Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm providing a link to a new thread that should be of interest to folks here. Jeff Williams will be on a podcast today. His short video is set in Tuscarora, Nevada, a boomtown of 1880.
Most American silver wares before 1860 were coin, 90%. The sterling standard of 92.5% was established after that. I have a few pieces of early coin silverware by lesser-known smiths, 1790-1825.
Tiffany, Gorham and a few others produced sterling (holloware, flatware and smalls like snuff boxes, watch fobs, etc.). They catered to the wealthier consumers.
By the 1880s, American silver manufacturers were popping up all over to meet the demands of the burgeoning middle class. The majority of people were prospering and even those on the lower end could afford plated wares. While plated wares have no intrinsic value, they have decorative, utilitarian and historical value. Much of it survives today in near-perfect condition, which is a testament to the quality of mass-production back then.
Many people sold their antique sterling and coin for melt in the early 1980s. What a shame.
One of these days, I will take and post photos of the 1880s silver I use on a daily basis.
Jeff Williams is on their archived podcasts as well. It would be good to start with the first one. This is a tiny field of interest but the people involved are very enthusiastic. It was both saddening and surprising to see not only the lack of interest here but the real anger.
Now to another topic we have discussed before: pedal-power vehicles.
I found a website dedicated to originals. This website has a great deal of material so do take a look. Their message board is busy and active.
Just went over there, and LOVED the old bikes! I think I mentioned to you once that I have a couple of the old high-wheelers in a barn back in RI. The wife and I have couple of nice mountain bikes up here, and a motley assortment of used ones for the grandkids, when they come up.
For those who cannot afford a real bug-out vehicle, the bike is the next best thing. You'll probably get a lot farther on a bike than in a vehicle anyway - and you can't beat the gas mileage!
All the talk of the blizzard forecast reminded me of this:
January 12, 1888 was an unseasonably warm day from Montana to Minnesota, and south to Texas. Around the time school was letting out, the temperature dropped and a blizzard hit. Visibility was suddenly near zero as children tried to walk home. It was described as ice dust.
Some children died trying to find their way home. Some teachers kept children at school overnight, burning desks to stay warm enough to survive. One teacher tried to take children from school to her home less than 90 yards away; the children died of hypothermia and the teacher lost both feet to frostbite. Some became disoriented, lost and died in their own yards because they couldn't see their houses.
Many residents in the region were Northern European immigrants but had never seen anything like it or understood how bad it was.
More than 200 were reported dead, many were children. The storm was dubbed "The Children's Blizzard."
A blizzard of equal severity today would cause loss of life, even with advance warning. Many would be caught without provisions or heat in their homes, in cars and at work, not only risking their own lives, but also the lives of their rescuers.
When I was quite young my grandmother told me about coming to the Columbian Exposition of 1893. It should have been a year earlier, but they didn't have it open to the public until the next year. I was absolutely thrilled by her stories and wished that I could have been there.
The Philadelphia Mint struck its first commemorative coins for the fair, half dollars with Columbus on the obverse in 1892 and 1893 as well as the quarter with Queen Isabella on the obverse in 1893. Many of the halves were unsold and the mint later released them along with regular issue halves. I actually received one in change about 1950.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
