Dig Antiques Blog
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Bigger, Better, and Beautifully Curated: The All-New Dig Antiques is Here!
Attention all collectors, history buffs, and lovers of fine Americana! We have some thrilling news. Dig Antiques has gotten a massive, modern new look.
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The Christmas Song, Holiday Joy
"The Christmas Song" (aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) was written in 1944 by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé. The most famous rendition of the song was…
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Two by Two—Noah's Arks
The Genesis flood story whereby Noah’s Ark plays a key role has always been popular with adults and children alike. So it’s not surprising that Noah’s…
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Kid Collectors
Written by Guest Columnist Pat Martin There's nothing like bored children to cut short your visit an antiques shop or show. A solution to this might be to…
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Mellow Yellow(Ware)
Yellowware Display Yellow ware is a type of heavy pottery (earthenware) that is made from yellow colored clay. Most often in the form of bowls, pie plates…
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Staying Sharp with Strawberries
Strawberry Emeries Strawberries are ubiquitous summer fruits that pop with their bright red color and juicy sweet taste. No wonder they became the subject…
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Electra Havemeyer Webb: A Pioneering Woman
Electra Havemeyer WebbIn Honor of Women's History Month Electra Havemeyer Webb was a larger-than-life woman. Born in 1888 in Babylon, NY, Electra grew up…
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New Look, New Features!
New Dig Antiques WebsiteDigAntiques.com comes out of hibernation Over the past year, we've been working on the "next generation" Dig Antiques website. We…
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Antique Joy! Antique Joy!
Antique Joy! Antique joy! "Jingle Bells" was written by James Lord Pierpont around 1850 and originally published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh"…
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Sheeper by the Dozen; Holiday Thankfulness
Sheeper by the Dozen Stick leg or German wooly sheep are popular antiques to collect. These sheep have their origins in the decorative Christmas villages…
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Utopia on the Prairie—Olof Krans Folk Paintings; Utopia Travels
Utopia on the Prairie–Olof Krans Folk Painting Bishop Hill Colony was founded in 1846 by a group of 1,000 immigrants under the leadership of Erik Jansson…
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Antique Teddy Bears; It Just Spoke to Me; Connections
Antique Teddy Bears The teddy bear as we know it, standing or sitting upright with or without jointed limbs but more doll-like, traces its origins to 1902…
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Grenfell Hooked Textiles; Monochromatic vs. Polychromatic Decor
Grenfell Hooked Textiles – From Philanthropy to Folk Art Grenfell hooked mats and rugs are known for the quality of the hooking and delightful patterns.…
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Cast Iron Doorstops; Easy Inventory on Shops at Dig Antiques
Cast Iron Doorstops Cast iron doorstops are prized as folk art as well as by doorstop collectors. Doorstops (originally called door porters) were first…
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American Folk Art Collections; Leave it Alone; Seeing the Impact
American Folk Art Collections In last month’s newsletter we explored the definition of American folk art, especially as it compares to fine art. This…
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American Folk Art - Aesthetic or Context?; Muddying the Waters
American Folk Art – Aesthetic or Context? The term “American folk art” is used to describe objects from the eighteenth century to contemporary times.…
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American Painted Tinware (aka Toleware); Tributes
American Painted Tinware (aka Toleware) Painted tinware can be found in many early American collections. Commonly referred to as toleware, these pieces…
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Stone Fruit Collections; Service with a Smile
Stone Fruit Collections Stone fruit, also known as marble fruit, is carved and painted fruit, nuts and vegetables made from Italian marble that look…
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Time for Maple Sugar Molds; True Love
Sap is Running, Time for Maple Sugar Molds For those in cold and snowy areas of North America, by mid-February the beauty of winter has become old and the…
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The Popularity of Canes, Pinning for You!
The Popularity of Canes Tommy Lees Jones as Thaddeus Stevens with cane in Lincoln We were reminded of the beauty of canes when watching the movie Lincoln…
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A Wonderful Holiday Collection
The Twelve Days of Searching For the collector in all of us, we hope you enjoy this holiday greeting. --------------------- On the twelfth day of…
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Feather Tree History; Hot for the Holidays; So Much to Be Thankful For
History of the Christmas Feather Tree Written by Guest Columnist: Cindy Adams The history of Feather Trees being used at Christmas is really just one…
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Getting Ready for Winter—Putting up the Preserves; Still Useful, more!
