Would you trust them to mind your coats and hats? What about your children’s belongings? I spotted this vintage wooden novelty coat rack in an antique mall. Painted blue and white, the cat tails are the pegs to hold your children’s clothing.

One of the things I love most about this vintage photo of a woman (obviously showing off her stockings in an erotic “French postcard” way) is the old boudoir doll on the vanity. You don’t see a lot of photos of boudoir dolls!

Did you ever notice that as a mother you have all these little odd sayings… Weird sing-songy ways of announcing bed time, meal time, to comfort your children, etc. Some of them were handed down to you from your own mother — who may or may not have heard them from her own mother. Somethings [...]

I’ve been running into a lot of new collectors of vintage and antique things at Listia; I kind of feel like I’m becoming a resident expert, both it terms of being able to help folks and because of the amount of time I spend at Listia. *wink* I don’t normally take the time to give [...]

More scans from that antique, turn of the century, Japan travel guide; these are advertisements found in the back of the book. S. Nishimura, “one price silk store,” founded in 1604. K. Kawata, another silk vendor ad, this one targeting “Ladies desiring Embroideries or Drawn Work.” K. Tamamura, “the leading photographer of Japan.” K. Kimbei, [...]

The seller of this real photo photo postcard (RPPC) featuring two children with a rocking horse, says it’s from Central Pennsylvania, circa 1910s. You can’t help but wonder if the older sister is wishing she was still young enough to ride, rather than watch the younger child on the porch. *wink* Image via Lynnstudios.

One of the most fascinating areas of collecting antique and vintage photographs are those images showing the interior of shops and retails stores — like these real photo postcards, circa 1907. Notice the well-dressed help and the tin tiles on the walls; the fine array of items, such as china in the display cases, the [...]

At Bluebird Gardens, Charlotte Ekker Wiggins answers the question, “If I buy a vintage quilt top, and then quilt and finish it, does this reduce its value?” And I just love how she answers: If you are asking if a quilt’s appraised value will change; yes, it will. In general, the appraised value of a [...]

I spotted this charming set of glass storage jars with lids at a Minnesota antique mall. Obviously for the nursery, the frosted glass jars have white bunny rabbits. The jars are labeled with common-for-the-day items for baby: “Boric Acid,” “Baby Oil,” “Nipples,” and “Cotton.”

This vintage greeting card has birthday wishes from Goldilocks and Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear, aka The Three Bears. Along with the cute illustrations (there are even three bowls of porridge on the back!), this card opens to reveal a four-page storybook! The story is, naturally, of Goldilocks And The Three Bears. The [...]

I don’t know where Joan “No More Wire Hangers, Ever!” Crawford stood on wooden hangers, but I’m guessing she wasn’t a fan. However, these cute vintage wooden hangers for the nursery might have made her at least think of them as adorable display pieces… Painted pink, with decals of kittens and little girls, I nearly [...]

In a 1940′s copy of Modern Woman magazine, this lore on the history of the handkerchief — attributing the hankie to Marie Antoinette.

I have very mixed feelings about modifying or changing antique and vintage things, but when I saw this project converting plates (and a candlestick) into a jewelry holder I thought it would be a wonderful way to salvage china pieces, bring them out of the boxes and shadows and back to life. I’ve seen this [...]

How could anyone lose their mittens when they had these adorable vintage pink plastic duck-shaped mitten holders! Image via Red Lyon Country Treasures.

It’s funny how things become vintage. I remember when my Aunt Alice (my Grandmother’s sister) came to visit me in the hospital and gave me my first pair of dangly earrings. They were not expensive made but they were gold and elegant looking and most of all, when I wore them I could feel them [...]

More things for collectors to learn from that 1940′s Hint Hunt booklet — this time the tips could explain some condition issues you find with vintage vanity collectibles.  These vintage beauty and cosmetic tips explain why you might just spot pinholes in powder boxes and find beads in perfume bottles. For me, such pin pricks [...]

Ephemera collector Dick Sheaff shares this 1875 carte de visite (CDV) photograph by William Shaw Warren of Boston which seems to be the source for The Pond’s Extract Company’s trade card advertising.

All I really know about this image is that the lady is Mrs. Louis Bromfield, that the photo was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1942 — and that I love that headboard! The headboard appears to be hand painted or, if fabric, embroidered with the titles of her husband’s books. What a lovely idea! …If [...]

Look at all the gorgeous old perfumes in this vintage photo of a young Elizabeth Taylor at a dressing table!  Do you recognize any?

This is so ephemeral that I can barely stand it! It’s a paper matchbook… With matchheads of “Stay-Tru” Almay lipstick! I’m not sure why you’d want to sell beauty on the idea of putting a match to your lips, or how these survived (mostly intact; one ‘strike’ is missing), but I love it!

I have a modest collection of vintage vanity items; my collection and I have even been featured in Collectors News magazine. Included in my collection are various vintage powder tins, compacts, and refills. Once you get past the pretty packaging (which I’ll admit might take some time!), you notice the names of shades of old [...]