2/5/11 Finds - Holy Junk!

We visited Fat Nye, Slick, and Mudville this weekend. We had presents waiting for us when we arrived. One was a Spaulding melamine dinnerware set - still in the original box, with only six out of 55 pieces missing. Amazing. Pictures will be coming very soon, but we haven't decided whether we're going to keep it or not for ourselves. This is a constant challenge for us at Junk and Howe.

We do have pictures of some other items we picked up on our snowy weekend of junking in central Illinois. A lot of kitchenware, ranging in style, era, and use. We even picked up an old Wilson T2000 Tennis Racket - the kind Jimmy Connors used to use. If you don't know who that is, well, you probably won't care about the racket. If you do, you may know just how cool this is.

My favorite piece is the Yorkraft, Inc. (York, PA) "Please Don't Shoot the Piano Player" wooden sign, stamped 1957 on the back. This is an item that was produced to look like it was from the late 1800s. 54 years later, it's now an antique itself. The badge of wood that seems to have been shot out of the face of the sign was not factory made. To add even more character to it, someone long ago lightly painted esses to make the sign read "She's doing the best she can" - instead of "he," as originally intended. I can only imagine the story behind it.

These items will be in the Junk and Howe store in the coming weeks...

SOLD for $45.00


Only $21.00 (BUY IT)


Only $10.00! (BUY IT)


Only $11.00! (BUT IT)




Only $18.00! (BUY IT)

Junk and Howe's Housewares

Junk and Howe’s Housewares

When I think about being in a kitchen, I think about my grandmothers or my mom. Just as I marveled at my dad’s indestructible Craftsman tools in the garage, I remember the women in my family using quality tools in the kitchen. Unfortunately, Pyrex isn’t made like it used to be. Fire King has been cheapened as well (along with just everything else, right?). Federal Glass or Glasbake (by McKee) – these were affordable products in their day, and they lasted. They’re still lasting.

Even melamine products, like the Texas Ware mixing bowls my grandma used to mix concoctions in. Or watching her using her turn of the century Universal Food Chopper No. 1 to grind up ham for ham salad – we called it a “grinder.”

My dad had his Stanley Aladdin green thermos with him every day, working as a mason. That stainless steel thermos got beat up pretty good over the years, but it always kept the coffee hot the entire day in its vacuumed-sealed canister.

As I grew older, I was lucky enough to get some durable housewares passed down to me. I know they’ll last, and on top of it, the design of a lot of products from the last 50-plus years have become classic. They might have been trendy in their day, but now they’re timeless. I use Pyrex when I’m cooking. I bust out the antique grinder every so often to make my grandma’s specialty, “Hillbilly Tacos,” and I plan on utilizing a resurgence of the back to basics butcher shop here in Chicago to get myself some meat to grind up for hamburger patties to grill come springtime.

With times being tight on everyone, it’s nice to cook something at home – for the health benefits as well as the monetary aspect. And I get to use the coolest, most resilient stuff to make it all happen. Luckily, we have extras, so take a look and grab what you need.

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Same story - the grand opening is coming soon!

Here's a little Waylon Jennings. He was a staple down at my grandma's...

LISTEN: Waylon Jennings - Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way

Day of Amazing Finds - 12/18/10 - Part 2

Part 2:


King Seeley Ace Thermos 1 Quart (grey/red)
Thermos Keapsit – Pint – Blue c. 1963
Aladdin Pump-a-Drink Thermos – Red and Fall-colored, Quart
Fire King 1-Quart Baking Dish - Painted Fruit Design - 40s
Fire King Anchor Hocking Soup Bowl with handle
Fire King Anchor Hocking Mini Casserole 12 oz. Dish
Fire King For Sunbeam Large Mixer Bowl with spout
Federal Glass Co. Casserole Dish – White with Blue Design
Glasbake Casserole Dish - 1 Quart
Pyrex Double Tough small bowl with 2x green stripe
Federal Glass Co. Golden Glory Tea Cups - 3-piece set, early 1960s
Fire King Anchor Hocking Green Mug
McCoy Daisy Mug – 286
McCoy Mini Crock – 851
Ball Jar Zinc Caps (box of 12) - 1975
Stationery and Blue Quadrafold box (20 envelopes, 17 paper)
Golden Aristocrat Stationery and box (13 envelopes, 20 paper)

And pictures!: