Volume 9
Collector’s Magazine Plus Antiques Shop, Mall & Show Directory A 1900’s Drugstore The Beatles Changed the World Egg Scale Collecting What Tins Do You Collect? Coin Collecting
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STEP BACK IN TIME TO A 1900’s NEW YORK DRUGSTORE I first remember acquiring Drugstore items in the early 1970’s while in high school. My entire family, parents & grandparents were bottle diggers. After learning of our hobby, the local druggist and friend told us he had a basement full of bottles that he’d like to “get rid of”. I then remember coming home from school right after that and the entire kitchen counters and dining room table were filled with bottles - most with their original complete labels! That got us “hooked” and gave us a great idea on how to acquire more.
We then started contacting all the little small town pharmacies in the southern tier of New York and northeast Pa. to see if they also had any “old stock” and hidden treasures they’d like to sell. I then started to like some of the other items that were found and sold in these old stores, especially the fancy gold labeled glass jars, lithographed tins, old pills, showglobes, advertising and all the other outdated, obsolete apparatus and tools of the trade.
I then had to expand my search area trying to locate the older stores that were still in business and see what they may have for sale as far as old stock etc.. To date, I’d say I’ve bought out the contents of approximately 30+ old drugstores all over the country, with the farthest being Texas and have also bought several collections over those years. I started to attend and set up at bottle shows in the early 1980’s and also did several of the larger antique shows here on the east coast. Because of this, I began to get leads on stores going out of business and followed all the antique papers searching for more “stuff’. Soon, I was getting calls from other dealers if they came across any items of interest to me and the collection really started to grow.
My dad passed away in 1981 and my mom in 1996. At that point, I had to decide what to do with the antique shop. I had always thought about going into the antique business after I retired, but suddenly found myself having to make a decision to either sell the shop and have a big auction, or go into the business now. I had also thought about starting my own absentee mail/phone bid Drugstore/ Apothecary auction. I decided the timing was right for both and haven’t looked back since. McMurray Auctions was born with my first auction held the fall of 1996.
My parents opened an antique shop in 1978, and we had an entire room upstairs set up like an old drugstore from items we had acquired. At that point I was working full time and my parents ran the antique shop. The “old time” drugstores were starting to vanish and be bought up by all the larger chain stores of today.
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STEP BACK IN TIME TO A 1900’s NEW YORK DRUGSTORE It had always been a dream of mine to set up an entire ca. 1900’s Drugstore. After acquiring 80 ft. of fabulous Drugstore fixtures from a store in Ohio in 2004, I was on my way. Next was a “correct” building to set up the collection in. When I bought the fixtures, I had a building, but it was a former library with carpeting, drop ceiling and just wouldn’t work. Most of my collection was stored there.
The photographer for my cataloged auctions was renting out a perfect building for a framing shop. He was thinking about retiring and moving to North Carolina and asked if I would be interested in buying it. I guess it was meant to be! I bought it and my tenant moved out 2 yrs. ago so I could finally start my project. It’s just like the old stores use to be with a double window store front and nice original tin ceilings. We finally finished up this summer and it turned out great! I don’t think I’ll ever be really “done” as there’s always constant re-arranging and making room for “new purchases” - but that’s the “fun part” for sure!
I have continued with McMurray Auctions and just finished up sale #56 in November, 2014. Auction #57 is scheduled to close on March 14, 2015. I continue to set up at 8 to 10 bottle shows per year and do the Indianapolis Advertising Show twice a year, as well as several other antique shows. My Drugstore is open daily by chance or appointment and we enjoy having visitors. It is best to call in advance if you plan on being in the area or want to make a special trip. The store is located at 494 Chenango St. Binghamton, NY. My phone number is 607-775-5972. I can also be reached by email: mcmurrayauctions@aol.com
If interested in my Drugstore/Apothecary, Patent Medicine & Advertising auctions, feel free to call anytime or email. Terry McMurray 607-775-5972 mcmurrayauctions@aol.com
Want to see more pictures of the Turn of the Century 1900’s Drugstore? Go to: www.icollect247.com click on “Our Blog’ and look for “Recent Post” While you are there, check out all the Authentic Antiques & Collectibles offered for sale by Quality Dealers!
