Posts Tagged ‘wood’

Jim Sneed’s website — All About Old Toys (http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/) — is constantly growing and evolving.  Originally Judy’s Old Wood Toys, the name change came about to reflect the inclusion of metal toys.  400 pages of articles, more than 4200 photos, over 50 toy company histories — most contributed by researchers, collectors and family members of old toy companies.  You’d think that would be enough, but a planned merger with Richard Mueller of Antique Toy Collections (http://www.antiquetoycollections.info) later this year will more than double the scope of information.

New information is added daily to what is already the largest collection of Schoenhut circus photographs on the Web and the best Humpty Dumpty circus identification guide.  Collectors have contributed photos of some amazing collections that are a feast for the eyes.  Several museum collections are included.

Well-written and informative articles are categorized by subject and include photos, catalogs and advertisements, original and current estimated prices, dates produced, measurements, and more.  A vast storehouse of information on the companies and their toys.  ‘Dating your wooden toys’  along with a guide for researching your toy is invaluable.

Want to sell your collection?  Need repair or restoration service?  Need professional photos taken?  Jim covers all these subjects and offers several services.  You can sell your toys through his website or set up your own toy shop.  He also buys toys and has a ‘toys wanted’ list.  Many, many links with a summary of each, saving you a lot of time.

Visit All About Old Toys (http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/), you’ll find it very user friendly and easy to navigate.  Be sure to bookmark it — always something new — you’ll want to go back again and again.

Tell ‘em I sent ya’. ~ Victoria

“Yes, please,” I respond to the waiter holding a gargantuan pepper mill.  Like a rite of passage, everyone at the table stops momentarily to watch this pungent spice make its way to my ceasar salad.  While dried ground pepper has been around since antiquity, the peppermill we’re familiar with was created in 1842 by Peugeot of France.  Available now as manual or electric, made of ceramic, wood, acrylic, metal, etc. they all have the same basic inner workings.

Wood peppermills, specifically those designed by Jens Harald Quistgaard and made by Dansk Designs is the focus of Todd Pederzani’s website (http://www.tpederzani.com/pepper/Main_Page), although some other companies are covered.  The 1997 movie Peppermills starred Kate Walsh as a compulsive thief – but only of peppermills.  After viewing Todd’s site, can’t say as I blame her.

One would think a piece of wood made into a peppermill would have limitations, but the endless variety of unique and stunning designs defies that theory.  A separate section for variations of the grinding mechanisms and pepper fills is included.  Each mill shown has a load of information: description, maker, designer, mechanism, material, pepper fill, production dates, dimensions, and type.

More photos can be seen at GargoyleMT’s Flickr Set ‘Peppermills’.  There’s several salt and pepper shaker collector organizations, but none solely for peppermill collectors, that I could find.  Perhaps it’s time for these wood beauties to have their own cheerleading squad.