Owl & Twig
The Field Guide
How to identify, date, and value the things you find. Written from what passes through our hands, one estate sale at a time.
LatestDesign & Materials
Stickley's Morris chair: the new one costs more than the 1905 original
Gustav Stickley catalogued his Morris chair as model 369 around 1905. The company that owns his name still sells that chair, still calls it 369, and lists it for more than a signed original...
Nothing in that drawer yet.
Design & MaterialsThe brass cranes: a $19.99 Sears bird that became a $400 decorator piece
Two solid brass cranes were $19.99 the pair on page 360 of the 1983 Sears Wish Book. The...
Design & MaterialsLucite: The Hot Water Test, and Why It Is Not Just Plastic
Lucite is a DuPont trade name for a specific acrylic, not a generic word for clear plastic. Here...
Design & MaterialsDansk Is Not Danish, and the Mark Tells You the Decade
The company was founded on Long Island. The designer was Danish. And the stamp on the underside of...
Design & MaterialsPalatnik: The Op Art Animals Hiding in Thrift Store Glass Cases
Abraham Palatnik was a pioneer of kinetic art in Latin America. He also made cast acrylic animals that...
Design & MaterialsBrass: The Magnet Test Is Not Enough
A magnet catches brass-plated steel. It sails straight past brass-plated zinc. Here is the full test sequence a...
Design & MaterialsDecorating with vintage: how to tell the real thing from the look
Reproduction decor is engineered to photograph like the original and cost a tenth as much. Five material categories,...