This new jadite rolling pin with advertising has just appeared. The new pin is 14 inches long. It is printed with black letters, Kardov, Famous Self-Rising Flour. One end is closed; the opposite end is open and plugged with a cork. The sample shown here was $20. It arrived from the wholesaler with a Made in Taiwan paper label.

Virtually all marbles found in the market today with comic characters, brand names and products have been made since the 1970s.

Little Red Riding Hood shakers are being reproduced. Original shakers by Hull Pottery in this style were made in three sizes: 3, 4 and 5 inches. The new shakers apparently intended to copy the largest original size but are in between the original sizes measuring only about 4 7/8 inches. The filling holes in the base of originals are nearly perfectly round; holes in the reproductions are very irregular. The red paint in the originals is under the glaze; the red paint in the reproductions is applied over the glaze.

by Mark Chervenka, ACRN editor

In almost all countries but England, the flammable part of a match has always been on a wood or cardboard stick. In England, however, the flammable tip is on the end of a waxed string. This variety of a match is called a "vesta." It is like a small, thin wax candle (see Fig. 1).

New Penny Gum Machines made of painted sheet steel look similar to old originals. This machine 14 1/2" tall x 7" wide. Clues to its recent age are: 1) it takes a modern size stick of gum for a penny; 2) clear inserts are plastic instead of glass, 3) new machines use modern Phillips/flat slot screw fasteners. Interior parts are very sharp edged so be careful if you remove the back for an examination. This machine is red but other colors are available. Price $20.

A punchboard is basically a low-stakes form of gambling often used as a trade stimulator. The "board" was made of pressed layers of paper and resembled a hard thick cardboard. Sealed holes in the board, about 1/8" diameter, held small folded strips of paper printed with numbers (Fig. 3). A "play" was to "punch" a hole of your choice and force out the folded paper sealed in the hole. The numbers printed on the paper determined your prize. Most punchboard prizes were merchandise like cigarettes, but boards could also pay off in cash.

Just like calling a piece of furniture old, don't make it so. One of the ways to make sure a piece of furniture is actually old, and not over restored, reproduced or new, is to look for genuine signs of normal wear and aging. In this article, we will be discussing the aging and wear patterns on American bottom gliding drawers.

Bronze figures and pieces with various Tiffany marks are routinely sold by antique reproduction wholesalers. These new pieces often sell for substantial prices. A new frog paperweight Fig. 16 marked Tiffany recently sold for 200 through an Internet auction site. It sold for 4.50 at a reproduction wholesalers warehouse.

Kitsch historians consider the pink yard flamingo an icon of American taste and culture. In a burst of nostalgia, reproduction importers have capitalized on the growing interest in the 1950s with new variations of the flamingo theme. We thought the two most unusual pieces were these of carved and painted wood. They are truly without taste or redeeming grace, a fitting tribute to the original.