Many have fond memories of their milkman delivering local milk in bottles. Some even remember having an insulated box that sat outside the door for the milkman to place your bottles.
Wonderful Local Collection
Bahoukas has acquired an extensive local collection of Havre de Grace milk bottles. Besides George’s personal collection, we have plenty to share.
Dairies often embossed their name, logo, or initials onto the base of their milk bottles. This made it easy to identify their bottles at stores and bottle exchanges. Since milk bottles were used over and over again, it was important for a dairy to get their milk bottles back after use. The more times a milk bottle was used, the more profit for the dairy.
There are so many delightful ways to use these bottles besides just having them in a collection, sitting on a shelf.
Fill with colored water and place on a window sill. Better yet, add some fresh flowers.
Maybe you have a collection – like different colored sands or buttons – that would look lovely kept in these bottles.
Don’t forget the rest of our milk bottle collection!
We have an extensive collection of milk bottles. Here’s a pic:
Huge collection of milk bottles at Bahoukas Antiques
Don’t forget that these would make interesting flower or candle holders for a wedding or other special events. Stop in and look over this collection. You know, we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
During the 1970s phone subscribers were permitted to own decorative housings for their phones for the first time. Teleconcepts was one of the pioneers that provided innovative decorative phones.
This unique and quite charming clamshell phone is the “Shellamar” by Teleconcepts. It has a retractable fabric cord and YES, it absolutely works. I believe the color would be ‘caramel.’
Did you know deregulation brought us these phone designs?
The Deregulated Phone The 1977 breakup of AT&T revolutionized telephone design, which had been, as Michael Sorkin noted, “sheltered from the vagaries of taste and the manipulations of the marketplace.” The phone was no longer a standardized, leased portal into AT&T’s network; it became an object unto itself, with results that verged on a kind of giddy kitsch, as if people were overcompensating for the long gray-flannel winter. “Today Alexander Graham Bell’s invention comes in a menagerie of forms,” the New York Times wrote in 1986, “that include Coca-Cola bottles, toucans, peekaboo Lucite globes and, in the case of the desk-top Versailles phone, with a reproduction Renoir discreetly planted in the number card.”
Cabbage Patch phone, Turkey phone, Airplane phone The Farmer’s Novelty Phones/gifarmer.com; Shoe phone dldt via ebay. from SLATE.com
What fun it is to consider the changing look and feel of telephones and the continuing changes from big, boxy, cell phones to our modern-day ‘smart’ phone where the telephone function is a small part of the instrument!
In 1973, the company came up with a prototype of the world’s first portable cellular telephone, using the DynaTAC (Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage) system. In the year 1983, the world’s first commercial hand-held cellular phone, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X phone, got FCC’s approval.
Weighing in at 28-ounce (794-gram), it went on sale the following year. The device used to take 10 hours to fully charge, and offered around 30 minutes of talk-time. Capable of saving last 30 dialed numbers, it carried a price tag of $3,995.
The phone had long appeared in advertisements in the hands of executives as they sat in their cocoons of power, surveying their empire below, but a new kind of power was typified in the 1987 film Wall Street, in which Michael Douglas’ Gordon Gekko clutches a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. “Oh, jeez, I wish you could see this,” he tells Bud Fox, as he walks a Hamptons beach, “the lights coming up over the water.” It’s like an advertisement for dominion over place: You can’t be here, but I can, and I’m going to use this wonderful instrument to remind you of that fact. A descendent of Motorola’s walkie-talkie work for the military (and looking like it), the DynaTAC, designed by Rudy Krolopp, came on the market in 1984, at just below $4,000 and 28 ounces.
The LUCITE CLAMSHELL PHONE is a beautiful collectible from 50 years ago that reminds many of us just how quickly things have changed. We look forward to showing you this great piece and any collection ‘of our many collections’ that you might want to peruse. Yes… we are watchin’ for ya!
