Antique Trader Launches Nostalgic Treasures Contest

IOLA, Wis. — After seven years of inspiring and entertaining reader submissions about “favorite finds,” Antique Trader is changing things up a bit with its 2016 autumn nostalgia contest issue. Sponsors of this special issue are Houstory Publishing, LLC and J Display Case.

Over the past few years, feedback from readers revealed a number of people didn’t feel their “favorite find” was “good enough” to submit to the contest; and that what made their item important to them wasn’t necessarily the monetary value, but the item’s sentimental worth.

“Every year we’ve run the Favorite Finds contest, we’ve received some criticism about our winner selections,” said Karen Knapstein, Antique Trader print editor. “It’s because big values and profitable flips grab headlines and the judges’ attention.”

“This year,” she continues, “we’re looking for stories about your favorite Nostalgic Treasures. We want to make it clear: Everyone’s treasured items – even your beloved Oscar Mayer Weinermobile whistle – are absolutely good enough. For this contest, the winner will be selected based on how well they convey why an item is important to them. It’s the nostalgia that counts – the connection.”

Perhaps its an heirloom doll passed from grandmother to granddaughter, a kitschy black velvet painting of Elvis that is forever linked to childhood memories of visiting (or being dragged) along to the local “surplus shop” by your parents, or maybe it’s a bold-in-a-less-than-beautiful-way bronze figure discovered in an out-of-the-way place that is the centerpiece of your living room and frequent topic of conversation among visitors. Antique Trader wants to hear all about it, and what those stories and the connection to those items means to you.

Although we are in the trade of antiques and collectibles, and if money is not changing hands, there isn’t much business happening, but we also recognize nostalgia is a valuable commodity. With that, Antique Trader has teamed up with two unique businesses serving the antiques and collectibles community, to offer a special grand prize to showcase and preserve the memories and sentiments of the winner’s nostalgic treasures. The prize includes an acrylic antique and collectible display cover and base from J Display Case; a 10-pack of registration stickers for registering items with Houstory’s HeirloomRegistryTM — an online registry for recording, in words and photos, the stories and provenance of antique and collectible items; a set of microfiber cleaning cloths; an Antique Trader Picker’s Journal; and a personalized certificate of achievement. One runner-up will receive a Picker’s Pocket Guide library (eight books) produced by Antique Trader’s sister publishing group, Krause Publications; an Antique Trader Picker’s Journal; and a certificate of achievement. Plus, every person who submits an entry for the contest will receive a complimentary keepsake copy of this special issue.

Entries eligible for inclusion in the 2016 contest will be accepted through midnight September 30, 2016. Contest entries can be sent to Antique Trader Nostalgic Treasures Contest, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990 or to ATNews@fwcommunity.com. If sending by e-mail, include “2016 Nostalgia Treasures Contest Entry” in the subject line. Contest entries must be received before midnight on September 30, 2016.

Sponsor of the Nostalgic Treasures Contest, Houstory Publishing LLC is the publisher of the original Home History Book™ archival journal and developer of The Heirloom Registry™, and was founded in 2007 by brothers Mike and Dan Hiestand. Houstory is redefining preservation of provenance and encouraging home genealogy practices. Fellow sponsor J Display Case, founded in 1996 by John Marx, fabricates acrylic display cases that serve the needs of a wide range of clients. From passionate collectors seeking to showcase select items to national museums and U.S.
governmental agencies looking to present and preserve national artifacts, J Display Case products house a myriad of treasures. Both of these sponsors represent and support the mindset that a treasure is a treasure if someone believes it is, and preservation of the stories and sentiments associated with an item are integral part of its intrinsic value.