Curiosities

Cabinets of curiosities, sometimes called cabinets of wonder, have a long history as a collection of notable objects. Check out this TED-Ed video on the history of museums. They were a way to display collections and spark interesting conversations. Instead of a cabinet, I have a shelf... or rather the top of a shelf to display a few stationary related artifacts. 

This small collection contains:

• A variety of vintage wooden rulers. Some are school rulers and some are advertising rulers. All were made in Canada.
• 2 ASPCO pencil sharpeners, a Giant and a Chicago, both made in Canada during the late 1930s or 1940s. 
• Several pencils made by the Canadian Pencil Company, a short lived Canadian manufacturer from the 1960s.  The pencils are held in Schwartz "mustard glasses". In the 1950s, Schwartz & Sons began selling mustard in reusable glass jars. The spice company was based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and these glasses became common drinking glasses.
• A pack of Planet playing cards which were made in Canada and still has the excise stamp tax on it. The stamp was orginally issued in 1947.
• Three different Acme cribbage boards. All were made in Canada by the Acme Ruler and Advertising Co., Ltd. of Toronto, Ontario. They are all the same board from different time periods.