Vintage Guides

Collecting Vintage Marbles guide header, Oddly Darling Vintage
Collecting Vintage Marbles: How to Identify Antique, Handmade and Machine-Made Marbles
Is that jar of old marbles worth anything? Learn how to tell handmade from machine-made marbles, spot pontil marks, name the popular types and makers, and judge condition. Read more...
How Old Is My Porcelain Doll? Dating guide header with Kestner doll reference book, Oddly Darling Vintage
How Old Is My Porcelain Doll? A Guide to Dating Antique and Vintage Dolls
Is your porcelain doll a 19th-century antique or a 1990s collectible? Learn how to date a doll by its marks, head type, eyes, body, wig, clothing and more. Read more...
Spaghetti Poodle Figurines guide header, Oddly Darling Vintage
Spaghetti Poodles: A Guide to Mid-Century Spaghetti Trim Figurines
Spaghetti poodles are fuzzy-looking 1950s ceramic figurines covered in tiny clay strands. Learn their history, makers and marks to look for, and how to check condition. Read more...
Vintage Art Deco style green onyx pin tray with arched black cat, from Oddly Darling Vintage
Art Nouveau vs. Art Deco: How to Tell the Two Styles Apart
Art Nouveau (about 1890 to 1910) came first, with flowing lines and flowers. Art Deco (about 1920 to 1940) followed, with bold geometry. Here's how to tell them apart. Read more...
Antique Edwardian photograph of six friends at a parlor card party, from Oddly Darling Vintage
Victorian vs. Edwardian: How to Tell the Two Eras Apart
The Victorian era (1837 to 1901) came first, then the short Edwardian era (1901 to 1910). Here's what changed, and the clues that tell Victorian and Edwardian antiques apart. Read more...
Vintage Smithy troll Santa Christmas stocking with a vinyl troll face, white plush hair and a Santa hat
Collecting Vintage Trolls: Dam, Norfin, Russ, Treasure Trolls and Holiday Trolls
Wild hair, glassy eyes and a lot of luck. Here's the story of the troll doll, from Thomas Dam's 1950s originals to Norfin, Russ, Treasure Trolls and Christmas trolls, plus... Read more...
Vintage Blackhawk Films Super 8 home movie boxes with Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Mack Sennett comedies
Collecting Vintage 8mm and Super 8 Home Movies: Blackhawk Films, Castle Films and Columbia
Before VCRs, you bought your favorite movie on a little reel of film. Here's how to tell regular 8mm from Super 8, read the box, check condition, and know the... Read more...
Vintage Museo del Prado souvenir slides and Kodachrome travel slides
How to Date Vintage 35mm Slides: Kodachrome Mounts, Date Stamps and Color Clues
That shoebox of old slides holds more clues than you'd think. Here's how to date vintage 35mm slides by the mount, the date stamp, the logo and even the way... Read more...
Vintage 1965 chrome lighter engraved Presented by VADM P.P. Blackburn Jr. Com Seventh Flt, with an enamel U.S. Seventh Fleet insignia
Collecting Vintage Lighters: Zippo, Japanese Makers and Military Presentation Lighters
Did someone in your family carry a lighter home from the service? Here's how to identify vintage Zippo and Japanese lighters, read the engravings, and tell what makes a military... Read more...
Mid-century cloisonné bud vase with bird and floral enamel and a gold-tone rim, from Oddly Darling Vintage
What Is Cloisonné? A Guide to Cloisonné Enamel Vases, Boxes and Bells
Cloisonné is enamel fused into tiny cells made of metal wire, a craft that runs from Ming China to the mid-century vases on grandmother's curio shelf. Here's how it's made,... Read more...
Lancaster's Indian Vegetable Jaundice Bitters miniature bottle in purple amethyst glass with a cork stopper, from Oddly Darling Vintage
Vintage Apothecary and Bitters Bottles: How to Date Old Glass Bottles, Pontil Marks and Wheaton Reproductions
Old bitters and apothecary bottles are full of clues, from mold seams to pontil marks. Here's how to date an old glass bottle, what each kind of pontil scar means,... Read more...
Vintage Sudan Brand celery seed tin by Wesco Foods Co. of Cincinnati with bold yellow graphics, from Oddly Darling Vintage
Collecting Vintage Advertising Tins: How to Date Spice, Pantry and Product Tins
Old spice tins, pantry boxes and product cans carry clues to their age right on the label. Here's how to date them by addresses, ZIP codes, prices and graphics, how... Read more...
Vintage 1940s-1950s black velvet perch hat with grosgrain bow and rhinestone floral brooch, from Oddly Darling Vintage
Vintage Women's Hats: A Guide to Pillbox, Perch, Half Hats and Veils
From little perch hats tipped over pin curls to Jackie Kennedy's pillbox, small hats finished a woman's outfit for decades. Here's how to tell the styles apart, date a vintage... Read more...
Antique Victorian cast brass hall tree hook with heart motif
Georgian vs. Victorian: How to Tell the Two Antique Eras Apart
Georgian (1714 to 1837) and Victorian (1837 to 1901) are the two big antique eras. Here's what each one means, what was made, and the clues that tell them apart. Read more...
Vintage Florentine style gilt wood miniature frame with a Victorian lady portrait
Vintage vs. Antique vs. Retro: What the Words Really Mean
Antique, vintage, retro, mid-century, collectible: here's what each word means, how old a piece has to be, and why it matters when you shop. Read more...
Vintage green ceramic duck figurine with embossed feathers
Collecting Vintage Figurines: Materials, Marks and What Makes One Valuable
From bisque to chalkware, here's how to tell what your vintage figurine is made of, who might have made it, and what collectors look for. Read more...
Antique Victorian cabinet card portrait photograph
How to Date Antique Photographs: Cabinet Cards, Mounts and Studio Clues
That old portrait in a box of photos can often be dated within a decade or two. Here's how to identify the photo type, read the mount and studio imprint,... Read more...
Kestner and Simon & Halbig dolls identification and value guide book
Antique Bisque Dolls: A Collector's Guide to Kestner, Simon & Halbig, Jumeau and Doll Reference Books
German and French bisque dolls from the late 1800s and early 1900s are the heart of antique doll collecting. Here's how to read doll marks, which makers to know, and... Read more...
Vintage Best Western Motels glass advertising ashtray with lasso logo
Collecting Vintage Advertising Ashtrays: Motel, Souvenir and Figural Ashtrays
Long before digital ads, a motel's best advertising sat on the nightstand. Here's why vintage advertising and figural ashtrays are so collectible, what to look for, and how people use... Read more...