Trinkets and Trinket Boxes

This weekend, I did not go out of the house except to get a haircut and to go to the gym.  Most of the weekend was spent working on my website updating webpages and adding new inventory.  For those that do not have their own website, just to let you know, it can be tedious and time consuming.  The benefit is that you are not paying another site a lot of money to host your online store or kiosk.  But this story is not about my website, it is about a trinket or trinket holder that I came across while toiling away; and what exactly is a trinket?

Defining a trinket is really simple.  According to the dictionary, a trinket is an inexpensive piece of jewelry that is also not valuable.  Some would argue that an inexpensive piece of jewelry is not jewelry at all; and so therefore the name trinket.  And of course, where would one keep such items of non-value?  A trinket holder or box of course.  One wouldn’t want to mix trinkets with real jewelry, which of course should be kept in jewelry case or box.  So the story goes that trinket boxes go back to the 1600s and of course France.

The first trinket boxes were actually commissioned by nobles and were nothing if not very fancy and adorned with gold and silver.  In fact, one of the first trinket boxes was produced was in Limoge, France.  Made of porcelain and enamels and adorned in gold and silver, the trinket box was probably worth more than the trinkets it held.  And of course if you were to get your hands on one today, it would probably be worth a few million dollars.  The good news for those of us that don’t have millions to spend on a trinket holder is that there are far less expensive ones on the market that can be just as eye catching.

Trinket holders or boxes, also shortened to just trinkets by some folks, come in a variety of shapes, colors and made of many different materials.  There are inexpensive vintage glass trinkets made by glass manufacturers such as Fenton, Westmoreland and Jefferson.  And there are those made of porcelain from Limoges, Capodimonte, and Sorelle.  Then there are others that are made of wood, metal or enamels and come in interesting shapes, including animals and some that are appropriately named, casket trinket boxes because of course they look like a casket. 

Hurricane Lamps are Collectible but Functional

A few weeks ago, a storm rolled through the Mid Atlantic states, and pretty much the whole midsection of the United States.  After a stretch of hot and humid days with temperatures reaching the 95 – 100 degree range, we were hit with what some folks are now calling a “Derecho” or in my estimation one of the freakiest weather events that I have ever lived through.  I watched out my back doors as the neighbor’s large trampoline flew across, took two sections of my fence and landed in our yard.  A few minutes later, the winds picked it up again, sailed it across the opening in the fence and put it right back where it had come from, minus a few pieces.

The thunderstorms, lightning and winds combined to take out not only a portion of my fence with the help of the trampoline, but it took down large sized tree limbs and of course power lines, cable lines and telephone lines.  Hundreds of thousands of people were left without utilities.  This then reminded me of the hurricane of 2004 that hit us while we lived in Mclean, Virginia.  This time we were one of the lucky ones because we didn’t lose power, the last time we lost power for three and a half days; no Internet, no TV, no air conditioning  . . . like our forefathers before us, we played cards and read by candlelight. Some people might think that fun, but being an Internet junkie, for me it was a torturous.  But there was a bright side to all of this, as people started thinking of alternatives to candles and ways to “light up their life.”

The weekend after the hurricane, I was set up at the Clarendon AntiqueMarket in Arlington, Virginia and wouldn’t you know that I sold every single oil lamp that I had in inventory.  It didn’t matter if they were pretty, or ugly, vintage glass or retro ceramic, every single one of our hurricane lamps flew off our tables and shelving.  It was amazing, because all the while, I had had those in my inventory and had never thought to bring them out during the power outage for my own family to use.  It wasn’t until they were flying off the shelves that I realized I didn’t really have to use candles.  Not that it would have made my situation any better, life without power and for me the Internet would have been unbearable regardless.

Which then leads me back to a previous article that I had written; more folks are buying functional antiques and collectibles.  Vintage oil lamps or hurricane lamps are not only collectible, but functional during a storm.  And the nice thing about vintage oil lamps is that they are available in so many colors, styles and shapes; they fit in with any décor in any home.  Sure, you can go to Walmart or Target and get a brand new oil lamp, but they just don’t have the character and the beauty of the old lamps.  Additionally, without power you don’t have Internet, so sit back gaze at the flame in old oil lamp and you can make up stories in your head about where it has been in the past, and the stories it could tell.