Well, maybe you don’t like to sew. But these thread cabinets could easily be upcycled for any unique project you might have.
DID YOU KNOW THREAD SPOOLS WERE ONCE RECYCLED?
It was not until about 1800 that manufactured cotton thread was available to the hand sewers in the United States and Europe. Before that, textiles were sewn with silk or linen thread, and rarely homespun cotton or wool thread. At first, they were sold in hanks as some yarns still are. Thread came on wooden spools beginning about 1820. Like our beverage bottles, the spools could be returned for a deposit, to be refilled. In the mid-19th century, during the Industrial Revolution, textile manufacturing processes were some of the first to be modernized including the manufacture of cotton sewing thread.
Maybe you collect small items and the drawers would be perfect to store them and pull them out for display. Or possibly, you love notepaper and cards. These drawers might be perfect for keeping your collection. OR!!! Possibly a perfect place to store sheets of wrapping paper or even your artwork!
Love More History of Threads?
Images from DuPont’s nylon production plant in Wilmington, Delaware, 1938 (clockwise from top left). Mike McCall pours nylon chips into a hopper; the chips will be melted, measured out and filtered before being spun into filament. An unidentified worker oversees the operation of a draw twister, which twists polymer fibers into thread. Violet Grenda inspects skeins of nylon yarn. Joseph X. Labovsky Collection, Science History Institute
DuPont in Wilmington, DE in the 1940s manufactured fully synthetic nylon thread. During WWII it was very difficult for women to get hosiery because they were made from silk thread, imported from Japan. DuPont worked to create a substitute that we know as ‘nylon stockings.’ If I remember correctly, the late Phil Barker, a former mayor of Havre de Grace, first worked at DuPont. He started out just cleaning, working up to ‘doffing’ – removing empty spools from the machines.
Of course, you probably have a very unique idea for using one or both of these beautiful 1800s sewing thread cabinets. Let us know how YOU might use them! Yes, we’re here and we’re watchin’ for ya!
Okay, maybe that’s not a real word. But a person who collects “petroliana” is collecting gasoline and the oil business memborabilia.
Gas Stations on Every Corner
In the early days of automobile travel, service stations were unfamiliar and often poorly lit at night. So lighted gas-pump globes and other oil company signage were key to reassuring and drawing in motorists. And since pumping gas was a new experience, early pumps allowed motorists to see if the gasoline was clean (through a small glass window), and later to watch the price as the gas was pumped (a major innovation).
Do you remember when every busy intersection had a gas station on each corner? How many different brand names do you remember?
Reproduction Gasoline Signage at Bahoukas
We wonder if there will be similar scenes where there will be electric charging stations everywhere designed to keep our cars and trucks moving? What do you think?
Stop in and chat. Since a number of folks ask for these fun collectibles, we found a nice selection for you to browse. Think holiday gift-giving!! It’s not too early to start – after all, 14 weekends from now you’ll be open gifts under the tree. WOW! And, of course, we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Bahoukas has just received an interesting collection of old newspapers.
Ephemera
Old newspapers can give us the feel of a particular time period, details of history from the news stories and editorials, and a good deal about life through their ads and human interest stories. So why do people collect them?
Well, often they’ve kept papers from a historical period – a war, presidential news, disasters, and such. Sometimes a newspaper may connect to a particular birthdate, death, a favorite sports team, and other more personal topics.
Kennedy Assassination
LINDBERGH
This 1927 newspaper is in good condition for coming out of someone’s attic.
Japanese Surrender – WWII
We have others in our recently acquired collection of old newspapers. It’s so interesting to read from the very day of these events. In many cases, these are complete newspapers giving you the opportunity to really get the atmosphere in our country surrounding these historic moments!
Why Would Anyone Collect Newspapers?
Sometimes, newspapers writing of historical events were tucked away only to be left in their hideaway for a later generation to discover. But there are collectors who save papers of historical significance. Others collect them for the feel of a particular time period, a birth or obituary, news of someone famous or notorious, and for an event in the family’s life.
