Police Badges, etc.

We bought a collection of badges (police, sheriff, fire department and others) a few weeks ago and we've been going through them to catalog and price them.  I am not an expert in badges but have been learning a lot.  In most cases a badge is just a badge, but one of the badges intrigued me more than the others.  It is a 1920s Omaha Police badge with a civilian designation.  My question: under what circumstances would a civilian get an official police badge?

At first I thought the Omaha Police force was beefing up its numbers by using civilians after the 1919 race riots.  But now I think the use of civilians was something different.  Omaha organized a citizen constabulary in 1920 called “Volunteer Civilian Officers” who were primarily used for enforcing traffic regulations and providing educational programs.  I think the badges were issued to them, but I could easily be wrong.

1922 Omaha Civilian Traffic Police

Closer to home is the St. Paul Union Depot, so in honor of its recent re-opening I thought I would add this photo of an attendant’s hat badge.

We invite you to shop Antiques on Main to find these and thousands of other antiques and collectibles for sale.

Wrong About Butter Pats

Apparently I've been wrong in my understanding of how butter pats were used.  I'm talking about the little plates and not the globs of butter.  I always thought they were a throwback to Victorian times and used for fancy, formal meals.  But I was wrong.  Let me start at the beginning.

As antique dealers, we often get invited to peoples houses to buy things and this was one of those times.  The seller was downsizing and had a few things from the family farm that she no longer wanted.  The things she wanted to sell were laid out on the kitchen table. While we were deciding what we wanted to buy I was looking around and spotted a stack of flow blue butter pats.  I asked about them and she said they had belonged to her grandmother who used them on the farm and she didn't want to sell them yet.

So I had to ask - "Your grandmother had pretty fancy meals?"

"Oh no" she responded, "just your basic farm meals."

"And she used these butter pats?"

"Yes, there were a lot of boys in the family."  She went on to explain that her grandmother used the butter pats to save on the butter.  The boys usually licked their knives "clean" before taking butter and Grandmother didn't want to keep butter that had been contaminated this way.  So by giving the boys their own butter, the rest of the butter was saved.

Evolution of a Collection

I used to tell people that I didn't collect anything, but instead I accumulated stuff.  Today its the other way around - I collect certain things and accumulate little.  I was not conscious of changing how I collected my stuff and only by looking back did I realize that it had changed.  As it turns out, I was always collecting things, such as Mickey Mouse and beer steins, but my collections evolved from quantity (what I used to call accumulations) to quality.

For example, lets look at my Mickey Mouse accumulation.  It was probably around 20 years ago that I started to pick up the occasional Mickey item at garage sales and thrift stores.  Needless to say, you can find lots of Disney items at these places and pretty soon the shelf I was using to hold them was full to overflowing.  And what didn't fit on the shelf was packed away in boxes. This should have raised a warning flag that the accumulation was getting a little out of control ... but it didn't.

A small part of my Mickey Mouse accumulation.

The turning point might have been when I bought a 1930s Mickey Mouse lusterware tea set in its original box, or it might have been when I got a 1940s Donald Duck  lamp with the original shade.  But in the end, I realized that there was more enjoyment in having a few good items than there was in having hundreds of inexpensive ones.  And the "good" items don't have to be expensive.  Now I try to be more selective and buy only the earlier Disney pieces in good condition - and, of course, only if the price is right.

So now I have a few "good" items in my display cabinet (more than a couple of these bought at Antiques on Main) and  almost all of the original accumulation is packed away in boxes in my basement until can decide what to do with it.  But I had lots of fun accumulating everything and would probably do it again, so I don't criticize anyone who is in that stage of collecting.

At Antiques on Main, we have have things for collections whatever stage they are in.

Civil War Sesquicentennial

The American Civil War was taking place 150 years ago so I thought I would look through Antiques on Main to see what Civil War related items I could find for sale.  Although I did not find a lot of items, what I found were both varied and interesting.  This is what I found:

 1. A Civil War musket. This is a Wm. Mason 58 cal. musket from 1861.  It is shown with a replica kepi (cap) with original brass crossed cannons.  Also shown is a replica Civil War powder flask.

2.  A Civil War breast plate.  This would be attached to your cartridge box strap.

3. A tear bottle (or vial or catcher).  These were used during the Civil War to catch and save tears shed during the mourning of a loved one killed during the war.

