ARTS-CRAFTS-COLLECTIBLES
antiques
collecting
craft
hobbies

You'll find bits of history, culture and even book reviews about arts and crafts in this section.
Almost everyone collects something! From antiques valued at thousands to collectibles that go for pennies. With the overwhelming popularity of shows like Antiques Roadshow, the average person can discover riches in their own living room.
Yet most of us won't be retiring tomorrow because that wedding ring quilt that was unwillingly inherited from Great Aunt Bessy turns out to be a million dollar prize winner. Often, the value of an heirloom lies more in the richness of its history rather than its price on the open market.
Here are a few Antique and Collectible Questions and Answers:
What is a Rural Quilt? A Feed sack quilt - 1920's to 1930's, was made from the feed sacks or flour sacks that the feed and flour came in. Women would take the material and save it, to make quilts or dresses. This caused the companies that made the feed sacks to take notice at which time they started using material that had different colors and patterns. Some of the sack even had the patterns drawn onto them.
How do I tell an Old Napkin Ring from a new one? 1) Old Napkin Ring is made of one solid piece, it has no seams. 2) Repro will have a seam in the inside; it will be polished to try to disguise it, and does not have any sharp distinguished lines from the mold. 3) Repro will not be silver plated a base metal is used in an attempt to make it look old. 5) Be careful on repros they are using the almost exact markings of original makers and using Triple and Quadruple plate. Be sure to see the napkin rings I have for sale.
How can I tell the old candlesticks from the new ones? 1) The old ones have a filled base-meaning it has a center hole in the bottom that has been filled to keep it from falling over. Note: the old ones had felt on the bottom-you must remove it to check. 2) Modern-(silver) will not have a filled center in the base to stabilize it. They will have a one piece bottom. They will be marked Sheffield, etc. 3) Older pieces were not always marked.
How can I tell if a Staffordshire Dog is old or new? 1) Wear and Tear: (discoloration) painted surfaces will have lost some of the coloring in these areas: nose, eyebrows, top of head. 2) Newer Staffordshire Dogs in shops show no wear and were made at 20th century (newer).
What are some tips for spotting a reproduction piece of glass? 1) Use your fingers and rub the glass in long strokes. 2) Reproductions: will feel oily (like a fine sheet of cooking oil is on the surface) reproduction glass will also feel gritty because it attracts dust. 3) Old Glass: look for the imperfections (bubbles) in the glass or mold imperfections. 3) And it will not have a slippery feel to it also it should have a nice ringing sound to it when tapped.
How can I tell the date of a piece of glass by the handles? 1) STICK UP Handles: mean that the handle was applied from the bottom upward dates c. 1890's. 2) STICK DOWN Handle: means applied from the top downward dates c. 1850's.
How can I tell the difference between the older carnival glass and the newer carnival glass? The older pieces - pre 1950's were thicker and heavier while the newer pieces are thinner and weigh less. Also some of the new animal on nest figurines have some distinct differences. A good book on glassware can help you with this.