Remember those view masters you had as a little kid?  I was enthralled by the 3-D images of Smurfs and other favorites – it was like my own personal camera.

The predecessor to the ViewMaster is the stereoscope.  In the heyday of nineteenth-century landscape painting, when every romantic imagined him or herself a veritable Thomas Cole, there was a “correct” way that one was supposed to look at scenery in the natural world.  The stereoscope taught young men and ladies the “proper” way to gaze at the world around them.  It also helped to launch tourism in New England and New York state

Though the use and purpose of the stereoscope changed over time, it has consistently allowed viewers to see the world as three-dimensional.

We are excited to have an early twentieth-century version of the the stereoscope – the Viewmaster Projector and Film Cutter.  This particular one was produced by Sawyer’s, Inc. in Portland, Oregon.  This is a great piece to add to your collection – we are not sure if it is in working condition, so we are selling it AS IS.  Bidding has opened!

Nothing like a bit of nineteenth century pocket change to hold you over!  This week we are featuring an 1851 Liberty Head Gold One Dollar coin.  In the mid-nineteenty century, this coin had a lot of buying power – it was equivalent to a day’s wages for many people!

According to this site, the gold dollar first appeared in 1849, the biggest year of the California Gold Rush.  The coin was designed by James B. Longacre, who later designed the Indian Head cent (1859-1909).  For more information on the history of coins, please visit Collectors Weekly.  This item already  has a few bids, so be sure to gets yours in before next Wednesday!

Happy Friday!

Today we are featuring a pair of antique marble lamps as our weekly eBay feature.

The lamps are beautifully hand carved and stand 17.5″ tall.  They were most likely made in the 1950’s.  The lamps are very similar, but the bases are different colors – one is white and the other has more of a grayish tone.

Please note that there are some minor chips/ nicks and the lamps will need to be cleaned, but they are in working condition.  Both lamps need new harps and shades.  This is a great opportunity for a before and after project!

The lamps are now open for bidding on our eBay site.

This week we are featuring an antique pocket watch for your bidding pleasure.

It is an 18 kt Gold gentleman’s Waltham Pocket Watch with a watch fob attached. Waltham is one of the oldest watch makers in America; they started their business in 1854.  During their first one hundred years of business, they made over 40 million watches, clocks, speedometers, and compasses.  They went out of business in 1857.

We have estimated that it was made sometime between 1890-1910.  The detail on the watch is beautiful and intricate; if your name is Roy, you are lucky, because the watch is monogrammed with an R.

Interested?  The pocket watch is now open for bidding! You can find this and dozens of other items on our eBay site.