Chair step stool was used with four poster bed

#Middlebury #Antiques Did you know someone invented a self-making bed? It requires special covers and sheets, but with the push of a button, they curl up into the “made” position. ... Continue Reading →

Figural tin boxes once held English cookies

#Middlebury #Antiques The photo does not show a bookshelf full of books. It shows an antique tin box that held cookies (called biscuits) in England about 1905. Hundreds of different ... Continue Reading →

Shake hands with Uncle Sam

#Middlebury #Antiques How national symbols are chosen is often a mystery. Uncle Sam is not our oldest symbol. There were two other figures that represented our budding country during ... Continue Reading →

Hand-painted urn by Bennett high value item

#Middlebury #Antiques Ceramic artists mentioned in auction descriptions or reports are almost always the ones who shape the piece, a dinnerware designer or an artist who creates unique ... Continue Reading →

Flag-topped table extremely rare item

#Middlebury #Antiques “Unique” is a word that is often misused by collectors. It means one of a kind. There can never be a unique mass-produced chair but there can be a rare one. ... Continue Reading →

Mourning picture dates to 1830

#Middlebury #Antiques Death was an important part of life in the 19th century. Life expectancy was 38 to 44 years, and many babies died at birth or before they were a year old. Mourning ... Continue Reading →

Decorative humidor likely made in Japan

#Middlebury #Antiques #Humidor A reader sent us a picture of an item in an auction catalog that looked like a cookie jar decorated with racing horses, but it had a strange lid. What ... Continue Reading →

Vintage lunchboxes sell quickly

#Middlebury #Antiques Vintage collectibles, especially those related to sports, sell quickly at auction, perhaps because not all are expensive. Sometimes they are not noticed by the ... Continue Reading →

‘Teakettle’ actually an inkwell

#Middlebury #Antiques #InkBottle Many people would never guess what this strange bottle was used for. Although it is called a “teakettle” by bottle collectors because of its shape, ... Continue Reading →

Lucky elephant head summoned hotel help

#Middlebury #Antiques Although we have gone to hundreds of antiques shows, shops and auctions, we are sometimes baffled by what we see. So, this 6-inch brass elephant head was a mystery. ... Continue Reading →