Collectors like folk-art cupboards

#Middlebury Most Americans in the 17th and early 18th centuries had very small houses with no clothes closets and little storage space. Storage consisted of built-in corners, shelf ... Continue Reading →

Candy containers are meant to attract buyers

#Middlebury An attractive box can help sell a product, especially if it can be reused in a new way. Since the 19th century, candy containers have been made to attract buyers. Figural ... Continue Reading →

Campbell Kid dolls have value

#Middlebury The googly eyes announce that the designer of Campbell Kid dolls was talented artist Grace Drayton (1887-1936). Born Grace Gebbie, she married Theodore Wiederseim in 1900. ... Continue Reading →

Aluminum furniture dates to the 1930s

#Middlebury Sometimes a designer becomes very popular with a new design, sells his products, becomes wealthy, and then his designs become commonplace and he eventually goes bankrupt. ... Continue Reading →

Creating cutwork pictures took great skill

#Middlebury The very thin, graceful lines, the black-and-gilt frame, and the cutwork initials and date “JB/1760” added up to a bid (with premium) of $2,460 at a Skinner auction ... Continue Reading →

Adirondack style began with a chair

#Middlebury #Kovels The Adirondack style started with a chair in 1903. Many wealthy folks from the East Coast wanted a cool place to live for the summer, so they started building homes ... Continue Reading →

Unique weather vane has tennis racquet, ball

#Middlebury #Kovels Tennis started in the 12th century and was played without a racquet. The ball was hit with the hand. It was not until the 16th century that the game was called ... Continue Reading →

Antique wooden Uncle Sam has value

#Middlebury #Kovels   Uncle Sam wearing a blue tailcoat with stars, red striped pants, a red striped top hat and sporting a beard and goatee is not the first symbol for the United ... Continue Reading →

Shell-shaped decorative objects were once popular

#Middlebury #Kovels Shell-shaped decorative objects were very popular during the 19th century. There were trinket boxes covered in tiny shells, counter bells made with several mother-of-pearl ... Continue Reading →

‘Cabinet of curiosities’ held unusual items

#Middlebury #Kovels “Cabinet of curiosities” was the name of an important room in the 1600s and, years later, a “cabinet of curiosities” meant just a cabinet. The room often ... Continue Reading →