COLLECTING WITH KEN: The Pie Safe by Ken Farmer

COLLECTING WITH KEN: The Pie Safe by Ken Farmer

What is a pie safe and where did the term actually come from? Most scholars will agree that it refers to a cupboard with doors used for storage of perishables to protect them from mice and vermin.

Early American use of pie safes is attributed to Germanic immigrants in Pennsylvania, but there were many forms of pie safes made throughout America.

We commonly expect pie safes, or food safes, to have punched tin panels with decorative designs. But they come in all varieties—tall, wide, corner cupboards, sideboards, finely-made, crudely-made, and factory-produced by the end of the nineteenth century. By 1890, prefabricated punched-tin panels were even available for purchase in hardware stores. A lot of people believe that punched tins were used for ventilation, helping to cool a pie for instance, but I believe that punched tins were part of the construction because they also appealed to people and made for a strong decorative selling point.

So now that we know what makes something a pie safe, what makes it a great pie safe? I’ve seen many pie safes throughout my career and in my mind a great safe has a well-made case with nice proportions, an old varnish or painted surface, and, most importantly, deeply punched tins with bold designs that create an artistic effect. Pie safes can be very simple but there are makers who took their designs to a whole other level creating beautiful objects.

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COLLECTING WITH KEN: Patriotic Antiques by Ken Farmer

COLLECTING WITH KEN: Patriotic Antiques by Ken Farmer

Americans love patriotic-themed antiques, primarily when the objects feature iconic images from our past: flags such as Old Glory and her variants, eagles, shields, Lady Liberty, Uncle Sam, and soldiers. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and the Centennial and Bicentennial are also popular themes.
How many of us have been to Colonial Williamsburg as children and come home with a tricorn hat or a wooden practice musket? Maybe we went to Philadelphia and got a Liberty Bell paperweight or a small American flag.
The great thing about patriotic antiques is the vast range of quantity and quality that is available. Everything from an inexpensive 1950s vintage desk flag to an original document signed by Washington that is worth six figures are patriotic antiques sought after by the collector.
As you set out in the market, you will find that historical items from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries can be expensive. When you collect, be aware that anything valuable is worth faking.
Document, textile, and furniture fakes are readily available. If it is too good to be true, it likely is just that. Make sure to buy from reputable sellers and get a provenance or letter of authenticity, if possible.
My favorite patriotic pieces are folk art with brilliant color and exceptional detail. These characteristics can undoubtedly be found on canvas or paper but are especially visible in statuary and other three-dimensional pieces, such as those you can see in the collection of items shown here.

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COLLECTING WITH KEN: Fine Early Baskets

COLLECTING WITH KEN: Fine Early Baskets

When Jane and I married in 1974, we learned early on that we loved the traditional music, arts, and crafts of the Appalachians. One of our favorite shops to browse in was The Cave House in Abingdon, VA. They sold locally produced items by artisans and craftspeople who followed traditional techniques, while also putting their interpretation on the objects they created. There was everything from batiks, musical instruments, and furniture, to carvings, paintings on barn wood, and more. The first things that caught our eye at the Cave House were baskets made from white oak splints by a woman everyone called “Miss Mary.”

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