New here, but a longtime fan of the subject

Hello, all! I'm a writing and marketing professional and a mom of 3 children who recently inherited some antique/vintage items from relatives. I've always loved history and had an appreciation for various antiques, thanks in no small part to my family's history, but trying to trace the age, provenance, value, etc. of these somewhat random items has really captivated my imagination. I'm not so much interested in indiscriminate profit from sales (short of a life-changing type of transaction, I suppose), but the stories behind these items fascinate me. It's like solving a mystery and getting a peek into the past at the same time. I've enjoyed the research process so much that, now that my kids are getting older, I'm considering becoming something of an urban treasure hunter on my few days off--mainly for fun, but if I happen to be able to supplement my family's income or find something that helps secure a stronger future for my kids, then all the better. I live in an area fairly well saturated with antiques dealers and "old money" estate sales, so there should be no shortage of interesting places to explore.

While I'm new to the general antiques market, I have been a small-scale collector of Victorian photography for several years. I also have some (very) limited knowledge of old coins and silver. I'll gladly offer what assistance I can in those areas, even though I'm sure many others here know far more than I do. And if there's any interest, I'd be happy to share more about my own collections.

I'm looking to forward to getting to know all of you better, and as someone who aspires to be a lifetime learner, to opening up a whole new world of knowledge.

 

Greetings

 

Greetings and welcome on board!
It seems you will fit perfectly here , don't forget we can be facetious and love digressions off subject too

 

Welcome, LaneAcadia!

 

Nice to meet you. You'll like it here.
We have quite a few people interested in old photos


Love the staircase



We have a sister board you might be interested in checking out
https://www.cointalk.com/

 

Hi! Sounds like you live in a good area for 'treasure hunting'. Looking forward to seeing some of your great finds.

 

WELCOME LaneAcadia !!! .. Joy.

 

Welcome to the forums!

 

Welcome,show us what you got !

 

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Sounds like my kind of place! ;-)

Thanks for the link, clutteredcloset49! I’ll check the coin board out for sure. I have a few recent finds that I’d love to learn more about.

The staircase photo is actually another of my grandmother’s little treasures, one that she offered to leave to me just because of my interest in old pictures. I had no idea it would turn out to be a collector’s item in its own right, but it’s a c. 1940 print from inside a home on Toulouse St. by a New Orleans photographer named Eugene Delcroix, who continued using glass plate negatives and silver prints long after those things were considered outdated. His method (and his eye for detail) made his photos popular even overseas for a time. I love this particular print, even though it’s not one of his rarer or more valuable ones.

 

Hi, Johnny! Are you a photo enthusiast too? My Delcroix print is in my avatar (not super valuable, but still adored). I also have a ton of Victorian cabinet cards, CDVs (a few with tax stamps), tintypes, 3 ambrotypes, and one lonely daguerreotype. The jewel of my collection, though, is one I’ll post on the photography board shortly: a lovely little 1/6-plate ambro my husband gave to me for Valentine’s Day a few years ago. If it’s what I think it is, I’ll have to credit him with a better flea-market find than I’ve ever come close to.

 

I think you will enjoy meeting @Figtree3

 

Welcome, LaneAcadia!

 

Welcome!