NEW YORK – In the late 1800s, Nantucket lightship baskets were handcrafted by sailors aboard the lightships that were moored off the coast of Nantucket. These storied baskets are still being made today, though not on ships, and have kept their original name.

Weaving these rattan baskets was initially a pastime aboard New England whaling ships starting in the 1850s.

Later, lightship sailors had free time during the day as their work was at night, lighting hazardous waterways around the island to allow safe passage for merchant ships. They started making baskets, first for sweethearts and family members. This hobby soon turned profitable until the early 1900s when officials called a halt to lightships’ crews daytime moonlighting. Basketmaking then moved onto the island of Nantucket and transformed what was once a utilitarian object into a work of art.

Taking inspiration from the splint baskets made by local Native Americans, Nantucket lightship baskets were first made freeform without benefit of a mold but today molds are commonly used. The Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum has an impressive collection of baskets from the 1800s to contemporary examples. Its website notes that a Nantucket lightship basket today has several critical components, including weaving the basket with rattan (aka cane) on a mold and being made with a solid wooden bottom plate. Having a hinged top lid with a turned knob and a carved or scrimshaw decorative element (usually a whale, bird, seashell or other nautically themed object) adds to the value of these iconic baskets.

Collectors have long been interested in Nantucket baskets and they are highly collectible. Rare forms are especially desirable such as the “lollipop” baskets. They are open form baskets with staves having round lollipop-shaped endings or heart-shaped endings such as this one and this one seen on the website of Nantucket’s Four Winds Craft Guild.

Early examples are particularly valuable as many have not stood the test of time. “Any 19th century Nantucket lightship basket that has its original paper label and is in somewhat good condition is highly prized,” says John Sylvia of Sylvia Antiques in Nantucket, which specializes in nautical antiques.

Among highly sought-after Nantucket basket makers are Jose Formoso Reyes (1902-1980), who learned his craft from third-generation basket maker Clinton Mitchell “Mitchy” Ray (1877-1956) and went on to himself teach many others. “Reyes’ most popular basket was the Nantucket friendship basket (akin to a pocketbook/purse),” Sylvia said. “Contemporaries of his in the 1950-1960s were Stephen Gibbs, Sherwin Boyer and Stanely Roop. They have always been collected but they made a lot less of them, so their names are not as popular as Reyes.”

Any 19th century basket makers who worked on the lightships are very collected, he said. Some examples include Davis Hall, Andrew Sandsbury, Thomas James, Charles Sylvia, Oliver Coffin and Joseph Fisher. “Then, there is another group that learned from the crewman who made baskets on land and primarily for the tourists … Mitch Ray, A.D. Williams, Ferdinand Sylvaroma and Frederick Chadwick.” Ray learned (basketmaking) from his grandfather, Captain Charles B. Ray, a renowned basket maker. Ray had a prolific studio and signed his baskets with a paper label that read, “I was made in Nantucket, I’m strong and stout. Don’t lose me or burn me and I’ll never wear out. Made by Mitchell Ray.”

By the mid-1900s, makers were signing their baskets and the basket-making tradition continues today, with a new generation of makers learning and making baskets in workshops as a hobby or as a way to earn a living. While the look of a Nantucket lightship basket is immediately recognizable, forms and styles can vary slightly from lidded to open forms. Most are round or oval though a few makers create square baskets. Nesting sets of baskets are popular and baskets can range in size from 4 to 20 inches. Carrying handles are usually crafted from ash, oak or hickory.

“We have seen many changes in adornments, materials used and detail that goes into weaving a Nantucket basket,” according to Rafael Osona Auctions in Nantucket. The auctioneers have sold several rare baskets, including a heart-form open basket made in the last quarter of the 19th century, which sold for over $100,000.

Nantucket baskets have become inextricably linked with the island as a symbol of friendship. At one time, girls graduating from high school on Nantucket would receive a friendship basket, a form created by Reyes. “Reyes broke from tradition and called these friendship baskets because the basket symbolized a bond with Nantucket and was instantly recognized as a reminder of this special place,” according to the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum. Over the years, these baskets have been recognized as an art form and many visitors have taken their own remembrance of the island home in the form of a Nantucket basket.

NEW YORK – American Independence “ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more,” according to John Adams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. While the future U.S. president was right about the celebrations, he was wrong about the day.

As it happens, the vote for independence from Great Britain was unanimous on Tuesday, July 2nd. That’s the day that John Adams envisioned for his “pomp and parade.” When the Declaration of Independence was officially ratified on Thursday, July 4, that became the de facto day that we now celebrate with “bonfires … illuminations” and collectibles.

Declaration of Independence

Naturally there are gift shop copies of the full Declaration of Independence complete with signatures of all 56 signers. Yet, a full text of the Declaration is available in many 19th century printings. Some hand-printed editions published as early as 1824 may start at $15,000, but later highly decorated 19th century versions sell for $300 or so.

