Watch papers have long
been neglected by collectors, but now they’re becoming popular.
Originally used as a packing
between the inner and outer case of a watch to protect its works, they
became keepsakes in the mid-18th century.
Read More
Jade,
ivory, horn, and marble should be lightly dusted with a soft brush or
dry, soft cloth. Keep these objects out of direct sunlight, since they
may dry out and become brittle. Always handle these objects with care
when moving them. More Tips
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me
The
ABC’s of Collecting Online
by Ray Boileau
If
you’re like many collectors today, you’ve already discovered the
Internet, specifically eBay, for buying and perhaps selling antiques and
collectibles–for good or bad.
More Books
I
have a one-armed chair passed down to me and I'm interested in knowing
what it is and what it was used for, besides sitting. It is very
delicate and sits low to the ground, it also only has one arm.
Helen Read more
EARLY TECH AUCTION OFFERS
RARITIES
Cologne, Germany - We
live in an age of technology, so it’s fitting that pieces of early
technology should be high on collector’s lists of most wanted items.
On June 18, Auction Team Köln, the premier specialty auction of
technical items since 1987, headed by Auction Team Breker, held it’s
quarterly Science & Technology, Office Antiques, and Toys and Tin
Toys auctions in Cologne, Germany.
Read
More
An
acanthus is:
a plant or shrub
an ornamental motif
the Greek god of harvest
a finial To see the answer
Instructions
on sending photographs of your pieces.
Updated October 2, 2007
A Little World
Under the Christmas Tree
by Bob Brooke
The
Germans began the tradition of putting little houses under their
Christmas trees. They called it a "putz." In the early part of
the 20th Century, many Americans created their own Christmas
villages under their trees. To meet the need, German toy manufacturers
began to produce small, inexpensive, cardboard houses covered with bits
of mica to represent snow. The Dolly Toy Company of Chilicothe, Ohio,
started making these houses in the mid-1930s. They’re known as "printies"
because the details were printed on them. Makers used wire brushes for
evergreen trees and at first pink tissue and later colored cellophane
for the windows since the houses were meant to be lit from inside.
After World War II, Japan began producing
cheaper Christmas houses. These are the ones most found at flea markets
and antique malls today. While individual Japanese examples can begin as
low as $4-6, a complete boxed set of eight German ones can sell for as
high as $795.
For more information on Christmas houses, click
here.
If
you’re like many collectors today, you’ve already discovered the
Internet, specifically eBay, for buying and perhaps selling antiques and
collectibles–for good or bad.
The
Germans began the tradition of putting little houses under their
Christmas trees. They called it a "putz." In the early part of
the 20th Century, many Americans created their own Christmas
villages under their trees. To meet the need, German toy manufacturers
began to produce small, inexpensive, cardboard houses covered with bits
of mica to represent snow. The Dolly Toy Company of Chilicothe, Ohio,
started making these houses in the mid-1930s. They’re known as "printies"
because the details were printed on them. Makers used wire brushes for
evergreen trees and at first pink tissue and later colored cellophane
for the windows since the houses were meant to be lit from inside.