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!
Exonumia are numismatic items (such as tokens, medals, or scrip) other than coins and paper money. This includes “Good For” tokens, badges, counterstamped coins, elongated coins, encased coins, souvenir medallions, tags, wooden nickels and other similar items. It is related to numismatics (concerned with coins which have been legal tender), and many coin collectors are also exonumists.
… “Tokens” are often made of cheaper metals: copper, pewter, aluminium, brass and tin were commonly used, while bakelite, leather, porcelain, and other less durable materials are also known.
A key point of difference between a token coin and a legal tender coin is that the latter is issued by a governmental authority and is freely exchangeable for goods. However, a token coin typically has a much more limited use and is often issued by a private company, group, association or individual. In the case of “currency tokens” issued by a company but also recognized by the state there is a convergence between tokens and currency.
Amusement games often used ‘tokens.’ With the wonderful Havre de Grace history items we have on display, you can view some of the games from the Hatem Store that would have used tokens.
Vintage Game Tokens
Vintage Tokens
You probably can guess what animal was first used on circulating coins: NOOOOOOOoooooooo – not the BUFFALO!!! The EAGLE was first.
But do you know who has been recorded as having the first coin collection?
The earliest recorded coin collection belonged to the first emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar. He lived from 63 B.C. to A.D. 14. That is over 2,000 years ago!
The blue crab is a highly sought-after shellfish. Blue crabs live up and down the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico and are caught by both commercial and recreational fishermen. Its scientific name—Callinectes sapidus—translated from Latin means ‘beautiful savory swimmer.’
Blue crabs are the most valuable fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. They are also major predators of benthic communities and are prey for many other fish species. Blue crabs are so treasured in the region that the blue crab is the Maryland state crustacean.
Along with a few crab mallets, we also have these beautiful oyster knives.
Oyster Knives
Finally – Maryland Skipjacks
Skipjacks in the Chesapeake and oyster drudgin’ are as much a part of Maryland culture as duck hunting and decoys. We couldn’t talk about crabs and oysters without a bit about skipjacks. And don’t forget to visit the Havre de Grace Decoy Museumand Havre de Grace Maritime Museum for local history.
SKIPJACKS
The Maryland State Boat has a colorful history. And you might find some items in our shop at Bahoukas to add to your Maryland collection.
The skipjack became the State Boat in 1985 (Chapter 788, Acts of 1985; Code General Provisions Article, sec. 7-327).At that time, the General Assembly noted that: “. . . Recent efforts to restore the environmental integrity of the Chesapeake Bay have rekindled interest and appreciation in the majestic estuary as not only an economic asset but also as the foundation for a way of life for many Marylanders; and . . . Nothing better represents the way of life of Maryland watermen than the historic Chesapeake Boat known as the Skipjack . . .”
Skipjack under sail on Chesapeake Bay. Photo by Marion E. Warren (Marion E. Warren Collection, MSA SC1890-BP7506, Maryland State Archives).
We encourage you to stop in and see these items. We may have some oyster plates as well. And check out our book selections, you just might find a cookbook with ideal recipes for crabs, oysters, or perfect side dishes. Yep, we’ll be here and waitin’ for ya!
1898– The original fishing lures were frogs carved from broomsticks by James Heddon. He came upon the idea when he threw a stick he had whittled into a local lake known as the Mill Pond, and watched as a bass hit it.
This assortment of fishing lures includes Heddon crazy crawler (wood), red one – dare devil lure, wood frog, wood grasshopper – all vintage. The metal one is a dingbat popper. The large one is a gold color wooden pike.
Larger view of the frog and grasshopper (Heddon lures)
A bit more about the Heddon lures:
1902– The first manufactured fishing lures were created by James and his son Will (also, W.T.). Will moved to Florida to test and develop new plugs, as the wooden lures became known.
1932– The first plastic fishing lures were introduced. They gained the name “Spook” because of their transparent color appearance. These early lures were susceptible to decay from poor early plastic mixtures. Few examples remain, the examples that have survived usually are distorted by bubbling. Because of their scarcity, they are premium priced collectors items today.
Who would have thought tossing a whittled stick in the water would lead to a small business that created something people still collect today?
Stop in and check this out plus several others. You just never know what you’ll discover at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum. We’re here…and we’re 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!
What is it about keys that are so intriguing? Is it the mystery of what they might unlock? Or maybe who used them and where?
Cagophilist
This is the word for one who collects, or has a fondness, for keys! CLICK HERE to hear how to prounounce it!
The picture above is our latest addition to our collection – keys from the 1930s that were, at one time, in the Hatem Store in Havre de Grace. Many of these were keys used in amusement machines.
Another addition to Bahoukas History MuZeum the Brass National Cash Register that came from the Hatem Store that was at 600 Franklin Street. There are also pinball machines, other games, and a racehorse game machine. A very cool piece of Havre de Grace History from “The Casual Historian” #thecasualhistorian NOTE: The items in this photo are NOT for sale as they’re part of our HdG History Collection. The keys above ARE for sale.
