Collectibles -> Housewares-and-Kitchenware -> Tableware

A coffee set is a highly collectible item, whether you’re looking for a traditional Turkish coffee set that’s unique, or a modern-day coffee set designed for novelty. Before there were sets designed for the brewing and drinking of coffee, however, coffee had to become popular enough to warrant them. The very origins of coffee as a popular drink are quite murky, but at least two different stories have two different Ethiopian goat herders noticing that their goats seemed to have more vim and vigor after eating some reddish colored berries. The goat herders tried the berries themselves and realized that they felt more energetic, too. The stories say they were the first people to try the raw berries from coffee plants.

Coffee may get its name from the Kindgom of Kaffa, where the coffee plant is believed to have originated. And perhaps where these goats and goat herders got their first caffeine boost from coffee! While coffee has references in writings dating back more than a thousand years, the first definitive work chronicling coffee’s history was written in the 16th century. It talked about how the drink’s popularity grew, spreading from country to country, and how it was often used to help people stay awake. It was first exported to Yemen in the 15th century, and saw the first coffee house opened there during that time. That was also perhaps the origin of the coffee set, as those used in the establishment.

Coffee was banned by several governments, several different times, but generally each time the ban was overturned for various reasons. It was even banned at least once on the grounds that it was a Muslim drink. The British East India Company and The Dutch East India Company are mostly responsible for coffee’s eventually popularity in Europe. Some wanted the beverage banned as a heathen drink, and though it grew in popularity, most coffeehouses banned women from entering and consuming the drink. For the most part, a coffee set during this time was indistinguishable from a tea set.

Most such sets are advertised as coffee/tea or coffee and tea sets. Silver tea sets are often called coffee sets, and vintage sets can cost thousands of dollars. But modern coffee sets are often no less beautiful and elegant than their antique counterparts. You should look in antique shops and on eBay for a set that speaks to your individual taste unless you’re looking solely for an investment piece, in which case silver would be ideal.

The exception to interchangeable coffee and tea sets in the case of Turkish coffee sets. These beautiful sets usually bear colorful designs on the cups and perhaps even a tray. The coffee ‘pot’ is usually a hand-hammered copper pot with a long handle, unlike most modern coffee pots found today, that was designed specifically for coffee. Even the trays sometimes have brass handles with hand-hammering and sometimes jeweled accents. A Turkish coffee set, whether modern or vintage, will add great character to your collection, as well as your kitchen.

Originally posted 2008-12-28 05:00:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Unless you are shopping around in a museum, it may be difficult to buy antique furniture dated before the 16th century. Collectors are generally only able to obtain pieces of furniture from the 1485 to 1600 Tudor Period and onwards, and even the furniture selection from this period is relatively small in comparison.

It was not until the middle of the seventeenth century that things began to change. Before then, most furniture was made simply with oak and with peg joints. Some of these antique furniture items were inlaid or painted, but if there was any décor at all, it was typically carved directly into the wood. The most common antique furniture that you are going to find today includes paneled oak chests intended for linen, and many of these are hand carved in order to feature unique figures and architectural shapes. If the carving is to regular or geometrical, then there is a chance that the piece is either a reproduction, or that the decorations have been improved upon or added much more recently.

The chest of drawers is a piece of antique furniture that has evolved gradually since the latter half of the 17th century. It began with a simple carcass that contained a couple of drawers which were mounted on a stand that featured turned legs. This piece of furniture gradually progressed into what we now know as featuring drawers from top to bottom. This is also the same period of time where using veneer became popular. Thin pieces of carved wood or wood featuring interesting colors were glued onto the piece’s outside frame to serve as decorative paneling or to cover the entire structure.

At this point, chairs and settlings were also beginning to change from their basic, square and relatively plain designs into designs that were significantly more elaborate and featured backs and can backs and seats were being introduced. The very best antique furniture pieces were destined to suit aristocratic homes and they were upholstered lavishly. The backs became significantly higher and the seats became significantly lower.

Another influencing factor on antique furniture was trade with the Far East. Lacquered cabinets featuring two doors and a variety of drawers began to be imported from Japan and China. They were mounted on stands upon reaching England. This was the birth of a process that is known as Japanning, which involves imitating the Oriental style lacquers using spirit and oil varnishes.

Toward the end of the century, the influx of European craftsman brought about a radical change in what types of antique furniture were available. The writing bureau, for example, came to be during this period of time as an arrangement of a cabinet with a drop down, hinged front and an arrangement of cubbies and drawers that provided ample space for writing.

If you are interested in learning how to buy antique furniture, learning the history of the pieces is definitely a good way to go.

Photo Credits: mezzoblue

Originally posted 2009-08-28 05:21:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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There is a great deal of variety out there when it comes to collecting dolls, such as Barbie collectibles for example. There are dolls that are designed to be toys, and here are dolls that are designed to be collectibles, and Barbie dolls are no exception to the rule because some Barbie dolls are for collecting and others are for playing with. Dolls have existed in a myriad of different forms all throughout history, and many people therefore are quite interested in keeping them as collectibles. Some people focus completely on Barbie collectibles while others focus on collecting all types of dolls. While the history of Barbie dolls is extensive, the history of dolls as collectibles goes much further.

First Dolls

Dolls have been around ever since ancient times. They were used for the purpose of children’s toys, and they also represented other things such as religious figures for example. Dolls were made out of a wide variety of different materials back then including animal fur, wood and clay. No dolls have been found that go as far back as prehistoric times except for a fragment of a doll that was found in Babylon. Dolls have been in children’s graves in Egypt, Greece and Rome.

European Dolls

Between the 16th century and the 17th century, Europe began to construct rather simple dolls from wood. They began to use other materials like paper mache and wax beginning by the 1800s. This is around the same time that porcelain began to be used for this purpose as well. Porcelain proved itself capable of being more durable than the other popular materials, and that is why many porcelain dolls have survived through the ages.

Modern Dolls

Today there are many dolls that are still being crafted out of porcelain and numerous other materials. Dolls are found that resemble famous figures, cartoon characters, comic characters and real people. Other dolls are designed specifically in order to showcase different styles of fashion. Some dolls resemble princesses and queens. Barbie dolls came onto the market in the latter half of the 1950s, and the popularity of Barbie collectibles is still going quite strong. Barbie was intended for teenagers initially, but now there is a Barbie to suit every need, even Ken dolls for boys to play with. Barbie collectibles are becoming increasingly popular, especially as Barbie dolls are released to be played with as well as collected.

Today’s Dolls

Dolls have become a truly popular item for collecting. Many people keep Barbie collections and collections of other types of doll as well. Dolls have never lost popularity as being a plaything for children. Dolls have certainly come quite a long way since ancient times, and they will continue to grow and evolve with time as well.

Photo Credits: Ro / wererabbit

Originally posted 2009-08-13 05:45:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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