Coffee, tea, and chocolate were all
the rage in Enlightenment Europe. These fashionable beverages
profoundly shaped modes of sociability and patterns of consumption,
yet none of the plants required for their preparation was native to
the continent: coffee was imported from the Levant, tea from Asia,
and chocolate from Mesoamerica. Their introduction to 17th-century
Europe revolutionized drinking habits and social customs. It also
spurred an insatiable demand for specialized vessels such as hot
beverage services and tea canisters, coffee cups and chocolate pots. More Books
Coffee comes in what
seems endless varieties, but one of them, espresso, is especially
popular in Europe, particularly in Italy. This video discusses the
history of espresso and its effect on coffee culture around the
world. Click on the
title to view.
And look for other videos in selected articles.
Have Bob speak
on antiques to your group or organization. More Information
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THE ANTIQUES ALMANAC
"The Age of Photography"
COMING IN
October
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of this ezine with your friends using the buttons
provided with each article.
AN-TIQUE (an-teek)An object having
special value because of its age, especially a domestic item, piece of
furniture or decorative arts object esteemed for its artistry, beauty,
mechanical ingenuity, or period of origin.
The
Antiques Almanac, a five-edition-per-year online magazine for beginning and
intermediate antiques collectors and those just interested in finding out about
old things, is your first stop on the Web in your search for information
about antiques and collectibles. Here, you’ll find articles on a variety
of American and international antiques, including furniture, china,
glass, silver, and other decorative arts from the Colonial, Empire,
Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco Periods, plus vintage and modern
collectibles, interesting historical facts, antique tips, and
recommendations for caring for your collections. Come back often to see
what's new. And be sure to tell your friends about us.
This
edition's
theme:
"The Brew of Life"
Volume 16 No. 3
This edition features
articles on antique and vintage folk art.
Good to the
Last Drop Coffee has been
energizing people since dawn of the first millennium of the
Christian Era (CE) when they first roasted and ground
Arabica beans. Historians believe that an Arabic word,
qah’wa, inspired the term “coffee,” a wine made from coffee
beans. When people first began drinking coffee, they had to
first soften the beans for roasting, boil a kettle full of
water for about a minute with the coarse ground coffee
beans. More Antiques Articles
Around the World and Then Some
in a Coffee Cup
Promotional
merchandise seems to be everywhere, from toy trucks to
stuffed animals to coffee mugs. Collecting these has become
a passion for some people and with the advent of online
auctions and other retails sites, collectors can find just
about any promotional collectible on the market. And that
includes Starbucks coffee mugs in seemingly endless
varieties.
Cups
Runneth Over at Coffeehouses
The atmosphere is quiet and reserved. The sweet smell of
chocolate and fresh-brewed coffee mix with the heady smoke
of European cigarettes. The waitress delicately sets a large
glass filled with dense coffee and a dollop of ice cream
topped with an Everest- like mound of whipped cream on a
customer’s table. Along with all of Vienna’s wonders are its
hundreds of coffeehouses. More
Special Features
Grind Those Beans
There’s nothing like a good cup of
coffee, and how it’s ground makes all the difference. Unlike
today, stores in the 19th and early 20th centuries sold only
coffee as beans, freshly ground in the store. Originally,
all general stores had some sort of coffee grinder sitting
on the counter.
The Art of the Coffee Tin Soon after
establishing the first commercial canning factory in London,
England, in 1813, Bryan Dorkin and John Hall began packaging
coffee in tin-plated cans. Before this, ground or roasted
coffee was mostly sold in paper packaging or jars. At that
time, most people bought green coffee beans to roast and
grind at home.
More
Collecting Articles
How to Clean Antique Silver Antique silver
combines beauty with craftsmanship. But this comes with the
challenge of keeping these luxurious objects at their peak
luster. So what is the best way to clean antique silver
effectively?
Founded
in 1842 in Hartford, Connecticut, the Wadsworth Atheneum is one of the oldest
continually operating public museums in the country. Undermined by debt and
crumbling building, it almost ceases to be. Museum Director Susan Talbott pulled the institution out of the abyss as part of a $33 million
renovation. Read more.
Coffee readies
people for their day, acts as a social mediator, and soothes
the soul. No wonder much of the world drinks it. But as to
how and when coffee came to be discovered, no one seems to
know for sure. Through adventure and misadventure, wartime
and peacetime, it has become one of the most popular drinks
on Earth. Read more
The current definition a coffee
table is a low, wide table placed in front of a couch or sofa to
receive drinks, TV remotes, magazines, ashtrays, and
miscellaneous other items, including feet. Yes, some people do
prop their tired feet up once in a while. But a quick look back
in time doesn't show many similar tables in our Western history.
Read more
How to Recognize and
Refinish Antiques for Pleasure and Profit
Have
you ever bought an antique or collectible that was less than perfect and
needed some TLC? Bob's book offers tips and step-by- step
instructions for simple maintenance and restoration of common antiques.
Read an
Excerpt
Thousands of
goldseekers ventured to California in hopes of getting rich.
Few did, at least not from mining gold. But a few did get
rich from the gold which they loaded onto the S.S. Central
America sailing to New York from Panana.
Tin
Batmobile Hits the Stratosphere
This red open-top Batmobile
is a rare tintoy produced in 1966 by Yonezawa for the
Japanese market. It recently sold for $150,000.
Fabergé Vesta Case
Sells High
This
Fabergé #jeweled gold-mounted #agate vesta case recently
sold for more than 15 times its estimate at $118,747. Queen
lead singer Freddie Mercury purchased it at #Sotheby’s in
Switzerland and kept it with the marked-up auction catalogue
close by.
A team of French and Italian
underwater archaeologists have recovered a selection of
glassware and raw glass blocks from a Roman shipwreck
between the Italian island of Capraia and the French island
of Corsica.
This
Fabergé #jeweled gold-mounted #agate vesta case recently
sold for more than 15 times its estimate at $118,747. Queen
lead singer Freddie Mercury purchased it at #Sotheby’s in
Switzerland and kept it with the marked-up auction catalogue
close by.
