The kitchen might not be the first place you think of when it comes to “collectible”, but kitchenalia is pretty popular, and kitchens throughout history have held some of the most interesting, precious and valuable collectibles you can find. For example, would the casual kitchen-user know that a Fire King Snoopy Red Baron cup is worth about $250, in good condition? You might have one in your cabinet right now and not even know it.

We’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen, checking out what people collect.

Vintage Hamilton Beach Standing Mixer

Many kitchen collectibles are the essential tools of the kitchens past, demonstrating the evolution of the home and domesticity, like these vintage mixers. We also had a look at vintage casserole dishes, and a variety of collectible teapots.

Kitchen collectibles also dig into the less-essential, but still-useful range of apparatuses. You don’t really need a vintage trivet, but it’s a lot more classy than a stack of newspapers. And when was the last time you actually used an egg cup?

Vintage Hall casserole dish

Collecting cookbooks is a pretty huge area of kitchenalia, with some going for hundreds of dollars. These books represent changing dietary habits, biological knowledge, cultural norms, the changing role of the housewife, and even the availability of certain foods around the world. Just as much as these books can help you make a delicious meal, they’re also great windows into history in so many ways.

1970s DC Comics Pepsi Glass : Superman

Kitchenalia doesn’t all have to be all girly stuff, though. This isn’t to say that mixers and cookbooks couldn’t or shouldn’t be handled just as adeptly or by males, but you don’t find vintage trivets at Home Depot. Superhero glasses are fun for nerds of all ages (and genders), as well as glasses featuring other characters. Even certain well-preserved food items are collectible, and hot sauce bottles are some of the most creative and bizarre food packages you can find.

And would it really be a kitchen without a cookie jar? There are thousands to choose from!

Do you have kitchen collectibles? Upload some to our Community and show us!

Even if you don’t know the definition of ‘ephemera’, it’s likely that you’re surrounded by it. Anything printed on paper and not meant to have eternal value is considered to be ‘ephemera’. Pamphlets, receipts, ads, business cards… pretty much anything made of paper that isn’t a book or a fine art print falls under this huge category. The magazine in your bathroom, the restaurant receipt in your wallet, the scratch-off lottery ticket on the nightstand — it’s all ephemera. Because the printed message exists in so many forms, and for so many reasons, collecting ephemera is a huge field.

Warren William Film Poster

Collectors all have their reasons: some of them are very interested in history, while others take a voyeuristic approach, or enjoy understanding the ways that advertising and social norms have been conducted over the years. We interviewed collector Marty Weil, who revealed his own reasons, as well as dealer and collector Cliff Aliperti and Frank DeFreitas.

As we move into a paperless society, what will happen to the world of ephemera collecting?

Ephemera gives us clues about the past, even if we can’t ultimately figure out what old notes on the back of photographs actually mean. There’s something about looking into someone else’s life which is fascinating, so finding an old journal presents a narrative that no one but the original owner knew.

F Troop Postcard

Most of the world of collectible ephemera consists of vintage advertising items, but printed matter is really too vast to confine it to such a small collection of items, as evidenced by this gathering of blog posts we’ve made.

• Collecting Travel Ephemera
• Thoughts on the world of ephemera
• Finding ephemera in a vintage magazine shop
• Ephemera promoting 1900s social events
• Paper propaganda during the Cold War
• Magazines and the quest for historical ephemera
• The portrayal of African Americans in vintage advertising

Do you collect ephemera? Show us in our Community!

We’re big fans of Kickstarter. Not only does it allow for unique and interesting projects to find life, but it’s also an excellent place to find very limited edition collectibles.

One project that recently caught our eye is “Fearful Symmetries: An Anthology of Horror“, curated by Ellen Datlow. You might recognize her name from a ton of different science fiction and horror magazines, or innumerable anthologies running along various themes, from ghostly horror to collections of vampire tales. So, what sets Fearful Symmetries apart?

As the Kickstarter project states, themed story anthologies are pretty popular… but what about unthemed anthologies? Where do collections of great, unconstrained writing come in? This is where Datlow wants to make a mark, collecting stories that authors have always wanted to write, but never could — those little bugs that live in the back of the creative mind, looking for an outlet. This, hopefully, is the outlet.