A variety of shapes and sizes of keys from our collection., also for sale.
And just in case you also love locks, we have a few of those as well.
… a variety of keys, padlocks and more for sale
So whether you’re a ‘cagophilist’ that collects keys or you just has a fondness for them and might be looking for a couple for a craft project or decorating, we invite you to stop in and visit. We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
A letterpress drawer is a thin wooden tray with compartments. These drawers were part of a larger printing cabinet that were common between the 15th and 19th centuries. The small sections store letter stamps or “sorts” that were used in a printing press for relief printing. Letterpress drawers are also referred to as type cases, type drawers, printer block drawers, and printer’s trays.
Old metal type can easily be used to add a bit of pizzazz to a craft. You can ink it with a stamp pad and using it to make your own gift wrap, to decorate a lunch or gift bag, to create a card, or to just give the kids a little knowledge about using type.
Visit us and we’ll show you what we have in our printer collection. Yep, 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?
It’s Saturday and Saturdays just feel like a perfect day to enjoy a Disney Character or two! These 5″ funny friends of Snow White are actually ‘squeak toys’. They’re in excellent condition considering they’re from the 1960s! The dwarf in the back is from a different group and he’s 6″ tall.
Walk of Fame
Did you know that Snow White is one of a very view Disney Characters who was honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? It’s true.
An older photo of a Snow White doll and her dwarfs!
The Queen and the Wicked Witch
Ever wonder about some of the voices behind the Disney Characters. Well, there’s a great fact regarding the voice behind the Queen and the Wicked Witch. CLICK HERE for the value of false teeth – or not!!!
Before it was completed, 750 artists drew more than two million sketches. The movie ultimately contained more than 250,000 separate pictures.
It’s been a while since we’ve shared our variety of bottle collections. An old bottle is a great way to upcycle – use to keep pens, show off a small bouquet or a single flower, or just add to a windowsill with a sprig of ivy. Check out just a few of our collections in the store.
Milk Bottles
A great collection of milk bottles
Milk Bottle Sampler
Medicine Bottles
Do you love flowers? Well, our collection of bottles can give you beautiful cut flower containers. Consider these for a bud face or simple flower:
pharmaceutical bottles
CLICK ON OUR BOTTLES category (on the right side of our page) to see more complete posts about our many bottles available.
Vintage Bottles
Unique vintage bottles
Whether you have a windowsill filled with tiny bottles or a cabinet filled with your collection, we encourage you to stop into Bahoukas Antique Mall to see if one – or a dozen – might add to your collection or to your decor!
…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!
We have two fine beer tap handles celebrating Natty Boh! Just two of an amazing collection of brewmania throughout our shop and in our Beer MuZeum upstairs.
CLICK HERE for a great piece about us from the Baltimore Sun.
The other side of these wonderful beer tap handles for National Bohemian!
Natty Boh Beer Cap Puzzles
Did you know there were puzzles to be solved under the beer cap? Did you realize that recently there are no puzzles? Read this article for details.
Want to learn some fun facts about Natty Boh? CLICK HERE
What kind of facts? Well, did you know that National Bohemian was the first to bottle beer in 6-pack cans in the 1940s?
We’ve heard that the bottle cap puzzles will be back. We sure hope. We also hard that there may be an app available for the beer cap puzzles. That would be fun!
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.
People collect dolls for many reasons. Some collect them because of fond childhood memories, others for the artistry that goes into making them, others for historical value, and still others for their resale value. People collect what appeals to them and reflect their desires and values.
Here in our store, we have gathered quite a collection of dolls (and stuffed animals). Our “Barbie” collection is fairly extensive. But we’ve other delightful additions to consider whether it’s a gift for a young one to enjoy or to be added to a collection.
Shirley Temple Doll
This delightful doll can be purchased with 6 outfits, but we have a total of 16 if you’re interested!
Brief History of Dolls
Another excerpt:
Dolls in the Middle Ages were often made from clay, tin, or glass. Clay figures of horses and knights and figurines from glass and tin have been found. In addition, dolls made from bread representing various saints were eaten on religious feast days. Beginning in the 1400s, fashion dolls were created to display the latest Paris fashions to wealthy customers.
In America, one of the oldest dolls is the Kachina, made by the Hopi Indians in Arizona. Kachina dolls were hand carved from cactus root or cottonwood, painted with symbolic colors and designs, and dressed in traditional dresses. These dolls were intended as sacred objects for children to study, and were not used as toys. During religious ceremonies, Kachina dolls were given out by masked priests who dressed as ancestral spirits and offered petitionary prayers for the tribe.
Colonial Americans made dolls from whatever materials they had on hand, including corn husks, corn cobs, fruits, nuts, and gourds. Northern Indians and Eskimos fashioned their dolls from whalebone, walrus tusk, and mammoth teeth.
We’ve been posting about dolls over the years. CLICK HERE to see some of those older posts.
Wonder Why We Collect Dolls?