4. A Civil War bayonet.  This is for a 58 cal. U.S. Musket.  It is shown with a Civil War period powder flask. 

5.  A Civil War receipt. This is a receipt for a  Sharps rifle given by Capt. William Badger to Pvt. Andrew McManus in 1865.

6. A Confederate Infantry button.  This style is called the "Fancy Script I".

7. Civil War envelopes.  Envelopes used during the Civil War, such as these, often contained a propaganda cartoon. 
 

8.  A commemorative plate.  It isn't from the time of the Civil War, but it commemorates the Battle of Gettysburg.

9.  A Civil War payroll record. This shows that these guys (clerk, wagon master, and teamsters) got paid $7.75 for the month of March, 1862!!   .

"It Belongs in a Musem"

Finding things to sell is what we do, whether you call what we do a hobby or a business.  And what we try to do is buy things at a low enough price that we can sell it for a profit.  Most of what we buy ends up in the store for sale and some (too much?) ends up in one of our own collections.  But sometimes we find something "that belongs in a museum", to take a phrase from Indiana Jones.

We are located in Anoka County so I am partial to the Anoka County Historical Society (ACHS) and am always on the lookout for items they might want for their collections.  It should pertain to Anoka County and tell a story.  For instance, I found a hat at a thrift store that I thought I could sell for a bit of a profit, but after giving it some thought I asked the ACHS if they would be interested in it.  They gave a resounding "yes".

The hat is a fireman's dress hat from the 60s or 70s with a badge identifying it as both Federal Cartridge Corp. and Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP).  Federal Cartridge is a major Anoka industry that started back in the 1920's and was the Operating Prime Contractor for TCAAP, constructed in the early 40s to make ammo for our troops in WWII.  So the hat represents an important Anoka industry with roots in early part of the 20th Century and also represents Anoka's involvement in the WWII effort.

I made no money when I donated the hat, but it "belonged in a museum".

How Do We Remember Christmas?

I was surprised a couple of days ago when I checked my calendar and saw we were already into December and that Christmas will be soon upon us!  That made me think of past Christmases when I was a kid.  Some of the memories weren't so much about Christmas, but about winter activities.

 This is a picture of my brother and me in 1951. (I'm the one in the red hat.)  We had a nice kid-size sledding hill beside the house and we used it a lot.  I remember hitting that tree a couple of times even though there was lots of room to miss it.  I don't remember why we had the wagon (at the top of the hill) out with us that day.  I'll blame my brother - he was always the one with the crazy ideas.

Many of the memories, though, are of waking up early, rushing down to the living room and finding piles of presents under the Christmas tree.  Here's a picture of my brother (at the piano) and me in 1950.  Don't we wish we still had some of those toys!!

Whenever I go through the antique store, I'll see things that bring back some of these memories.  This flying saucer sled is a good example.  We used to have an undecorated aluminum one.  Talk about uncontrollable sledding!  But other things as simple as small decorations bring back memories, too.  Here's a small ornament I found in the store that is very similar to ones I remember as a kid: pipe cleaner arms and pine cone body.

I could go on for quite a bit longer but that would be counter productive (or boring?), I think.  My purpose for this posting, other than giving myself a chance to reminisce, is to remind you that Antiques on Main is a great place to shop for unique Christmas presents ..... and perhaps be reminded of some of your early Christmases.   

 

Construction is Done and Gone

The "Main Street Makeover" is complete along our section of Main Street.  Or as most of us called it:" construction".  Anyway, whatever you want to call it, it's done!  It looks pretty good, too.  The new sidewalks are wider so its easier to avoid the skateboarders and bicyclists. 

I tried out the new middle-of-the-block crosswalk today and it wasn't too bad - only one car drove through the crosswalk while I was on it.  So here's my thoughts on this matter:  if you were one of those who used to jaywalk, you probably paid pretty close attention to the traffic.  Now with the new crossing with the strobing lights, it's probably a good idea to pay just as much attention to traffic when you cross.  At least until all the drivers figure it out. 

We have "bump-outs" at the corners now, too.  These shorten the distance for a pedestrian crossing the road, thus making it safer.  If you driving and are turning either on to or off of one of the side streets, give yourself more room to turn.  Judging from the tire marks over the curbs, a few drivers are misjudging this a bit.

But as you can see, there are no more orange cones or drums, no more barricades, and no more construction.  All that moved down to the other side of 7th Avenue.