Antiques Freaks

How do you measure a tape? Once upon a time we had to drag a chain across a field uphill both ways. But now with the modern convenience of a vintage or antique tape measure, we know precisely how long all our tapes are.

Due to a family emergency we are unable to post a regular episode this week. Instead, please enjoy this chapter from our Varney vaults, wherein an unexpected return plunges both characters and podcasters into hysterics. 
To instantly unlock a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon for bonus episodes.

From practical tea-time necessity to collectible glassware plague upon the local antiques industry, cup plates have gone on an incredible journey throughout history. Stay tuned for the laughing sheep!

Dee has all the deets you could possibly want about bridal baskets just in time for wedding season. Ken has an actual real-life fever. Who will win? You, dear listener. Always you.

Once upon a time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote something besides Sherlock Holmes. (Shocking, we know.) What if you went to medical school in the 1880s and also your dormitory neighbor had an ancient Egyptian mummy? Chris and Paris have joined the Antiques Freaks to answer this most daring question. CONTENT WARNING for Victorian racism and Orientalism.

Frankly, she’s Lisa. Iconic rainbow graphic design from the 80s, 90s, 00s, and beyond! It’s vintage Trapper Keepers, stickers, pens, pencils, cookie jars, backpacks, and so much more—featuring beloved characters like Markie the unicorn, Rainbow the horse, Hunter the leopard, and also the weird Y2K aliens that no one likes to look at but everyone wants to own. Which one is worth three hundred bucks? Tune in to find out!

When is the frame worth more than the picture within? Tune in for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about antique picture frames but were too afraid to ask!

A family emergency precluded this week’s regularly scheduled antiques. Instead, please enjoy this chapter from our Varney vaults, wherein leaving Flora alone at home with two guns was probably the best plan the Bannerworth brothers ever had. To instantly unlock a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon for bonus episodes.

Ice-bound. In the wind. Iron-sick. All these nautical terms and more defined in this chapter of the Sailor’s Word Book!

20th-century kitsch turned 21st-century trend! Just watch that mineral oil drip down that fishing line and boggle at the price tag.

Wherein Rachel Ray betrays the 20th-century plastics collecting community.

Please enjoy this chapter from our Varney vaults! Wherein Mr Chillingworth proves himself an ensemble dark horse as we get a crash course in Victorian grave-robbing. To instantly unlock a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon for bonus episodes.

The Antiques Freaks venture out of the studio to record on location at Circa Vintage in New Bedford with owner and proprietor Chris! We chat about Brown’s Beach jackets, East-West Musical Instruments leathers, Bobby from Boston, supplying costumes for films and TV, the rewards of rescuing vintage clothes from the landfill, and how to cope with moths.

Have you ever wanted to know what would happen if Sherlock Holmes encountered a vampire? Fortunately, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has written that story. Unfortunately, he wrote it whilst deep in his “fairies are totally real you guys” phase. Chris and Paris of the Terrible Book Club join the Antiques Freaks in tearing apart Sherlock Holmes and The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire. Enjoy!

As a wise man once said, “Hand me that piano!” Tune in to find out how much an antique piano is worth (not much), what factors affect its value (very little), and what you can expect when you try to sell yours (absolutely nothing).

Hind-castle. Horn-fisted. Hurleblast. Haven-screamer. All these 19th century nautical terms and more defined in this chapter of The Sailor’s Word Book!

Theatrical costume designer and age-of-sail enthusiast Hannah Haverkamp returns to Antiques Freaks to discuss the delightful and deliberate anachronisms in the historical costuming choices of HBO’s pirate comedy series Our Flag Means Death. What’s up with Oluwande’s crocs? Why does Black Pete wear a literal actual horseshoe for a belt buckle? How is Blackbeard the connective tissue between Mad Max and Judas Priest? And is the “rather exquisite cashmere” REALLY cashmere??? Tune in to find out!

2023 - the year when all of Sherlock Holmes finally enters the public domain. To celebrate, Chris and Paris of the Terrible Book Club podcast have joined the Antiques Freaks to explore one of the worst canonical Holmes stories ever written, The Adventure of the Creeping Man.

Ken doesn’t believe in ancient aliens, but he does believe in sailor valentines. Dee is here to dispel him of that notion. Get the real scoop on 19th c. nautical crafts!

Galley-growlers. Galligaskins. Geo-graffy. Grog-blossom. All these nautical terms and more defined at last in this chapter of The Sailor’s Word Book!