We thank the Board and officers of Big Brothers of Sault Ste. Marie for inviting us to the Sault and a tremendously successful Roadshow event this September and the staff and management of our hosts at Station Mall for all they did for their community, Big Brothers and United Way in supporting the event.

See Roadshow on Film from the Sault: Click

Left to right:

Maureeen Wickham, Roadshow appraiser,

Lisa Vezeau - Allen from Big Brothers with Mark Szymberski, Executive Director of Big Brothers, Sault Ste Marie with the  Roadshows, Jackie Freeman and art expert David Freeman.

Lund 1000/ 1936 Berlin Olympics souvenir lighter

The 1936 Berlin Olympics raised its head again with this very rare LUND 1000 cigarette lighter turning up, since our discovery of the first gold medal to be presented at the 1936 Berlin Olympiad (See film of the medal here)

LLADRO Porcelain

"Wrath of Don Quixote"

RMS TITANIC

Is this the rarest postcard of the Titanic in the world?

What we do know is that this is RMS Titanic before departing Southampton, England. The photo taken 5 April 1912.

But the experts we have spoken to have never seen a postcard like it before.

The current owner of the card was given the postcard by his uncle who was a stevedore at Southampton docks in 1912 and saw it depart.

Please write to us if you have any additional information.

      RMS Titanic Postcard: Southampton docks

Nurser Baby Bottles

Nurser Baby Bottles

As long as there have been hungry babies, there have been nurser bottles. 

These items have been found in a variety of shapes and materials from 1500 BC pottery to 17th-19th century glass and ceramic.  Nearly 90% of the pottery feeding bottles of the late 18th and early 19th century were decorated in the blue transfer - printed designs such as the pictured example.  Ceramic feeders were gradually replaced by glass as glass was easier to sterilize and thus avoid the passing on of infections. 

Photographs: ©2008 Jackie Freeman Photography

The Wrath of Don Quixote depicts the hero Don Quixote in his bedclothes swinging his sword in anger and anguish. This figurine embodies the Spanish hero more than any other made.

Lladro – A Short History

The company started in 1951 when 3 brothers, Juan, Jose and Vincente Lladro built their first kiln near the city of Valencia, Spain.  Within 2 years and a loan of 12 Euros the brothers founded Lladro Porcelains.  By 1965 the world market was blossoming for the specialized porcelain figures.  Today, Lladro is present in more than 120 countries on 5 continents.  This is a family company and today the younger members have taken over the reins.

                                POW: Alfred Zabratynski

Corp. Alfred Zabratynski

Polish prisoner of war Stalag VII /A

Click image for full story:

Photographs:

©Jackie Freeman Photography 2008

Native Ojibway Bible

 We see some fascinating objects on the roadshow tours in North America and all are treasures for their owners though this may not be so in financial terms. But from the heart, in sentimental terms, they individually priceless.

 None was less important to the family than this unique record of family events and information entered in the family bible, recently inherited. The interesting feature though is that the bible is printed not in English but Ojibway. The native tongue of the current owners tribe.

Full story. Click

Paintings:

Ojibway Bible

Photographs: ©2008 Jackie Freeman Photography

Lucie Briard - French 19th/20th Century

Photographs: ©Jackie Freeman Photography 2008

Thomas Blinks: British (1860-1912):

Thomas Blinks was considered in his time to be the best British Victorian painter of canine, equine, sporting subjects and foxhounds and in particular, the hunt. CLICK

The Kill: 36 x 24 " oil on canvas.

Photographs: ©Jackie Freeman Photography 2008

Franz Johnston: Canadian oil painting. The Blue jewel.

A Johnston copy of his original painting. Franz Johnston was an artist who was a contemporary of the Group of Seven and exhibited with them.
Photographs: ©Jackie Freeman Photography 2008

Baseball memorabilia:

Johnny Antonelli

Elizabeth Harris and the Butter Contest Medal

                          Click

How families can get the story wrong.

 The facts certainly can get mixed up and muddled when people come to see us at the Roadshow and that's a common feature in so many cases.

 Take for instance the nephew of the Great American pitcher Johnny Antonelli who firmly believes that this Spalding baseball is a world series hardball signed by the White Sox in 1951. It is indeed signed by Antonelli as is his photograph on the left. Sadly Johnny Antonelli never played for the White Sox in his career in baseball but for the Boston Braves to whom he signed in 1948 for $65,000. Even so, he pitched only on occassion and mostly in relief, before leaving them for military service in Korea in 1951-52.

The Braves themselves achieved little in the early fifties so the myth is incorrect on two counts. Neither teams.

Antonelli was traded to the New York Giants however in 1954 and silenced the critics with a 21-7 win for the world champions that year and went on to achieve all star fame.

This then may be a championship New York Giants autographed baseball ?

Now the facts are a little straighter it's time to identify some of those signatures and the family will know for sure..

Newfoundland Textiles:

Grenfell Mission Handicrafts and

Grenfell Hooked Mats

 Dr. William Grenfell came to Newfoundland in 1892 as a medical missionary to look after the needs of the deep sea fishermen and their families. 

 In 1906 he introduced a weaving and handicraft industry designed to help local women supplement the seasonal income from the fish catch and by 1908 the women were producing hand-hooked mats for sale outside of Newfoundland. 

They had traditionally made mats for home use, but now there was a dollar value outside of the home.  First made of flannel, cotton and anything else that was fine enough to be hooked, the mats were eventually made of donated silk stockings and underwear that had been dyed and cut into strips.  Familiar Newfoundland scenes were captured on the mats.  The mats were made until the late 1960’s, although limited numbers are currently produced through Grenfell Handicrafts, a private enterprise.