Well, we got to the Antiques Roadshow in Newport, Rhode Island. I must say that they do have their act together. With hurricane Jose whipping up the wind and dropping some rain along the New England seaboard ... Newport was no exception, but thankfully it was minor ... the Roadshow folks had very efficient transportation, tents and loads of happy, helpful volunteers. We took our treasures and got in line. (BTW none of the lines were long and they moved quickly ... well orchestrated considering there were about 3000 people scheduled that day.) Susan had her powder puff and her little celluloid box ... I had my Civil War diary and my Sconce family archives. (See earlier posts about these items.)   Photo from the Newport Daily News Photo from the Newport Patch The show was held at Rosecliff , one of the Newport mansions along Ocean Avenue and the Cliff Walk. Rosecliff was built around 1898-1902 and is open to the public as a historic house museum. The house h...

Narragansett Bay ... Newport in the distance So we are back from our Antiques Roadshow adventure ... no richer, no more famous, but we had a good time. More on the appraisals in the next post. Newport is an interesting town ... very touristy, but loaded with history ... the waterfront is replete with mediocre restaurants, but a little search reveals some delicious gems ... and there are even a couple of wineries close by. It is home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the annual Newport Jazz Festival, the Newport U. S. Naval Academy and the Naval War College. Newport Harbor Newport, of course, is famous for its Cliff Walk ... a 3.5 mile trail/walkway (in five easy walking segments) along which you can marvel at the natural beauty of the Newport shoreline with the architectural history of Newport's gilded age. The blue ocean on one side and the fabulous mansions of the New York City rich and famous on the other. Cliff Walk The other end of the architectura...

Several years ago I obtained a sizable archive from the family of Robert Clement Sconce (1787-1846). It contains hundreds of photographs and negatives, dozens of letters and documents, a hundred or so drawings, sketches and watercolor paintings, and a number of books, journals and diaries. Robert Clement Sconce, while born and raised in England, spent most of his adult life in the Mediterranean on the British controlled island of Malta. He held numerous positions in the British Admiralty that afforded him time and space to dabble in botany and art. He was in Malta as secretary to Admiral Sir John Duckworth and for ten years he was also Naval Agent Victualler for HM Dockyard, Malta. Although he was never wealthy, he and his family lived well and circulated in upper class English society. Portrait of Robert Clement Sconce In 1861 his daughter put together his life and Letters in two volumes:   LIFE AND LETTERS of ROBERT CLEMENT SCONCE, formerly Secreta...

Years ago we came across this little treasure in a San Anselmo antique store. It was just too precious to pass up. It is labelled "La Pomponette / Modele Depose / Made in France." The powder puff is held in a brass case which has a leather pouch made for it. The case has a compartment at the bottom where the  powder is added. Since it has a screen inside, when you give it a shake, it dusts the powder onto the puff inside the case. The top lid has a mirror like a compact. BUT what is truly marvelous is the powder puff itself. Tug on the finial, which is decorated with a blue glass cabochon, and out pops this "umbrella" shaped goose or swan down powder applicator. Truly amazing! We have seen just a few of these online, so while unusual and different, it is not truly a "rare" item ... but it is truly a wonderful 1920s treasure. We are anxious to find out if the Roadshow folks love it as much as we do.

Susan has looked at her treasures and come up with three items she would like to take to the Roadshow. I know, she only gets two ... so she still has to choose.  Susan's choices The three items are shown above ... a Victorian sewing case ... a tiny celluloid "box" with a cute face ... and a leather pouch with a special surprise in it (more on this one in the next post). The Victorian sewing case is just beautiful. It is made of mother of pearl with silver decoration. Inside are places for needles and pins and a little notebook too. The other item is the cutest little miniature celluloid thing. What is it? What is it for? Wish we knew. Susan has several little cases of this type, but they are all bigger. Most are sewing cases, though a few are bottles, another a pencil holder. The little head screws off the base revealing a little space below. It is too small for pills. Maybe it is for some kind of unguent or cream ... more probably...

Susan and I have been lucky enough to win the Antiques Roadshow ticket lottery!! We will be heading out for a future Roadshow and are taking some interesting items ... we hope interesting enough to make it to the taping and maybe appear on the show! We will let you know how it goes when we go there. Meantime, here is the story of a Civil War journal I am taking. (Other items to follow.) I got this fantastic ledger about seven years ago. It was with some other ledgers and journals I picked up at an auction. Most were just nice old books, but one is truly special. It is the Short Autobiography of the Writer's Life by Mrs. Sarah Frances Hershey . WOW! Sarah went by the name "Sallie." She was born Sarah Frances Walker in the little village of Gap, Pennsylvania in 1849. She lived her whole life in Gap and Philadelphia. Married Jacob Henry "Harry" Bair Hershey in 1871. Harry was born a year to the day after Sallie in 1850. Sarah Frances Walker Her...