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“THE BEATLES CHANGED THE WORLD...AND ME” - A YOUNG COLLECTOR’S LOVE “Here come old flat top / he come groovin’ up slowly / …” As I play my first Beatles album, Abbey Road on my new record player, those were the first lyrics that I experienced from the Beatles music. John Lennon’s raspy voice, George Harrison and Paul McCartney rocking on the bass and electric guitar, and of course Ringo Starr on the drums captivated me from the second I lay the needle down on the record. I had never experienced a music group so real and so full of purpose; it was like every lyric they wrote had the deepest meaning that I couldn’t always wrap my brain around.
As I drown myself in the world of Beatles music, the more my love grew for the four moptops from Liverpool. Their music filled my heart and mind with new ideas and concepts unlike any music had before. I continued to listen to their albums on repeat letting their voices and melodies take me away from my problems. I found myself buying songs, then albums, then posters, and then music memorabilia from the 1960’s. Before I knew what had taken over me, I had started my own Beatles collection. At first, I just wanted to collect all the Beatles original albums on vinyl. Then, my collection grew with new 45’s, Beatles soap bottles, the “Flip Your Wig” board game, ticket stubs, and so much more. I am very fortunate to have found all this original memorabilia and I appreciate it more every day.
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I take it as a token that the Beatles changed the world and I have a little piece of that Beatlemania I myself could not experience in the 60’s. Saying that, Beatlemania is still alive and well; the craze has not died out. I have experienced the present Beatlemania when I say Paul McCartney in concert twice and Ringo Starr twice. Seeing two original Beatles was one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime; it was so real to see the men in the flesh that completely flipped my world upside down by just singing their lyrics. Being so close to Paul and Ringo was like… I cannot even put it in words because I was just astonished every second I was at their concerts.
The four lads from England changed the world for many people: musicians, authors, fans, and me. I know I’m not the first 16 year old girl to be touched by the Beatles, but it doesn’t make the experience of their music any less special. They changed my life and revolutionized music and their music will live on in the future for many generations to come. If you happen to have any Beatles memorabilia that you are looking to sell, please contact me via text, call, or email. Olivia Davidson 443-477-7539 Vinylfrontier1999@gmail.com
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What tin cans do you collect? Do you have any type of tin cans in your collection? If so, you are a tin can collector. There are all types of tin can collectors, and many people just call them “can” collectors.. There are hundreds of different types of cans to collect. To just name a few… oil can, oyster can, tobacco can, peanut cans, potato chip cans, coffee cans and on and on. New to the collecting world are crab meat tin cans. While oyster cans have been collected for over 20 years, more and more people are finding that these crab meat tin cans are graphic and small. I was able to recently see a wonderful collection of crab meat tin cans and learn their history. What I was really surprised to learn, is that they actually go back to the late 1800’s. This collector had one of these early tin cans with a paper label. It is the only one he has seen and to him, it is priceless.
Each crab house would have their own brand with their own printed labels, just like oyster cans. Here is an illustration of early crab pickers in a packing house.
Once picked, the crab meat was put in pound tin containers, iced down and trucked to the cities. In the 1950’s, a way was found to pasteurize the crab meat. This provided a longer “cold” shelf life and made it possible to ship further. Crab meat tin cans are normally found in a pound size. The W. H. Valliant & Bros. Bellevue Brand is a five pound size and is extremely rare. Collectors are finding them to be a great part of history by their design and size.
For those who know little about crabmeat except ordering it in a restaurant, there are several different kinds of crabs. In our area of the country (Maryland), the blue crab is the most popular and known worldwide for its sweet taste. After the crab is caught, it is steamed and the meat must be handpicked. This picking method has not changed since the late 1800’s. Pickers, of crab meat get paid by the pound, so they need to be fast.
