About Antiques

I got a note from an About.com user that prompted me to revise my article on hammered aluminum. Apparently recent changes in automatic dishwasher detergent formulation will cause the products to stain these vintage wares. Read more ...

Warning: New Phosphate-Free Dishwasher Detergents Stain Hammered Aluminum originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 22:54:48.

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Miriam Haskell is one of the most sought-after names when it comes to vintage costume jewelry. There are a number of great resources online to help you research your Miriam Haskell finds, and identify unmarked pieces you might not even recognize as Haskell. Read More ...

Researching Miriam Haskell Jewelry originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 22:29:05.

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Most every month on one particular weekend in Austin, Texas, dealers converge on the Palmer Event Center to unload their wares for City Wide Garage Sale. Don't let the name fool you though, this is more of a cross between an indoor flea market and an antique show than a garage sale will ever be. Page through to see some of the things you might find there any given month. Read more ...

Visit Austin's City Wide Garage Sale originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 22:21:02.

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As a University of Texas alumnus and a fan of Gone with the Wind, I couldn't help but spread the word about this opportunity to help restore an iconic costume collection housed in The Harry Ransom Center. I mean anyone of a certain age who can see Scarlet's "drapery" dress without smiling and thinking of Carol Burnett's infamous parody, well, they just don't have a sense of humor. Besides, preserving costuming from a legendary film like this so future generations can see them on display just makes good sense. Read more ...

Donations Sought to Restore Iconic Costumes From "Gone With The Wind" originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 20:52:01.

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The name of this handsome desk style is derived from the French word "écrire", meaning "to write." If you're still stumped, take a look at this desk-defining description to find out exactly what to call it. Read more ...

What Kind of Desk is This? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 21:53:52.

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Did you know that in addition to wearing black clothing, mourners more than a hundred years ago also wore jewelry to express their grief? Some of these pieces, including those woven from hair like the one shown here, seem quite macabre to us today. Learn more about mourning jewelry with Contributing Writer Troy Segal's latest feature. Read more ...

The Macabre Baubles Known as Mourning Jewelry originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 21:35:48.

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Figuring out how much an antique rug is worth can be one of the most confusing types of valuations, but it can be done. Find out why it's so difficult, and how to go about obtaining a value for your antique rug, with information from a New York dealer specializing in fine antique rugs. Read more ...

How Much is My Antique Rug Worth? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 20:45:20.

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Lots of people confuse dress clips, popularized during the 1930s, with shoe clips. But when you examine the types of clips used on each they're actually very different. Take a look at this recent jewelry glossary entry to learn what the fastening mechanism on a dress clip looks like.

Do You Own a Dress Clip? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 22:48:38.

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Fainting couch is sort of a catch-all term for the antique daybed. But not all daybeds are created equally nor are they all actually fainting couches, technically speaking. Contributing writer Troy Segal helps us learn All About Daybeds with a feature spanning several centuries of daybed designs in both American and European styles.

Learning All About Daybeds originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 22:27:13.

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When it comes to Bakelite figural jewelry, horse head pins must have been pretty popular back in the day because collectors  find them now in a number of variations. Check out the Bakelite Jewelry Price Guide to see several different versions and find out how much yours, if you're lucky enough to own one, might be worth.

How Much is Your Bakelite Horse Pin Worth? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 22:17:34.

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This is another one of those names that just really makes you wonder: does an elephant-trunk leg really look like an elephant's trunk? Find out more about this Asian-related furniture element, including what it looks like, through a new Know Your Furniture Leg Styles entry.

What Does a Elephant-trunk Leg Look Like? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 23:57:42.

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The daughter of two masters in the trade, Emilia Castillo has continued her family's legacy of producing fine Mexican silver wares. Find out more about her heritage and see what one of her vintage silver bracelets sold for recently on RubyLane.com.

Emilia Castillo Continues Family Legacy in Silver originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 23:32:26.

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Even though my mom was in the antiques business, like many Americans, I grew up hearing the term "chaise lounge." So how did this happen? Did someone simply read the French word "longue" incorrectly and twist it into "lounge" somewhere along the way? We'll probably never know. What we can find out through Contributing Writer Troy Segal's latest feature is how to correctly pronounce the term chaise longue, and more about the origin of this popular furniture item.

Is it a Chaise "Longue" or a Chaise "Lounge?" originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 23:16:21.

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A deck of playing cards can't be worth much, right? Actually, some playing cards are very collectible nowadays and that's especially true if they depict Coca-Cola advertising. So how much did these Coke cards from 1943 sell for at auction recently? Check out the latest entries in my Coca-Cola price guide to find out.

Did These Coca-Cola Cards Sell for $19.95, $195, or $1,195? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 23:24:32.

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When a celebrity's belongings come up for sale they can often bring far more than what you or I could expect to get for our great-grandmother's former possessions. Take this Victorian cross that sold at auction last month as an example. It sold for four to six times what a similar piece would normally fetch because it once belonged to Cher.

Cher's Victorian Cross Sells at Auction originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 23:01:38.

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When it comes to antique furniture, some terms are more familiar than others. While you may have seen little tables like this one, basically a box atop a pedestal base, did you know it was called a "teapoy?" And furthermore, do you know what it was used for? If not, see what Contributing Writer Troy Segal has to share on the topic of the teapoy.

What's a Teapoy? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 22:32:02.

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Julien's Auctions held another interesting summer celebrity memorabilia auction in Las Vegas recently, and some of the prices realized were almost as interesting as the items being sold. Take Marilyn Monroe's chest x-rays from 1954, which sold for an incredible five-figure sum. Take a look at a number of these highly valued items including:

• An Audrey Hepburn worn dress
• A Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve
• A Bob Mackie designed gown worn by Cher
• Costume jewelry earrings worn by Kate Winslet in Titanic
• An 18k cigarette case given to Mia Farrow by Frank Sinatra

Julien's Hosts Another Incredible Celebrity Memorabilia Auction Sale originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 21:48:35.

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Pamela's Antiques Blog here on About.com has been ranked as #2 in a list of 50 Best Blogs for the Avid Antiquer by Photography-Colleges.org, second only to Antique Trader. And since my friends at Antique Trader have such a great blog, I'll take this as an honor! Continuing thanks to everyone who reads what I have to share here. It is most appreciated!

50 Best Blogs for the Avid Antiquer originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Sunday, June 20th, 2010 at 16:41:56.

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How well do you know your antique table styles? For instance, is the table shown here a pedestal or a pembroke, or perhaps a piecrust? Learn more about a number of antique table styles with Troy Segal's latest feature: Know Your Antique Table Styles.

Know Your Antique Table Styles originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 22:44:15.

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Sometimes looks can be deceiving. Take this brooch marked "Hannah," for instance. It has the appearance of a vintage, hand-wired piece made by Haskell, Robert or DeMario. But is it really old? Find out when Hannah Jewelry was made and exactly who Hannah is with this new Costume Jewelry Marks Gallery feature.

How Old is this "Hannah" Brooch? originally appeared on About.com Antiques on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 22:29:19.

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