Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts

Monday, November 26, 2007

Pennsylvania's Flag May Become A Collectible In The Near Future

Collectors have highly valued historical United States' memorabilia since the birth of our nation in 1776, including the many flags that have transitioned through the years. According to a report on Foxnews.com, the Pennsylvania flag is in talks of being updated with a more recognizable image. Democratic State Rep. Tim Solobay says that “the Pennsylvania flag is so obscure that many people in the state cannot identify it.” Solobay submitted a proposal to the House lawmakers which passed in June with a 164-31 vote, and has since moved on to the Senate committee for consideration. On the opposite end of the argument, former teacher Peter Malichock Jr. calls the idea of changing the flag “outrageous,” stating that “they are dumbing down the flag because they are making it easier for people to identify it.” Others have concerns that replacing all the flags in the state would be too costly. Solobay stands by his proposal, suggesting that the new flags will be phased in over time, and in the newer version, the words “Commonwealth of” would appear above the coat of arms along with “Pennsylvania” below it, all in yellow silk block letters. Of the 50 states, 28 include the name or initials of the state on their flags, making them easier to identify. Check out the original article and take the 10-flag quiz to see just how many you know.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Titanic Artifacts Peak Interest With The Passing Of The Second To Last Survivor

The Titanic carries with its name a resounding historical presence when mentioned. Stories from that fateful night as well as images from the 1997 blockbuster smash hit Titanic floated through my mind as I read that Barbara West Dainton had passed yesterday. She is believed to have been one of the last two remaining survivors from the doomed ship that sank in 1912 according to the Titanic Historical Society. When the Titanic sank, it killed 1,500 people including Barbara's father, Edwy Arthur West, although she was too young at the time to remember the tragedy.
News of Barbara's passing triggered my curiosity of how many and what artifacts are still available to be seen from the Titanic. The word collectible doesn't seem to do these pieces justice as they are so rich with history and personal value. Check out some of these pieces I found and if you have any artifacts of your own, perhaps passed down from your relatives, link them to this blog as I'm sure everyone would love to see them.

This deck chair was given to Reverend Henry W. Cunningham, who was the minister aboard the Minea during the body recovery. He received the chair in recognition of his work with burial and memorial services. This chair is one of the only intact chairs in the world that matches those visible in Titanic photographs. It is made of mahogany and an unidentified hard wood and it bears a carved five-pointed star, which is the emblem of the White Star Line.

This lounge paneling was recovered with bodies by the cable ship Minia and kept by her captain W.G. Squares de Carteret, who later donated it to the Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management. The carvers were given an outline but allowed to follow their own imagination in the details, so each carving is a unique piece of artwork. This particular piece comes from the arch over the forward entrance to the first class lounge, which is the area where the Titanic broke in half just before sinking, thus the broken edges.


Adolphe Saalfeld was a perfume maker from Manchester, England. At the age of 47, he boarded the Titanic as a first-class passenger, and he carried with him a leather satchel filled with perfume samples. At the time Titanic sailed, the American perfume market was booming. He may have planned to sell his perfumes to fashion boutiques and department stores in New York and other major cities. Adolphe Saalfeld survived the sinking but left his samples behind. Of the 65 vials that Saalfeld packed in his luggage, 62 have been recovered. These perfumes vials have never been on public display.


These brass letters spell “C dec” and were originally located in the first class grand staircase to direct passengers to the C level. The “k” was never recovered. This artifact has never been on public display.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Collecting WarGame Miniatures

I have been fascinated with miniature lead soldiers since i was a kid. i used to collect 1/72 scale plastic armies of Airfix napoleonics and the large scale WW2 soldiers, plus Britain's Ltd. knights, civil war and cowboy and indian sets - i still have them and my kids play with them today. i loved seeing displays of huge miniature armies at museums and toy shops. Influenced by my dad and uncle, i started painting larger scale lead figures - naploeonics are still my favorite - that period had the best uniforms. I stopped for a while (other teenage interests and hobbies took precedence) but when games workshop released their Warhammer 40k figures in late 80's i was intrigued again, so i started painting fantasy miniatures.


Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy battle figures are cool but i never got into gaming with them. just couldn't get into the math and dice rolls - took the fun out of it. i did try playing a war game with English civil war armies at a local shop but still just couldn't get in to it.

I had been collecting a large army of Warhammer figures and to make room for others - i sold a few on eBay and was AMAZED at how much the painted figures sold for. so i ended up selling all my fantasy figures to finance my own eBay addiction. I began to buy figures just to paint and sell, it's satisfying to paint something and have others enjoy it instead of it sitting in your display case. People started asking me for commissions and i took certain projects - but only if i enjoyed painting the figure. i didn't want it to be a chore.

meanwhile i started collecting and painting my own personal armies from my favorite historic periods. Currently i have: Dark ages Viking army, Romano- British army (arthurian age), English Civil War - new model army, and my pride and joy - a Large Russian Napoleonic army. Collecting historical figures is very interesting as you have to research the uniforms and the history surrounding them. as for the historical figures - the best out there are from War Games Foundry and Perry Miniatures (the Perry brothers used to sculpt for foundry and created the Napoleonics i have).

For fantasy figures- i LOVE Rackham's line of figures. other really nice fantasy figures come from Privateer Press and Crocodile Games and of course games workshop. A great site to see and rate mini's is Cool mini or not - i have figures there and it's a good cross link for selling on ebay to target miniatures collectors.


i am starting to post my collections on iTaggit currently i have my Rackham Confrontation set (i don't own them - all were sold) and will post more soon. meanwhile you can see more on my personal site - www.beyondbeyond.com. If you have your own armies, fantasy or historical please post them on iTaggit we'd all love to see them.

Happy Collecting!