Messages

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Metal Detector Find - Need Help With Sterling Ring Date and Hallmark

« on: December 29, 2019, 06:26:51 am »

I'm throwing out for comments that the "Sterling 8+" may be a description of the actual silver content of the ring.  I've always taken for granted that "Sterling" silver was 925 parts pure silver and 75 parts a baser metal used as a hardener for the silver.  I came into possession (sp?) of a beautifully engraved silver belt buckle marked "SILVER 950" and found that it was a way of describing Sterling silver. I've been wondering if the engraver used the softer silver because it would be easier to engrave on.  Not being a metallurgist has its drawbacks.

What a coincidence, I found a 1918 Mercury dime in pristine condition using my detector at a defunct college campus which had been active in the late 1800's.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: PRIVATE LABEL POCKETWATCH

« on: November 08, 2019, 07:59:47 am »

Cogar's first reply brought back memory of several years ago.  A shady looking man walked by my office in a new car dealership, came in, looked both ways and said, "You want to buy a brand new Bulova electric wrist watch for thirty bucks ?" It was in a nice looking box.  I had forgotten my reading glasses that day so called our lot man in and asked him if the name on the watch was Bulova,  Sonny looked at the watch and said, "Yes sir, yes sir, it says Bulova."  Still not convinced I said, "Spell that out for me."  He said, "Yes sir it says B-O-L-I-V-I-A."  Man just put it in his pocket and walked out.   In God We Trust;  all others we check out carefully.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Antique Kitchen food mill strainer"swastika symbol"

« on: October 20, 2019, 07:33:53 am »

I still can't make out the image of the logo.  As was explained to me by a very old gentleman many years ago there is a difference between the
American Indian sign for "good fortune" or "good luck" and the "swastika" adopted by the Nazi Party.

The logo is composed by four "arms".  In the Nazi version the top "arm" points to the right, the right "arm" points down, the bottom "arm" points to the left and the left "arm points upward.

In the Indian version all "pointing" is reversed.  The only benefit of determining which version it is would be the "dating" of the item. 

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Antique Kitchen food mill strainer"swastika symbol"

« on: October 19, 2019, 09:19:48 am »

I better get with my eye doctor.  For the life of me I can't see any "swastika" in any of these pictures.  Help!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: One Heck of a Metal Detector Find!

« on: June 29, 2019, 07:07:10 am »

Great story and great pictures.  Well done!  I may have posted this a few years back, but almost to a T the same story.  I stopped at a deserted country school house and used my detector.  Among the debris was a HS school ring.  The year of the ring was 1942, and the HS was Lecompton, Kansas.  I lived near there and visited the Historical Society there and asked the lady at the desk if she could identify the owner of the ring based on the MAR initials.  She went to the files and told me the initials were for Marvin A. R_____.  She said he was the CEO or ex CEO of a very large hospital in Topeka.

I went to the hospital, faced a very obnoxious secretary who wanted me to give exact details why I wanted to speak to him.  It was none of her business.  So I handed her the ring and said, "Tell him I found his old class ring."  , walked out, took the elevator down, out the front door, and toward the parking lot.  I heard a man screaming, "SIR!! SIR!! and a man was runnning toward me.  He told me he had lost the ring the day after graduation in 1942 putting up hay in that old school house.  He thanked me for finding and apologized for the obnoxious secretary.

You never know what you're going to find.  This was one of the two times this has happened to me.  I really enjoyed both.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Mirrors - a great investment!

« on: May 05, 2019, 06:43:56 am »

Golly Mart, that's nice to know.  I'll try to check my stuff and post on a few of them. I may have some Civil War stuff to start on.  Thanks.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Mirrors - a great investment!

« on: May 03, 2019, 12:23:59 pm »

Thanks for the tips guys and gals.  K.C., I think those may be for hanging your coat and hat (sombrero?) on.  I can't think what else they could be.  I'm going to have to get it down off the wall and try to determine if the wood is plywood or not, that would have an impact on what the asking price would be.  If it turns out to be walnut so much the better.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Mirrors - a great investment!

« on: May 01, 2019, 12:38:31 pm »

At last!  A topic I can post on, though not large mirrors, just small ones.  I bought this back in the 60's in a Flea Market called The Peoples Store in Topeka when we lived there.  I think I paid a couple bucks for it.  At that time it had an ugly set of antlers on it.  Antlers that looked like they had been picked up in the woods somewhere and had laid there for many years before someone finding them.

