I Turned Antique Coins Pink!!!

I feel so foolish!!!

So, I've been getting into board games. And one of the fun things to do with board games is bling them up. Metal coins. Wooden meeple upgrades. Stickers. 3D printed assets or figures. Etc. Etc. Etc. So many possibilities.

Many months ago, as in before the end of last year... :\ ... I got Obsession. A game about Victorian romance. I haven't learned how to play it, but so many people online rave how fun it is. On Board Game Geek the game has an 8.3 rating. That's REALLY high

 

So, before even learning how to play with it I thought it would be nice to upgrade to metal coins. Well, no gaming coins fit, and the set many people buy for this game was sold out. If gaming coins can't be found, why not use authentic British coins instead? Onto Ebay I went, and found pences and shillings. Why not?

The problem with old coins is that they're dirty and smell. Why not clean them?!! (Which all coin collectors shudder at, because that diminishes their value). I found a vinegar and salt technique. The instructions said not to use a glass bowl, as plastic is better. What did I do? Use a glass bowl. And then left the coins in the solution for nearly an hour!!!

They turned pink!!!!!  The sides pressed against the glass were the most pink!!!! I ruined antique coins. Some of theses coins lived through WWII. They survived a World War, amongst other things, and in 2022 I turned them pink! How pathetic is that??!! 

That just made me really depressed, for months, until I watched a Chateau Dairies episode on YT where a jar of three pence coins were found, which are the coins I turned pink.  So I went to Ebay and bought another set.

And I vow never to clean these. Let them be.

Though check out how clean and shiny this 1944 coin is! So pretty.

Oh the stories these coins can tell.

Sarah :0)

(I really need to learn how to play that game... :\ )

(Heh, I honestly have a lot of games I need to learn how to play... ehhhh..... but my shelf of shame is really pretty. Though the games I have sat down to learn have been fun.)

1911 Vintage Postcards from Utah, Boston, New York, and Iowa

 A couple years ago I started collecting vintage postcards.  I don't have a lot, but a few special ones that I've picked out while visiting antique stores.

While visiting Arroyo Grande CA last Autumn, I stepped into Something Different, where, hidden away, I found a box of postcards from 1911, a dollar each.  I would have bought so much more, but I paid with cash, and was determined to only spend what I brought with me.  A lot of the postcards were the correspondence between a George to a Miss Emma in New York, each postcard with a little message. 

 The Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.

Of course I bought all the Utah postcards.  I love seeing what Utah used to look like.

 Snow covered Wasatch Mountains; Park City is just over those peaks.

 Utah Hotel, Salt Lake City.

I believe my Grandparents stayed here back in the day.  Now it's the Joseph Smith building which holds a nice cafe, a couple nice restaurants, genealogy center, and the Legacy theater, which is now showing Meet the Mormons for free.

 I picked up some Boston postcards, because that's where my Grandpa R. grew up.  I've been meaning to show them to him and ask if any of these buildings were familiar, or if they triggered any memories.  I've sat down with him a couple times to record some stories, but haven't for awhile.  I should do that today.

Two postcards showing Franklin Park in Boston.

 Massachusetts General Hospital.

 Hotel Brunswick, Copley Square, Boston.

 Mechanics Building, Boston.

Even though my Grandpa wasn't alive in 1911, my great-grandma Agatha Mahoney was born in Boston, and I believe my great-great grandfather Joseph Mahoney was an Engineer of sorts--I need to get more information--so I wonder if members of my family went into this Mechanics building.

 Fanueil Hall, Boston.

 My only ties to New York state is from the 17 hundreds, but I couldn't resist this 1911 postcard from 5th Avenue.  Really neat.

My Grandma A was born in Iowa.  I have deep farming roots from that side of the family.  Men and women of high integrity.  I have a couple books printed in Des Moines from when my Granny married my Gramps, one in which is a cook book.  And when I was in Iowa last year going to the Worlds OotM comp., we drove by the Iowa State Capitol.  It's stunning.  I wish I could have visited.

I love these Snap Shots from the past.

Learning about History through Vintage Postcards

 It's no mystery on this blog that I love postcards.  I participate with postcrossing.com, in which I'm really close to receiving 400 postcards total from around the World.

A little while ago I started collecting vintage/antique postcards.  My collection is pretty small, but so far I love what I've been able to find while visiting antique shops.

I visited quite a few antique stores throughout the Utah Valley, but couldn't find any Utah postcards.  I guess it makes sense that I had to travel outside Utah to finally find some, and it was in Cambria CA where I found a nice little stash.

 These postcards I place between 1945 and 1950

It's fun reading what is described on the back.

 Southern Utah postcards circa 1970's.

Did you know Bryce Canyon inspired the look of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland?  It's all thanks to a National Geographic article back in the day.  (I heard this on one of those behind-the-scenes DVD's that you can buy at the Disney park.  I really need to find the article.)

 I've heard my Mom and Grandparents talk about "The Sky Ride" at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon several times this last decade, but every time I visit the falls I have a hard time imagining it.  There's no trace of this old ride. Apparently there was a restaurant at the top you could visit.  That would have been fun.

I believe I literally let out a squeal of delight when I found the postcard and couldn't wait to show my family.

 Before and after photos of Mount St. Helens.  Amazing.

 More postcards spanning the country.

I just love how these older postcards are drawn/painted.  It adds to the charm.

 Now this is my most favorite find:  A photo book of images found throughout Oregon and California, all drawings.

 I love the classic cars.

Treasures in Old Books

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love books, but one thing people may not know is how much I love collecting antique books.  I don't have a large collection, only a happy little shelf.  One of the things that I love to find in these books are notes, or writtings, names written on the first page, etc.  Anything that gives these old pages a history and character.  Proof that someone loved it before I did.

Cambria California has a book/art gallery called The Bookery.  I've bought a few volumes from them, and quite a few years ago I found this 1904 edition of The Masquerader.  When I was flipping through the pages I found this little note:

"Mary:

Take my advice and go back to Ken.  You are losing

the best thing in life.  You can't tarry too long and get away with it."

Ollie"

I want to know the story behind this letter!  Who are these people?  What happened?  Did Mary take his advice?  When was this written?  Questions I doubt I will ever find the answer to.

The paper seems kinda modern, but there is a bit of yellowing, and Ollie is an old-fashioned name.  How many people do you know use the word "tarry" in casual conversation?  But this is a fun little mystery I've found, and I can't help but imagine what may have come to pass.

Sarah