The Book of Form and Emptiness
Have YOU experienced the phenomenon of psychometry? This is the ability to sense the ownership, relevance, and history of an object by TOUCH. If so, I want to hear from …
Baking: A Competitive Sport
HG owns a beautiful bronze medal, finished with French blue enamel, from the Institute International de la Boulangerie. A five-pointed star hangs from a blue enameled crown which hangs from …
Firefighter Medal with Deep Meaning
JR owns a vintage (1910-1920) firefighter brass medal, composed of a pin bar in the shape of an elongated bugle. A miniature fireman’s helmet accurately rendered dangles from it. They …
Silver Stirrups Helped Spread Culture
RF collects unique pieces of South American silver. He sent these photos of a pair of ceremonial lady’s silver stirrups, very tiny, and a solid sterling cuff bracelet. At four-and-a-half …
Meisterwerke of German Art Raises Questions
For years FR lugged around a pair of old, twenty-pound books, Meisterwerke of German Art by Carl Thonet Jutsum, 1883-4. He wonders if the collection of art pictured in these …
Donating or Selling China and Crystal
“ELIZABETH!! Where do I sell vintage China and crystal?” Well, the market doesn’t want MUCH of that stuff, but SOME folks out there do. There’s actually something for everyone. It …
Raise a Toast to this Ale Mug
PT sent me a VERY old cider or ale mug, which dates from (I believe) before 1820. In those days, what happened all around this large vessel? What did it …
William Shinn Not Worried About Outcome
PS owns a fabulous modernist thirteen by ten inch art pottery vase by Santa Maria potter William “Bill” Shinn (1932-2011). Did a native American ceremonial breastplate inspire this vase? The …
Scottish Snuff Mull Born in 1817
KM sent me a pretty little Scottish snuff mull, engraved Sheffield Silver Mounts, 1817. Large at over three inches, they sat on a table or sideboard to serve “all” who …
Reflecting on the History of Mirrors
Before the 17th century people without incredible money who wanted to know what they looked like, stared in a pool of water. The idea of mirrors, so ubiquitous today, was …