Antique Cash Registers Ring up Big Sales

Ever wonder why the sound ‘Cha-ching!’ means money?

Necessity is the mother of invention! And when it is necessary to stop people from stealing from you, then you become an inventor. Thus is the story of saloon owner James Ritty of Dayton, Ohio—the inventor of the cash register. James Ritty was a saloon owner who was fed up with his employees taking money from him. So he did some research, tested some ideas, and finally patented a variation on the adding machine. His new machine registered all of the cash that came into his saloon and the cash register was born. The mechanism for the cash register was patented in 1883 and manufacturers like the National Cash Register Company got the machines to market shortly thereafter. To solve Ritty’s problem and that of many store owners in the late …

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Cracker Jack Collecting

Dr. Lori reveals the surprising history and value behind Cracker Jack prizes.

Do you remember the lazy days of summer when you were a kid? You played croquet in the backyard with the rest of the neighborhood gang, frolicked in the lawn sprinkler, or went to the ballpark to take in a baseball game. Snacks were part of the summer fun and a popular snack food was Cracker Jack, the candy-coated popcorn and peanut snack. An early form of Cracker Jack was first sold at the World’s Fair in Chicago (also known as the World Columbian Exposition) in 1893. By 1896, the popcorn and peanut snack was perfected and sold by the Rueckheim Bros. & Eckstein Company. While the delightful snack became a well-known American treat, it also became associated with the American past time, the game of baseball. In 1908, Cracker Jack was …

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Dresher Arcade Books New Tenant

The Archive Bookstore plans to open a satellite location on Main Street.

Previously, Archive Bookstore owner Dale Mechalas would watch with envious eyes as businesses on Main Street capitalized on events such as First Fridays, while his bookstore, located at 725 W. Second St., stayed relatively unknown. "Especially during First Fridays, I would see all these people up on Main Street and I would get so jealous.  I wondered how we could get these people to come to the best kept secret in Lansdale," said Mechalas. He tried a variety of measures to secure visitors to his store, including having his employees wear sandwich boards and pass out flyers.  Still, nothing seemed to work. After a year of poking and prodding by Lansdale Mayor Andy Szeleky, Mechalas finally decided to join fellow business owners at the …

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Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

High prices for presidential collectibles

Talk about "Dolly" Madison ...

I always advise people to collect objects that chronicle a historic event or relate to historic figures. It has been proven that in the market for art and antiques, these types of objects will hold their value long term. So, what’s more historic than the story of our nation’s presidents? When it comes to collecting American history, many objects of note relate to the men who have sat in the Oval Office. Some of the most common collectibles relating to the presidential history relate to George and Martha Washington. For example, I have appraised Washington oil on canvas portraits, Mount Vernon plates, and other Washington collectibles. From historic documents with Washington’s authenticated autograph to plastic mugs featuring his well known…

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