A "hoard" can mean a lot of things.   (I'll let that sink in.) The word is most often associated with someone who is a hoarder. That term is most often associated with someone usually living in putrefying conditions often as partly caused by a mental disorder. Let me clear up a few things. Not all hoards come from hoarders; not all hoards are in putrefying conditions.  

Those who have lived a full life often lose sight of the first things they saved from work or family. As such, the last things they saved tend to erase the memory of the previous things. The inert matter, wood, fabric, paper decomposes at such a slow rate, the owner is unaware of its condition by the time they have to move to a more manageable sized living situation. 

The point is - we can neither fault them for having these things amass, nor blame them for not curating them like they were museum pieces. Because of the owners' longevity, the things they collected are actually museum items. They have value because they are rare, they are nostalgic, which others appreciate, but conversely we cannot judge the owner for not having left these relics to us in the best condition. Truthfully, when they were stored, it was never for the purpose of public or economic appreciation. 

The hoard, as it is titled, is a good example of how things can accumulate over time and become a blight and a slight against historic preservation. Merely a victim of circumstance we came to this house, not to bury, but to genuinely praise the owner, or one of them.  it was too big for one 'cast, please stay connected for part 2 - the transition is amazing.

In this episode Greg and Martin must lay low as they reveal Confidential documents, essentially case files from the Counter Intelligence Corps as they operated in Italy after its liberation from the Fascist regime of Mussolini. Learn how Greg discovered these papers and how these samples of primary history reflect the arduous task of protecting citizens and keeping Italy safe from espionage and insurrection and further collapse. The gold in these documents is the challenge of this branch of intelligence to hunt down all leads and report on even the most mundane or mis-understood accusations. The first cases we chose at random are jaw-dropping and hilarious at the same time. Thank you for subscribing! There will be more to come if the ghosts of the CIC do come to get us first.

In this episode, Martin Blanco and I share our reaction to several newly discovered vintage commercials from the 1960s and 70s. Among the hidden history are often the products of a long career in advertising. These are just a few of the commercials, which prompted the creation of a new YouTube Channel! Retro-Media https://youtube.com/@retro-media411?si=qVIbQjF_hMLFGG_-This will be the place for not only Vintage commercials but Podcast extras from the studio recording sessions and a landing place for all the found media discovered during my expeditions. reel to reel tapes, records, cassette bits and more. please subscribe to Retro Media.

We love our wives. Don't be mistaken. However, in the hidden history left behind, Greg has uncovered proof that love, While a many splendid thing, is not easy. From the pages of a 1797 preceptor on marriage to a 1950's era contract to promise to "not cheat." Love is anything but easy.

It is also fun. Please join us on this continuing journey to preserve the past which is slipping through our fingers just a little faster than our future. We must save one, to save the other.

"Are you taking a tone with me!?" was an alternate title for this premiere episode of season 2. In it Greg and Martin track the correlation of sound used in early tech to trigger vintage computers, relays and switching gear. But not before being accosted by James Can who castigates anyone who's afraid to give blood.

In this final episode of season 1, Greg and Martin spent 30 of your precious minutes examining this big budget special and revealing how great talent can be wasted at the hands of corporate oversight. As a teaser, you'll see: A vegetarian hawk (or, is he?); A mole, happy to hoard the last bit of food in the forest; woodsmen who consider the Xmas tree to be lowest form of a tree's use; parents who allow their seemingly invalid daughter to go missing in sub-freezing temperatures; finally, a tiny tree that has a mouth, yet is unable to speak. All wrapped around a Bill Cosby commercial that shows both his and the Bell System's disdain for children.

This special involves the nearly wasted talents of: Charlie Couch, Fritz Freling, Roberta Flack (edited out to prevent infringement) Music by Johnny Marks, and the voice talents of Buddy Ebsen, Paul Winchell, Frank Welker and others.

"Greg finds things at estate sales that no one else seems to notice as valuable." -This could be said of any collector, Greg just happens to have a passion for anything he's never seen.

This podcast, available through YouTube and Apple Podcasts is hosted by Greg Van Antwerp and Martin Blanco. Their goal is to encourage people to get searching for hidden history, preserve the past, while educating others how to find these missing gems before they are gone forever.

Greg provides live multi-media performances customized to a variety of topics on history and education in a light-hearted look at the things we collect and the things that were almost lost forever.

https://www.theurbanarcheologist.com

The papers often ignored in a home about to be sold or demolished are the remnants of journeys and the souvenirs of meals enjoyed. These bits, or bites, of hidden history are a window to the past that reveal, among other things, lost epicurean delights, famous or infamous locales now erased, and the woes of inflation.  Sirloin Steak for .40 cents!?  Gimmie!

Greg Van Antwerp and Martin Blanco revel and reveal some of the more odd and interesting foods and places that may just be gone for good, and ask the question, "Is that good?"

The goal of this podcast is to entertain, educate and encourage preservation. We are always looking for more content and the opportunity to preserve and share history while teaching others. Reach out in the comments if you see history being tossed or want to learn more.  Greg provides a multi-media presentations to audiences that includes a traveling museum to interact with.

The Stories from the Attic podcast is back with a new episode!

This time Martin and I go on location to a 100 year-old attic in New Milford, Connecticut to reveal the found letters, postcards and artwork correspodence sent to a resident during World War II. This is recorded at an actual estate sale just before the enthusiastic crowd arrives and what you get is a sweet and surprising 20 minutes of history and it gets even better when the shoppers show up.
Thanks Loretta Kretchko of Kretchko Estate Sales Services for letting us in before the crowds to record.

Version

How can being a Boy Scout in 1947 and going to the international jamboree end so badly? How did people entertain themselves in a visual medium that predates film? The answer to these and other questions you never thought to ask will be answered in this 24 min commercial free podcast.

This time Greg and Martin are the early birds and set up the podcast right out in front of an Estate Sale before the crowds show up. The audacity! Thanks to Windy Cats Estate Sales for giving us permission to experiment with mobile recording.

In this episode Greg and Martin uncover 2 never before heard cuts on vinyl. Well, if you were watching regional TV in the Albany NY region in 1972, maybe you did hear or even see this. “Pick a show” was a TV trivia program where contestants were called at random to answer questions for money. Look for deeper cuts on upcoming episodes. The second segment features a dryly humorous annual family greeting with strangely high production value.

Both rare and fun to discover in a Connecticut basement.

You can also watch the YouTube version with visuals here:

https://youtu.be/ykUbPzeQ5ok