V-E Day was observed on May 8, 1945, in Great Britain, Western Europe, the United States and Australia, and on May 9 in the Soviet Union and New Zealand. V-E Day commemorates the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces in 1945, ending World War II in Europe. For just over five years and eight months a war […]
By Mike Pearce In the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries, thousands of brass bands dotted the American landscape. Those ensembles played music assembled in march size folios and band books. As those band books now find their way into auctions from attics and basements, they become attractive collectibles for a select number of band history collectors and performers. By […]
By Maureen Timm In 1680 an Irishman named Robert Boyle discovered that if you rubbed phosphorus and sulphur together they would instantly burst into flames. He discovered the principle that was the precursor of the modern match. The next discovery was by an Englishman. In 1827 a pharmacist called John Walker produced “Sulphuretted Peroxide Strikeables,” which were a yard long […]
By Anne Gilbert Old inkwells and inkstands may not be used these days for their original purpose but have been rediscovered as decorative and collectible. While common, utilitarian pieces can be had for one hundred dollars or less, unique examples are pricey. A good example is an art Nouveaus, patinated bronze, 1905 Tiffany Studios inkwell cast as a crab. The […]
We had several guesses for April’s What Is It but only one person correctly identified the objects pictured to the right. Kate Loyle of Wichita, Kansas tells us these are antique tape measures. Congratulations, you have won a year’s subscription to the Mountain States Collector. All three of these items are miniature sculpture cases for measuring tapes which are rewound […]
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