Old Technology, New Technology... It All Works

Ya know, it's purty dang amazin' that all the things we take for granted today actually work. You and I both know things today are far more complicated than what they used to be. More parts, more components, more communications stuff... but I'm guessin' we need all of 'em, cause otherwise Ol' Dusty wouldn't be talkin with ya now and offerin' to let ya buy all that great ol' stuff ya shoulda kept!

The other day I was lookin' through some of my antique photo negatives... ya know, the real old ones, sum of which are those real fragile glass ones what makes it real hard fer 'em to survive all these years. Those ol' negatives got detail and contrast and qualities what modern day photographs jus' seem to be missin'. Comes from bein' shot in film instead of digital, I'm told.

  

 There's sum great images in that collection, an' I gots to figgerin' that some of 'em would make pretty dern good garage art or shop art fer all you folks checkin' DustyBarnfinds.com out! So the folks up at Dusty's barn got told to figger out how I could offer sum of those special images to you. Their solution was to offer y'all sumthin' really amazin! Turns out our computer wiz (didja know Dusty had a computer wiz?) figgered out how we could reprint photos from those antique negatives and let you have 'em for a real good price. Now these ain't not cheap-ass digital repro prints... they're genuine photographic prints on archival photo paper, meanin' they're crisp, clear, an' won't fade away like sum do.

We're offerin' 'em in the standard 8"x10" size, what fits readily available mats an' frames, meanin' you can mat 'em and frame 'em exactly hows you wants 'em, at a pretty reasonable cost. But, if ya be needin' a special size, either bigger or smaller, git a hold of us through the website, and we'll figger it out an' get ya' a special quote.

There's some amazin' car shots from vintage dealer advertising, includin' showroom brochures, postcards, and vintage ads. And, there's a whole bunch of vintage tin shots that will be havin' you figgerin' out your next project or maybe showin' how yours started out!

There's also a whole selection of various WWI and WWII posters... everything from recruiting and motivation to safety and conservation. I'm thinking a couple of these would be really cool as safety reminders in the shop! 

Check 'em out at DustyBarnfinds.com by goin' to the  "Inventory For Sale" page and clicking on the category "Modern Photographic Prints". I'm thinkin' you're gonna enjoy havin' sumthin' other than plain walls in your shop!

Til next time, from sum where on the road,

Dusty

Previews of Coming Attractions!

Ol' Dusty thought y'all might like to see a few of the treasures from the "boxes of Brambles" he told ya about the other day! They'll be listed for sale, along with a whole bunch of others, on www.DustyBarnfinds.com in a couple of weeks. Check 'em out!


Official 1988 Copenhagen Racing pin commemorating AJ Foyt's 30th year at he Indianapolis 500. This pin was issued before AJ retired as a driver. An extremely limited number of these pins were produced for Sponsors, team members, and selected VIPS, and they are rarely seen in the collector market.

Authentic Alan Kulwicki "Rookie of the Year" NASCAR racing collectible pin. Kulwicki was named rookie of the year in 1986, and this pin was created to celebrate. Distributed to team members, sponsors, and select VIPS, these pins are scarce, and became moreso after he won the Winston Cup Championship in 1992. Kulwicki's tragic death in 1993 has made these pins extremely collectible.




This one's a truly rare find... an authentic CBS Sports Daytona 500 pin, issued to all CBS Sports on-air personalities and booth personnel allowing them access to the broadcast booth, NASCAR Officials areas, and production trucks. Because of their use as access credentials, an extremely limited number of these pins were distributed, and fewer still are available in the collector market. You won't see one of these in your friends pin collection!

And finally, what would a selection of truly amazing collector pins be without something extremely rare regarding Dale Earnhardt. Sr.? This is a pin that not very many people have ever seen, as it was given only to sponsors, team members, and VIPS. According to team members, Dale himself commissioned this pin as recognition to his crew of their outstanding efforts to become the NASCAR Unocal Pit Crew Champions for three consecutive years, 1985, 1986, and 1987. The pin features the famous black number 3, the RCR logo, and Earnhardt's signature. A very rare pin sure to be the envy of the other collectors you know!

Like's I said before, there be two big ol' grapefruit boxes of these kinds of collector pins. These are jus' a few that Ol' Dusty was able to pick out as being unusual. There's plenty more, and they'll be in my store soon so y'all can add them to your collections!
Til next time, from sumwhere on the road,
Dusty

Coupla Boxes of Brambles

Well, Ol' Dusty done scored again! Snagged hisself some real treasure, from a place most folks ain't never seen, much less snooped 'round!

