As Beth travels to antiques shows across the country buying and selling merchandise for her business, her inner shell-seeker scans the horizon for treasure to add to her collection. “I was tramping through the Brimfield, Massachusetts, antiques show when a dealer I know called me over,” she recalls. “She knew I collected this stuff and showed me an adorable doghouse bank.” It was about 6 inches high (f) and included a little china dog.

   “I took one look at it and felt like a cartoon character with a bubble over my head reading, ‘Oh, my God. That is so cool!’ I handed her the money,” Beth says with a laugh. “It’s a bunch of collectibles all in one, appealing to people who like dogs, little houses, banks, Victoriana, or seashells.” 
   Few banks have survived, because they had to be broken to retrieve the coins, and few doghouses still retain the little dog, making the piece especially rare.



   At first, the decorative bits of folk art were crafted at home by residents of various ports of call, eager to profit from souvenir-buying sailors on shore leave. But the items became so popular that companies in England hopped aboard and began producing them, making sure each piece retained a charming, homemade look. “They were still made by hand, using the earlier trinkets as a pattern,” Beth assures us.

Picture frames become popular in the 1890's, after George Eastman invented celluloid film. Beth's frames are 6 to 10 inces tall (g and h).
English companies produced miniature dressers and vanities. These pieces (i, j and k) are 5 to 10 inches high.

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