There are even collectors who love to save the advertisements, whether for a particular product or brand, or just advertising in general.
Whatever the reasons, we have a rather wonderful collection that, if you love old newspapers, you may want to come in and take a peek. And you can be sure – we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
This amazing Nascar – Coca Cola pedal car is in great condition. What a perfect item for your collection. Or even better – what a wonderful gift for a youngster in your life.
Coca-Cola / Nascar Pedal Car
This was a promotion item used for window displays. Stop in and see if for yourself. Don’t forget, the days are growing shorter and Christmas isn’t really far away! In any case, you know we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Do you remember that? We may be smoking less today, but anyone of a ‘certain age’ will remember that slogan for Lucky Strikes cigarettes. Maybe you remember buying a pack of candy cigarettes and riding on your bicycle pretending to be smoking. Okay, okay… maybe you didn’t. (chuckle)
TOBACCIANA
2 corn cob pipes and a wood-carved pipe
Tobacciana is the collecting of anything tobacco-related. Old tins, cigarette packs, cigarette papers, pipes, ashtrays, tobacco tins, etc.
Choosing a favorite among tobacco memorabilia may be the most challenging aspect of this hobby. From the art to the accessories, selecting which items to collect is a great challenge.
corn cob and wood-carved pipes, cigarettes, smoking tobacco, cigar ashtray, hand-carved buffalo and owl pipes.
close-up of the buffalo and owl hand-carved pipes
If you really want to delve into the world of Tobacciana, you may want to check out this Tobacco Pipe Glossary. In the meantime, stop in and see just what we have in our Tobacciana Collection!Of course, we’re watchin’ for ya and can’t wait to say, “Welcome to Bahoukas!”
If you’ve browsed an antique shop, you’ve most likely noticed the old photos in boxes, stacked in corners. You’ve also most likely been drawn to one or two, wondering where the place is or who are those people. You may have even commented on their attire or the sternness in their expression. The article connected to the following quote is a very easy and interesting read.
The People Who Collect Strangers’ Memories
In gathering old photographs of daily life, family scenes, and illness, hobbyists get an intimate view into past lives.
There are many reasons old photographs are collected. Some folks are looking for certain locations while others may be collecting a category, say, a particular advertising, old motorcycles, vintage farm photos, portraits. You name it, someone’s collecting it.
But we’re most assuredly pulled into wondering about the story behind the photo.
Farrell Auto Co. photo advertising BUICK
Vintage photos – don’t you wonder about who they are?
What To Do With The Found Vintage Photos You Love
Feeling crafty? This article gives some great ways to incorporate those vintage photos into your decor. CLICK HERE for the article from salvagedliving.com
TINTYPES
Tintypes
We also have a few tintypes in our store. Do you know what “tintypes” are?
A tintype, also known as a melainotype or ferrotype, is a photograph made by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel and used as the support for the photographic emulsion. Tintypes enjoyed their widest use during the 1860s and 1870s, but lesser use of the medium persisted into the early 20th century and it has been revived as a novelty and fine art form in the 21st.
It might also be of interest to you to learn why tintypes are so special.
Tintypes are a very early type of antique photograph dating back to the late 19th century.
… There is no negative in the tintype process, making each one a rare, one-of-a-kind photograph. Tintypes are valuable capsules of history and should only be directly worked on by an archival specialist. Today virtually all tintype images needing restoration are restored digitally on the computer.
CLICK HERE for an intriguing article that explains much more about the markings on a tintype and also how to get some clues from the photo. It’s a really interesting piece.
So there you have it. We have vintage photos and a few tintypes. Stop in and see if something catches your fancy or adds to a particular collection you may have. In the meantime, be assured. We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Deltiology … is the study and collection of postcards. Professor Randall Rhoades of Ashland, Ohio, coined a word in 1945 that became the accepted description of the study of picture postcards. It initially took about 20 years for the name to appear in a dictionary.
