Category Archives: What is it?

  This is an antique Irish Shillelagh. The original shillelaghs appeared thousands of years ago as heavy war clubs but over the years, evolved into walking canes and carrying sticks. In the Middle Ages and right into Charles Dickens’ times … Continue reading →

  This is a ceramic spittoon. Google identifies it as made by the American Bennington Pottery Co. probably in late 1800’s. During those times much of the consumed tobacco was done by chewing. This habit generated a lot of saliva … Continue reading →

The first photo is of a hand-carved horse and cowboy. He is wearing denims and leather chaps and has leather gear. I bought it at Salvation Army. It’s fairly old and probably carved in the West somewhere – maybe by … Continue reading →

  The first photo is a painted wood cow bell, which I believe is French. The high-pitched sound that it makes can be heard at a long distance. The second bell is cruder and is also made of wood. It … Continue reading →

The cabinet is an oak commode either English or American. Before indoor plumbing, a pitcher of warm water was placed on the top of the cabinet adjacent to a basin for washing at night. The drawers would hold wash cloths … Continue reading →

  This is my Mother’s Apple Cake. I still remember fondly eating big slices of it as a child a few times every year. The recipe was lost on her passing but it recently showed up in a wicker basket … Continue reading →

  This ancient elaborately carved and painted wood panel is actually the front of a Chinese Jitney (aka litter). See the diagram below. There probably were curtains all around for privacy. There are notches at the bottom corners to fit … Continue reading →

This is a really old, bronze, handheld Chinese mirror. This is the decorated backside. The two wetland birds are either cranes or herons. They have different symbolic meanings. The front is highly polished and produces a reasonable reflection. I don’t … Continue reading →

This is a cast iron pictural sign that was placed on the wall above entrance to a wool shop in Munich, Germany, sometime in the 1800’s. I bought it at a flea market in Frankfort about five years ago. I … Continue reading →

This is a prayer chair (in French: Prie Dieu). When walking on the Grand Place in Brussels in 1969 with Daniele and my friend Ken Weinstein, we spotted a pile of “wood junk” on the plaza in front of the … Continue reading →