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Transformation Tuesday - Wall Decor Letters

July 05, 2016 23 Comments

Transformation Tuesday with Kramer's Best Antique Improver and RoofTop Antiques

There are actual vintage relics hanging on the walls of long-closed shops or hiding in the back of someone's garage, just waiting to be discovered by the right person. But how do you get them wall-ready? 

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A New Perspective for Today: An Eloquent Monkey

May 06, 2016 21 Comments

A New Perspective for Today: An Eloquent Monkey by Dan Schantz

Frankly, I am not fond of monkeys. They affect me the way spiders and snakes affect other people. The flying monkeys in “The Wizard of Oz” and the rogue monkeys in Robin Williams’s “Jumanji” were menacing to me, and I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see them.

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One Day, One Mall, and Four Booths

April 22, 2016 7 Comments

One Day, One Mall, and Four Booths - A vintage shopping adventure with RoofTop Antiques

 

I love when passion and persistence give birth to inspiration and fulfillment. That’s the experience I had this weekend at my favorite antique mall, Artichoke Annie’s, near Columbia, Missouri.

We headed to Columbia on Saturday morning to meet a new online acquaintance for a furniture trade. I didn't realize it at the time, but the Willett Mid-Century Modern end table she placed in our hands would become the centerpiece for a collection of untold treasures.

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A New Perspective for Today: From Our Perspective

April 09, 2016 23 Comments

A New Perspective for Today with RoofTop Antiques

 

My cat just broke my grandmother’s orange glass boat tonight. For many years I have put it out in the fall as a candy dish. She passed away from cancer a few years ago. This dish reminds me of hers and I was happy to find yours online.

We hear stories like this on a regular basis. Sometimes they make us laugh. Occasionally, they bring tears to our eyes. These stories always serve as a reminder: at RoofTop Antiques, we sell more than just things.

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A New Perspective for Today: Paid in Full

March 26, 2016 17 Comments

A New Perspective for Today: Paid in Full - The life and tragic death of Carmelita Kaser in Moberly, Missouri

 

I may have witnessed the highest price ever paid for a needlepoint work of an unrecognized maker, and it made me weep. But that is where this story ends. To begin, we travel back to 1921.

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Art Mystery of the Moment III - Unknown Sculpture

March 08, 2016

Art Mystery of the Moment III with RoofTop Antiques Vintage Sculpture

 

Some of our followers enjoy a good artwork mystery, so I have officially made Art Mystery of the Moment a regular part of the blog. When a moment arises, as one did today, I will share a piece of art that has simply left the RoofTop Antiques crew bewildered.

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What is this worth? And how can I sell it?

February 10, 2016 4 Comments

What is it worth and how can I sell it? We discuss the selling options for those vintage and antique items you've been holding onto for years

We are frequently asked “what is my item worth?” or “what is the best way for me to sell my item?” Despite what the boy’s on American Pickers would have you believe, the antique world is not cut-and-dried. Our response depends heavily on the item itself, and rarely comes without a lengthy process of research and thought.

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It's a NEW YEAR! Here's what we've been up to...

January 06, 2016 1 Comment

It's a NEW YEAR for RoofTop Antiques

About a month ago, I came to the stark realization that 2015 was coming to an end. The year went faster than any other I can remember. At least, that's what I thought until I started going back over everything that has happened since January 1st, 2015. 

 

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Life, Love and the American Civil War - Part IV

December 07, 2015

Life, Love and the American Civil War - Part IV

One-hundred-fifty-three years ago, just after the Thanksgiving holiday, Jasper Newton Smith sat to write a letter to his beloved, Elizabeth Lee. When we last heard from him, Jasper was in Bolivar, Tennessee following the Battle of Hatchie's Bridge. He, along with the other members of the 53rd Regiment of the Indiana Infantry, were taking part in General Grant's Central Mississippi campaign.

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Life, Love and the American Civil War - Civil War Letters Part III

November 12, 2015

Life, Love and the American Civil War by RoofTop AntiquesWhen we last heard from Jasper, he was surrounded by blooming peach trees in Savannah, Tennessee. When the Battle of Shiloh came to an end, Jasper and other members of the 53rd Regiment of the Indiana Infantry were still active members of Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee.

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Life, Love and the American Civil War - Part II

October 12, 2015 8 Comments

Life, Love and the American Civil War by RoofTop AntiquesIn my last blog post, I introduced our collection of Civil War Letters. As stated previously, I will be taking some time to look more closely at the 92 letters written by Jasper Newton Smith to a girl back home, Miss Elizabeth Jane Smith. Jasper's letters focus on his relationship with his beloved, and the Civil War raging around him seems almost an afterthought. 

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Life, Love and the American Civil War - Civil War Letters Part I

September 19, 2015

Life, Love and the American Civil War
On February 2, 1862, shortly following his nineteenth birthday, Jasper Newton Smith arrived in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he enrolled to join the military.  He was a Union soldier, a member of the 53rd Regiment of the Indiana Infantry. Through his heavy handed script, Jasper’s letters detail his days as a soldier in the American Civil War. As he writes, he discusses battles, war strategy and specific moments and people made famous by the war.

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