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Collecting Coins
Barber Half OB
Barber Half RE
Before I begin, I want to say we are not experts. These words are from our experiences and suggestions from what we have learned over 55 + years of collecting. Why collect coins? Reasons for this vary from person to person. Some people collect coins in the hope that they become more valuable, some coins have bullion value (such as silver, gold, and platinum), while other coins are valuable because they are rare. Other people like the different types of coins of each denomination, while some like the history of coins and the stories they tell. While reading an article about coin collecting ,I learned that coin collecting, one of the oldest hobbies, was once practiced only by kings and the wealthy and that’s why coin collecting often is called the “king of hobbies” and the “hobby of kings.” How We Got Started We started our collection in 1955. We owned a small country grocery, and back then, dimes, quarters, halves and dollars were made from 90% Silver. I had not thought about collecting anything. Noel had just returned from the military, we were just starting out, we had a baby about a year old, and times were hard. My time was pretty well taken up with everyday matters. When Noel came home one day and showed me a Mercury dime, I nearly fainted dead away when he said he paid a quarter for it! A quarter! In 1955, we didn’t have many quarters and buying a dime just seemed outrageous...I just knew that had to be the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard! Evidently though, he had learned at least something about the hobby somewhere. He told me it was a 1916 D, and it was a very scarce dime. As time went on, our business did pretty well and we began looking at the silver coins more with collecting in mind. We would look at silver dollars and try to find one of each mint mark. Or quarters or whatever there was. Those coins led to a most pleasurable hobby and
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eventually to a business in dealing with coins. How We Built Our Collection Six years after our first son was born we had another son. Noel had gone back to school on the GI Bill and our collecting took a hiatus while he was in school. When he finished school, his job took us to Alabama, where we again started collecting. We would take short weekend trips, and along the way we stopped at every bank between our house and our destination to buy rolls of dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars. We spent our time looking for different mint marks, and specific dates. It was a great way to keep our boys busy while they rode. (Another plus, they both, even now, love to collect... antiques and collectibles.) When we returned home we replaced the amounts we had taken out of the rolls and took them back to the bank. Next time we hit the road, we did it all over again. Much of our starting inventory came from those coins. As the years passed we began taking longer trips out West, just to see the country, but we also looked for coin shops along the way and were able to buy some very nice coins, mostly silver dollars with CC, and S mints which were scarcer to find back home. We once bought a gallon jug filled with dimes, quarters, halves and dollars from an old man Noel had known most of his life. The coins had been buried for many, many years because the man did not believe in banks. He and Noel were talking one day and he told Noel about the coins. They made a deal and we got the coins. Of course this kind of thing rarely happens, but since the old man had known Noel and his family so many years he had confidence in Noel and sold them to us. We found all sorts of different coins here. We also bought coins from the U.S. Mint. One can get all kinds of series of coins from the Mint like Commemorative Coins, Gold coins, special year sets,etc. We joined coin clubs in areas of our state within
Find coins for sale at www.icollect247.com
Collecting Coins driving distance of an hour or an hour and a half Most clubs meet once a month. While there, you might buy or trade for something you have really been searching for, or you might find a coin or two at the auction the club holds almost every meeting. Many of the clubs host annual or semi-annual coin shows. We would recommend that any young or new collector join a club or two and draw upon the experiences of older collectors. I mentioned Coin Shows above, but what you really need to experience is a well-known show like the Blue Ridge Association (BRNA), held in Dalton, GA, annually. The Tennessee State Show is also a great show. It is held semi-annually in Chattanooga, TN. These are the ones we are most familiar with, but every state has a State Numismatic Organization and local towns have coin shows. So no matter where you live, you should be able to find a show to attend.
