Opening this door becomes a situational comedy not unlike Fibber McGee and Molly and their famous closet. Inching open the door produces a torrential outpouring of boots, magazines, a rake—what’s a rake doing in here?—boxes of dishes that I swear I’m going to use or recycle and other assorted items that have been crammed into the space.

Closing the door is achieved with a full-body slam and a quick turn of the key in the lock. Two hours into the process of retrieving the decks, I had found a box of photographs, mostly of my father in WWII, the box also contained diplomas, citations, some ribbons from long-ago horse shows, early elementary-school group shots and a few love letters that had been assembled presumably by my mother and summarily off-loaded on me.

Treasures among junk

The box behind that contained scraps of vintage fabric, behind that a box of childhood books long out of print, next to that a collection of family prayer books handed down from my father’s side of the family. Another box, the contents wrapped in blue tissue paper, was my dad’s officer’s hat and a pair of 18th-century spectacles. Behind that were a few rolled-up, moth-eaten Oriental rugs, thin enough to read the New York Times through, coffee tins of nuts and bolts, the odd hammer, boxes filled with the upended contents of kitchen drawers never unpacked from the last house move, another box filled with rolls of masking tape.

I had, through this tedious exercise, actually, unknowingly, embarked on a nostalgia trip where I had learned things about my father that I hadn’t known, learned things about myself that I had boxed away and vaguely remembered and had finally found the hammer that had been missing for at least a year. The Christmas decorations were not there, however.

Oh no, I thought, they must be in the other closet upstairs.

– By Christopher Kent, a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

Click here and choose an exquisite and memorable vintage card, and e-mail it to everyone on your Ho-Ho list.

These vintage Christmas cards, which were selected from the vast assortment available at R&J Silver and Such’s GoAntiques site, recall a simpler time and feature the classic winter designs of snow-covered fields and farmhouses, decorations trimmed with holly, bells and sleighs, angels and traditional Santas.

Happy holidays from all of us at WorthPoint.

WorthPoint-Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

The first Christmas card sent was in 1843, it was the last card published for 19 years. Why, you may ask? It showed a family including a small boy drinking out of a wine goblet. Now what I would like to know is how they knew that it was wine in the goblet, it was printed in black on white paper then hand colored. I think the artist was having too much fun with his paintbrush and perhaps “he” had too much wine. Nevertheless, it was condemned for promoting drunkenness. They just look like they are having a great time to me.

To see a photo of the first Christmas card please visit:

http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/john_calcott_horsley_ra_1817.html

The first Christmas card: John Calcott Horsley designed the first Christmas card.

He was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole who in 1843 was too busy to write to his friends as usual over the festive season. Printed in black and white and then colored by hand, 1,000 cards were produced for “Old King” Cole, with the leftovers sold off by the printer.

The design showed a happy family raising a festive glass as a toast to the recipient. Sadly, un-festive critics condemned the design – for promoting drunkenness.

The Christmas card then went into hibernation until 1862, when printers Charles Goodall came up with minimalist designs consisting of the words “A Merry Christmas”. Robins were added later, followed by holly and afterwards Little Red Riding Hood. After that it was downhill all the way: Wise Men, mangers, snowmen.

The backlash by real-life Scrooges began in 1871, with the first newspaper article asserting that the deluge of cards was delaying “legitimate correspondence”. Another Yuletide milestone was passed in 1873 when the Times personal column ran the first ad apologizing for “not sending Christmas cards this year”. And it was 120 years ago that the Post Office first begged us to “post early for Christmas”, but we still don’t.

Vintage and antique postcard collecting can be an enjoyable trip through time and space. American, Canadian, and European postcards are en vogue and are a lot of fun to hunt for at auctions online and in shops. The technical term for postcard collecting is deltiology. It’s one of the most popular collectibles. An antique postcard can give a glimpse into the society, culture, and economy of the time. The “penny post card” or “picture post card,” have been collectibles since their inception in the 1890s.

Picture post cards are interesting both as art and as historic photography. An antique postcard can be a snapshot of history – a photo of the Coney Island Boardwalk at the turn of the century or of downtown Chicago is not only a pretty picture postcard, but also a relic of a time past and of a scenery that has since changed greatly.

What are hot collectibles in the world of the picture postcard? Holiday postcards from the turn of the century through pre-WWII are popular. Halloween postcards are the most sought after with certain illustrations selling for as much as $300. Christmas cards with a Santa Claus illustration is also in demand and can be more expensive. Average vintage cards are priced below $10. If a card is by a well-known publisher or includes an illustration from a notable artist it can be considerably more valuable. Names to look for include publishers John Winsch, Raphael Tuck & Sons and International Art Publishing. Some popular artists are Ellen Clappsaddle, Samuel Schmuker, Frances Brundage, and Louis Wain. Picture postcards of your hometown or neighborhood, or of landmark buildings from your city can make for great collectibles. Collecting postcards of a vacation spot from other decades can make for a good collection as well.

There are many reproductions out there but an original will show age and might be embossed. A recommended guide to collecting is The Postcard Price Guide by J.L. Marshburn.

Yes collectors there is a Santa Claus! This Christmas has renewed my faith in younger generations. Yes children do have an interest. My 9 year-old grandson asked for folders for his presidential dollar and state quarter collections, along with maps of civil war battles.

My grandson’s request to Santa for maps of Civil War battles really got me excited for the hunt, as it has been a while since I’ve delved into historic map collecting. Since we live in Virginia – home state to historic battles, we have the opportunity to shop around in person and visit some of my favorite local haunts including Williamsburg and Fort Harrison. Onine, I can search through maps for sale at Art Source International to buy antique maps that reference Civil War battlegrounds.

http://www.rare-maps.com/antiquemaps_cwa.cfm

With Santa bringing him a metal detector as well we will have fun hunting for those elusive artifacts of the past and old rusted objects that have found their way into the earth.

Continuing a tradition that dates back to the first official White House Christmas card sent by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, the White House recently released the official 2007 White House Christmas card.

It is a watercolor snow scene created by artist David Drummond with the statue “Gardner” by Sylvia Shaw Judson overlooking the pond in the Jackie Kennedy Garden near the East Wing colonnade. Inside is a religious quotation from Nehamiah 9:16 and the printed signatures of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

There are traditionally two versions of the official White House Christmas card. The smaller of the two measures 5.25 x 7.5 inches and is sent to the general population outside the White House (2006 mailing was nearly 2 million pieces). A large version, called the gift print measures 12 x 16 inches and is presented to official staff, the diplomatic community, cabinet members and appointees.

What is not generally known is that the official White House Christmas card is not produced or mailed at taxpayer expense. The political party of the president has been responsible for the expense of the official card, in the case of the 2007 card, the Republican National Committee.

It has also been traditional for Hallmark to produce the White House Christmas card for Republican Administrations and American Greetings produces the cards for Democratic Administrations.

For a great history of the White House Christmas card tradition, find “Season’s Greetings From the White House”, by Mary Evans Seeley. It is a hard to find book, but visit http://www.whitehousechristmas.com to order it directly from the author and ask her to sign it for you, too.