By Robert Reed    There is still a bit of everlasting joy in a jar full of old marbles, sitting snugged away on a shelf and holding warm memories as well as vivid colors.    Marbles, of course, have been treasured by children for centuries, dating to the days of Egypt and later to Rome, where Emperor Augustus Caesar himself is said […]

By Anne Gilbert    Chances are you wouldn’t recognize a watch stand if you saw one. At first glance some look like small picture frames. The frames may be figural or even of a precious metal. They belong to a bygone era when watches were somewhat of a novelty and meant to be displayed when not worn. When they come to […]

By Anne Gilbert    Surprisingly ancient Roman glass objects are still showing up at auctions. But are they really ancient? As you are about to learn glass makers over the centuries discovered that they could learn a lot from ancient Roman and Egyptian techniques. And, glass fakers have never stopped reproducing faked ancient glass.    Emile Galle’ and Louis Comfort Tiffany experimented […]

July 4: Independence Day July 8: Liberty Bell tolls to announce Declaration of Independence (1776) July 20: Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong takes historic first steps on the moon (1969) July 26: Congress establishes U.S. Post Office (1775)   Caption: Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin formed the American crew that landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on […]

By Maureen Timm    Blue Ridge dinnerware acquired its name from the misty Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee. This charming, hand painted pottery decorated in a spectrum of vivid colors was one of the nation’s most attractive and original dinnerware lines for over forty years.    It all began in 1917 in the small southern town of Erwin, Tennessee, when the California […]