Antiques Freaks

The holiday shopping hellscape is upon us! In honor of the season, please enjoy our weirdest customer encounters in 15+ years of selling antiques. Ghost-generating engines, celebrities, possible space aliens, and more!

According to Buzzfeed, everyone photographed in the 19th century was secretly dead the whole time. The truth is somewhat murkier. From Dr. Minovici's forensic Frankenstein to "hidden mother" portraits and the ice-box incident, the Antiques Freaks dive into the ghastly Victorian habit of post-mortem photography. Posing stand not provided.

Jazz up your mixed drinks with swizzle sticks! They come in every shape, size, and color from skulls and spines to swords and Spear-It! All the joy of sorting through bags of conversation hearts with none of the hassle of eating chalk!

Once upon a time, the Smelvin tractor company drew up plans for a magnificent tractor - and then, for reasons unknown, failed to manufacture it. Years later, one enterprising antique tractor collector unearthed these blueprints and decided he would make the forgotten Smelvin a reality. The resulting beautiful Frankenstein's monster of a tractor would tear the tractor collecting community apart. Assuming, of course, that the Forbidden Smelvin ever existed in the first place. Can we really trust r/hobbydrama? Or is this tale of tractor terror just another creepypasta? Take a side in the firetruck/tractor wars this week on Antiques Freaks!

Why are vintage clothes so small? How do we defeat the moth menace? And what even is rayon? Never fret! Holli is here to answer all our questions about vintage fashion and more! And be sure to check out Holli's shop in person at Suffragette City Vintage and online at etsy.com/shop/nonasuch

Prepare yourself for the Halloween elf! Spice up your Halloween party with the riddle of the Brazil nut! It's vintage paper goods all the way down!

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR CROSSOVER EPISODE WITH TERRIBLE BOOK CLUB! (Episode 70 - Crimson Peak: The Official Movie Novelization)

Chucky, Annabelle, and Robert the Doll have nothing on the extremely haunted clown we just sold on eBay.

Be the Blade you want to see in the world! According to legend, Victorians crazed with vampire fever assembled holy water, stakes, mirrors, and crucifixes to combat the children of the night. Or did they? (No.) That won't stop Sotheby's and Christie's from hawking hoaxes at jaw-dropping prices. Dracula, Carmilla, and Varney the Vampire (Or; The Feast of Blood) combined can't take down the spooky gothic trade of vampire-hunting kits! Sunlight not included.

Millennials are killing the antiques industry! Nobody appreciates "brown" furniture! Prices slashed up to 80% off! Even mid-century modern won't sell now! The New York Times is in a panic and it's up to the Antiques Freaks to get to the bottom of this vintage predicament.

SOURCES - How Low Will Market for Antiques Actually Go? & When the Antiques Have to Go, published in The New York Times.

Just a spoonful of bitters makes the alcohol technically medicine! Join us in learning about this highly sought-after sub-genre of the vintage and antique bottle collecting scene.