Antiques

[ZachariahDaMan]

Are you guys into antiques too? When I was young my parents really got me into them. Here is a list of some of the many things we have around home: wood icebox, many radios, washboards, newspapers (oldest is 1841 from Pittsburgh) and shavers. I am still only 18 and don't have a lot of money to spend but I have a bunch of postcards, usually of buildings I've seen in towns around the state. Now I'm getting into newspapers, one is 1912 (Cleveland) and the other is 1881 (Cincinnati).

[ironchapman]

I have a collection of antique bottles. I focus mainly on cobalt blue colored antique bottles (I love cobalt blue glass, especially when it's antique), but I've lately started to expand my collection to bottles of other colors. I've got several bottles that date to around the 1880's and 1890's. I've also got an old Noxema jar that still has (ugh!) some Noxema left in it--very interesting piece.

I also have a collections of rare and old coins that I've found in my change when I go shopping.

[wolverine]

My parents have some, but they are particular in what they choose so that it matches the styles of the house exactly.

It seems like every time I come home to visit, there's always a few 'new' antiques scattered about on shelves and stuff.

[ironchapman]

My parents have some, but they are particular in what they choose so that it matches the styles of the house exactly.

It seems like every time I come home to visit, there's always a few 'new' antiques scattered about on shelves and stuff.

[Neo]

Much of the rest of my family are very much into antiques for some reason. Personally, I'd rather stay up to date in the "look" of the times. I've never really understood the draw of antiques other than for monetary purposes, but I suppose some like holding on to items from a different era.

[Captain Worley]

I have a collection of 1:18 scale cars that I bought in the 90s, and a bunch of 70s Tonka toys. I just thought they were cool.

[TennBear]

I collect "American Arts and Crafts Period" furniture and crafts. The furniture that I have is primarily Gustav Stickley, Charles Limbert, Stickley Brothers, and L and JG Stickley. For those of you that don't know about the period, there were several Stickley Brothers and they all went into the furniture making business. Gustav, Charles, Leopold, and John George. They created multiple companies at different times during the period. L and JG Stickley is still in business today as the Stickley Furniture Company. Charles Limbert was another preemminent furniture manufacturer at the time. In addition to the furniture, I have a collection of Tiffany Favrile and Stuben Aurene glassware and Fulper, Grueby, Rookwood, Teco, and George Ohr ceramics; as well as Tiffany, Roycroft and Jarvie metalware. I also have a large collection of Imperial Glass 'Candlewick' crystal. While the 'Candlewick' is not part of the Arts and Crafts Period, being from the 30's to the 70's, it was my Mother's crystal pattern and that led to my collecting it as well. The nice thing about only collecting from a certain period is that I can go into a lot of antique stores and shop lots without ever having any desire to purchase anything. A down side is that I can't buy anything that isn't very high quality, because it would look like trash when you see it next to my other pieces.

[michaelskis]

Absolutely! I love antiques! My parents house is like a museum. They find deals at garage sales or yard sales and refinish them. They don

[Gusterfell]

I also love antiques. I work for the local preservation society, which operates a series of 18th-early 20th century manisions as house museums, so I'm involved hands-on with very fine antiques on a daily basis. I haven't really started collecting my own (though I do have a few antique maps and architectural drawings), but it is a dream of mine to have a serious collection someday.

[suburban george3]

Since my mom ran an antique store when I was little and my dad was an auctioneer on the side, I have been around antiques quite a bit. As a fact, a large portion of my house is furnished in antiques (my entire living and dining rooms and one bedroom.) Not to mention the knick-knacks scattered throughout.

As far as collections, I have several Japanese tin toys and about a dozen antique Lionel trains. I do like on occasion to hit estate sales or auctions to try to see what treasure I can find!

[wolverine]

Much of the rest of my family are very much into antiques for some reason. Personally, I'd rather stay up to date in the "look" of the times. I've never really understood the draw of antiques other than for monetary purposes, but I suppose some like holding on to items from a different era.

[TennBear]

Actually, there's this new fascination with everyone wanting to have something vintage. You can still go contemporary, but toss in a few antiques that fit well with the rest of the room. I really don't know how to describe this. To tell you the truth, I couldn't design a room if my life depended on it, and I'm in architecture...

[Captain Worley]

Antiques is that quite often there is is a lot better quality that is no longer put into furniture or accessories.

[dtown]

I've got a few antiques, but im not really into them. Ive got quite a few old coins and silver certificates. My oldest is an 1845 ( i think) "half-dime". I've also got an old blue glass mason jar, which is interesting. I've also got a surplus Russian-SKS assult rifle from the 1940's. Its pretty cool. It still shoots and it even has a bayonett.

[wolverine]

The same thing applies to appliances and machines/tools too. My father owns a table saw with a cast iron top. Where can you get saws with cast iron tops now? Hardly anywhere unless you pay a fortune. Now they are made out of cheap aluminum which will distort over time under stress. Flimsy.

With new refrigerators and washing machines, they just don't last as long. A lot of our newer appliances have required more servicing than ones that were purchased back in the early 80's. People at appliance stores will admit that while features have gone up, quality has sunk drastically over time.

As for furniture, most stuff is made out of cheap laminated MDF these days. Medium Density Fiberboard is technically a paper product (most people think it's wood, because you get it in the lumber aisle and home improvement stores) is laminated with veneers that looks like real hardwood. The advantages are that its inexpensive and strong, but won't last the test of time. Furthermore, if mdf gets well, it swells incredibly. Some cabinets in the basement of my office building were destroyed by a minor flood. The bottoms are all bloated out causing the bolts to rip out on top, and the veneer to just fall off. Right next to it is a wooden workbench that dates to when the building was constructed (1910). Multiple floods have touched that workbench throughout time, not to mention the abuse of a workshop, but no sign of damage.

[dtown]

Yeah, i despise mdf. My old desk got wet when my basement flooded and the bottom got swollen and tore off all the veneer.

[seicer]

I'm glad I'm not the only one interested in antiques at a younger age (22). I had one comment to me one time while I was browsing in Paris, Kentucky that she had not seen anyone much younger than me without their parents I collect a lot of postcards and maps, and have recently started moving into books.

[Rural King]

I often go to antique stores in search of old books, in particular any older books dealing with geography, US States, or historical accounts from foreign countries. I suppose those are antique, but I never really think of them as such. I have several that date back as far back as the turn of the twentieth century.

[Allan]

I've got a collection of old Detroit postcards, photos, and negatives. I also have a decent-sized collection of antique blueprints. I used to have a lot more, but I've gotten rid of most of it because I don't have the space to store it.

[monsoon]

With new refrigerators and washing machines, they just don't last as long. A lot of our newer appliances have required more servicing than ones that were purchased back in the early 80's. People at appliance stores will admit that while features have gone up, quality has sunk drastically over time.....