THE ANTIQUE POET - Bygone Americana & Unusual Collectibles
Antiques, Collectibles, Folk Art, Poems, Enlightenment, History, Entertainment and Investment
Soon to be Famous - featuring Provenance in Poetic Narration
Thor Konwin travels the entire country looking for very special antiques and collectibles. He attends the largest flea markets, auctions and antique shows in the United States as well as out of the way and rural garage and estate sales. While mostly interested in Americana, his concentration is in bygone everyday items and especially in pieces that may have interesting histories or extraordinary stories that need to be told.
For all of his antiques, he personally cleans and performs any and all needed restorations. He photographs each subject; he performs his own extensive research and then wonderfully narrates the provenance or unique story associated with each piece. Usually, the narrative is in prose but sometimes in verse. He is as factual as possible but has, on occasion, been known to elaborate a bit on the story telling side. Often, while cleaning or restoring a piece, "…the story simply jumps out." and he is then compelled to enlighten us with a poem, verse or ballad. However, any fictional depiction is always clearly identified. Thor feels that if the poems are not of the quality of the great poets we have all come to love and to respect, it is still OK since they are "free" with each purchase and are hopefully informative and educational if not, at least, a wee bit entertaining.
All of his pieces are priced to be competitive and represent what one might have to pay for a similar piece at an antique store or antique show. His poems are simply free bonuses one receives whenever one makes an antique purchase from Thor. However, he calls them "…penalties one must endure" for dealing with him. He has been a collector all of his life and an antiques dealer since opening his first store in Riverside, California in 1982. He has since owned and operated additional stores in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Fountain Valley and spaces in major antique malls throughout the United States.
Each of Thor's poems provide the circa date, collectible status, valuation and occasionally an interesting story from what was, or might have been, the history associated with the specific antique. His antiques and poems can be found now exclusively at Branford House, 6691 US Route 7, Brandon, Vermont 05733, phone (802)-483-2971 and here on the web at: www.branfordhouseantiques.com.
Thor is also founder of "This Olde Office" and continues to be an office historian writing about and collecting important and historical pieces of antique office technology. In his earlier life, he was a corporate financial executive and entrepreneur whose successful endeavors in those professions have won him places in Who's Who in Industry & Finance, Who's Who in California, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in The World as well as 5,000 Outstanding Personalities of the World.
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We recently acquired this old flag out of a Pittsford, Vermont estate. The home had been in the same family since 1840. The flag is often refered to as the Utah flag and as the Spanish American War flag. The 45th state to join the Union was Utah on January 4th, 1896. It was allowed into the Union only after it abolished polygamy, just a few months earlier. Grover Cleveland signed the statehood order. The 45 star flag reined through the balance of Cleveland's term, all of William McKinley's term and most of Theodore Roosevelt's terms as president. It reined for 12 years and until 1908.
About ten years after it was obsolete it was the only flag available in that Pittsford house for eighteen year old Margaret Casey to carry in the first Armistice Day parade on November 11, 1918 in Rutland, Vermont. The ending of WW1 was something everybody wanted to celebrate. The flag does display this provenance on its margin and in old pencil script. Eventually the term "Armistice Day" was replaced with today's term "Veterans Day".
The flag is made of old cotton and is in decent shape. It does have a few small tears and some small losses. It is approximately 18 inches by 34 inches.
$150.00
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This umbrella & spectator seat folds up to about the size of a conventional umbrella. When folded up it is approximately 37 inches long and when opened the umbrella has an approximate 37 inch diameter. The leather over the steel heandle does have some losses and tears but the piece is otherwise in good condition and the umbrella portion is complete and without any tears or losses. The seat opens up and the original leather is still in place and is in very good and structually sound condition.
The item is marked Churka and Marley Hodgson. We estimate this piece to be from the 1930s-40s era.
$120.00
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We recently found this circa: turn-of-the-century ballot box in a barn in Rutland, Vermont. Family history recalls that this ballet box was used during Rutland municipal elections around the turn-of-the-century.
It includes three separte compartments and all could be used at the same time during any election. It still has its original lock but the key is missing. It measures approximately 16 inches deep, 31 inches long and 14 inches high.
Our price is for in store pickup or free local delivery. Please email or phone for an out of state delivery quote.
$145.00
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