Nostalgic Salt & Pepper Shakers

This weekend I started cataloging my new inventory of vintage collectibles that I have acquired within the past few months so that I could include them in the Outasite!!Collectibles website.  In this process I found many interesting things that I had forgotten that I had.  I found some nice vintage toys, including a 1968 Effenbee doll and a retro, mid 1970s WaltDisney Goofy Doll.  However, in one box, I found some salt and pepper shakers that brought back many memories of when I was a young kid.

As a child I remember when we all piled into my Dad’s 1963 Chevy Impala and went and visited relatives on the weekends.  As most times, when we visited, we ended up sitting and visiting in the kitchen, because that’s where all the good eats were.  At my aunt’s house, I was always intrigued by the Toaster Salt and Pepper Shakers that she had sitting on the table.  It looked just like a toaster from the 1950’s with two pieces of toast sticking out.  One slice of toast held the salt, the other, darker piece of toast held the pepper.  When the button lever on the side of the toaster was pushed down, the toast would pop up allowing you to easily grasp the salt or pepper shaker out of the toaster.  Of course it wasn’t a toy and I always got in trouble for playing with it.

At my mother’s aunt’s home, an every Sunday go to church kind of woman, who could also cook up a storm, the eats were even better and the toy for me was the TV salt and pepper shaker that sat on her kitchen table.  This salt and pepper shaker looked just like a TV from the late 1950s or mid 1960’s with four long legs, and in a cubicle on top sat the salt and pepper shakers.  On the front of the TV, the channel changer knob turns to move the salt and pepper holders up so that you can easily grasp them.  It was really cool and it actually looks like a piece of dollhouse furniture, although I never played with a dollhouse or dollhouse furniture.

I am sure a lot of baby boomers like me will recall these and other salt and pepper shakers that sat on tables across America.  They came and still come in various shapes, sizes and colors and mimic everything from vintage irons to cats, dogs, cows and other animals.  I think salt and pepper shakers are nostalgic because we tend to remember the smells and sounds associated to them when we first saw them.  My aunts rice pudding with coconut and raisins; my mother’s aunt’s fried plantains and not least of all my Italian neighbor’s lasagna and ravioli cooking.  As I sat at many of these tables in my youth, I could not keep my hands off the functional yet toy looking salt and pepper shakers.

Vintage Collectible Thermometers

What a week we have had temperature wise here in Northern Virginia; the mercury has risen to over 95 for something like ten straight days and the humidity has been total craziness.  So much so that hundreds of thousands of people lost power due to a freak storm that rolled through from the west and knocked out power lines.  And they say that the temperature will not go down for another few days.  Phew!! . . . who invented the thermometer anyway?

If you are a historian or scientist, the answer to that question is not an easy one to answer, for really there were a few people who actually “invented” it.  Actually, it was more of many people improving on everyone else’s “invention.”  Galileo invented what some want to call a thermoscope and then others added to it; including Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who later added the first scale to the thermometer back in 1714.  Then about thirty years later Anders Celsius added a scale and then a hundred years later Lord Kelvin added to it.
 

Given that they have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, there is bound to be one to compliment and decorate just about any room or home décor.  They come in all shapes and sizes and colors.  There are long and oblong ones; there are square one and round ones.  There are blue, green, yellow and a lot in Shabby Chic  white.  They are also made of many materials including plastic, tin and wood; and they were used by many companies to place their advertisements on. 

Now, those old thermometers of course have become antiques and vintage collectibles that many people pride themselves in collecting.  These thermometers appeal not only to scientific artifact collectors, but the advertisement collectors as well; such as Coke item collectors.  A lot of times the thermometers were also mounted on other functional items, such as clocks or mirrors.  So these thermometers are appealing to not only the thermometer collectors, but those folks who collect clocks or barometers as well.

