Richard, Author at Dear June Collectibles

Scrimshaw Materials and Techniques

Scrimshaw is one of those collectible worlds where the “how” matters just as much as the “what.” A carved tooth isn’t only about the scene on the surface—it’s also about the material beneath it, the tools that made the lines, and the shipboard ingenuity that turned whaling byproducts into folk art.

For collectors, learning materials and techniques pays off in three ways. First, it helps you appreciate what you’re holding (scrimshaw is often more labor-intensive than it looks). Second, it helps you describe pieces accurately. And third, it gives you a sharper eye when you’re comparing examples—because different materials age differently, and different techniques leave different “handwriting” in the lines.

This post is a tour of the traditional scrimshaw maker’s toolkit: what whalers used, how they prepared the surface, how they transferred designs, and how they got those dark lines to pop against ivory and bone.

Whalers and the Birth of Scrimshaw

Picture this: It’s the 1840s, and you’re a crewman on a whaling ship in the middle of the Pacific. The thrill of the last whale chase has faded, and now endless weeks stretch on with no whales in sight. The days are long, the nights even longer, and boredom bites harder than the ocean wind. What do you do to keep sane? If you’re like many whalers of the time, you pull out a spare whale tooth or a piece of bone and start carving – whittling away until an image, a design, something – begins to take shape. In those idle hours, a unique art form was born.

That art form is scrimshaw – the engravings and carvings that whalers etched onto whale ivory and bone during long sea voyages. Scrimshaw started as a shipboard pastime in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, turning the tedium of months at sea into creative output. In this post, we’ll explore how scrimshaw came to be, what materials and tools made it possible, and the role these carved treasures played in maritime culture. By the end, you might just see that humble whale’s tooth in a whole new light.

Happy New Year 2026 from Dear June Collectibles

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2026 is off to a fantastic start for you. Here’s wishing you a happy, safe, and productive 2026, filled with exciting new adventures—both in life and in collecting. As we turn the page to this fresh year, I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your incredible support throughout 2025. Your enthusiasm and camaraderie are what keep Dear June Collectibles going strong, and I’m so grateful to have you along on this journey.

Thank You for a Wonderful 2025

As 2025 comes to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every reader, collector, and visitor who has been part of DearJuneCollectibles.com this year. Whether you followed our educational blog posts, browsed the category features, or added a vintage treasure from our eBay store to your own collection, thank you for making this journey so rewarding. Your enthusiasm for history’s tangible pieces – from quirky flea-market finds to cherished family heirlooms – is what keeps this community vibrant and fun.

Collecting Trivets from Stove to Table

If you collect trivets long enough, you’ll notice something funny: they’re “small” until they aren’t. One turns into a stack. A stack turns into a drawer. A drawer turns into a whole shelf—cast iron next to tile next to brass next to something whimsically shaped like a pineapple that you swear you didn’t need, but somehow couldn’t leave behind.

Trivets are one of the most satisfying kitchen collectibles because they sit right at the crossroads of useful and decorative. They were made to protect tables, sideboards, counters, and linens from heat—yet many were designed with real style: openwork patterns, floral motifs, patriotic themes, animals, advertising, even clever mechanical stands that fold flat.

This post is about building a coherent trivet collection “from stove to table”—not just buying random pieces, but collecting with intention. We’ll cover how to choose a focus, how to pair trivets with related kitchen items, how to store and care for mixed materials, and how to collect on a budget. We’ll finish with a gentle collector’s checklist you can keep in your pocket for your next thrift run.

Decorative and Souvenir Trivets

Trivets are the kind of collectible that sneaks up on you. You start with one—maybe a sweet little tile trivet from a favorite trip, or a heavy cast-iron piece that looks like it belonged in your grandmother’s kitchen—and suddenly you’re noticing them everywhere. In antique malls. In estate lots. Hanging on walls as “kitchen art.” Tucked into souvenir boxes like a forgotten postcard.

And that’s the charm: decorative and souvenir trivets sit right at the intersection of usefulness and memory. They’re small enough to display, sturdy enough to survive decades of kitchens, and personal enough to feel like a tiny time capsule.

Let’s talk about what makes these trivets special, how to spot the good ones, and why they’re one of the most satisfying (and display-friendly) categories to collect.

Trivets as Functional Art

There’s a special kind of collectible that earns its keep. It doesn’t just sit on a shelf looking pretty—it shows up when you’re serving a hot casserole, plating a Dutch oven, or setting a teapot on the table. Trivets live right at that sweet spot where “useful” and “beautiful” overlap, and that’s exactly why so many collectors get hooked.

At first glance, a trivet can seem like a humble household helper—just something that keeps heat off the table. But once you start paying attention, you’ll notice how much design history is hiding in plain sight: scrolling ironwork, geometric Arts & Crafts patterns, playful mid-century motifs, clever advertising, and tilework that looks like it belongs on a gallery wall.

Let’s take a collector’s walk through trivets as functional art—where they came from, why they’re so collectible, and what to look for when you’re hunting.

Why We Look Up to Signs

There’s a funny little moment most of us don’t notice until it’s pointed out: when we’re in a new town, we instinctively tilt our heads up.

We look up for the diner name painted on brick. For the old motel blade sign that still hangs on, stubborn as ever. For the glow that says “OPEN” even when the street is quiet. We look up because signs are how places introduce themselves. They’re how businesses speak across decades. And—whether we mean to or not—they’re how we decide what feels familiar, what feels trustworthy, and what feels like it’s worth stopping for.

This post is a wrap-up of our Signs series, but it’s also a love letter to the whole reason collectors chase these pieces in the first place. Not just because signs are cool (they are), or because they photograph well (they do), but because signs sit right at the intersection of art, commerce, technology, and everyday memory. They’re practical objects that somehow became emotional ones.

Political & Social Signs

Walk into any antique mall and you’ll see it: a gorgeous enamel street sign, a bold union poster, or a weathered campaign piece that instantly pulls you into a different moment in time. Political and social signs don’t just advertise a candidate or a cause—they capture what a community cared about right then, in the language, design, and urgency of the day.

For collectors, that’s the thrill. These items are time capsules: handmade protest placards, mass-printed broadsides, crisp lithographed posters, and yes—those ubiquitous yard signs that defined late-20th-century campaigning. Whether you collect for design, history, or the stories behind the slogans, political and social signage is one of the most direct ways to “hold” the past.

Let’s talk about what falls into this category, how these signs evolved, what collectors look for, and how to buy and care for them wisely.

Rustic & Folk Signs – Hand-Painted Americana

There’s a certain kind of sign that doesn’t just advertise—it introduces you. It tells you where you are, what matters here, and who made a life behind that door, counter, or barn. Rustic and folk signs do this better than almost anything else in the antiques world, because they were often made quickly, locally, and by hand.

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