HAD SOME FUN AT AN ANTIQUE SHOW TODAY.

[Buck Conner1]

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Saturday we spent the morning at an Antique Show in Salt Lake City, mostly house wares, some old late 1800’s clothing, not much for guns or related items which was why we went. A friend that was helping out asked if I brought anything of interest as the show was not doing well for sales (dragging).
 
I went to the truck and pulled out a few boxes of old strickers that I had no use for anymore (had high graded the best ones to keep).   "John let's have an auction to maybe pick up the interest,"  he liked the idea .....

A gentleman standing at the door whom I have talked to several times at these shows asked “What the heck don’t you have Buck, every time we see you, you have something neat”. I just smiled and replied “You wouldn’t believe the amount of crap we have collected over the years Dennis”.

Here’s what the folks purchased today, not bad for a 4 hours stay/worth of work.

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These are the most common shape ones you'll find today, the unusual shaped ones have really dried up with everyone collecting them today. At my age it's time to move most of the stuff the family doesn't want as the wife would have a clue who to contact to sell off what's left.​

 

[Marty1]

Do you know what metal (iron?) was forged in the fire strikers  :?:

 

[Buck Conner1]

Do you know what metal (iron?) was forged in the fire strikers  :?:

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Back in the day they weren't into the types of metal like today, they used whatever they had from rake tines to farm equipment pieces left from used up equipment. The smiths hardened what ever they had from different accounts, if with what was used lasted longer than another - that material was used. 

In the early days of the flint strickers they didn't have the choices like today. I read and talked to a few old timers years ago at the "Hammer-In's" (now long gone) about this and found it wasn't until the mid 1800's (after the Civil War) to late 1800's (Indian Wars) when better materials became available at good prices.  Probably used up military equipment !  :study:

 

[Marty1]

Interesting.   Thanks Buck'. :ttups:

 

[Buck Conner1]

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I had three 3 gallon tin pails full of these strickers in my garage, been packing them around for at least 50 years or more. Used them to hold things down I was working on, finally got some cheap plastic clamps from Habor Freight.  

Tried to get the grandkids interested, no place to plug in their ear phones - no sale....   :x  

 

[msellers]

Sure wish I would have stumbled upon this last weekend. I have been spending way to much time in Salt Lake City as of late. Maybe will find another one next time in town. You have some nice strikers there. Funny how what was the culls is now rhe prime stock.

 

[Buck Conner1]

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I kept the really good shaped or unusual shaped ones. The ones in the pictures were the most common we use to find back in the eastern states in the '50s and '60s.  

Stricker's were priced like documentation cases, many of the cases had old newspapers glued inside for liners (you were always looking for dates on the paper or hand made nails to figure how old they were, styles and materials were what was looked at on strickers. 

Back east to be worth anything most items had to be dated to the 1700's periods. Out west those cheap strickers and cases -1850's and newer (worth nothing in the east) brought top dollar out here. Good example I paid $12.00 for an average case and sold that 1854 (dated) case in Denver for $200.00 at the antique collectors show a few years ago. When we go back east to visit family they always have a few items they picked up at antique or junk stores (I know they double or tripled their money) I don't say anything and don't tell them their purchases - example for $20 with sell out here for $$$ hundreds in a good sale in Denver. Fun stuff ....