"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.