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Guest Column: Collecting Modern Facsimiles of Historical Playing Cards

Rod Starling, based in Reeders, PA, is a long time collector and authority on early United States playing cards, and one of the founding members of the collectors club 52 Plus Joker. This article was originally published in the club’s Clear The Decks newsletter, Vol. 22, #2 and is reproduced courtesy of 52 Plus Joker.

Collecting facsimile playing cards can be an interesting window onto the world of historic and antique playing card decks. In … (continue reading)

Guest Column: A Guide to Christmas Antiques and Vintage Christmas Decorations

Eric Beeson is a frequent contributor to The Collectors Weekly.

Ever wonder about that box of vintage Christmas decorations in the attic? From wooden nutcrackers to glass Christrmas tree ornaments to 1930’s Lionel model trains, this article can help you identify what vintage or antique Christmas items might be in that box. Your cherished decorations might be valuable, and even if not, you … (continue reading)

Guest Column: Collecting Antique and Vintage Playing Cards

Miriam van Houten and Joop Muller run DXPO Playing Cards, a great information resource on antique and vintage playing cards, and a member of our Hall of Fame.

People are often surprised when we tell them we collect playing cards. They all know how to play games with cards and have all held them in their hands before, but they’ve never realized that ordinary playing cards come from a long … (continue reading)

Guest Column: Collecting Vintage Sewing Patterns

Lizzie Bramlett is a collector of vintage clothing and sewing patterns, and can be reached via her website, Fuzzylizzie.com

Paper sewing patterns were first manufactured in the middle of the 1800s. These first paper patterns were designed by Ellen Curtis Demorest. Starting in 1860, these patterns were sold through her magazine, Mme. Demorest’s Mirror of Fashion.  In 1863, American tailor Ebenezer Butterick was the first to create a sewing pattern in various sizes.  It … (continue reading)

Guest Column: Collecting Vintage Cigarette Lighters

In this article, Eric Beeson talks about collecting vintage cigarette lighters, including brands such as Zippo, Ronson, and Dunhill. Eric is a frequent contributor to The Collectors Weekly, and will be starting his first year at the University of California Santa Barbara this fall.

Cigarette lighter collecting is a hobby that never gets boring. Just by browsing eBay auctions for ten minutes, for example, I recently found a lighter shaped like a lion’s head, one made … (continue reading)

Guest Column: Collecting Antique Ball Jars

In this article, collector Bruce Wayne Schank talks about collecting antique Ball jars (fruit jars), and the history of the Ball jar. Based in Pompton Plains, NJ, Bruce can be reached via his website, Balljars.net.

One of the most common fruit jars ever produced is the lowly Ball jar. Historical figures show that from between Sept 1, 1894 until Dec 31, 1961, 41,256,856 Gross jars were produced by the Ball Glass Mfg Co. … (continue reading)

Guest Column: Collecting Toy Cars, A Healthy Addiction

A member of The Collectors Weekly Hall of Fame, Paul Chenard shows off his impressive collection of race car toys and automobilia on his personal site, focusing mostly on European racing history.

I’ve been collecting vintage toys since 1982. I started slowly and methodically, partly for lack of information, mostly for lack of finances. I used to collect any metal transportation toy that I found interesting, anything that caught my eye (and that … (continue reading)

Guest Column: An Introduction to Identifying and Collecting Antique Quilts

Kimberly Wulfert is a quilt historian and collector whose website, www.antiquequiltdating.com, is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Many antique quilt collectors think of themselves as caretakers of historical documents, made at the hands of the needlework sisterhood before them. Their quilts speak to them and tell their story through clues in the style, fabric, pattern, quilt stitches and sometimes stitched or inked words, names, cities or dates.

The first time I went to … (continue reading)

Guest Column: Collecting Vintage Transistor Radios of the 1950s and 60s

Michael Jack, whose personal Flickr website is a member of our Hall of Fame, is a collector of vintage transistor radios.

Perhaps you recently saw a picture of a cool looking pocket radio from the early 1960’s and were reminded of your carefree, youthful days? Maybe it was the pastel colors or atomic aged designs that caught your eye? Or the chrome highlights that attracted your attention? Nonetheless, you find yourself actively seeking them out … (continue reading)

Guest Column: Collecting Early Typewriters of the Late 1800s

Martin Howard’s website, antiquetypewriters.com, features his collection of antique typewriters and typewriter accessories, and is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Collecting antique typewriters circa 1900 has been a wonderful experience for me over the years. My collection is really just the tip of the iceberg, as literally hundreds of distinct collectible typewriters were manufactured. There are so many more interesting models that my search will never end. For a collector, though, … (continue reading)

Guest Column: The Evolution, History, and Imagery of Playing Cards

Simon Wintle is the man behind The World of Playing Cards, a great reference source on antique and vintage playing cards and a member of our Hall of Fame.

For over six centuries – apart from its functionality as a number game – the playing card has been chosen as a medium for artistry, aesthetic endeavour and ornamental design, ranging from hand-painted and engraved cards for medieval patrons, to the chromo-lithographic delights and transformation cards … (continue reading)