Rookwood fountain a valuable garden piece

#Middlebury #Antiques Flowers were an important part of the lives of Americans from the 1880s to 1950s. Technology had advanced to a time when pottery could be made in multiples in ... Continue Reading →

Seashell sofa proves valuable

#Middlebury #Antiques “I’ve never seen one before, so it must be valuable!” is a common comment made by collectors. But rarity doesn’t always add to the price. Fame, ... Continue Reading →

Edison Phonolamp dates to 1920s

#Middlebury #Antiques Phonographs were invented in 1877. The early ones had one needle for recording and another needle for playing. The music was recorded on tinfoil-coated cylinders ... Continue Reading →

Blue Star Mother’s flag predates Gold Star flag

#Middlebury #Antiques A reader asked, “What country uses a little flag with just a red border and a big blue star in the center?” It is a service flag designed in 1917 that identified ... Continue Reading →

Moorish Chair makes nice accent piece

#Middlebury #Antiques The major furniture styles used in the United States have names, some for royalty, others for talented designers and cabinetmakers. But by the 1900s, furniture ... Continue Reading →

Mermaid lawn sprinkler is scarce collectible

#Middlebury #Antiques Lawn sprinklers could not be used before the first water distribution systems were invented in the 1870s. The new ways to provide water through underground pipes ... Continue Reading →

Tiffany Lamp is highly desirable

#Middlebury #Antiques Mention Tiffany and collectors may think of the very different things made by Louis Comfort Tiffany. He was so talented that it is almost impossible to know everything ... Continue Reading →

Rabbit doorstop was made in Connecticut

#Middlebury #Antiques Where did the Easter bunny come from? There is no suggestion of an egg-laying rabbit or hare in the Bible’s scriptures. There were stories about decorated ... Continue Reading →

Reworked filing cabinet is repurposed

#Middlebury #Antiques Decorating has once again become informal, like the “country furniture” era in the 1980s that led to rooms with “non-furniture furniture.” An old cobbler’s ... Continue Reading →

French ‘vide poche’ stores things

#Middlebury #Antiques An auction catalog called this strange dish a vide poche. It’s a French term, but the English translation – “trinket box,” “pin tray,” “empty ... Continue Reading →