Antiques, Vintage and Collectables

One of the things I have enjoyed through out my life is collecting antique and vintage and doing research on that item. I love researching the past. Although there is nothing extremely rare or valuable, most items were obtained going over the past decades from the odd auction sale and estate garage sale. Plus more recently through online auctions. There is something very moving to see the emblems of a family’s life (some of which were passed through several generations) set out on the lawns of houses emptied by death, old age or relocation. I’m starting this page to document my research findings. Plus to have a running inventory for my own estate. I will be adding items as time goes on in no particular order. Things do accumulate over time. Now that I am in my late 60’s, I realize I should be starting to downsize. Hoping in time these treasures will find a new life in new homes where they will be loved and cherished. I’m not a haggler, so prices are as marked. Everything is reasonably priced, roughly one third to one quarter of something similar on eBay or Etsy or Amazon for books. Will this “on-line garage sale” fund a retirement for my wife and I in New Zealand, to be near my daughter? Or will it simply buy me a cup of coffee? At the very least perhaps this page might provide some informative reading that came out of my research. Or help my family dispose of my possessions when I am dead and gone. These days I’m really feeling my mortality at the Highway 93 school crosswalk. Please don’t kill me with your vehicle. Cash only and pick-up in Hillsdale.

It was 18 years old in 1976. Image: Soapy on Bluesky.

This is a Mid-Century Modern (MCM) E. O. Brody Co. Emerald Green Crinkle Pressed Glass Vase. E. O. Brody Company was founded in 1958 in Cleveland Ohio. The texture of the crinkle glass is designed to catch and refract light. Made during the 1960’s & 1970’s, the Glass Encyclopedia mentions E.O. Brody Company was taken over by Lancaster Colony Corporation of Columbus, Ohio in 1971. Made particularly for the flower industry, the vase is 8 inches tall & weighs a heavy 889 grams (almost 2 pounds). The base is stamped E.O. Brody Cleveland, O. USA. Selling for $11, a similar vase is listed here on Etsy.

2. This is a church commemorative china plate for the 100th anniversary of St. George’s Anglican Church, Barrie, Ontario. This church is still open. From the Presbyterian Church of Canada Heritage Centre, it mentions, “the golden era of commemorative china church plates was from the 1950s through the 1980s. Seemingly rare was the congregation in Canada (particularly among the mainline historic Protestant churches) that could resist the temptation of having a plate decorated with its church’s image. One of the attractions of the plate – and one which would have favoured the profit margins of the companies – was that the churches used the sale of the plates as a fund-raiser. There were two Ontario companies which cornered the market in the decoration and sale of these plates – namely, the Canadian Art China Company of Collingwood and the Creemore China and Glass Company of Creemore. The legacy of this practice is that there remains a visual record of Canada’s churches at the height of this country’s Christian era. Many of the churches commemorated have now been demolished or renovated for a purpose other than as a centre for Christian worship and service.” This particular plate is from Creemore China and Glass. On the market their plates are hard to find. I’m selling this for $13. Another Creemore China and Glass plate (with a different design) is listed here on Etsy.

3. This is a framed black ink print under glass by Canadian artist Lloyd G Nowlan. He was a prolific Maritime artist from Pictou County in Nova Scotia, Canada. Born in 1915 and died in 1999. He descended from original settlers to the area who arrived in the 1700’s. The black ink sketch is of the World’s Shortest Covered Bridge near Grand Falls, New Brunswick. Size 17″ x 13″. Selling for $18, a different black ink print by the same artist is found here on Etsy. The list of all the covered bridges in New Brunswick found here.

4. This is a vintage two post postage stamp album published by Grossman Stamp Company Inc. with pages to 1972. Their business was filed on April 11, 1929 and is currently listed as Inactive – Dissolution by Proclamation with the New York Department of State. There are over 300 stamps 50+ years old mounted in this album. Selling for $15. No photo yet. A similar album (with no stamps) on eBay is found here.

5. This official Canada Post book titled “Images of Canada: A Nation in Postage Stamps” was written by Canadian author, historian and journalist Gordon Donaldson. The book was released by Canada Post in 1990 for $17.95, which included $5.00 worth of mint commemoratives. Buying the book used will often be missing those stamps. Selling for $13 including all the original stamps & promos. A similar book without stamps is found here on Amazon.