One More Future Collectible

In the past I have written about what might collectible in the future, because that is a question I get a lot.  People want to know what might be cheap today, but valuable say in 40-50 years.  It is always a difficult question, but one that I always answer with, “Do not buy things that were made for collectors.  buy things that are functional items today but may become rare items in the future.  I gave one example recently about a Leica camera that sold for a bunch of money at an auction. 

This past week, we saw the sale at Sotheby’s Auction of a 1976 Apple I computer.  It was less than 40 years old and brought in more than $374,000.  Now, don’t run out and buy a computer to keep for the future, as not all will be this valuable.  What makes this one worth more money?  Rarity, plain and simple.  In 1976 only about 200 of these Apple I computers were made by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.  Additionally, this rare model still worked when it was auctioned off.

Antiques Newsletter Published for May 2012

A new edition of the NOVA-Antiques Newsletter has been published this morning.  This newsletter features articles and information on Harker Pottery, the Oldest Pottery in America; Collecting Vintage Cameoware; A Slow Economy Making Antiques a Buyer’s Market; and Selling Scrap Gold & Silver Metal. 

Additionally, the NOVA-Antiques Newsletter contains information about upcoming Antiques Shows such as the Brandywine River Museum Antiques Show and the Lucketts Spring Antique Show as well as Estate Sales in Maryland and Virginia; Antique Auctions at Weschler’s and Laurel Auctions; and other flea markets and shows.

Collecting Vintage Radios

One of the first things that I ever sold on eBay was a vintage radio that had been sitting around the house for a long time.  I had picked it up at an auction in Buffalo and although I was not a newbie to buying and selling antique and vintage items, it was the first time that I had sold anything to anyone outside of the old neighborhood.  For a few years after that, I went into a frenzy; scouring flea markets, estate sales, yard and garage sales in search of more vintage radios and then rotary phones that I could sell on eBay.

I sold working and non-working antique and vintage radios that were made by all of the top companies including Philco, Westinghouse, Sylvania, Zenith and Emerson.  They were made from molded plastic, Bakelite and in some cases wood.  There were tube radios and transistorized models, cathedral shaped, futuristic and many clean-line modern.  I sold all types of radios to all types of people around the country, but they all had one thing in common, the love for nostalgia and the beauty of the vintage radio.

Alas, as eBay and other collectibles websites grew, the market for vintage radios, like all other vintage and antique items got flooded.  Most collectors were able to get pickier; they wanted only working radios, in good condition for the lowest possible price.  Very few wanted the non-working radios with blemishes, which could be fixed but would take time.  Additionally, the supply dried up as more and more people grew delusional with their prices; and priced themselves right out of the market.

One time I sold a Zenith 514, also known as an owl eye radio alarm clock from the mid-1950s, for $180.  Recent sales of the same radio on eBay range from $15 for a regular Bakelite model to $55 for a “rare” pink colored radio.  A green colored working radio went unsold with a price tag of $55.

Colonial Furniture Maker Eliphalet Chapin

Eliphalet Chapin was born in 1741 in Massachusetts but studied the craft of furniture making in Philadelphia. Chapin later moved to East Hartford, Connecticut to set up shop, and become the most renowned furniture maker in that state.

Although he was inspired by the Rococo designed furniture of Philadelphia, Chapin’s creations were lighter and cleaner in detail. While other Connecticut furniture makers of the time were making slim and tall furniture, Chapin was creating more compact and stocky furniture. His style is regarded as one of the most elegant of the period with ball and claw feet as well as scrolled pediments and spiral rosettes.

On a past episode of Antiques Roadshow a woman from Oak Hill, Virginia brought in a cherry tea table that she had purchased at an Estate Sale for a mere $200. Appraiser John Hays removed the top and found although the top and base were originals, made by Chapin the surface had been replaced. Even still the tea table was valued at $15,000 - $20,000. Had the surface been original, the tea table would have brought in closer to $50,000.

NOVA-Antiques Newsletters Archive – July 13, 2006 . . . .

