Antiques Freaks

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Ch. 30 - Varney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood (1845)

In the spirit of spooky season, please enjoy this adventure from our Varney vaults! Our friend Tarra joins us once again for another thrilling chapter of Varney the Vampire, wherein Admiral Bell and Flora Bannerworth revive the Hollandaise.

To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

Q - The Sailor’s Word Book (1867) - with special guest Hannah!

Queen’s cockpit. Quietus. Quilkin. Hannah Haverkamp rejoins the Antiques Freaks to delve into the quirkiest letter of the nautical alphabet.

Ch. 29 - Varney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood (1845)

Our dear friend O F Cieri joins us once again for another thrilling chapter of the Victorian penny dreadful Varney the Vampire, wherein we enter a dark dank dungeon and behold the mysterious prisoner within...

Check out O F Cieri's short speculative fiction and essays at ofcieri.com, and read her spooky alt-history novel BACKMASK!

Monster High Dolls

A spooky gateway drug to ball-jointed dolls! Enjoy this 2010s fashion doll collectible with a robust secondhand market and delight in many monster puns in honor of the Halloween season.

Lenox Spice Village

If you’ve already  depressed yourself in looking up how much it cost to buy a house in the 1990s, consider doing the math for the price of a cottage! Once upon a time it was perfectly reasonable to spend the inflation-adjusted equivalent of fifty actual dollars on a single decorative spice jar for your proto-cottagecore kitchen. Now make it a whole set of spice jars sold through a subscription model and you too will understand their eldritch horror. At least they’re cute?

Ch. 28 - Varney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood (1845)

Behold! The twenty-eighth chapter of the Victorian penny dreadful Varney the Vampire, wherein we discover Mr. Marchdale's exculpation of himself, the search through the gardens, the spot of the deadly struggle, and the mysterious paper!

To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

348 UK Auctioneering with the Gavel and the Gabble

Harry and Simon of Windsor and Lyme Bay Auctions and The Gavel and the Gabble podcast join the Antiques Freaks for a chat about what we find most exciting in the antiques world of today.

You can hear more of Harry and Simon by subscribing to The Gavel and the Gabble wherever you find your fave podcasts! 

Deck Chairs with Dr. Elizabeth Yuko

Dr. Elizabeth Yuko returns to educate the Antiques Freaks on the wild history of deck chairs - from tuberculosis sanitoria to the Adirondacks to the Titanic and beyond!

346 Ch. 27 - Varney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood (1845)

While Ken recuperates, please enjoy this episode from our Varney vaults - wherein we discover the noble confidence of Flora Bannerworth in her lover, her opinion of the three letters, and the Admiral's admiration!

To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

345 Women Silversmiths with Carolyn Law

Carolyn Law takes Dee and Ken on an adventure throughout the hidden history of women silversmiths! Including Hester Bateman, Anne Tanqueray, Clara Barck Welles, and Frances Macbeth Glessner. Carolyn is a personal property appraiser with a specialization in silver, English, Irish, American Colonial and Federal; a collector of 18th century English silver, particularly by women silversmiths; an author of articles on silver and appraisal practice in Silver Magazine; and a member of the UK Silver Society. 

You can learn more about Carolyn and her work at CarolynLawAntiques.com

344 Ch. 26 - Varney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood (1845)

Please enjoy this chapter from our Varney vaults, wherein Charles Holland writes three letters - OR DOES HE!?

To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

343 Antiques Fraud! Earl Washington Woodblocks

Dee and Ken demonstrate a troubling lack of moral fiber in this fascinating tale of high art fraud! Once upon a time there was a truly excellent printmaker whose woodblock carvings and illustrations made viewers weep for their beauty. Unfortunately good art doesn’t pay. You know what does? Crime. Never apologize for your art.

342 The Terror (2018) - Historical Costuming with Hannah

Our old shipmate Hannah Haverkamp returns to regale us with the historical inspiration behind the costumes of The Terror! For all your age of sail, nautical, polar exploration, Victorian, historical-fiction-with-a-supernatural-twist needs. Featuring Royal Navy uniforms (and their lack of uniformity), Inuit engineering, and the thematic tragedy of Carnivale.

Hannah’s Sources

• Parks Canada "Dressing For Arctic Expedition"
• Terror Camp 2022 Keynote: Annie Symon (Costume Designer)
• Terror Camp 2021 Panel D - Costuming: Alexa Figuerres (Uniforms and Undress), and Kit Barton (Carnivale)
• "Tales of the Doomed Franklin Expedition Long Ignored the Inuit Side, But “The Terror” Flips the Script" - Kat Eschner, for Smithsonian
• DRESSED TO KILL: BRITISH NAVAL UNIFORM, MASCULINITY, AND CONTEMPORARY FASHIONS 1748-1857 – Amy Miller
• THE ROYAL NAVY 1790-1970 – Robert Wilkinson-Latham HOW TO READ A SUIT – Lydia Edwards

Ken’s Sources

• Erebus by Michael Palin
• Terrorspotting by Tealin on tumblr
• every post collected under our Terror tag on tumblr

Dee’s Sources

• ‘Our ancestors returned home’: How a Chilkat robe made its way back to Southeast Alaska by Tripp J Crouse, KTOO
• watching the ding-danged show The Terror (2018) season one on AMC

341 Ch. 25 - Varney the Vampire, or, the Feast of Blood (1845)

Wherein Admiral Bell serves up a shaggy fish story that proves Charles Holland got his authorship talent from his uncle.

Please enjoy this episode from our Varney Vaults! To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

340 Magic Lantern and Chromatropes

Back in MY day (read: 18th and 19th century) we had to make our OWN Netflix! Uphill! Both ways! With hand-painted frame-by-frame animations spinning around an open flame! Kids these days don’t know how good they have it, or how shockingly affordable these handcrafted works of mechanical art have become on the secondary market.

339 The Hall and Staircase - Decorative Electricity with a Chapter on Fire Risks (1891)

Victorian interior decorating, now with electricity! Paris of Terrible Book Club joins the Antiques Freaks for a deeper dive into our old friend Decorative Electricity. Where once we presented you a Sparknotes summary, we now give you the full text of Chapter Three: The Hall and Staircase. Join us, won’t you? Thank you.

338 Ch. 24 - Varney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood (1845)

"With a heightened colour she gently repulsed him."

Please enjoy this episode from our Varney Vaults! To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

337 Dough Boxes

When is a dough box not a dough box? Learn to tell the dough boxes from the doughn’t boxes with the Antiques Freaks!

336 Match Safes

Finally, a safe place for the Victorians to keep their matches. Now with attached knife!