You’re in good company if you love to collect dolls of any kind. Some famous people, such as actress Demi Moore and actor Johnny Depp, collect dolls. Even British singer, Sophie Ellis Bextor, collects a variety of dolls because they’re full of personality and charm. You may collect dolls purely for investment purposes. After all, an original and mint condition G.I. Joe doll can fetch a pretty penny, as can a rare, vintage, or designer diamond-encrusted Barbie doll. But you likely already know that not all dolls are worth a fortune, so there may be another reason behind your habit.
Whether you’re looking for a Barbie to add to your collection, a Victorian doll, or a princess or baby doll, we may be able to help. So we encourage you to stop in soon. Yep, we’re always watchin’ for ya!
Gentle Reminder:
Might we add that 5 months from now will be the Christmas Holidays.
Yes, we’re living in a world full of selfies. Smiles that are so practiced that we’ve nearly forgotten what a great, spontaneous smile actually looks like. But stop by our shop for a great history of photography as you browse our vintage camera collection.
Over the past year or so, here at Bahoukas Antique Mall, we’ve acquired a surprising variety of antique, vintage, and collectible cameras. Whether you’re a photographer who loves to collect vintage cameras or someone who just loves how they look as unique decorating items in your home or office, we have a wonderful selection to choose from.
In researching the collecting of cameras, we found this most informative blog post on “How to Start a Camera Collection” from the blog Amateur Photographer. CLICK HERE to read a great post and maybe tickle your ‘collector self’ into considering a small camera collection.
Wonderful variety of vintage cameras at Bahoukas!
Here’s a short video that gives you a bit of camera history as well as the joy of collecting.
Did You Ever Make A Pinhole Camera?
Many can remember, as a kid, making a pinhole camera from an old shoebox. Did you ever do that? Have you shared that with your kids or grandkids. In today’s busy, techie world, it might be fun to share this simple project with a youngster in your life while teaching them a bit about how our eye and brain work to give us our vision and the pinhole camera is a great example.
Vintage Fun
Stop in today and browse our wonderful variety of cameras. Add to or start your collection today!
Of course, as always, we’ll be watchin’ for ya. Stop by and say ‘hello’ and share your favorite collectibles! You might just discover an addition that “you’ll just have to purchase!” See you soon!
At Bahoukas we have a great assortment of Action Figures from movies and television shows including Star Wars to Star Trek, Sports with Starting LineUp and even bobbleheads!
Star Trek Action Figures
Star Wars Action Figures
Star Wars Action Figures
Love Sports?
A wide variety of sports are represented with our Starting Lineup Action Figures!
Starting Lineup Action Figures
Starting Lineup Action Figures
Along with a wide variety of action figures, we also have sportsbooks, bobbleheads, and more.
Sports Books, Bobbleheads, and more
So if you enjoy Action Figures…
You’ll definitely want to stop by Bahoukas Antiquesand browse through our collections. Whether you’re looking for a special one for your own collection, helping someone start a collection, or just want to play with some, we have a nice variety – many more that what we show here.
So yes, we’ll be watchin’ for you and ready to show you our Action Figures Collections!
Are you serious about reusing items to keep them out of landfills? Many items in antique stores, besides adding to a collection or being a wonderful decorating item, are also quite useful.
Kitchen Utensils to Repurpose!
Look at this photo of one wall of kitchen items that could easily enjoy another few years of purpose.
Just one wall of great kitchen utensils that could be used today!
We also have
… rolling pins, cake dishes, pie tins, and cast iron pans to name just a few easily repurposed.
So many great ideas…
Cast iron pans
It’s well worth a visit to Bahoukas Antique Mall to see if we might have ‘just the item you need.’ If you need a link for other ideas, CLICK HERE. You’ll find dozens of items you probably never would think to look for at Bahoukas. Of course, we’re always watchin’ for ya!
As we keep reminding you, we have something for each and every age, taste, and style! Now, we know there are adults that have Pez Collections (Just ask George about his!). But we’re sharing some fun items for kids this time.
PEZ
Kids-of-all-Ages
… love PEZ collectibles. And George is our expert on All-Things-PEZ.
Do your kids have favorite characters from movies, cartoons, etc?
Bring them in to see if there are some PEZ items they might enjoy collecting.
CLICK HERE for more PEZ related posts on our website.
PEZ – PEZ – PEZ
books – Books – BOOKS!
Books for all ages and all interests at Bahoukas.
From classics to Dr. Seuss and everything in between, our shelves of books for children are sure to make a perfect escape on a rainy (or simply ‘too hot’) day! Bring them in and give them the opportunity to discover something of interest: Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Donna Parker, the Classics, and a great variety of Golden Books.
Of course, we have comics and puzzles, and other fun items for kids.
And don’t forget, we also have a wonderful selection of books and magazines for adults including the complete Pulaski Seriesby Robert Lackey that are historical novels that center on Havre de Grace beginning with our canal and lockhouse time period. In fact, he visited with his latest book of the series, #10 Pulaski’s Redemption.
