Genuine antique trade signs continue to capture the hearts of today’s dealers and collectors. There were as many types of signs as there were trades, ranging from blacksmiths, carpenters and carriage makers, to opticians, pharmacists and barbers.  Often a trade could be represented by an oversized example of the tradesman’s tools or products. An optician’s sign might… Read more

Tramp art is a truly democratic, uniquely American art form, in which works could be created with the simplest of tools, often using discarded packing crates, such as cigar boxes, the material most closely associated with tramp art creations. Some other less common names for it are cigar box art, and poverty art, reflecting the economic… Read more

The Kentucky rifle, also known as the long rifle and the Pennsylvania rifle, is a muzzle-loading firearm that was widely used in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It was a staple of frontier life in America, used for hunting, defense and warfare.  It’s long, slender barrel gave the rifle exceptional accuracy, allowing it to strike… Read more

A mackerel plow is an fascinating tool whose sole function is was clever bit of marketing chicanery, and is certifiably endemic to New England. Aboard New England’s mackerel schooners of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when the fish were caught at the beginning of the season, they were lean, tough, and worth little.… Read more

The best way to get a bad appraisal is to give us wrong information, and poor quality photographs! But now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the right way to do it! So, now that you’ve inherited Grandma’s dusty attic treasures or you stumbled upon a flea market find worthy of… Read more

Old Native American baskets are more than just storage vessels. They’re windows into ancient cultures, steeped in tradition, often built with remarkable skill and craftsmanship, and decorated with designs reflecting long-standing tribal heritage.  The work of each tribe often reflects the use of materials indigenous to their own region. Baskets from the Northeastern USA and Canada, by… Read more