Antiques

One program that Marge and I enjoy on TV is "Antiques Roadshow." We were watching the other evening when a lady brought an abstract painting on the show to be appraised. She had given $9.95 for the painting, which was her limit. She never spent more than $9.95. The appraiser said the painting was worth from about $16,000 up to $20,000. I seriously doubt I'd have given the $9.95 for the painting. If I had it, I'd sell it. What was neat is the painter actually put an arrow on the back showing which way was up and down when someone hung it on the wall.

Another time, an old duffer brought a kind of grey tannish blanket to the appraisers that kind of resembled a Hudson Bay Trade Blanket. I knew the Hudson Bay blankets were worth several hundred, so I watched. Turns out, it was a Navajo blanket, and it was worth a lot more than several hundred. The appraiser said he'd insure the blanket for at least a million dollars. That poor old duffer liked to have passed out. He really needed a chair to sit down.

Some come on the road show for an appraisal, and you get the feeling the item is up for sale. Others bring on an expensive item for information and appraisal, and you can tell it's not for sale. The item won't be for sale for a generation or two. Eventually, it will probably get sold, but not right away. For some it all boils down to what's it worth, but for some it's an heirloom with family significance. An antique, if you will.

Guys seem to find guns or old cars or pickups or tractors or tools or saddles or spurs and so on as valuable heirlooms. Gals seem to like jewelry or silverware or pots and pans or clothes or furniture and so on. Now don't get upset if you're a gal, and you like guns or such. I like some of the old pots and pans and such. Where I grew up, saddles were valuable heirlooms handed down to future generations. Many saddles were close to 100 years old. Some of the old Hawken muzzle-loaders could be up around 200 years old.

Many treasure the old family Bibles. When Marge's sister passed away, she left behind a marked up leather bound NIV Bible that was special. One of the family members has the Bible. Many of these old Bibles have family trees in them or baptism dates and records. Years ago, a good friend of mine gave me a complete set of hardbound New Testament commentaries. They are special. Back when I first was saved, I would borrow an Adam Clark commentary from Joe Porter, who was an elderly friend back in Nebraska. I would sure have loved to end up with his commentaries. I bought a set later, but they don't have that personal appeal Joe's did.

Growing up, Dad had an International Cub tractor and a couple C's. Neat tractors. I don't have a clue whether they were brand new when he got them or were used. I think they were made around 1950 give or take a few years. Dad had a set of cultivator hoes and such that went on the Cub, so he used it to cultivate the gardens. There was a pair of metal shields that protected the little plants from getting covered up with dirt. He took them off later when the plants were bigger. I'd still like to have one of Dad's original tractors.

When Marge and I got married, Marge's mom gave us a Wagner No. 8 cast iron skillet. It was a neat gift, but back in the '70s, the rage was the Teflon-coated skillets or non-stick ones. As Marge and I got older, we chucked the non-stick versions and went totally with the old cast iron kitchen ware. Most of ours are Griswold now. We do have some Wagner and Crescent, but not very many. When we use one of the old Griswolds, I always wonder who had it before us and why was it sold. They are the kind of antiques I enjoy and the kind we use every day. Many of them are up towards 100 years old.

Back when I was still doing carpentry work, I'd hit all the yard sales looking for tools. One tool that I always checked for was a good hand saw and preferably a Disston. Disston tools date back to 1840 or so, giving them a rich heritage. Always quicker to use a power saw, but I find satisfaction using a good hand saw that's sharp and straight. Back when I was little, I watched Dad sharpen his hand saws and set the teeth. He used a special vice to hold it and a special deal to set the teeth. All these tools are antiques now. Heck, even I'm an antique.

Last item that pops out in my memory is those old percolator coffee pots. Mom and Dad would fill the pot with water, put the percolator thing in and add the ground coffee, plug it in and let it rip. Loved to listen to it perk. Sure made a strong cup of coffee. Maybe add a dash of salt. I don't know how many of those old percolator coffee pots where you have to set them on a fire that I have. Even have an all glass percolator. I need to check out eBay and find out how old they actually are.

Antiques come in all shapes and sizes and colors. Whether they be an antique or not pretty much depends on the individual. We were looking at something the other day and a "Made in Japan" popped up. One of us said it's pretty old, where it's not made in China. I like those tags that read "Made in America" or "Made in the USA." I was looking at a two-blade stock man pocketknife the other day on eBay. There are a few still made in the USA. I think I'll order one of them.