Resistance Heating And The Billionaire
2022-11-26
Yesterday we took a tour of Hearst Castle, and it got me interested in resistance heating. Why is it stillKeep Reading
My Tour Of The New York Times’ Morgue
2019-05-08
Today I spent a couple of hours in a basement archive belonging to the New York Times. It was aKeep Reading
Mystery Bronze Fixture (With Ring)
2017-04-02
In many years of going to the Alameda antiques market, I’ve stumbled across some unique and mysterious items, but nothingKeep Reading
Cobalt Blue Sign From the Dawn of Global Banking
2017-04-02
I bought this sign at the Alameda antiques market after noticing it a few months in a row. I’m intoKeep Reading
Abbey Rents Folding Chairs
2017-03-22
For years I’d been searching for a matched set of vintage wooden folding chairs. Recently, just as I was aboutKeep Reading
How to Build a Picture Rail Railway
2016-11-25
Want a model railroad layout inside your house that takes up almost no space and is barely visible? Got aKeep Reading
BART’s Launch Marketing, 1972
2016-10-29
When the sun rose on BART in 1972, it was a joyous, miraculous thing – the future had arrived. AtKeep Reading
1950s Drawings for a New Berkeley Civic Center
2016-10-28
I visited the Berkeley Public Library the other day looking for planning drawings, to see what kind of ideas orKeep Reading
Early Boston Telephone Book
2016-10-27
Among all the random stuff I’ve collected over the years, this 1881 Boston phone book is one of the standouts.Keep Reading
Inside Berkeley’s Hidden History Vault
2016-10-19
It’s no King Tut’s tomb, but the History Room at the Berkeley Public Library is worth a look. Due toKeep Reading
1950’s Workbench Stool
2016-10-13
Bought this badass stool today… I’m assuming it’s Korean War era, since it’s marked “Selective Service System,” and looks toKeep Reading
Love Poster Auction
2016-09-19
Saw these Love posters by Yves St. Laurent up for auction in a gallery in Hudson, NY, and thought theyKeep Reading
Hanging Pot Rack (From Old Teller Window)
2016-08-02
While looking around a local architectural salvage yard in search of something to use as a hanging pot rack, I ranKeep Reading
My Brief Glimpse at (Maybe) the Last Big Private Wood Type Collection
2012-12-28
In December 2011 I got an email that a designer here in SF was selling a large wood type collection,Keep Reading
Bank of Really Old Post Office Boxes
2010-08-29
I bought this complete bank of fifty one 1880s nickel-plated post office lockboxes in the Sierras from a woman who’d ownedKeep Reading
I Saw a Monster Last Weekend
2009-12-11
Originally published on Collectorsweekly.com. Recently I read an interesting obit in the New York Times about a guy who spentKeep Reading
The Disappearing Art of Porcelain Signs
2009-01-19
Originally published on Collectorsweekly.com. In this interview, Michael Bruner talks about collecting vintage 20th Century porcelain advertising signs. I likedKeep Reading
Cook Quality Office Chair
2006-12-24
This amazing old swivel chair has the original cast iron hardware and is fully adjustable (seat, backrest and back post).Keep Reading
My Brief Wig-Wag Love Affair
2006-02-12
In 2005 I bought and had a brief infatuation with a type of antique railroad signal called a ‘wig-wag’. With someKeep Reading
1905 Hamilton Manufacturing Co. Catalog
2006-01-14
This spectacular 190-page catalog has to be seen to be believed (download the 32MB pdf). If you’re into printing, graphicKeep Reading