patent for a graphophone that used wax-coated cylinders, which provided better sound. In […]

Other Music Makers

The rule for valuing other types of musical antiques is simple: If it is odd enough, someone will want it and treasure it. There are many collectors of old instruments, and they are always searching for rarities. The Internet and special publications devoted to music and musical collectibles are the best sources. To find or […]

Music Boxes

Music boxes first became popular in the 1800s and the mechanisms were gradually improved during the century. The early music box had a revolving brass cylinder set with steel pins. The pins hit a metal comb that had from fifteen to twenty-five teeth. After 1820 the pins and cylinder were made from a single piece […]

Pianos

Nineteenth-century player pianos, nickelodeons, and large music-making devices are very popular with collectors. These fun collectibles are loved for the joy they give, not just for their artistic or historic value. The early ones were expensive, and today only a very limited number are available. A player piano can produce music without a pianist touching […]

American Tile Companies

Tile Company Location Dates of Operation Mark Alhambra Tile Company Newport, Kentucky 1901–c.1941 American Encaustic Tiling Company Zanesville, Ohio 1875–1935 Atlantic Tile and Faience Company Perth Amboy, New Jersey 1908–1912 Batchelder Tile Company Pasadena and Los Angeles, California 1909–1932 Beaver Falls Art Tile Company Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania 1886–1927 Brayton Laguna Pottery Laguna Beach, California 1927–1968 […]