Author Archive

While it may be collectible, it’s not really ‘old’ if you find the following:

POSTAL CODE
1943:  The postal service implements postal zones for large cities.
                John Hancock
                28 Main St.
                Boston 24, Massachusetts
July 1, 1963:  Non-mandatory 5-digit ZIP codes are announced for the whole country.
                John Hancock
                28 Main St.
                Boston, Massachusetts 02124
1967: ZIP mandatory for second- and third-class bulk mailers, and soon adopted generally.
1983: USPS begins using an expanded ZIP + 4

 
TELEPHONE NUMBER
(Actual dates vary widely, as determining factors such as region, company, population, etc. could mean a delay of years before innovations were implemented.)
1878:  First commercial switchboard begins operation.  Callers request connections by name.
1879:  First numbers/letters are assigned; no particular order or number of digits.
ca. 1928:  Letter prefix and digits begin, number of characters vary with region, etc.
1947:  Three-digit area codes, called the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) including the United States and Canada, go into effect.
1958:  ANC, or all number calling begins.
(note: in old advertisements you may find a name before a number that is not an exchange. Areas with competing telephone companies did not provide interconnecting service.  Therefore a business might list two phone numbers—Bell 1234 and Atlanta 4321—so customers using either Southern Bell or Atlantic Telephone could call.)

 
BAR CODE
Late 1960’s: Two early systems are installed – one in a General Motors plant and the other in the General Trading Company’s distribution center in New Jersey. The barcodes held only 2 digits of data.
1972:  A bullseye symbol and scanner are installed and operating in a Cincinnati Kroger. Printing problems with the bulls-eye barcodes and scanning problems limited its usefulness.
June 26th, 1974:  A 10-pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum was the first product logged in a grocery store by a barcoding system using the modern UPC code.
1994:  The QR (quick response) code is created to track parts in vehicle manufacturing. Since then it has become more widely used, and is rapidly expanding.

A gentleman calls Carol about an item on craigslist, asks if it’s still available, and wants to buy it.  Sure, no problem.  And ship it to Pittsburgh, since that’s where he’s calling from.  Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, that Pittsburgh?  More detailed photos are sent to the customer, he says ‘Yep, I’ll take it.”  Credit card run through, item packaged and shipped.  Gotta love the internet!

Located on the second floor to the left of the stairs, Booth #59 has a mixed bag of items including collectibles, glass, and kitchenware.

Lorie’s Booth #10 is located to the left as you go thru the glass sliding door.

You’ll find some very creative decorative items and more!

We were happy to deliver a load of stuffed animals to Sonjia Philpart of the Victim Assistance Program.  We didn’t count them, but it took three large trash bags to transport.  Thank you, everyone, who contributed.  You’ve made a difference in a child’s life.

WE’VE GOT THE TREATS!

Laura’s Emporium has a huge selection of Halloween and Autumn decor
Come in and browse
You’re sure to find something unique!

Better Homes & Gardens is offering FREE pumpkin carving stencils.
Better yet, they’re donating $2 to several charities for every stencil downloaded, up to $5,000!

The Humane Society of the United States has already reached the limit, but
The March of Dimes
Rebuilding Together
Big Brothers Big Sisters
and
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
are still collecting

A simple registration is all that’s required.
You can choose to get various BHG offerings or opt out.
Once you’ve chosen and downloaded your stencil from one of the four charities,
you’ll see the Humane Society (really cute!) stencils available,
although they will not receive any more donations.

Thanks BHG, it’s a great idea!
http://bhg.com/charitystencils

I recently acquired five older cameras, three 35mm and two that fit in a category I wasn’t even aware of.  After a long online search, I found one of the manuals that someone would happily sell to me.  I wasn’t really looking to use the camera, just couldn’t figure out how to open the darn thing.  Googled one more time and ta-da! the complete manual in pdf format, freely downloadable, print one or all pages if I desired (and really simple to open once you know how).

Collectors, dealers, photographers, and people who tend to lose owner manuals will find Michael Butkus Jr.’s website invaluable.  He’s put a huge inventory of over 3500 camera manuals online – read, download, print – it’s all free.  OrphanCameras.com is about older cameras, no digitals here.

Easy to navigate.  Pick a manufacturer and you get a detailed list of their cameras.  Pick a camera and you get a photo (looks like yours?), then click for the pdf.  Find the info you need, or save to your computer, or print.  Can’t find your manufacturer listed?  There’s another section for the off-the-wall cameras that are non-brand names.

Got a flash you don’t know where it goes?  Need a flash for your camera?  Check out Electronic Flash/Light Meter and you’ll find your manual.

Old Photo Catalogs is awesome. From 1888 on – Kodak, Montgomery Ward, Canon, Sears and more – you can view the advertisements for newest and most advanced for the moment.  Remember your first camera?  You’ll probably find it here.

General info on cameras, photography, film, developing and pretty much anything that has to do with taking a picture can be found in Booklets/Non-instruction.  This database is huge and I can’t begin to tell you what it encompasses.

Orphancamera.com [http://www.butkus.org/chinon/] is the ultimate website for vintage and antique cameras.  I found all five manuals that I needed, including ones manufactured before I was born, and immediately made a donation.  If you find this site useful I encourage you to do the same.

Check it out and you won’t find this information available anywhere else; and for free.  What more could you ask for?

Tell ‘em I sent ‘ya
Victoria

We’re still collecting teddy bears, stuffed animals and toys for the Victim Assistance Program.

Join us with your favorite teddy bear on September 30th for Teddy & Me.

And bring an extra for the kids!