By contributing to this project, a product of pure inspiration and freed from the need to appeal to current reading trends (while possibly creating new ones), there’s a very wide array of rewards that you can take home. For $25, you get a paperback version of the book itself. The rewards start getting really interesting at $45, where you can take home a limited edition ‘flipbook’ (pictured at right)—which is a book that contains two stories, each one reading from opposite ends of the book, and not the stick-figure animations of yore.

Higher rewards include signed, proof and advance copies of other similar anthologies, mysterious photographs of “scary dolls”, “entrails” made by Mary Robinette Kowal (explained here… kinda), a collage of Skeletor, or artwork featuring a giant tree-creature.

Click on over and check out the different rewards, as there are many designed for both the collector and the creator. We look forward to reading this anthology when it comes out! Good luck, Ellen!

There’s very little doubt that kids tend to make the most awesome displays of their collectibles. There’s an unabashed enthusiasm with which kids are allowed to decorate their rooms, and we remain constantly amazed at the all-encompassing visions that some kids surround themselves with. This is why SI Kids is holding a contest where kids can show off their awesome, sports memorabilia-festooned rooms! Quoth SI Kids:

Are your bedroom walls covered with team pennants and posters of your favorite athletes? Are your shelves overflowing with sports books, bobblehead dolls, and other cool collectibles? We want to see your awesome fan room! Upload photos of your room at SIKids.com/SportsRoom or mail them to the address below by November 12. The winner will receive a brand new Mongoose R.I.D.E. BMX bike!

Sports Room, SI Kids
1271 Avenue of the Americas, 31st Floor,
New York, NY 10020-1393.

Please include your name, address, date of birth, and phone number.

So, get on over to their website, check out their guidelines and get your kid to show off how cool their stuff is. Collectors Quest will be displaying the winners and finalists on our site too, so you can be famous on two cool sites!

Kids – make sure to ask your parents’ permission, and also brush your teeth.

Good luck!

Last Sunday, the crew of Collectors Quest had the pleasure of attending the Rose Bowl Flea Market in sunny Pasadena, CA. We were there with the History Channel’s Cross-Country Cookout truck to introduce our refreshed and revamped website to West Coast collectors and vintage enthusiasts—and we got to meet Danielle from American Pickers as an added bonus. This world-famous flea market is the real deal with scores of scores. Here’s some of the stuff that caught our eye.

The Rose Bowl had no shortage of vintage machinery, from typewriters to snack machines. We didn’t sacrifice any dimes to sample any “vintage” snacks, though.

CQ’s CEO Liz is all about the cast iron toys, so we couldn’t resist these.

Here’s a man who combined drinking and driving into one exceptionally strange beer tap scooter cooler.

And of course, there’s plenty of weird to go around. We admit it: we came home with an Obama baby.

… and let it be known that Pasadena’s flea market fiends have an amazing sense of style.

We’d like to give special thanks to Tom Brannan, Just Kibbe (creator of the Obama Baby Doll), and Swellegant Vintage Clothing & Accessories in Newport Beach. See you again soon!

At Collectors’ Quest, we have come across so many different types of collectors and all are unique. One of the biggest issues is always where to store their stuff.  You have to hand it to this guy, not only is collecting numerical sequences so outrageously unique but it certain saves on the storage unit as well. Click here to read more.

Collecting Numerical Sequences

With all the death and destruction that took place during the Civil War, it’s always strange to see a photo that depicts such calm. Carte de visite cards, such as this one, are usually made from albumen prints and then printed on a thicker paper card. The popularity of trading these types of cards led to “Cardomania”, way before Ty Cobb was ever on the scene. http://bit.ly/aihYsi

Many know rocker Brian May as the lead guitarist of Queen.  Fewer people know he holds a degree in astrophysics . It is between his love for art and his love for science that Brian developed his passion for stereoscopic images . He has turned his passion toward a brand new book, A Village Lost and Found, about the images in all of their 3-D glory. http://bit.ly/9fUsEB

Morning Edition: Look, Shift Happens.

Sure, Rex Mason viewed his appearance as a curse since he could not look completely human, but with awesome features like these – Rex, you make a mean action figure. http://bit.ly/cRDJe3

What a card! Yankees’ star third baseman has appeared in a number of celebrity photos. However, it’s nothing compared to the 18,000 cardboard cutouts he’s graced. http://es.pn/bKdM7S