Photo Courtesy of BRNA Coin shows are very enlightening and enjoyable, but very tiring. Be prepared to spend 10-12 hours a day on your feet and always keep someone behind your table to help keep an eye on things, and for an occasional break. We have attended shows all over the Southeast, Colorado, Wyoming and Oklahoma. Like everything else, a good show is not a given, and sometimes we don’t do well, other times we do. Traveling to shows gives us an opportunity to see the country and work too. Most Regional and State shows have special programs for young collectors and they are always fun. Sometimes Abe Lincoln appears, and his expertise is something to enjoy. At a Coin show, you will have hundreds of dealers to shop with and prices will be more competitive than going to an individual coin shop. You can also find coins online, mail order or Flea Markets and Antique shops. Things You Might Find Useful Before starting your collection of Coins do some research. Our suggestion is to COLLECT WHAT
General Grant and Mr. Lincoln seen recently at a Coin Show YOU LIKE FOR THE SAKE OF ENJOYMENT, not as a moneymaker. If you stick with it the money making will come at a later date. We feel it is much better to buy a nice piece of currency or a coin at a reasonable price, say if you have $100 to spend, it is better to buy one very nice piece, than 10 pieces for $10 each. One reason for this is that other collectors and dealers would rather buy a nice piece for their collection rather than a less desirable piece... that is like a coin that has scratches and dented places. Supplies You Will Need Once you have decided on what you want to collect, you need some basic supplies. Here are a few that we cannot do without. • A high quality magnifying glass so you can see the tiniest detail of your coins. • A soft towel or other soft cloth to set your coins on while you look at them. • A plastic ruler that measures in inches and millimeters. Hard metal rulers will most likely scratch your coins. • A good general coin reference book which includes, mintage ,information on dates, major series of different coins, mint marks, grading guidelines and prices. Any good bookstore or online place like Amazon.com will have these. • Soft Cotton gloves • Good lighting, such as a halogen lamp. • Coin envelopes 2 2’s, plastic tubes, air tights, holders or albums for storing . • Another thing you might find useful is a glossary of terms used in coin collecting We use these plus we store the coins in coin boxes after we put them in folders. Be aware of the fact that just because a coin is old doesn’t mean it is valuable. Many variables
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Collecting Coins determine the value of any given coin. The scarcity, the condition, the Mint Mark and many other factors are involved. (This is one reason you need that reference book!) We find it better to buy coins which have been professionally graded by a reputable Coin Grading Company such as NGC or PCGS if at all possible. Two reasons for this are there is less chance that an argument about the grade of a coin will ensue, and when you get ready to sell your coin, dealers like
Pictures of Graded Coins the graded coins. Graded coins are encapsulated in plastic holders with the grade printed at the top. I have mentioned mint marks several times in this article. A Mint Mark is a letter, usually the first letter of the name of the mint, placed mostly on the back (reverse) of the coin, but some denominations such as the Kennedy half and the Walking Liberty half dollars have the mint mark on the front (Obverse) in 2 or 3 dates, but not all dates. Every coin minted in the United States is marked in this way except those minted in Philadelphia, and those are unmarked or have a P which was mostly used during WW II. In times past there were Seven Mints scattered across the U.S. The first mints in existence were the Charlotte Mint (C) in Charlotte, NC and the Dahlonega Mint (D) in Dahlonega, GA. Both these mints minted gold coins only. Neither Mint is now in existence. The Philadelphia Mint, Philadelphia, PA---(P) or no mark at all. The Denver Mint,(D),Denver, CO The San Francisco Mint (S) San Francisco, CA The New Orleans Mint,(O) New Orleans, LA The Carson City Mint (CC) Carson City, NV Presently there are only 4 Mints which continue to mint coins. They are The Denver Mint, The San Francisco Mint, The Philadelphia Mint, and the West Point Mint (W) which is in West Point, New York.
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Philadelphia Mint (P)
Denver Mint (D)
San Francisco Mint (S)
New Orleans Mint (O)
A Few Interesting Coins 3 Cent Nickel (1865-1889)
Flying Eagle Cent (1856-1858)
The 3 cent piece in nickel composition was designed to replace the 3 cent piece in silver. It is not considered a Mint issue because of the law that governed the new coin size was enacted after the date of issue. It is believed that about 1000 of these coins were struck. They are referred to as “Patterns� Information on the interesting coins is taken from: A Guide Book Of U.S. Coins 46th Edition, 1993 by R.S. Yeoman. There is so much to learn about collecting and much more than I can write here. I hope you find this article helpful and that you have a successful and happy time collecting. Article by: Bettie and Noel Watts B & N Collectibles www.icollect247.com/valleymiss
Upcoming Articles: Collecting Coca Cola, Fly Fishing, Currency and Living in a House with History.