See, I was wanderin' the two lane as I does sum times, and stopped to feed the ol' truck. Got to jawin with the ol' feller taking the money (and of late, he's been takin' a bunch fer his gasoline). He were wearin' a frayed ol' bucket hat, matchin' the frayedness of his other clothes, an' lookin' downright comfortable in his ownself.

While we was chattin', old Dusty spots a neat ol' hatpin stuck in his brim, which gits us to talking 'bout a whole bunch of other topics. Next thing I know, we're talkin' 'bout how long he's been collectin' pins, where he got 'em, tradin' an' the like. Purty soon, he's ridin' with me up the road a piece to his ol' farmhouse so's he can show me his pin collection! Once we git there, he brings out two great big ol' grapefruit boxes an' commences to show me his "jewels" as he call 'em. Good gravy, there had to be a couple thousand pins in those boxes... an' he knew exactly what each one was an' where he got it!

Didn't take ol' Dusty long 'fore he saw a couple that he just hadta have, so we start talkin' 'bout tradin' an' barterin'. But the ol' man says nope, he don't want no more pins, he was into old fishin' lure these days, and more pins would just take up more space. Funny how collectors seem to move from one thing to another over time....

Now a few of ya know that these kindsa words are music to ol' Dusty's good ear, an' I was definitely smellin' opportunity! A few backnforths, a couple roundtheblocks, and we was headed back to the gas station with those two big grapefruit boxes nested securely in the back of Dusty's ol' truck. Cost me a bit more than what I shoulda paid, probably, but then again, as I always say, where you ever gonna find somethin' like this again?

So last night, I jus' couldn't help myself... I hadta look through some of those pins! Stuck my hand down into one of them boxes to grab me a handful of pins to look at, and right away felt like I was draggin' my hand through a mile of bramble bushes! Turns out, those pin points is sharp! I've got the perforations to prove it! A bit more careful efffort got me sum to look at... whoo dogies, these is sum fine ones, includin' a few limited editions that Dusty's never seen before! All from a simple question about the one he had on his hat!

This mornin' both boxes got shipped back to the barn, an' I'm guessin' it won't be long 'for these pins'll start showin' up on DustyBarnfinds.com so y'all can enjoy 'em too, and buy 'em from the store. Check 'em out... they won't be all that expensive, an' there's sure to be sumthin' there ya can't live without... or that ya shoulda kept!

Til next time, from sumplace on the road,

Dusty

Ephemera ?

As many of ya know, ol' Dusty's been roamin' around this world for a good number of years now, looking for cool old stuff just about anywhere he can find it. So, imagine my surprise when this citified lady was tellin' me about sum stuff she had today.... said it was "ephemera".

Ephemera? Well, I had absolutely no idea what she was talkin' 'bout. I ain't never called anything I gathered up 'ephemera", that's fer dang sure. To me, it's always been just cool old stuff that other folks shoulda kept!

Well ol' Dusty ain't stupid... he went along with her, asking some clever questions all the while tryin' to get her to reveal exactly what it was she had. And by and by, it comes out that what she's really been jawin' on about, is...... paper!

Turns out, ephemera is basically paper items that were meant for one use or for a short period of time and then discarded. Stuff like handouts, newspapers, or even wrappers. Plain old printed stuff... magazines, showroom brochures, product catalogs, owners manuals, etc. etc. etc. Ephemera indeed!

Antique and vintage Advertisements fall into this "ephemera" stuff. Printed advertisements have been around for eons, ever since craftsman and merchants discovered that it was important to promote themselves, their business, and their products.

In Victorian times, it became popular to collect what is now known as Trade Cards. These were basically advertisements for products that a storekeeper would have in his shop. The fronts were usually so beautifully done that Victorians actually kept scrapbooks of these ads in their parlors as pretty things to look at.

Nowadays, advertisements taken from periodicals are collected for a whole host of reasons. Sometimes the ad shows sumthing that someone collects. An ad with vintage Corvettes or an ad with a particular railroad company can be added to a collection at pretty low cost, while at the same time adding interest and a new dimension to the collection. Classic Car buffs like to get an advertisement showing the car that they have promoted in the year it was first available, as well as any significant ads during its production.

At DustyBarnfinds.com, we just call them vintage advertisements, or showroom brochures, or owners manuals. I don't see no point in using a fifty dollar word that nobody knows what means anyways. And, we don't charge enough to be usin' high dollar words.

So, ephemera will have to live on sumplace else. But at least now I knows what it means.

Til next time, from sumplace on the road,

Dusty

Two Lane Distraction

Whens ever I can, I travel off the super slabs, away from the Interstates. Sure, it’s slower, but then my ol’ truck is more comfortable motorin’ at 50 than 80, an’ I ain’t in no real hurry anyways. The stuf I’m lookin’ fer has been there a long time an’ probably ain’t goin’ anywheres real soon anyways.