Our feature photo shows a variety of postcards for different holidays. But we have plenty more throughout the store.
Postcards are considered “ephemera:”
things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.”there were papers, letters, old boxes—all sorts of ephemera”
from a Google Search
Beautiful Vintage Postcards
Crafty?
Are you wondering what you might do with old postcards? Check out this article that offers 16 PROJECTS. Some of the ideas mentioned include scrapbooking, decoupage, origami, and framing them to display.
We look forward to showing you our collections of postcards. And absolutely, we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Its design may have derived from the gun worm which was a device used by men to remove unspent charges from a musket’s barrel in a similar fashion, from at least the early 1630s
The corkscrew is possibly an English invention, due to the tradition of beer and cider, and Treatise on Cider by John Worlidge in 1676 describes “binning of tightly corked cider bottles on their sides”, although the earliest reference to a corkscrew is, “steel worm used for the drawing of Corks out of Bottles” from 1681.
In 1795, the first corkscrew patent was granted to the Reverend Samuel Henshall, in England. The clergyman affixed a simple disk, now known as the Henshall Button, between the worm and the shank. The disk prevents the worm from going too deep into the cork, forces the cork to turn with the turning of the crosspiece, and thus breaks the adhesion between the cork and the neck of the bottle. The disk is designed and manufactured slightly concave on the underside, which compresses the top of the cork and helps keep it from breaking apart.
A heritage corkscrew. When the old London Bridge was demolished in the 1831, its surviving fragment was turned into a corkscrew, which was sold at an auction in Essex, UK for £40,000 (around $62,790), about 100 times its guide price.
So there you go … more than you ever wanted to know about the familiar corkscrew. But it just might put you on the path to being a helixophile. We’re here to guide you. And you bet, we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Are you aware that John Wayne was in 179 film and tv productions? And he wasn’t always a cowboy! The above photo is from The Quiet Man movie – filmed in Ireland. The link below the following quote will take you to an interesting article regarding 100 of his movies.
Have you seen them all?
The controversial film star was most famous for his roles in Westerns, but also starred in war dramas, took on the role of an American boxer in “The Quiet Man,” and put himself on the other side of the camera as a producer and director. Wayne was nominated three times for Academy Awards, winning once for lead actor in 1969 when he played U.S. Marshal Reuben “Rooster” J. Cogburn in “True Grit.” He was even posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980 by Jimmy Carter.
A lobby card (in German) for the movie “Who Shot Liberty Valence” … available in our shop
John Wayne
18″ Ensco chalk figure 1970s available in our shop!
Do you know John Wayne’s birth name? (Answer at the bottom of this post)
John Wayne American Collector Watch
John Wayne Collector Figure (both have dome covers)
… and a SINGER? Yep!
Another fun item is our selection of Collector Plates.
A collection of beautiful Collector Plates: John Wayne
So if you, or someone you know, grew up loving everything “John Wayne,” stop in and have a peek at these great collector items. Yessireeeeee…. we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
John Wayne’s given name was Marion Robert Morrison! Did you guess it?
…working men protected their lunches from the perils of the job site (just imagine what a coal mine or a quarry could do to a guy’s sandwich) with heavy-duty metal pails.
Historic lunchbox, 1880s. A tobacco box was recycled as lunch box. Harold Dorwin / SI
Soon after…
Around the 1880s, school children who wanted to emulate their daddies fashioned similar caddies out of empty cookie or tobacco tins. According to the timeline, the first commercial lunch boxes, which resembled metal picnic baskets decorated with scenes of playing children, came out in 1902.
Do you have a favorite boo character/tv show/celebrity collectible lunchbox? Or maybe you’ve been looking for one? Stop in and visit us soon to see our extensive collection.
More lunchboxes from the collection at Bahoukas.
Yes, we are watchin’ for ya! And don’t forget, school is right around the corner. Possibly your youngster would love to have a lunchbox from Bahoukas!
