What are the Oldest Objects you Own?

[tropicalbob]

Not too long ago I picked up a first American edition of the complete works of Robert Louis Stevenson, dated 1896. Ten volumes in red leather binding. Probably not the oldest things I own, but certainly among the ones I'm fondest of.

 

[Bushman]

Possibly some old hunting stuff that my father collected; old snow shoes, powder horn, things like that. Never dated them exactly, but they look mid-1800's style.

 

[Bugguy]

This is my all time favorite. Its about 2" H x W and looks like solid lead. I saw one just like it go on auction at one of those snooty NY auction houses. It has some characters raised on the bottom - can't tell if they're oriented correctly. I'd love to know more about it, but no time for research.

Its Meiji period Japan ~1860-1910.

 

[WarHorse]

This old house

Hey all - new to the forum and didn't see a place to post introductions so I thought I'd jump right in with a post.
The oldest thing I think I have is this house we purchased in Leavenworth, KS. It was built in 1850. I came with a framed and sealed deed (not the original one but from a later resale of the house - top one dated 1868 and the bottom deed dated 1874) and a list of construction materials used to conduct a renovation during that same time period.





Hope the links worked out.

Regards'
Ted

 

[Shangas]

Wow!!

Welcome to the forum, Ted. Beautiful house and beautiful documentation!!

 

[1mach1]

Wow!!

Welcome to the forum, Ted. Beautiful house and beautiful documentation!!

+1

 

[The Soph Gent]

For me it's this 1865 Bookcase. I was in search for a new curio cabinet to display my "stuff" when I came across this bookcase. Thought that this was wayyy better than a curio. We were able to date it by the hand-cut dovetails in the drawers and the nails that were used to put it together.

 

[Historyteach24]

Oldest objects I own. The first is a set of Edgar Allan Poe's works printed in leather and printed in 1905.
The oldest thing I own is a bullet from Little Round Top from 1863
And the oldest item I use daily is a Parker Parkette Deluxe Fountain pen from the depression era Parker. Early 30's

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

The only thing with provenience is a small dish from the Tek Sing which sank Feb 1822, I do have a ming dynasty ginger pot but no provenance or date from a collector of Ming and Sung pottery. Other than that a small Roman mosaic piece

 

[fabiovenhorst]

A south american indian stone artifact. I found it at my grandpa farm, many years ago...

 

[omgur2]

The oldest thing I own is a Granite hitching post from the house I lived in until I was 5. It was built in the 1750s near Germantown outside of Philadelphia. Rumor had it that Lafayette had stopped and spent the night there on his way to General Washington's headquarters in Germantown. Around 1970 the county came to my dad and said they wanted to cut through our yard to change the intersection from a "Y" into a "T". Pop of course told them to go to Hell. Well the county condemned the property and took it under eminent domain. The hitching post and some other small things is all I have to remember that great house from. It stands today in my back drive as a reminder of the war, the evils of big government, and my family history in this country.

 

[Shangas]

My 'oldest object' now has to be updated to this:

Sterling silver gilt-interior vinaigrette.

Hallmarked Birmingham, Sterling Silver, Thomas Spicer, 1823, duty paid.

I own a piece of Georgian silver!...it's a very small piece of late Georgian silver...but it's still Georgian silver!!

...And yes, that is the original sponge inside it, first-from-last picture. Nearly 200 years old and still in there.

 

[MisterCairo]

First edition, third state of Dickens' Pickwick Papers (1837). A present to myself on my call to the bar.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Copy of "Quo Vadis", "Verlag von Friedrich Rothbarth" Leipzig, 1938.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Soon, I will become the "Kappel" (Chemnitz) travel-typewriter from my father, which was made in the 30s, but manufactured by Olympia (Erfurt).

rightsides:
http://typewriterschubert.magix.net/kappel.16.html#Kappel

 

[Thumper15]

The boards that are used for the fireplace surrond where orginally cut and used in a corn crib built by my Great Grandpa in the 1880s. I have some plows and other farm equipment that can be traced to the 1890's in use by my family.

 

[rocketeer]

Probably not as old as some collections but I have a George III penny. Cant read the date, solid copper about 2.5mm thick.
I am not a coin collector at all but found this in a tool box I bought full of old tools, keyless padlocks, screw, nails and junk. As well as a clip of 9mm metal jacketed bullets(handed in I may add)
I don't know where it is at the moment so no photo. Though it will turn up someday

 

[Trenchfriend]

Since today, I own the Kappel typewriter "Klein-Kappel", produced in 1931/1932 in Chemnitz, Saxony.

 

[Bushman]

That's a gorgeous old typewriter!

 

[2jakes]

Stone from an acequia (18th century waterway made by Spanish colonies) In 1836, this was the water
source used by the people who were inside the Alamo.