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Saturday, December 23, 2017

Recipe of the day. Squirrel Pot Pie.

#squirrel #cooking #game #1917 #goldmedalflour #estatesale
Recipe of the day. Squirrel Pot Pie. I can’t eat a squirrel, mainly because I can’t catch ‘em. This was found in a Gold Medal Flour cook book from 1917. There may be lots of good eats in there but this isn’t one of my favorites.

from Instagram

Monday, December 18, 2017

These 2 were not hiding in plain site.

#beatles #vinyl #45rpm #estatesale #connecticut
These 2 were not hiding in plain site. The best finds never are. Video reveal coming soon.

from Instagram

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Some pencils you buy just for the inscription alone.

#pencils #found #asbestos #dalecarnagie #estatesale #newtown #connecticut
Some pencils you buy just for the inscription alone. #pencils #asbestos #dalecarnagie #estatesale #newtown #connecticut

from Instagram

Friday, December 15, 2017

When searching through estate sales I like to get small.

#tools #backstory #estatesale #antique #whatisthisthing

When searching through estate sales I like to get small. They are actually referred as “smalls.” Often gathered out of desk, junk or workshop drawers - it these items that can have as big a story to tell as the signed artwork or Ming vase. I want to know where this came from, who manufactured it and why? I’ll find out eventually.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

It's the Little Things You Treasure

#projector #16mm #film #oilcan #antique #connecticut #estatesale #urbanarcheology
Tiny accessories that accompany the modern conveniences of early 19th century homes fascinate me.

How many times have you gone digging through a junk drawer, sewing desk, or movie projector only to find these single purpose oil cans? Usually they are stained and and dark, but sometimes they have the look of minimal use. This might be why we see cars that rarely, if ever, need their oil changed. We seem to want to believe that well built machines would never need any help from us.

Not true, if you are reading this and you own a car - go check your oil level! An untouched (or lightly touched) oil can is only desired by the collector or Urban Archeologist. Those machines ran hot and were running gears on gears and needed constant (or near constant) care to keep things running smoothly.
This little guy came out of a 16mm home projector case and although the accompanying 30's era projector still runs I can hear it crying for oil like the Tin Man.
from Instagram

Friday, December 8, 2017

Hiding in a pile of records - LIFE! from 1916

#ephemera #lifemagazine #shakespeare #estatesale #urbanarcheology
Hiding in a pile of records - this 1916 edition of Life celebrating ironically the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s Death (300th anniversary). It is with bated breath that I await my next Urban Archeological dig.
from Instagram

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

There Tiffany, and then there's TIFFANY!

#estatesale #tiffany #valueable #antique #urbanarcheology
The next time someone says “Do you want me to hand it to you on a SilverPlatter?” You say, “No thank you. The copper platter will be just fine.” Especially if the platter is an enamel-covered Tiffany one. I was helping a friend of mine clear out her parents estate recently, and among the many pieces her parents had collected was this one. Wisely, she had arranged an appraiser who had a vast knowledge and experience with fine antiques. It was amazing to see him hold this up flip it over and nonchalantly exclaim, “This is worth $50,000.” So, the next time anyone wonders why you want to dig in the past, you could say “I have my reasons... Like 50k of them."

from Instagram

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Inside or out - Digging in the past is time well spent.

#bottle #antique #connecticut #oyster #history #urbanarcheology #rhodeisland
Inside or out - Digging in the past is time well spent. Connecticut residents might be familiar with the Norwalk Oyster Festival, and after a sale last week I found out how large the Oyster industry was in CT and All New England. Photographing old bottles is not easy - so I will transcribe: “Patience Island Oyster Company, New Haven CT.” I first thought this was a pint milk bottle- nope- this would have been filled with shelled Oysters. The real mystery was trying figure out when Patience Island is in CT. It isn’t. The Island is located in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. In the 19th Century it would have as it’s only resident on the 200+ acre island -an Oysterman’s shack, with a single occupant whose job was to watch over the beds. Why a CT company chose a name that was a good day’s sail away maybe speaks to the size a quality of the beds and their Oysters. Not the slight purple hue on the bottle.
from Instagram