Week 27 - "learning about antiques"

      We know. We already entered an antiquing adventure. But that week's "retirement adventure" actually was for looking for old post cards. Now, we really are looking                                                                    
at ACTUAL antiques. The newspapers asked me to do a story
for a tourism guide so I've been learning a little about antiques.

Rubin's Dairy delivered milk to Pana.


     There are "gobs" of antique stores in this area, including eight in Charleston, four in Mattoon and five in Effingham. I learned that prices for antiques peaked in about 2001 but now, with the economy down, people are spending their money on essentials, not on "stuff." It's bad for dealers but for those who want some antiques, it's a buyer's market.
     Cheryl has gone with me to a few places. She found some things she wanted. She bought a milk bottle from a dairy that served Pana when she was a child. It has the name of the dairy and that it serves Pana and Shelbyville on the bottle. At another shop she bought a 3-gallon ceramic crock similar to the 5-gallon crock her dad used to make beer.
     I haven't bought anything. I saw some pocket watches I really liked but they were priced from $180 to $300. It didn't seem like those prices had dropped much!! In one shop I saw a 1947 Jacksonville City Directory. If you don't know what those are, they are books that list every resident with occupation, home address and telephone, plus every business with address  and phone. News media used them extensively. Anyway, this directory listed Harry Lair and the hardware store where he worked. It also listed Grandma and Grandpa Lair  but there must 

Old crock like Grandpa Weber had to make beer.

have been  a typo because they were listed as "Lois," not Lair, Harold and Pauline, right in the middle of all the Lairs. Grandma Sevier wasn't in the directory so she must still have lived on the farm, outside city limits. 

     We've learned about "primitives" and "vintage." and the difference between an antique "mall" and an antique "shop."

     We both have enjoyed looking at the old things in the shops. "Smurfs" are big now because of the movie that came out last year. Women still aren't parting with their "Cabbage Patch" dolls but they aren't old enough yet to be "vintage." 

     While we like seeing the older things, Cheryl and I both are more interested in things that might have a personal connection, like the milk bottle and crock. If it is connected to Ottawa, Pana, Charleston or Jacksonville, we take a long look. It's been a fun and educational retirement adventure.