This company, founded by Samuel Sabin in 1946, did not manufacture china, but it decorated “blanks” (i.e., undecorated pieces of china) purchased from ceramics companies that made the actual pottery and porcelain. Sabin applied decoration to these blanks — often by using decals — and then resold them to a variety of wholesalers or retailers. It is reported that Sabin also decorated glass.
In 2020, thanks to a covid pandemic, delivery to our door has become commonplace for just about everyone! But if you’re familiar with Jewel Tea Co., you may not realize they started their door-to-door business in 1899.
Although many remember the Jewel Tea Co. which closed in 1981, few are probably aware of just how unique and entrepreneurial this company was. The following quote is a great example of how nimble and quick-thinking they were:
There were many tea companies at that time, and they all sold door-to-door, giving premium coupons with grocery purchases. When enough coupons had been saved, the customer had a choice of premium items offered. One day Mr. Ross knocked on the kitchen door of a prospective customer and had hardly stated his business when she grabbed a broom. He returned later that same day and learned that the lady had saved coupons for six months buying coffee and tea from a “wagon man” and had expected to get a rug with her coupons. However, the wagon man stopped coming around. Mr. Ross quickly offered her a premium to be left with her first order, to be paid out with a later trade.
This story varies from a broom to hot water, but the fast-thinking Mr. Ross with his idea of advancing the premium set the Jewel Tea Company apart from all other existing tea companies of the day.
Jewel Tea Co. “Autumn Leaves” dishware by Hall Co.
Many of the baby boomers today will recall these dishes from having had them in their homes growing up. They were premiums offered by Jewel Tea Co. and made by Hall China Company.
In the mid-1920s, the directors of Hall China made a decision to associate with the Jewel Tea Company to produce an exclusive line of dinnerware for them. Jewel started using Hall teapots as premiums, and then expanded the promotion to include its own line of distinctive dinnerware and kitchenware. New pieces were introduced by Hall China for Jewel until 1980.
This image is from a tching.compost and shows both the Autumn Leaves and Cameo Rose designs.
Do you collect the Cameo Rose pattern?
There’s much to be learned from earlier successful companies. And it’s always fun to start a collection where you can share a bit of the ‘story’ that comes with them.
Drop by and chat with us, browse our 9,000 sq. ft. of collections. We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
This #24 Jeff Gordon item is only one of scores of collectibles you may enjoy.
An Independence Day Celebration
Along with parades and fireworks, Nascar racing has also become an American tradition for July 4th. This year they’re back. CLICK HERE for this Sunday’s Nascar schedule.
In the meantime, stop in and browse our collection of NASCAR memorabilia. We have quite a few items from older NASCAR collections.
The above # 24 Jeff Gordon NASCAR collectible is part of the Brookfield Collectors Guild and is in it’s original box.
In the meantime, we’ll be watchin’ for ya at the store. And to help make your weekend special, we’ve included the activities happening over the Independence Weekend in Havre de Grace. CLICK HERE
Here at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum we have a delightful collection of character glasses.
Just a few of the characters include:
Looney Tunes Adventures
Warner Bros.
McDonald’s
Archie Jelly Jars
Preakness & Kentucky Derby Glasses
and others
Some of the Character Glasses available at Bahoukas
Decades before there were Happy Meals, Welch’s Grape Jelly was the mother of cross-promotion targeted to children.
For the past 62 years, a new jar of Welch’s Grape Jelly has held out the magical promise of turning an ordinary jar into a juice glass adorned with colorful, images of popular kid-culture characters — a bonus for consuming the sweet, purple yumminess within.
The company sponsored the “Howdy Doody Show” in 1951 and three years later they issued their first of a series of “Howdy Doody” jars that when emptied became colorful, character-festooned “Howdy Doody” glasses. It was ingenious. The more jelly kids ate and the quicker they ate it, the more glasses they could collect. And as incentive to drink their juice in the morning (hopefully grape juice), a surprise stamp of a character’s face was imprinted on the bottom of the glass.
