WWII Map

This map was a hand-me-down. Far East War Map. The Area in Which Japan Will be Crushed. That certainly is a powerful statement. You can imagine a family buying this map at the newsstand to look at while listening to news of the war on the radio. The map image is really in terrible shape as you can see in the second photo.

WWII Posters Lawson Wood Illustration

I've seen these listed as war bond posters. We have a set of 10 of them. They all feature Wood's character Grandpop (which is what Mrs. Relics called her grandfather) providing advice for winning the war. There is something slightly creepy about the monkey, but here are some of our favorites.

Queen Ann Kennels by Morgan Dehills

We don't ally know anything about this etching. It came in a box of assorted things from an auction and we discovered it after we got home. They are such pretty puppies. Signed in pencil Morgan Dehills.

Lawrence E. Kupferman

Cleaning out the ole flat file and we come upon the trove of etchings by Lawrence E. Kupferman. He must have known someone in the family, there's even a portrait of a little girl that looks very much like Mr. Relic's own grandmother as a child.

Awesome Auction

Mostly tools and a box of books with a special surprise!

Battery charger $6 (shopping for one anyway); box of tools with hand driver, tape measure, linemens, hammer, etc. $5; bar clamp $5 (could have been a jerk and gotten it for free since it was a choice times two); box of books with Images of Delaware, books on painting, guitar, cooking, astronomy, and a hidden black book Mated: The New Pictorial Marital Manual from 1968. Good thing the Relics are married (wiggles eyebrows).

Cigar Box Guitar

This White Owl cigar box was hiding on a high shelf at one of our favorite shops. Mr. Relic has an increasingly sever addiction to stringed instruments and had decided to try to convert a beloved cigar box of his Gramp's in to a cigar box guitar. Mrs. Relic spotted this box and they decided it was better to do a test run on a less sentimental piece before cutting holes into Gramp's.

Mr. Relic carved the neck and headstock out of oak. The saddle is a part of a door hinge and the sound holes were new grommets that were "aged" with heat and linseed oil. Two pietzos inside make it electric.

[acq. 4/8/12 - $8, guitar completed 5/8/12]

Panama Canal

Is it a sign, or a car plate, did it hold a flag? We have no idea, came from a family garage. Panama Canal The Land Divided - The World United. Lightweight metal.
Update 5/13/12: It appears to be a license plate topper, neither of us had seen these before, but they appear very collectable.
[Acq. 4/10 - Free]

Ship on the left and alligator on the right.

Was painted red and green at one point. This right loop appears to be broken.

Delaware Plate

OK, we love plates. They are small, cheap and easy to display. They come in every imaginable subject and style. This particular plate is the newest addition to both the sculpted animal plate and Delawareiania collections. Gotta love a crossover.
[acq. 3/25/12 - $8]

National Beer Bag

This National Bohemian Beer litter bag c. 1965ish was a family attic find. This was clearly from a time before drinking and boating was discouraged.
[acq. 7/10 - $0]

Boaters in the Chesapeake Bay were encouraged to keep an eye out for Commodore Frank Hennessy, and give the National Beer Salute.

Chester Peake says, "Put litter in this bag..not in the bay."

For a fascinating history of the Baltimore based National Beer Company, check out this City Paper article.  Then check out this video showing some of the multitude of other characters and mascots employed by the National Beer Company.

Pretty Plates

Mr. Relic's Grandmother gave Mrs. Relic the green and tan bird plate when she was downsizing. She loved it and hung it on the wall to Mr. Relics skepticism, though he didn't hate it.

Pretty yellow and tan bird on an oak branch. Back marked Italy.

Six months later Mrs. Relic spied the cute bunny plate in a store and was thrilled when she saw it would be free, based on auto-price-lowering policy at one of The Relics favorite rummage spots. Two like items make a collection, right? Well, it does around here, we now have a sculpted animal plate collection, preferable in a color scheme to match the green room.
[Acq. 6/11 & 1/12 - Free]

Pair of white bunnies on a leaf background. Marked 2000 CBK LTD LLC Made in China.