306 Ch. 17 - Varney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood (1845)

Our dear friend O F Cieri joins us once again for another thrilling chapter of the Victorian penny dreadful Varney the Vampire, wherein we enter a dark dank dungeon and behold the mysterious prisoner within... Check out O F Cieri's short speculative fiction and essays at ofcieri.com, and read her spooky alt-history novel BACKMASK!

A spooky gateway drug to ball-jointed dolls! Enjoy this 2010s fashion doll collectible with a robust secondhand market and delight in many monster puns in honor of the Halloween season.

If you’ve already  depressed yourself in looking up how much it cost to buy a house in the 1990s, consider doing the math for the price of a cottage! Once upon a time it was perfectly reasonable to spend the inflation-adjusted equivalent of fifty actual dollars on a single decorative spice jar for your proto-cottagecore kitchen. Now make it a whole set of spice jars sold through a subscription model and you too will understand their eldritch horror. At least they’re cute?

Behold! The twenty-eighth chapter of the Victorian penny dreadful Varney the Vampire, wherein we discover Mr. Marchdale's exculpation of himself, the search through the gardens, the spot of the deadly struggle, and the mysterious paper! To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

Harry and Simon of Windsor and Lyme Bay Auctions and The Gavel and the Gabble podcast join the Antiques Freaks for a chat about what we find most exciting in the antiques world of today. You can hear more of Harry and Simon by subscribing to The Gavel and the Gabble wherever you find your fave podcasts! 

Dr. Elizabeth Yuko returns to educate the Antiques Freaks on the wild history of deck chairs - from tuberculosis sanitoria to the Adirondacks to the Titanic and beyond!

While Ken recuperates, please enjoy this episode from our Varney vaults - wherein we discover the noble confidence of Flora Bannerworth in her lover, her opinion of the three letters, and the Admiral's admiration! To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

Carolyn Law takes Dee and Ken on an adventure throughout the hidden history of women silversmiths! Including Hester Bateman, Anne Tanqueray, Clara Barck Welles, and Frances Macbeth Glessner. Carolyn is a personal property appraiser with a specialization in silver, English, Irish, American Colonial and Federal; a collector of 18th century English silver, particularly by women silversmiths; an author of articles on silver and appraisal practice in Silver Magazine; and a member of the UK Silver Society.  You can learn more about Carolyn and her work at CarolynLawAntiques.com

Please enjoy this chapter from our Varney vaults, wherein Charles Holland writes three letters - OR DOES HE!? To instantly unlock over a hundred more chapters (literally), check out our Patreon.

Dee and Ken demonstrate a troubling lack of moral fiber in this fascinating tale of high art fraud! Once upon a time there was a truly excellent printmaker whose woodblock carvings and illustrations made viewers weep for their beauty. Unfortunately good art doesn’t pay. You know what does? Crime. Never apologize for your art.