We look forward to welcoming you to our shop and to Havre de Grace as you enjoy the many activities over this weekend’s July 4 Celebrations. CLICK HERE for all the details. Then know that, yep, we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
TRIVIA QUESTION: You might have noticed that all cars in the United States have license plates that are exactly the same dimension of 6″ by 12.” And soon after, at a World Meeting it was agreed that ALL countries would have vehicle license plates with the same dimensions.
WHAT YEAR DID THIS OCCUR?(answer at bottom of post – no cheating!)
Did you love cereal prizes?
Bahoukas Antique Mall recently received two collections of mini-license plates (or “bicycle” plates). The first is a series of metal license plates for each state of the U.S. They were offered in Wheaties cereal boxes.
General Mills has been surprising cereal lovers with fun toys and games right inside the box, or by mail, for more than 90 years.
Our first on or in-the-box premium is believed to be Skippy cards, featured on 12 different Wheaties packages in 1933.
One of our most memorable items were the mini license plates available in Wheaties boxes in 1954. Our Consumer Relations team still receives phone calls, emails and letters about them.
Cereal box prizes and premiums have been distributed in four ways. The first, not frequently used now, was an in-store (or point-of-sale) prize that was handed to the customer with the purchase of one or more specified boxes of cereal. The second method of distribution is to include the prize in the box itself, usually outside the liner bag—often called an “in-pack promotion” in retail marketing. The third method is attaching the prize to the box – “on-pack” promotion – (as with plastic records laminated to the back of the box) or printing the prize on the box (as with numerous games and trading cards) or simply attaching the prize to the box with tape or shrink wrap. Some prizes include a gameboard or other interactive activity printed on the box that corresponds with the prize inside the box, which is used as a gamepiece. The fourth method of distribution is to have the consumer mail in the UPC proof-of-purchase labels cut from a specified number of boxes, sometimes with a cheque or money order to defray the cost of shipping, and the premium is sent to the consumer by mail (rarely first-class), usually from a third-party source.
The second collection is a series of mini-cardboard license plates of World Capitals and U.S. States/Capitals. They include drawings and data on things like: State bird and other symbols, populations, etc.
Goudey Gum Company has an interesting history. Known for their artistic baseball cards in the 1930s, they also created these cardboard mini-license plates for the World’s Fair, featuring countries and their capitals and U.S. States and their capitals. They also included stats like ‘state/country symbol, flower, population, etc.’
Read the article linked with this quote for more details on the unique character of the character behind the Goudey Gum Company as they tried to survive following WWI and the depression.
The Goudey Company survivors and descendants have something valuable to hold on to – a little gum company with limited resources that took a “little” bubble gum and small picture of someone or something, wrapped it with printed premium offers and sold it for one cent to “kids.”
A bit more about the Goudey Gum Company can be found by CLICKING HERE.
CELEBRATE DAD’S DAY
Sunday we honor all the DAD’s for their wisdom, their lessons, their humor, their laughter, and their love! It’s a great reason to stop in and browse our shop. We have so many unique ideas that might be the most perfect gift for Dad! Of course, we’ll be watchin’ for ya … and we’re here to help you discover that perfect gift (even if it happens to be for yourself. Shhh… we’ll never tell!)
We’ve been the talk of the town – and the delight of the beer memorabilia collector! Here’s just a small bit of the latest glasses we’ve acquired:
BrewMania is Alive and Well at Bahoukas Beer MuZeum
With 2200 sq. ft. on the 2nd floor of the building, Bahoukas Beer MuZeum is the perfect place to find THE perfect item for dad and his man cave. But seriously, anyone who just loves beer glasses, beer cans, mirrors, and signs … and, oh my … so much more, well, they’ll just love browsing the Bahoukas Beer MuZeum.
And you know, we’ll be here to say, “Welcome to Bahoukas!”
