Antiquing makes me feel older than I am

Plenty of people love to pick through antique shops. Some may be hunting for deals and steals, but a lot seem to enjoy the nostalgia of examining cultural relics and pieces of history. Maybe that’s what antiquing is all about.

What is an antique, after all?

How old does a treasure or trinket have to be for collectors to call it an antique?

When it comes to automobiles, we tend to use the term for anything 25 years or older. But for vintage furniture, dishes, and other household goods, the standard may be 50 years or even 100. Period pieces date back to specific eras. OK, I get that. But how about more recent finds?

What about the quilted laptop case I spotted on my last jaunt? There it was, propped on a rickety rattan shelf, right next to a Civil War uniform and an Elvis nightlight.

How could a computer case qualify as an antique? Are laptops already considered to be obsolete and merely collectibles, much like veiled bonnets, scratched skillets, cracked cameos, vintage postcards, and tired toys?

Here’s the most curious part of antiquing – at least for me.

Poring through the past in an antique shop recently, I discovered tons of items that harkened back to my own childhood. From cartoon character and superhero lunchboxes to oldies vinyl records, and from cartoon-embossed jelly jar glasses to sports memorabilia, every booth took me back – way back.

I left the dusty old store feeling a little dustier and older than I’d been when I stepped inside. And I found myself wishing I had warehoused some of my own childhood keepsakes, so I could sell them to antique buffs today.

Hey, if I’ve gotta be old, I might as well make the most of it!

Images:

Adapted from public domain artwork

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28 Day of Thanks – Deliveries

It came! It finally came! The holiday order arrived. (Let’s just say I found a new way to sweat the details of the holiday season.)

At first, I thought I was pretty smart about it. Making my way to the checkout area of a local Old Navy store a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to count 31 shoppers ahead of me. No way!

I laid out my intended purchases on a sale table and snapped a photo with my cell phone. Then I put the stuff back and went home to order it all online. In the process, I found a 30% off code. So that was handy. And they offered free shipping. Ding! Bonus!

I scratched three people off my Christmas list in one flurry and began waiting for the packages to arrive.

Two weeks later (I believe I mentioned that, but it bears repeating.), I waded through the merchant’s online customer service holiday quagmire, listening to horrendous canned music and hoping to pinpoint the expected delivery dates for the now-split shipments.

The cheery, but not particularly plugged-in, phone rep (once I finally landed a live person on the line) parroted the shipping information I had already personally tracked online. He promised my stuff would arrive by December 24^th.

That didn’t comfort me much, as several items were due for a December 20^th celebration. That’s pretty much why I ordered them on “December Freaking 8^th.”

That conversation took place last night. Today, a large parcel arrived. Most of the items were included. Still, short of a big brown truck or a team of reindeer making an overnight stop at my house tonight, a certain sweet little girl may be receiving a darling new dress for New Year’s … or Valentine’s Day … or … or ….

Despite the shipping delays, I am grateful for online ordering and home delivery, especially as I am sporting a dandy little arm cast for this holiday season. It’s nice that I don’t have to load up the sleigh in shopping mall parking lots.

Now, if I could just find some nimble elves to help this one-armed Santa with the gift wrapping.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Delightfully Amiss.

 Images:

Vintage/public domain artwork

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28 Days of Thanks – Books

I’m a bookaholic. I admit it. I collect books. I read ‘em. I’ve even written a few (which you can find here and also here, among other places).

Go ahead. Throw the book at me. I can take it. Heck, I’ll probably even read it … and be thankful.

Images:

Vintage/public domain artwork

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