In 2017, if we weren’t writing code for RelicRecord.com, we were writing articles for our readers to enjoy. The topics we write about are largely dictated by the interests of our readers. Simply put, we do our best to give people what they want! So what exactly do our readers want? Well, according to our data, here are the 10 most read, shared, and talked about articles of 2017. Enjoy! Read more
Q. How would you describe yourself?
A. First and foremost, I would say that I’m an historian. To be great at the hobby of recovering Civil War relics, you have to have a passion for it–researching and discovering all of the nuanced, intricate historical details. I think most everyone in this hobby is an amateur historian in their gut.
I have a passion for Civil War history and I only focus on that time period. My degree is in chemistry; and I liked it at the time, working for both Textron and DuPont for a while. However, there’s a difference between liking what you do and having a passion for what you do.
There comes a point in every collectors’ collecting life when getting a professional appraisal will make sense—determining an item’s value for a sale, for insurance coverage, charitable donations, and estate-planning; or just simply satisfying one’s curiosity of what something is and how much it’s worth.
No matter what you collect, you can find someone to appraise it. The key however, is to find someone who’s qualified. By no means are we appraisal aficionados, but here are a few suggestions to help you get started.
Many relic hunters and collectors have one or more “Ginger Beer” or “Ginger Ale” bottles in their collection. Such bottles are often found in trash pits near Union and Confederate Civil War camps. The bottles were also common Civil War period crockery, often used by civilian home brewers to make homemade Ginger Beer. This also explains why bottles are found in household privy pits, as they were discarded once emptied. So I guess I’m not the first guy to drink a beer while on the toilet?
RelicRecord.com would like to thank everyone who participated in the Great Relic Giveaway. The entries are in and the winner has been declared. Join us in congratulating Steven V. of Austin, Minnesota for winning some really cool Civil War relics!
The Dalton Civil War show has always been one of our favorite shows to attend. This year was no different. There were well over 400 dealers putting their relics and knowledge on full display for the thousands of attendees to enjoy and learn from. Needless to say, it was a tremendous experience.
This show was particularly special for our new company RelicRecord.com, as this was the first show we’ve attended as an exhibitor. I want to thank everyone who stopped by our table to learn about what we’re building and who we’re building it for. We learned a great deal from our conversations with you and it’s our mission to build a product you’ll enjoy as much as your relics. Now we understand that might be a challenge but we’re going to give it our best shot!
If you’ve already entered our raffle for a chance to win Civil War relics, feel free to share this link with friends: relicrecord.com/show. The entry period will remain open until Saturday, February 21st, 2015.
What do you collect?
For me, I’ve collected baseball cards (an obvious entry into collecting for a kid), stamps, coins, arrowheads, collectible card games, fountain pens and even buckeye nuts. My collections have never really amounted to much in size or value but I had fun getting them together and inventorying them. My brother is big into “hunting treasure” which is mostly buried civil war and world war two relics forgotten by time. Somewhere in there I’m pretty sure he has a small collection of fossils and arrowheads as well. The folks also have their own collections they have gathered over the years. The running joke in our family is that mom has collected pretty much every antique juicer in Tennessee and probably parts of Alabama. Being a southern family, there are also pocket knives, arrowheads and other relics of a southern heritage. Read more