Redoute Rose Lithographs at Outasite!! Collectibles

Pierre-Joseph Redouté was a Belgian painter and botanist born in 1759. He is world renowned for his painting of flowers, but most especially his paintings of roses. Redouté painted the gardens at Petite Trianon of Marie Antoinette because he was her official court artist and was part of a large cultural and scientific movement in Paris in the late 18th century through the early 19th century. During this time, many folio books were published with colored plates using offset lithography. These lithographs are well sought after by collectors and designers and can make a great addition to any shabby chic room.

History of the Sewing Machine – Antique Sewing Machines

Isaac Merritt Singer designed and perfected the first practical sewing machines in a small Boston, Massachusetts machine shop. It took only 11 days and $40 in borrowed capital for him to create the sturdy lock stitch sewing machine that would revolutionize sewing across the globe. The following are some highlights in the history of the Singer Sewing Company and Singer sewing machines and indications for why antique sewing machines are in such great demand.

From 1850 to 1851, Orson C. Phelps of Boston was manufacturing sewing machines under license from John A. Lerow. The Lerow and Blodgett machine was not very practical. The circular movement of the shuttle took a twist out of the thread at every revolution. Isaac Merritt Singer, after examining the sewing machine, noted "instead of the shuttle going around in a circle, I would have it move to and fro in a straight line. In place of the needle bar pushing a curved needle horizontally, I would have a straight needle and make it work up and down."

After 11 days of work and forty dollars in cost, Singer completed his invention: the world's first practical sewing machine. This sewing machine had a straight eye-pointed needle and transverse shuttle, an overhanging arm, a table to support the cloth, a presser foot to hold the material against the upward stroke of the needle, and a roughened feed wheel extending through a slot in the table. Motion was communicated to the needle arm and shuttle by means of gears. In 1851 Singer patented his lock-stitch sewing machines and began production in Boston. He joined forces with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark to form I. M. Singer & Company.

NOVA-Antiques Newsletter Archive - June 29, 2006 . . . .

Moser Lavish and Extravagant Bohemian Art Glass

Moser Glass was founded by Ludwig Moser in Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary), Czech Republic in 1857. This area is well known for its Bohemian Glass and I had the opportunity to tour there twice in the 1990’s after the crumbling of the “wall,” the cold war and when the dollar was extremely high. The Moser Glass Company was going through a transformation at that time, but I did manage to pick up a few pieces of the luxurious and opulent art glass which I later sold at auction for a nice profit.

Moser Glass was originally an engraving studio where artists etched stags and wooded landscapes on glass blanks obtained from other manufacturers. However, in 1893 after opening their own glass manufacturing plant, their designs became more lavish and extravagant. Moser Glass can easily be identified by most collectors because of their design techniques which included applied glass acorns and “grapes” as well as applied enameled birds, oak leaves and bugs. Antique Moser Glass pieces can go at auction for hundreds of dollars with the rarer pieces going in the thousands of dollars.

Crackle Glass at Outasite!! Collectibles

Crackle Glass was first made by the Venetians in the 1500’s and the process was a little different. They took the molten hot glass and immersed it in water causing it to crack. The molten glass was then reheated to seal the cracks and either molded into shapes or hand blown. Many American companies have used this technique in the past including, Blenko, Pilgrim, Fenton and the Kanawha glass companies. Crackle glass has become very collectible in the recent past, especially the miniature amberina colored crackle glass pitchers made by Blenko.

Lee Maxwell's Antique Washing Machine Museum

Today as I was walking into my garage, I passed the laundry room where my wife was complaining about all the wash she had to do. This gave me pause and I thought, well what would happen if she lived in my mom’s time? My mom talked all the time about having to walk to the river in the old country not only carrying the baskets of clothes to wash, but my older brother and sisters as well. My mother continued by saying that the way they got the clothes clean was by pounding them against the rocks.

Washing machines weren’t invented until the mid 1800’s and no one knows more about antique washing machines than Lee Maxwell from Colorado. Mr. Maxwell has a collection of more than a thousand antique and vintage machines that he has accumulated from trips he has made scouring the countryside. The Guinness Book of World Records has authenticated his collection as the largest in the world.

NOVA-Antiques Newsletter Archives – April 6, 2006 . . . .