Messages

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Larson Painting, any info?

« on: May 10, 2010, 04:51:11 am »

It does kind of look like a 'B', but the bottom part looks like it didn't connect, so it looks more like a backwards J and a P put together. I'm baffled. 

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Antique Questions Forum / Larson Painting, any info?

« on: May 09, 2010, 02:40:23 pm »

Hello all! I picked this up at a yard sale this weekend. The owner didn't have any information on it at all really. She knew it was handpainted but that was all. I don't think it's really all that old, but I'd still like to know a little something about this piece. I know the last name on the painting is Larson, but I can't make out the first letter. Maybe a 'P' or an 'E'? I'm just not sure. I did an online search and didn't come up with anything. If anyone has any information or stumbles across anything that would be great. The painting is about 4" x 6" and is painted on wood and looks to be an oil painting. The frame is pretty neat and I do enjoy the picture, so even if I can't find any information on it, I still feel it was worth the $20.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bill Mathews Company?

« on: April 21, 2010, 05:01:02 am »

Thanks Sapphire, that's awesome!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bill Mathews Company?

« on: April 20, 2010, 05:05:42 am »

Hello! Just thought you'd all like to know that mom loved the bike. We gave it to her after spending about four hours in Chuck-e-cheese. She jumped right on it and rode all around the parking lot, sounding the bell the whole way. She was grinning from ear to ear and pretty soon we were loading the kids in the basket and she was giving them rides. It was great.

There is nothing better than seeing a grandma peddling around a parking lot on a giant trike with a basketful of grandchildren!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bill Mathews Company?

« on: April 09, 2010, 04:57:52 am »

Lol! Nice pic KC! I'll have to get those pants and glasses regjoe, and I'll be sure to tell you all about how the surprise goes seas! I just hope I can wait another week+.  

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bill Mathews Company?

« on: April 08, 2010, 04:55:41 am »

I'm so excited to give it to her, but I have to wait until the 19th. That's so hard!

She's such a hoot. She's decided to have her birthday party at Chuck-e-cheese because then the grandkids can run around like nuts, and she can be a big kid too! I'm thinking of bringing the bike there and finding a way to surprise her with it. I still need to get the new hand brake put on and have the gears looked at, but a friend said they'd work on it for me!

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bill Mathews Company?

« on: April 07, 2010, 05:19:28 am »

Pictures! (finally) 

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: I.D help please

« on: April 02, 2010, 05:05:35 am »

Not 100% sure, it's more of a guess than anything else, but since the two hooks do look like harness pieces, that last item might be for hauling items by horse or such. It looks a bit like a logging tool I've seen in the past, but the memory is a bit hazy. This piece might not be strong enough for that, and I'm not sure if the size is right, but that's what it reminded me of.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bill Mathews Company?

« on: March 28, 2010, 08:31:08 pm »

I bought the little metal bell today. I almost bought the squeaky horn one, but the round metal one looked just like the ones my sisters and I had as kids. So much fun! I can't believe all the gadgets for bikes now. I even saw a cup holder for coffees and stuff!

I really wanted to put streamers on it...but I was afraid my mom wouldn't ride it as much if it had them. Not me though! I'd be cruising that bad boy around the block! I hope to finish up my work on it tomorrow if it isn't too rainy out. I'll post some pictures, I hope, when it's done.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Bill Mathews Company?

« on: March 27, 2010, 08:58:05 pm »

Thanks Wendy! I just stumbled across some old ads for Bill Matthews bikes online. Fun stuff! My mom has always wanted a 3 wheeler (lol, or giant tricycle I should say, I guess). I'm so excited to give it to her, but I need to take it in and get the brakes and gear shift looked at. I hope it's not too expensive a fix. I spent most of the day taking the bike apart and cleaning off the years of rust and dirt. It actually shined up very nicely. I think the brakes and gears are beyond my bike knowledge though.

Oh yeah, I am 100% going to add a bell!

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Antique Questions Forum / Bill Mathews Company?

« on: March 27, 2010, 08:37:43 pm »

Anyone heard of this company? I bought a three wheeler bike for my mom today and it has Bill Matthews Company Laguna Hills California on a little crest on the front. The side says Leisure Line. I know it's not an antique, but I'm having a lot of trouble finding info on this bike company on line. I read a little blurb about Schwinn using Bill Mathews Company brand parts but that they liked to keep that info under wraps. Anyone know anything else?

I bought it at a yard sale for $40, and the man who sold it to me said it used to belong to a little old fellow who rode it all around the Seattle area. They weren't sure how long the man had owned it, but they thought it had been quite some time.

Sorry I don't have any pictures at the moment. My camera is hating me right now. I'll fiddle with it again later. Any help on this one would be great. My mom's birthday is mid-April and I would love any info I could add to this for her.

I rode it down the street, you know...to test it out, and I felt like a giant kid. It was great! It even has a basket, but no bell. I might need to add that on.  

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Help with identifying these Japanese/Chinese plates

« on: March 10, 2010, 05:57:17 am »

These plates appear to be Japanese, but as far as the marking on the back, I'm afraid I'm unsure.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Pewter or Silver

« on: March 05, 2010, 06:23:20 am »

Hmmm, it seems like I've seen something like this before. It almost looks like a tea caddy, but I'm unsure about the hole in the bottom. Odd.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: 1799 diary

« on: February 24, 2010, 05:54:59 am »

Thanks KC, that's good advice.

My master plan had been to research Anne Pares' travels and then set out on a vacation to retrace her footsteps. About a year after I had gotten the diary, I managed to decipher most of her hand writting and had done research on many of the places she visited (very hard due to odd spellings and places so small or archaic that I couldn't find more than a brief sentence on them).

To make a long story short, my computer crashed...big time. I hadn't made any hard copies of my research and I was too frustrated to start over again. I'm finally feeling up to the task again. It was hard work, but lots of fun too. This time I'll do some printouts and save the info on flashdrives too so there's not a repeat of the last fiasco.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: 1799 diary

« on: February 23, 2010, 05:50:13 am »

Thanks all! Those are some very helpful articles talesofthesevenseas! Thank you!

I had heard several times to either seal it airtight or let it breath, so it was good to have some clarification on that. I think I'll look into an archival storage box. I don't see any signs of mold or bugs, but it looks as if the paper near the leather cover is turning a slightly darker shade. Maybe because of a past leather treatment, or the glue used on it. Thanks again!