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Vintage Cookbooks Are Tasty Treat for Collectors

I was pleased to find a pristine copy of my favorite cookbook, Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, at Sibs recently. I received a copy of it as a wedding gift in 1982 and have used it so much that it’s falling apart at the seams. I got a real bargain too since I’ve seen it online for three times the price I paid ($5). Lots of antique enthusiasts collect cookbooks. With everything from simple hometown pamphlets to the big books authored by television personality chefs, cookbooks are a delicious collectible. A line-up of great titles makes an impressive display in the ...

Cool Down With This Charming Collectible

Lace, silk, fringed and painted, fans from bygone eras are delightful to collect and display. One of my favorite collectibles, these delicate conveniences are a popular treasure worldwide, and a charming reminder of the era before air conditioning. I was pleased to find Oglebay Institute used a paper fan to remind guests of its Capital Campaign now going on, “Preserving our Past Creating Your Future.” The fan was a gift to all those attending its lovely Board Benefit last Friday evening and it came in handy in this August heat wave. Used for personal cooling convenience since ...

New School Year New Socks

Back-to-school shopping didn’t elicit much excitement when I was a child; not like it does today. It was all about the knee socks. Because I attended Catholic school for 12 years, I wore a uniform each year. There was no need for buying colorful new school clothes. The biggest purchase each year was for new knee socks. Socks tended to wear out; not so much the case for uniforms that were sewn from more durable material. In grade school, the knee socks were navy blue to match the solid blue jumper that we wore with collared white blouses. Pants were not permitted although many ...

Teaching A Man To Fish

My dad was not exactly a patient man. When he served as editor of the Wheeling News-Register more than 30 years ago, I saw him in action. He demanded deadlines be met even if it meant slapping a wet photo print on his desk for approval. He hated to be late for anything. He was known to bark at reporters or city editors when his patience wore thin. This was all in the name of getting the job done, but he could come off as gruff to the new kids in the newsroom. Yet there were times when I was a kid that I witnessed his demeanor change and his patience hold steady. And it was all ...

Hopefully, despite the ongoing pandemic and rise of the delta variant, you got away to a vacation spot this summer. Souvenir and travel treasures are an important part of the collecting world. Spoons, plates, mugs, T-shirts, pennants, postcards and china are just a few of the items people seek while on vacation. Souvenir china is an antique keepsake. Perhaps you’ve seen the small decorative china items gleaming with far away scenes at your local antique shop. Usually made in Germany, these dishes, figural animals, fish and birds are highly glazed and often trimmed in gold. ...

Dive Right In

There is a moment just before you reach the other side of the pool that you feel your lungs about to burst. Then you pop up above the water and inhale another life-giving breath. I did it! As a youngster, I would challenge myself to race under water across the wide expanse of the outdoor swimming pool at Oglebay Park. By the time summer was over, I mastered the underwater swim with air to spare. There was exhilaration in overcoming the water using every muscle and ounce of strength within you. It was the kind of exercise from which Olympic swimmers are born. Unfortunately, I was not ...