Windsor Folding Bed
Back in November of 2011, we purchased a hide-away bed at a farm auction here in mid-Missouri. This glorious specimen literally hid away in a small, run-down farmhouse for many, many years. This massive piece of furniture was created by the Windsor Folding Bed Company of Chicago. The Windsor Folding Bed is similar to the ever-popular Murphy Bed, and actually pre-dates it in patent by 26 years.
15 Essentials for Attending an Estate Auction
Transformation Tuesday with Kramer's Best Antique Improver
We spend our days working with the old and the beautiful. Sometimes the items that come walking through our door are far more old than beautiful, and they’re almost always covered in something - dirt, dust, grime or the remnants of an unfortunate painting slip. Back in the early 2000’s, when we started working with antiques for re-sale (read how we got our start here), we found Kramer’s Best Antique Improver for sale at a local antique mall. We were skeptical. It seemed a bit pricey for a small bottle of unknown liquid, but we took a gamble.
Art Mystery of the Moment II - The Answer
Art Mystery of the Moment II
Mildred "Honey" Titcomb Rains
Mildred “Honey” Titcomb was a true socialite, long before the names of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian plastered the pages of TMZ. Though she passed on before I was ever able to meet her in person, I had the opportunity to get to know Honey when we acquired some items from her estate in 2012. I now have the pleasure of sharing her story.
Art Mystery of the Moment
Some of my Facebook followers enjoy a good artwork mystery, so why not make it a regular part of the blog? When a moment arises, I will share a piece of art that has simply left the RoofTop Antiques crew bewildered. Our state of wonder usually finds its origin in the bottom corner, where lies the signature. What exactly does it say? And is it a well known artist?
Poppin' Tags: 7 Secrets for Effective Thrift-Store Shopping
So, you like thrift shopping? Don’t worry what Christian Lander says over at Stuff White People Like. You’re a vintage junkie! Be loud and be proud!
I have a strategy that I follow when I get my daily thrift store fix. Some may say that I carry my thought process too far for a simple trip to the local Goodwill, but these points have proven successful for me. In fact, I am part of a 10-year-old business that is based completely on the art of the second-hand purchase.
What We Learned from Antiques Roadshow
I have thoroughly enjoyed spending this week sharing with you about our trip to Omaha for the Antiques Roadshow. Reader response has been astounding. I was feeling nervous about starting this blog, because the blogger world is intimidating and difficult to set foot in. After this week, I am feeling encouraged, and am determined to find even more interesting topics to discuss. Spontaneous adventures may be in order.
The opportunity to just be a part Antiques Roadshow was enough to keep the RoofTop Antiques crew fueled for a while. I believe the experience we had taught us things that we didn’t expect to learn. Those lessons have motivated us, and we will utilize this knowledge to sharpen our skills even more.
RoofTop Antiques Meets Antiques Roadshow V
Now I am thrilled to give you a taste of our best moment of the entire weekend. As I mentioned previously, our first stop on Antiques Roadshow premises was a pre-appraisal table, where we received a specific ticket for each of our items. Many pre-appraisals are straightforward, but some items could easily be placed in multiple categories. Our Civil War letters were given an “Arms and Militaria” ticket and our prints received a “Prints and Posters” ticket. We knew ahead of time that one of our items would throw the ticket-givers for a loop. We were right.
RoofTop Antiques Meets Antiques Roadshow Part IV
I have spent the last few days recapping our trip to Omaha and our experience at Antiques Roadshow. If you missed out, you can read the about the first 6 item appraisals here and here. You can also take a look at this post to read more about each item and why we decided to take it.
Today I can finally share with you a bit more about our collection of Civil War letters and the assessment we received at the Roadshow. We purchased the Civil War letters during a long, rainy auction back in April of 2014. The collection contains a total of 116 letters written from April 27, 1861 to July 23, 1865. They were written to one Elizabeth Lee from a total of 9 different men as they fought in the war. Some were written by siblings, cousins and other family members, but the majority of the letters are from a man named Jasper Newton Smith.
RoofTop Antiques Meets Antiques Roadshow Part III
After receiving many threats upon my life (okay, it hasn’t quite come to that yet), I have decided that I should probably hurry and share more about our trip to Omaha for Antiques Roadshow! If you missed out on the trip precursor, you can still read it here. If you missed out on the early stages of our trip (and our first two appraisals) you may also read about those here.
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