My Hunt for Stuff That Is Not Chamber Pot-Related

So, before I found those two chamber pots, I was out looking for them, or for anything else interesting/educational/sciency or history that I could find.  At a peculiar little shop in St. Louis I found not only some really great finds, but also a proprietor who was partial to teachers and gave me some great deals. 


First, I found the geode and the pieces of Native Southwestern American pottery.  Then he showed me the shell and fish fossils.  I've always wanted a fish fossil.  They are more fun to find on your own, but this is second best.  

This summer I have also procured an egg poacher, a 1950s era aluminum mini pot, and two sock darners (one for 59 cents!)  I love to have my students guess what these things were used for.  Their answers are usually very entertaining.  

I also nabbed the brush from a celluloid dresser set and two vintage metal type letters.  There is also a celluloid dresser set which is the focus of one of our literature stories, and the students have no reference point for that either.  Here is a picture of an entire celluloid dresser set that I found at a store in Ohio, but it was way out of my price range.  

My favorite part of these is the hair collector (picture bottom left).  In the Victorian era people would make bracelets out of their loved ones' hair.  Really.  It was called mourning jewelry.  May I also mention that I have my great aunt's braid?