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JE owns an early 20th century American washboard use by 1860s across the nation. Stephen Rust of New York invented it in 1833. He patented a wood frame that held …

JMC sent me photos of a fantastic music box, probably fifty to sixty inches long and twenty-five to thirty inches wide, dating from the late 19th century. I LOVE old …

Imagine a clock that winds itself based on changes in atmospheric pressure. This clock doesn’t need a human. It winds itself with the help of a sealed bellows of ethyl …

GH received this Persian-style brass bowl inlaid with silver as a holiday gift. She asked me to trace its unique combination of metals, style, and history. This is a five …

I’ve worked for a few celebrity clients over the years as an appraiser. Although I can’t discuss my OWN celebrity client’s collections, Town and Country, Vanity Fair, and Art Net …

If you walked into a thrift store, and saw a painting that intrigued you, how do you judge it? First answer: you learn history of art, techniques of artists, and …

JE owns a tall, three and a half foot, fabric and beadwork Zulu doll her father collected in South Africa in the 1960s. He worked on a project that took …

GT owns this little forty-eight-pound piece of stone, measuring nine by ten by eight inches. She thinks it might be related to a Hindu spiritual practice. Nobody at Goleta’s Habitat …

JE saw this oil on canvas in a local thrift store, bought it for a song, loved, and framed it. Yet she wonders why she LOVES this painting. She writes …

An expertise in Material Culture sure comes with problems this time of year. My clients expect me to love the holidays, which are centered around STUFF. I enjoy the history …