If you’re able to find the original historical yearbooks like the Annual Register series that began under the editorship of the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke in 1758, you’ll find a first early printing of the full Declaration of Independence along with notes and comments from Philadelphia.

Flags

Nothing says July Fourth like Old Glory, the flag of the United States. There are any number of flags and flag styles to collect from the very small to the rather large and any number of star patterns. When Independence was proclaimed in July 1776, though, a flag wasn’t even thought about until about a year later. Even then, the flag design that was approved was intended as a naval standard, not a national flag, which was a relatively new concept.

The entire resolution authorizing a flag is just 31 words: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Nothing about how the stars were to be arranged, how many points they should have or whether the stripes were to be horizontal or vertical.

Because the resolution was vague, manufacturers designed unusual patterns using stars with different number of points. Before the Centennial of 1876, a complete flag is relatively hard to find. Most were handmade for display at home while others were government or military standards. After 1876, the presence of the U.S. flag became more ubiquitous.

What makes a U.S. flag fun to collect is the star pattern. Since 1795 a star was added for each new state every July Fourth after the admittance of the state. This means that the flag has changed 28 times, the most of any national flag. There was no set star pattern until 1912, with the most unusual star patterns becoming the most collectible.

Most flags before World War II were made of wool bunting, but there are some of silk, cotton, muslin and even a combination of fabrics. Flags are handsewn, silkscreened, machine sewn (stripes after 1850s; stars after 1890), and even block printed.

Most small, late 19th century hand-held flags are easily available for $30 or less and can be removed from the stick for easier display. Flags need to fit in an acid free frame, so collectors prefer smaller flags. Very large flags, no matter how old are difficult to display, but are great as a school show-and-tell, and as a patriotic addition to a neighborhood or civic program. Banners, or “pull downs” as they are known, are also quite decorative and collectible in any condition, especially with unusual star patterns.

Uncle Sam

Another great symbol of the United States is Uncle Sam, the gentlemanly figure usually decked out in red, white and blue coattails and top hat. Although mentioned in a line of Yankee Doodle, the satirical song sung by the English to harass the Colonials during the Revolutionary War, popular tradition suggests it was a nickname given to Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker for the troops during the War of 1812 in northern New York state. His meat barrels bore the markings ‘U.S.’ and because of his patriotic dedication was nicknamed Uncle Sam.

Today, the Uncle Sam character is mostly associated with a red, white and blue cast-iron mechanical bank and an image created by artist Montgomery Flagg for his World War I recruiting poster “I Want You.” Uncle Sam can also be found in so many other variables such as an Andy Warhol painting, advertising tins, World War II morale posters and pamphlets, Red Cross benefits and even as an ad to help fight forest fires.

Eagles

The American bald eagle has been the most recognizable symbol of the country since its adoption on June 20, 1782 as the Great Seal of the United States. In full display, the eagle holds 13 arrows in the right talon to dramatize the commitment to fighting for freedom and democracy while finding peaceful solutions first symbolized by the olive branch and its 13 branches and berries.

Folk artist John Bellamy carved patriotic eagles for ships and home decoration from about the 1850s to 1900 that are especially prized by collectors and is one of many artists utilizing the majestic bald eagle in patriotic works. The detail apparent in the fierce eyes and almost three- dimensional carving of the feathers and talons holding flags, arrows and ribbons attest to the majestic bird’s powerful image.

Fireworks, Postcards and Noisemakers

The use of fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July began at the first anniversary in 1777. One such celebration was described by the Evening Post in Philadelphia as having “ … a grand exhibition of fireworks (which began and concluded with 13 rockets) on the Commons … ” China, then and now, is the preeminent fireworks manufacturer and their patriotic-themed fireworks labels are highly collectible because as paper labels, they weren’t expected to survive the event.

When graphic design took a decidedly industrial leap in the late 19th century in Germany, the ability to produce more colorful illustrations with raised letters and embossed images helped make the penny postcard an immediate sensation from about 1900 to 1920. The one major postcard artist of the era was American Ellen Clapsaddle, who produced many of the dazzling holiday and patriotic postcard illustrations that are highly collected today. Look for ones with her added signature below the illustration to make them even more valuable.

Family gatherings deserve noise on the Fourth of July, too. Cardboard noisemakers, fanciful pinwheels and loud horns weren’t expected to survive the holiday. Any early items that did survive are highly collectible and sought after, especially if they are in very good condition.

There are also many vintage patriotic-themed items such as posters, civic holiday programs, parade items, buttons, tin items, flag-themed fans, decorations and so much more that can be collected and displayed all year long.

With this many vintage collectibles to display and admire, it’s no wonder that even John Adams believed that patriotic fervor should be “ … from this time forever more.”