Attic Treasures
These old pieces of paper, the size and shape of diplomas, represent shares owned in a company.
What are stock certificates? Chances are the company has long gone out of business, but they are fun to look at and to use as a teaching tool with youngsters. If the company is still in existence, you could be sitting on a fortune.
This U.S. city has some skyscrapers with their own zip codes.
What is New York City? It has more than 40 buildings with their own zip codes, and Saks Fifth Avenue’s shoe department has its own zip code. It was created in partnership with the USPS in 2007 as part of a marketing strategy
Penguins inhabit this pole.
What is south? Penguins don’t live in the Arctic region. They are found outside Antarctica in Australia, New Zealand, along the South Atlantic Ocean coasts in South America, and in South Africa.
This is the capital of China.
What is Beijing? Formerly known as Peking, it is the second-largest city, with a population of more than 21 million people. The largest city is Shanghai, with around 24 million people.
This is a common pet rodent.
What is hamster? Fun fact: Hamsters and rats belong to different families, and hamsters are not usually found in the wild.
f you peek into boxes, you might find amber, green, pink, yellow, red, or cobalt blue drinking glasses from the 1920s through the 1940s. They are made of this.
What is depression glass? The colorful glass added some cheer during a difficult time.
This is the capital of Portugal.
What is Lisbon? Each year, eight million tourists visit the site of the miracle of Fátima in Portugal, north of Lisbon.
This pole does not exist on a solid ice mass. It consists of water and is surrounded by land.
What is north? The south pole is the exact opposite. It is a landmass surrounded by water.
This German city was once divided by a wall.
What is Berlin? Construction on the Berlin Wall began in 1961, and it came down in 1989. The communist East German government says they built the wall to keep out Western “fascists,” but it is more likely they wished to halt defections to West Germany.
This is a container for dirty clothes in the U.S. but more of a picnic basket in the U.K.
What is hamper? Hampers containing food were introduced to England by France and gained popularity during the Victorian period.
If you look through old purses and stumble upon dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars, save them because they are probably made of this.
What is silver? Their value is generally based on the amount of silver in the coins, but you might have accidentally stumbled upon some numismatic coins, which bring a hefty premium.
Before it was called Mumbai, this was the name of the Indian city.
What is Bombay? It was changed when the Shiv Sena party took control of the government.
This pole has bears.
What is north? Polar bears are found only in and around the Arctic Circle.
This is the capital of Iraq.
What is Baghdad? Baghdad was founded in 762 AD.
This is a major port city in northern Germany.
What is Hamburg? Located on the Elbe River, it is the country’s largest port and the most populous city in Germany after Berlin.
Those dusty, old rugs leaning against the wall might be from the Far East, but they are generically referred to as this.
What are Oriental rugs? The ones from Iran are Persian rugs.
It is one of the two countries Mount Everest spans.
What is Nepal or Tibet? Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, and it continues growing every year due to a phenomenon known as geological uplift.
This admiral is famous for his expeditions to the north and south poles in the 1920s.
Who is Admiral (Richard) Byrd? He flew over the north pole in 1926 and the south pole in 1929.
This is a major city in Alabama and in England.
What is Birmingham? At one time, both cities shared a large manufacturing and iron-producing base. Today’s English city is a research center and claims one of England’s largest malls—the Bullring.
This and the sickle appeared on the Soviet flag.
What is hammer? The hammer and sickle were symbols of the USSR’s power and represented Soviet communism.
If you stumble upon a collection of comic books and are lucky enough to find Detective Comics #27, you will find the first appearance of this character.
What is Batman? Released in May 1939, the story in which he debuts is titled “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” A copy in good condition can be worth over one million dollars.
Piccadilly Circus is in this capital city.
What is London? Circuses are areas in London where many roads intersect at various points in a circle, and it comes from the Latin circ, meaning “circle.”
The first documented discovery of the north pole was by this explorer.
Who is Dr. Frederick Cook? Cook and two assistants reached the north pole on April 21, 1908. Robert Peary was given credit for “discovering” the north pole, but it is likely that Cook had arrived there almost a year before Peary.
This strait separates Alaska and Russia.
What is Bering? The boundary between the United States and Russia lies in the middle of the strait. Only 55 miles separate the two countries at the narrowest point of the waterway.
This is a generic name for checkered or plaid fabrics.
What is gingham? Dorothy wears a blue gingham dress in The Wizard of Oz.