Getting Ready for Winter – Putting up the Preserves With the heat of summer turning into the cool crisp days of fall, we are reminded that getting ready…
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Amish and Mennonite Differences; Rocking Chair Rapport
The Challenge in Discerning Amish and Mennonite Differences Amish and Mennonite antiques are highly collectible including quilts, rugs, baskets, cloth…
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Rocking Away the Summer; Buy American; 1M Searches
Rocking Away the Summer Rocking chairs have been a constant and comfortable part of our lives since the 18th century. The very name conjures up visions of…
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Back to School with Antiques; Civil War Uniforms
Back to School Written by Guest Columnist: Lyn Andeen It’s hard to believe but, for many, back to school is right around the corner. Growing up in New…
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Birth of the American Eagle
Birth of the American Eagle As we all know, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. On that auspicious day,…
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Memorial Day Brings Out Patriotic Bunting
Memorial Day Brings Out Patriotic Bunting For as long as there has been war, there have been loved ones placing flowers on the graves of the fallen.…
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The Blow by Blow of Blanket Boxes
The Blow by Blow of Blanket Boxes Antique blanket boxes, also known as blanket chests, come in many sizes and styles and vary widely in cost. They can be…
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Framing the Image: Antique Frames Come Alive
Framing the Image: Antique Frames Come Alive In 2004, Hewlett Packard (HP) ran the first of a series of TV ads that used picture frames to capture live…
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For My Antique Heart
For My Antique Heart With Valentine’s Day upon us, everywhere we turn we see hearts. While much of the general population focuses on hearts in February,…
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Quilts and the Underground Railroad
Quilts and the Underground Railroad Antique quilts are extremely collectable for their beauty, color and history. Quilts vary widely in pattern, style,…
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Deck the House with Antiques Galore
Deck the House with Antiques Galore Here's an alternative version to an often sung Christmas song....we hope you enjoy! Deck the house with antiques…
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Beautiful Bread and Cutting Boards
Beautiful Bread and Cutting Boards Catherine Beecher, in her 1845 book, A Treatise on Domestic Economy, for the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School,…
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Country Ramblings—More or Less?Written by Guest Columnist: Lyn Andeen
Country Ramblings—More or Less? Written by Guest Columnist: Lyn Andeen Hello everyone. This is my first time as a guest columnist on the Dig antiques…
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Shakers in Kentucky
Shakers in Kentucky We just spent a full day visiting the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill Kentucky. In 1805, three Shakers went west to the “frontier” of…
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Dirt is Not PatinaWritten by Guest Columnist: Pat Martin
Dirt is Not Patina Written by Guest Columnist: Pat Martin After setting up at a recent New Hampshire show, Bob and I spent a super evening with Tom and…
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Half Hulls - Why only half a ship?
Half Hulls - Why only half a ship? The summer boating season is well underway which brings to mind boat related folk art including half hulls, ship models…
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Cutting Up with Antique Tin Cookie Cutters
Cutting Up with Antique Tin Cookie Cutters Just about every country and folk art antique show and shop has tin cookie cutters for sale; with prices…
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American Stoneware – Norton Pottery
American Stoneware – Norton Pottery Stoneware was found in just about every early American home for its utilitarian and decorative value. Pottery made of…
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Collecting Miniature or Small Baskets
Collecting Miniature or Small Baskets Baskets are an antique staple included in many country decorated homes and collections. Sometimes, it is mistakenly…
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Bonnets – Before the Easter Parade
Bonnets – Before the Easter Parade With Easter almost upon us, Irving Berlin has us singing “In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, You'll be…
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Samplers
Samplers The antique sampler holds the wonderful allure of beauty, practicality and the tantalizing hope of using growing online genealogy resources to…
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Food Folk Culture: Butter Prints and Molds
Food Folk Culture: Butter Prints and Molds Hand carved early prints (or stamps) and molds added a bit of artistry to an otherwise labor-intensive…
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Let Them Show! Let Them Show!Let Them Show!
Let Them Show! Let Them Show! Let Them Show! The original Let It Snow! hit song was written in July 1945 by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in…
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The American Coverlet
The American Coverlet Written by Guest Columnist: Pat Martin There are 4 types of American coverlets, the Overshot, the Double Weave, the Summer and…
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What is American about American Folk Art?
What is American about American Folk Art? Written by Guest Columnist: Bonnie Grossman For almost 40 years, I have been a dealer in American Folk Art, but…
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Hairwork: A Sentimental Folk Art
Hairwork: A Sentimental Folk Art Written by Guest Columnist: Pat Martin We tend to think of hairwork pieces as mourning pieces, but hairwork was more the…
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Beautiful, Useful Treen
Beautiful, Useful Treen Treen is an old English word meaning “made from the tree”. Used in the context of antiques, treen generally refers to handmade,…
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Camps and Twigs – Adirondack Style
Camps and Twigs – Adirondack Style Starting in the 1870s the Adirondack region in upstate NY became a tourist destination for New York City and Chicago…
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Centennial and Patriotic Quilts
Centennial and Patriotic Quilts With July 4 this coming weekend, our thoughts are turning patriotic so we decided to focus on centennial and patriotic…
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The Charm of Make-Dos and Mends
The Charm of Make-Dos and Mends During the 18th to early 20th centuries, when everyday items were broken they were often repaired or repurposed rather…
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Tramp Art as a Form of Early Recycling
Tramp Art as a Form of Early Recycling Tramp Art is a form of folk art that was made in America between 1870 and the end of 1930s. Recycling wooden cigar…
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Dig Antiques Updates
Dig Antiques Updates Become a Fan on Facebook We have just created a Dig Antiques page on Facebook. Please become a fan. We will be adding more…
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Happy 1st Birthday!
Happy 1st Birthday! Dig Antiques celebrates it's first birthday this week. It has certainly been a year of growth. During our first year, Dig Antiques…
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New: The Shops at Dig Antiques
New: The Shops at Dig Antiques We are pleased to announce the opening of The Shops at Dig Antiques. The Shops are operated by dealers and individuals who…
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Collecting more antiques for us to love!
Collecting more antiques for us to love! "Winter Wonderland " was written in 1934 by composer Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard B. Smith. It has become a…