Pony boys

I see another rider, a boy who died years ago. The Sixth Sense on horseback.

Six pounds of chewing gum foil

Looks like the moon. A weird find on eBay.

Catholic church sanctuary rendering

An architect's painting of the beautiful interior of a church in Kingston, Pa. I emailed a Catholic church there, asking if the painting showed their church, but have not heard back. My guess is it's pre-World War II. The back says Whatman Drawing Board cold pressed. 19 inches by 27 inches.

Bold red, black, cream game board

Chinese checkers, 1930s, from Indiana.

Room full of dummies

Old snapshot marked on the back Minigam Photo Labs, LaCrosse, Wisc. I could not find any information on that business. The figures have jointed arms and appear to be quite large.

Red dog guards house on incline

Looks like a great dane. If I'm the postman, I'm not stopping. This painting shows a real place: Random Farm in Mansfield, Conn., the home of Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Powell. The attention to detail, the perspective and that dog makes this folky painting a winner.

Mary Back View

The follow up to Mary Front View.

A game of numbers

Painted black and gold canvas used for gambling, circa 1940. It's large, nearly 45 inches square; has to be to contain all those numbers. I estimate 600 numbers, including 45 comprising the center circle: 16 in the outer circle, 16 in the second subdivided circle, eight in the third circle, four in the fourth circle, then $1. The canvas instructs players on each side that "Checks Must Clear All Lines to Win."

Iron road map c. 1916, central Illinois

A cool artifact from the days when America was transitioning to automobile travel, showing a road network west of Decatur, Ill., in the Interstate 72 area. Obviously, this map, with a patent approval date of 1915, was erected not for the locals who already knew their way around, but for travelers in their newfangled motor vehicles. The Model T was just a few years old at the time. The map owner, aunt_beas_antiques, says it probably stood on the historic Paris-Springfield Road. Some of the nearby settlements: Blue Mound, Blackland, Illiopolis. The area is rural, yet the map looks like a slice of a city. Long-gone paint probably eased the confusion. The inch-thick iron plate, weighing 220 lbs. and just over 41 inches tall, was built to withstand the test of time. But its time in use turned out to be brief.

Don caught some rainbows

Bizarre Polaroid still life. The back says, "These rain bows caught by Don in North Dakota -- some of the fish shown went 4 lbs -- He caught these fish the same way he fishes walleyes. Note the blue + white polar bear lure used -- Just the big ones hit the lure --"

Odd Fellows coffin painting

The Odd Fellows use a coffin in initiation ceremonies because it represents the end. The initiate is told to help others until death. The fraternal organization was founded in England in the 1700s and was so named "because it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind," according to the official website.

Caged

An old candy mold surprisingly tall, 14.6 inches, and heavy. The caged, bearded figure appears to be a caveman wearing an animal fur wrap.