So, it’s back roads an’ two lanes, dirt roads an’ country lanes, an’ every now an’ again a drive way or two by mistake. Heck, even sum of those turns out to be interestin’ now and then!

Which is is how, while makin’ my way to Wyomin’, I came upon this great ol’ buildin’ in the middle of nowhere sittin’ off the side of the road. Now, I suspect thousands of folks have driven by it over the years, but you know ol’ Dusty, he’s just gotta stop and see what there is that can be seen.

Now when you’ve been lookin’ round as long as old Dusty has, you look fer certain things in a building… like is the roof still on it… an’ was there a door sumplace that might have let cars and stuff in an’ out… an’ like that. This one had all the good answers, and even had some unexpected ones, like windows that could almost be looked into.

An so it was that my two day trip to the Wyomin’ area took three days. An’ how sum new cool old stuff got added to DustyBarnfinds inventory!

Til next time, from sumplace on the road…

Dusty

Flyin’ Machines

Been chasin’ a rumor this week… one I heard about near on two years ago, but jus’ now got time to check into. Seems like other stuff kept getting’ in the way, if ya know what I mean…

Heard ‘bout a field sumplace in Wyomin’ hidin’ a whole passel of old tin… fenders, bodies, cowls, headlights, the works. Supposed to be an old rancher’s place who’s since passed on, an’ the stuff is pretty much forgotten.

What were supposed to be a two day drive to git there became three cause I done spotted an old barn on a two lane that I had to check out…. But that’s a story fer a different day.

Like most rumors, this one were long on hope an short on details. Knew roughly where this was supposed to be, but no real directions or landmarks. So, a stop at the local flyin’ strip was in order. Amazin what can be learned from the boys who see it all from overhead.

A box of donuts to the flight shack makes a great introduction, specially if ya like to swap flyin’ stories. An sooner or later, sumbody gonna say sumthing real interestin’ that you just might have been waitin’ to hear.

Which is how’s I came to be 1500 feet overtop of some of the purtiest Wyomin’ countryside I’ve ever seen, ridin’ in some kind of a contrapshun called a Robbie, a two person helicopter. Brush, the guy in charge of keepin’ this thing in the air, is a guy who used to ride saddle broncs fer a livin’, which gives ya sum kinda idea ‘bout his sense of adventure. But he knowed the area like the back of his hand, an’ loved showin’ me what he thought the cool stuff was.

Two hours an’ a sack lunch later, an’ I’d found three spots that definitely needed closer checkin’ out. A gift bottle of sour mash got me an open invitation to fly again any time, an’ a hookup with a guy with a couple of horses who could guide me into the areas I’d spotted.

Til next time, from sumplace on the road…

Dusty

On the road, huntin’ an’ hagglin’ with Dusty….

I git asked all the time about all the cool old stuff I find for DustyBarnfinds.com… ya know, the cool old advertisement, or piece of racin’ history, or that ol owners manual ya never thought existed… folks wanna know how comes I find it and they don’t.

Well, I’m guessin’ more than a bit of it comes from sumthin’ I like to call “tribal knowledge”… that special collection of recollections ya git after ‘bout a hunnret years of wandrin round this country of ours. Remembrin’ stories and legends, talks with strangers, things seen at auctions, estate sales, and just nosin’ round the back roads.

It amazes me how many of these younguns think the only roads in this great country are the Interstates… those eight lane concrete serpents that hide real America. Fer my money, the only thing those roads are good fer is getting to my next huntin area!

Ya wanna find cool old stuff, ya gotta take yer time… travel the backroads, stop at the shops, talk with the locals, git to know the area and the people. Church suppers, pancake breakfasts, county fairs, they all git ya to knowin the lay of the land so to speak. And they git ya known to the locals too, which can come in handy when you accidentally end up in sumbody’s driveway at the end of an ol dirtroad.

Nowadays, eBay and their kind have taken all the fun outta huntin stuff… ya wanna find it, ya type a coupla keystrokes and ya got it, fer a pretty penny. That works fer the common stuff, but if yer huntin the good stuff, ya just gotta git out there an’ get dirty… dig through the bushes an’ the brambles’, the bees nests an’ the barbed wire, and find it where it’s at.

There’s still a bunch of cool old stuff out here… right under folks noses who are in too much of a hurry to notice it. It don’t got a neon sign on it, and there’s no “easy off / easy on” exit, but it’s here, an’ it’s callin’ my name.

‘Til next time, from sumplace on the road,

Dusty