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Antique and Art Glass Salt Shaker Collector's Society, Inc. http://www.antiquesaltshakers.com/ Kim's Salt and Pepper Shaker Page http://kimmykay.tripod.com/ Essential to life for humans, animals and some plants, salt has been a part of life from before the beginning of recorded history. About 4,700 years ago, a Chinese publication on pharmacology discussed 40 different kinds of salt, and Egyptian hieroglyphics depict salt making from about 3,500 years ago. Our word "salary" is derived from the Latin "salarium argentum," which was the salt ration issued to Roman soldiers.
Shaker collecting really took off in the 1940s and 1950s when ceramic makers started producing them in all sorts of designs. Today, they can be found in all shapes and sizes, and this makes shakers a fun collectible. Kim's Salt and Pepper Shaker Page features many delightful shakers from her collection, including hedgehog and lovebug shakers. Her resources page has a couple of dozen books on shakers, and her website links to other collectors and their collections, including one in Germany.
For those seeking truly antique shakers, the Antique and Art Glass Salt Shaker Collector's Society webpage has a photo gallery of delicious shakers from circa 1860 to 1910. True, these antiques are not as creative in shape as their modern counterparts, but that does not make them less interesting. The colors themselves are often amazing - marbling, chocolate glass, cobalt, rose, sea green, and much more. The "Special Finds" button on the webpage is not to be missed. Members post photos of the rare shakers they've discovered, many in previously unreported colors. There are also photos of past conventions back to 2000, so you can see dozens of shaker displays that were exhibited then. In addition, a commemorative shaker has been commissioned for each annual convention, and photos of them are posted back to 1988. One off-the-wall question: do Shakers make shakers? Seems it would be a natural production line extension. Collecting Handcuffs http://www.handcuffs.org/ Joseph W. Lauher is another collector like Bob Toelle, dedicated to his collection. Joseph collects handcuffs, and his treasures are guaranteed to make every law enforcement official salivate.
In addition to handcuffs, Lauher's collection also includes leg irons, nippers and thumbcuffs. A nipper is a handcuff that secures only one hand, but it has a handle for keeping the cuffed person under control. Handcuffs.org documents many types and styles of cuffs with photos and with the name, patent date and country of origin, including Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Russia, Australia, Czechoslovakia, Japan, Finland, India, the Netherlands, India, Italy, Frank, Hong Kong, Belgium, and the U.S. I told you this is a serious collection. Also on the website, there is an article written by Maurice Moser, a former member of Scotland Yard, which was published in 1894. The article said that, "The word 'handcuff' is a popular corruption of the Anglo-Saxon 'handcop,' i.e., that which 'cops' or catches' the hands." One of the first mentions of handcuffs in history was when a Greek force defeated Carthaginians and found a great quantity of handcuffs among the spoils. Obviously, the Carthaginians thought they were going to win. Believe it or not, fake handcuffs are also a problem in this field. Since original and antique handcuffs can be valuable, there are fakers who falsely mark their work with the well-known makers of Wells Fargo and Alcatraz. On the other hand, copies and reproductions are another story. As Lauher writes, "Many popular handcuffs were imitated by other manufacturers as soon as or even before their original patents ran out. These vintage copies can be quite old themselves; they are highly collectable, and sometimes might be worth more than the original item." New reproductions are made these days for collectors and the other group that uses them - magicians. And speaking of prestidigitators, Lauher has some great articles and copies of news articles on some of the great escape artists and their feats with handcuffs. Houdini is there, of course, along with less notables Leon Hormori and Steve Santini. And don't miss the full color poster of the Houdini-wannabe Excello at www.handcuffs.org/excello.html. There are also photos of Houdini items that have since been auctioned off, including a display of quite a few handcuffs from which Houdini escaped. Even if handcuffs don't strike your fancy as a collectible, this website has some very interesting drawings of unique styles of antique handcuffs. At least take a look at the nippers and thumbcuffs. Fish Posters http://www.fishposters.com/ Bob Toelle proves the belief that there is a collectible for every collector. Bob collects posters of fish. Currently, he has 650 posted on his website. Granted, to most people this might seem a little odd, but not to true collectors. Actually, Toelle has quite a colorful collection because as you can image, tropical fish are extremely dramatic in color. Toelle's collection is categorized into posters of freshwater aquarium fish, marine aquarium fish, reef fish, sharks, rays, fish of North America, and fish of the USA, Canada, Taiwan, Australia and the world. Bob is serious about his collection, and it is actually quite beautiful.
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