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Spicing Up the World of Collectibles

Is there any novelty item more popular to collect than salt n’ peppers? Salt and pepper shakers are found on just about every kitchen table but in the home of a collector, they do more than season food — they provide spice to decor and are at the heart of an entertaining hobby. Novelty shakers are found in all sorts of shapes and themes. Produced as advertising pieces or in shapes like birds, fish and animals, there are thousands of shakers found in this broad category. Some collectors get into salt n’ peppers because they are great souvenirs, easily picked up while traveling ...

Happy Fourth of July to all Antiques and History Lovers

What better day to celebrate the past than the Fourth of July? Antique enthusiasts love a good story with provenance so the past is always in the present when enjoying a finely crafted piece of Federal furniture, a flag from the Civil War battlefield or the many examples of Americana treasures that date to the 19th and 20th century. My most patriotic collectible is displayed in my entrance hall right now. It’s a plaster statue or bust of George Washington. The story behind this treasure is how I obtained it. I bought it for about a dollar in the early 1980s, when I worked for a ...

Anatomy Of A Rummage Sale

Every time I think I’m done with my parish’s annual rummage sale, there is a sweet smiling lady who draws me back in. I just can’t say no to Miss Gretchen. For years, my mother, and sisters and I were among the helpers who worked to get the sale ready each year. In its earlier years, the sale was held in the old gymnasium at St. Michael Church “out the pike.” Then the pastor felt sorry for us working in the summer heat in the non-air-conditioned gym and allowed the sale to be held in the school hall. Each time the sale moved locations, it grew bigger and more work ...

Sleeping Under The Stars

The smell of the old canvas tent never leaves my senses. Even if it has been decades since we spent a weekend camping out, that distinct scent lingers in my mind. Our son recently asked if we still had a camping tent that he could “borrow” for a trial backyard campout with our two young grandchildren. A quick look in the basement and the answer was yes. The neatly rolled up tent was delivered with some hardy good luck sentiments. It is a generous-sized tent that probably could house two adults and a handful of kids. I have a feeling when our son erects this addition to his ...

Stretch Glass Collectors Go for Shimmer

The term “stretch” glass seems a contradiction. Glass is one of the hardest substances known, so how in the world would it stretch? But stretch glass enthusiasts know that this term stands for a sparkling type of Victorian art glass that attracts lots of attention. Ask any one of the thousand or so members of the Stretch Glass Society why they got started collecting this novelty glass and they will tell you that once you discover it — stretch glass just won’t let go. Not to be confused with swung glass, or glass made by swinging it back and forth on a rod, stretch glass is ...

TV Dads Are Far From Real

My father passed away 30 years ago when he was just 68 years old. He was two years older than I am today. He lived enough years to see most of his children leave the nest and to celebrate about one-third of his grandchildren’s births. He was a proud, patriotic man who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He survived the Battle of the Bulge despite being wounded. He came back to his Wheeling hometown to enjoy a 50-year career with this newspaper. However he could not undo the damage caused by smoking cigarettes from a young age, which led to his early demise. Growing ...