COLLECTING EGG SCALES I got started collecting egg scales in 1995. I saw an egg scale and wondered to myself…who would care what size the egg was? That was all it took, as now I have over 300 different egg scales. I collect egg scales from all over the world. I would now call it a collecting sickness, as I am always looking for different egg scales. Collector friends and relatives are always on the lookout for them also. The earliest egg scales were on a wooden base with tin work. Egg scales have been built since the 1920’s. You can still buy a new modern egg scale and they are made worldwide. There are a lot of different versions of how an egg should be weighed. Most egg scales weigh by the dozen - pee-wee, small, medium, large and x-large and grade A eggs. There are still lots of egg scales out there for beginning collectors. The more common ones start at $30 and go up. The rare egg scales are sought after by the advanced egg scale collector and can fetch upwards of $2,000.
US Egg Scale
Egg scales are a unique collection and they don’t take up a lot of space to display. Besides the scales, I also collect egg graders, egg candlers and egg testers, as well as anything related to odd poultry items. Always interested in talking to other egg collectors as well as always buying to add to my collection. Contact me at: eggscales@southslope.net
Canadian Wooden Egg Scale
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living with your collection or starting one As we travel around the country and are invited into homes, we are always amazed of how collectors display and enjoy their antiques and collections. In every room there seems to be a collection. Some collectors have rooms filled with a “Special Theme”. Others group collections in themes around the house. Some collectors collect advertising from their home town. Other collectors purchase things they remember having as a child. It really does not matter why or how they collect it is something special to them. 
From wall to mantle, collectors will find a place for almost anything anywhere. If you are not a collector, become one. It can become both an investment and a wonderful hobby!
I often get asked, “Why do people collect? There are several reasons, but I think that collecting brings comfort to people. If you are wondering what I am talking about…well it is simple. Collectors want to feel comfortable in their home. The outside world can seem upside down. By filling their home with things they remember having as a child or memories of home, they feel loved and comfortable. Perhaps it was a memory of a relative or friend who had a collection. It does not matter whether it is in the kitchen or in a den it is comfortable to them.
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www.antiquebackroads.com
IMPORTANT SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION - PLEASE READ Thank you for your wonderful compliments and support of Antique Back Roads. While we were not able to print all four issues in 2014, we have big plans for 2015 for the magazines and the website. Our website has been completely resigned and is now offering a directory for antique shows, shops, malls and clubs. It will be the “go to place” on a weekly basis to check what is happening in the antique world. This is the first issue of Antique Back Roads for 2015 and we will print an issue every quarter. We will continue to offer outstanding articles written by collectors for collectors and already working on the spring issue. Unfortunately the recent increase in the cost of printing and increased postal rates, has now made it impossible to underwrite the
cost of the individual free postal issues. We have come up with a subscription plan which we feel is affordable for everyone. A quarterly postal subscription will be $20. Your subscription will start with the next issue available and will run for 4 consecutive issues. All current and past issues can be printed from our on line version for FREE. You may either subscribe using the form below or by doing so on line. Email subscribers will be notified when the new issue is available to read on line (again the on line version is free). Thank you for understanding our situation and we look forward to providing you with great articles in upcoming issues. Thank you for your support, Irene and Carter Davis
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EXCITING NEWS FROM AntiqueBackRoads.com Antique Back Roads website has just been redesigned to offer more to the collector and antique lover. As we have traveled across the US we have noticed that there is no central place to search for antique shops, malls and shows. Now, besides our Antique Back Roads magazine, the website will be a great antiquing source to you. Our listings will be searchable by state and radius area. For those who want to learn more about collecting check out the Collector’s Club directory.If you are reading this as an antique mall, antique shop, show promoter or club president, we invite you to be included in the directory, free of charge. AntiqueBackRoads.com is the “go to” place for collectors.
Upcoming Articles: Collecting Coca Cola, Fly Fishing, Currency and Living in a House with History
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