Obsolescence Project

Day 68 – Valve Spout Oil Can

valvespout

Valve Spout Oil Can. Made in England.

No Leak – No Waste – A Twist to Open – A Twist to Close

The Leakproof Oiler.

If this article is correct, it dates to the 1940s, because it’s all metal. Due to metal shortages during WWII cans started being made of composite material or cardboard. This, therefore is the real mccoy.

Valve Spout Oil Can

Learned a new word from that collectible site – petroliana.

What will collectors of the future gravitate towards? Will what we perceive today as tacky, overdone ads, which infuse as many square pixels of our vision as possible become sweet and lovely in 2098?

Valve Spout Oil Can

Status: This one belongs to my partner, so no decision is required by me:)

Posted on by Deanne in Objects

Day 67 – Chantal Postcard Eiffel Tower

Detail of Postcard Eiffel Tower

Chantal Postcard, Eiffel Tower. Stamped 1972 (pretty sure).

This card presented a slight dilemma for me. I noticed the frank mark  is 1972 , and although I don’t know what the odds are, it’s possible both the writer and addressee are still around. So I blurred her name out. The address I chose not to blur, as I could quickly search and find someone with a different name living there. Archive.org has some Ottawa city directories scanned, but they only go back to 1923, so I couldn’t sleuth and see if this person was still alive, and I could possibly contact them. Although the presence of the postcard at a flea market does rather suggest their death.

Vintage Postcard Back

I love that the sendee, David, is c/o American Express, Casablanca, Morocco.

Vintage Postcard Eiffel Tower

Status: Keep. See below.

Kay's Korner

Am in Victoria, BC for the long weekend, and visited an antiques store (Kay’s Korner Experienced Goods (no website to link to, shucks, but click image for the fun shop sign) and lo and behold she had some vintage postcards. This is not one of them, but it does mean that the collectible postcard thing could be a keeper for me. I bought 3 for $1.50 – curious readers will have to wait for the day they make their humble appearance on Project Obso.

Hope the Easter Bunny is good to you.

p.s. being away also accounts for the fuzziness of the first image. Thought it was in focus when I shot them before I went away, but alas a detail shows it as blurry. Reserve right to reshoot:)

Posted on by Deanne in Paper, Photography

Day 66 – Beaded Necklace

Turquoise Plastic necklace

Turquoise (some kind of plastic) Beaded Necklace, Costume Jewelry. Last seen with Carmen Miranda Devil Costume c. Hallowe’en 2008.

Of course I know there are variations between American and British/Canadian spelling, but today was the first day I became aware that jewellery fits into this category, as I went to tag this post “costume jewellery” I learned that Americans spell it jewelry. So I’ve spelt it both ways.

Status: Could it be worn for every day wear? Or determine value and sell. The sea monster may be interested too – it could be called an aquamarine blue.

Posted on by Deanne in Jewellery

Day 65 – Vintage Postcard – Oh! How I Love You!

Vintage Postcard Detail

Vintage Postcard, “Oh How I Love You,” Postmarked March 14, 1913 (possibly 1918 – the impression is faint).

Along with the Captain of the 29th Batallion, this postcard was part of the ephemera I purchased at the antiques flea market.

The handwriting seems a bit shaky, and makes me somewhat suspicious of the authenticity of this postcard. Although why fake a vintage postcard that you’re charging less than a dollar for? It’s the fact that it reads “Hello Ted, Just read your card in answer I will just say _____”,

Vintage Postcard Back

And then the magnificent “Oh! How I Love You” on the other side – makes it seem all above board, but why is it addressed to a woman – unless that’s her return address?

Vintage Postcard Oh I how love you

Tantalizingly,  a quick google returns a record of a marriage between Roy Lloyd and Eleanor Creathbaum in Baker County, Oregon (not too far from Vancouver, BC I’m guessing) and it was in January 1915. If this card is from 1913 then it all fits.

Status: Unravel mystery…

p.s. I started this blog on Feb 1, so it’s unlikely I’ll still be blogging about obsolescing things by next Valentines – otherwise I would have saved it as perfect for the 14th. It’s Easter and Passover, surely love fits in there somewhere.

Posted on by Deanne in Paper

Day 64 – 3D glasses

3 D Glasses

Master Image 3D Glasses. Era unknown.

These are big enough to go over my smallish glasses, so they look vintage, but who knows, perhaps they are only from a couple of years ago – the Alice in Wonderland flick. Either way, they hang about in the already overstuffed glasses drawer.

There is something wonderful about them. It’s the promise of magic, even if when finally experienced loses its charm quite soon.

3-d glasses top view

Status: Verify age,then chuck or sell, depending on outcome.

Posted on by Deanne in Objects