Antique Discovery

Belleek pottery is known for being Irish, and a lot of people know the famous pieces that contain tiny shamrocks on the surface of the delicate porcelain. Belleek has a distinctive Irish history, rich in trial and error. Belleek started when John Caldwell Bloomfield...

Vinegar valentines were cynical and insulting valentines sent, often by anonymous messengers, featuring insulting poems, caricatures and mean-spirited messages, or in a less severe form, teasing and mild jabbing. Also known as mocking valentines, they were popular...

Pewter can be seen in the use of candlestick making, small desk objects, bowls and vessels, among other uses. It is a molten metal, mixed, fired and poured to produce an artistic result. Pewter has a long history, dating back to China and beyond. Pewter is a tin...

The Amber Room was a room in the Catherine Palace, constructed in the 18th century in Prussia, located near present day Saint Petersburg, Russia. It showcased over 13,000 pounds of amber and covered more than 590 square feet. The original Amber Room was dismantled by...

The inkwell was a small jar or container made of various materials — such as porcelain, silver, pewter, brass or another metal — which held ink for writers to dip their quills or pens into when scribing a note or letter. They have a fascinating and practical history...

Mirrors are often thought of as haunted, disturbing, and makes the gazer uneasy. Why are mirrors surrounded by superstition and haunted tales, and what is the history behind the looking glass unease? The ancient Romans believed that mirrors or any reflective surface...

Collectors in the nautical antiques market love to obtain a ship’s figurehead. The figurehead of a ship is the carved wooden decoration, usually a person or deity, found at the bow of the ship, designed in relation to the name or idea of the ship. Ship figureheads...

Postcards became very popular in the early 1900s, as people living in the industrialized age were able to print tangible goods like a postcard and also travel more readily, due to locomotives and better roadways. They sent back short messages to friends and relatives...

Many people read, collect and obsess over antique and vintage comic books. There are many genres, types and characters in these artistic worlds drawn for story and content. What agendas or ideas started the comic book, and why are they one of the most valuable...

Lapis Lazuli means stone of blue in Greek and Latin roots, and Lapis Lazuli is a compound made up of lazurite, a feldspar silicate. It originates in Afghanistan and is known for its blue color. Lapis has been used in pigment paint coloring, inlay on antique furniture,...