A few years later I came into possession of a nice pair of Antelope antlers and installed them on the fixture.  We were really impressed by the quality of the mirror, its about 8"X10", beveled, and could be quarter inch plate glass.  Turned out to be pretty nice.

We want to change the motif of the wall it's mounted  on and want to run it pm Ebay but have no idea of what to ask.  Would $39.95 be a fair price on it.  What thinkest thee on this.  Thanks for any tips.   Jon

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bentley Motors Special Edition ChronommelerWatch By Breitling

« on: December 01, 2018, 06:59:09 am »

It does appear to be a battery operated.  Most of the Breitling chronometers were automatic wind.  I assume you have tried a new battery to see if there is any sort of activity?

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: How much is a 110 yr. old Theater Poster worth?

« on: November 30, 2018, 10:37:15 am »

Geinado, Thank you!   Mart, good advice about contacting the Missouri Historical Society, will certainly e-mail them if they have an address.  An alternate action is maybe driving the 30 miles to the Kansas Historical Society Museum and getting the spool of newspaper blurbs for the period immediately after the horse's death.  I would think there may be a followup to the play's presentation.  Interesting that one could go and see the five act play at that time for fifty cents.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: How much is a 110 yr. old Theater Poster worth?

« on: November 29, 2018, 07:02:34 pm »

I can't remember exactly what I paid but it was under $20.  Its been upstairs in a bedroom stored there since 1974 or so.  I had almost forgotten about it.  The auction was stopped after I had bought about four items.  No reason for stopping it, as i remember, but I think the items just weren't bringing what they thought was fair.

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Antique Questions Forum / How much is a 110 yr. old Theater Poster worth?

« on: November 28, 2018, 12:02:40 pm »

Maybe not much.  This one is like the old 30's posters that were in the foyer of the old movie theaters showing coming attractions. About 38 inches high and twelve inches wide.  I bought it at an antique auction many years ago, researched it, stored it in a shady bedroom, face against the wall.  With the help of the Kansas Historical Society I got most of the story behind it.

In a nutshell, Little Joe was a fire horse in Kansas City Mo. in the latter part of the 19th century.  He was quite a favorite with the people in Kansas City.  While active he took part in various contests of fire horses both here and abroad.  When he died there was a movement in the Kansas City area to raise the money needed to pay a taxidermist to preserve the remains, like Commanche, Keogh's horse at the Little Big Horn.  A play called "Divorce" was produced with the idea of all receipts from the play would be used for the taxidermy.  Whether or not I never found whether this came to pass or not. The play went on as planned at the Old 9th Street theater in KC, Mo which later became the Follies Theater up around 10th & Cherry St.


I haven't ran it on an Internet auction simply because I don't know where to price it.  Perhaps some of you folks may have an idea of where to start it.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Religeous Icon

« on: November 12, 2018, 08:13:19 am »

Thanks for all the replies.  The only thing I had going as to the age of it was that she brought it with her, as a child in the mid 1860's, when she left her parents in Pennsylvania and came to Kansas with my g-great grandmother Mary McCarty who had emigrated from Ireland.  I thought that the icon could have been given to her when she began the trip to Kansas, and that it may have been handed down in her family.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Religeous Icon

« on: November 07, 2018, 01:22:45 pm »

OK, looking at the front/side view I see that there was a hole bored thru the marble and the screw goes thru from the back and attaches to the brass icon of the virgin Mary.  Will have to have the icon to see how the "prop" attaches.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Religeous Icon

« on: November 07, 2018, 01:14:57 pm »

Mart:  The icon is almost four inches high and two inches in width, and roughly 5/16  inches thick,  That is a screw under the "prop".  I took it apart to dust it as a child and remember I had to use my Dad's offset screwdriver to remove the prop.  I gave it to our daughter several years ago and am working from memory as she lives fifty miles away.  I will have her bring it over next time she visits.  I can't remember  just what the screw fits into;  I can't imagine how you would "thread"  a hole in marble, which this is.  I always thought it was Connemara marble, leading me to think it was from the Irish side of my family.

Will try to attach a frontal/side view.