In the past ‘scraps’ were too valuable to throw away

Antiques & Collecting
  • Nearly 200 years ago, a little wallpaper and pasteboard and a scrap of fabric made a brightly colored multipurpose box. Now, antique boxes like these can sell for hundreds of dollars. Photo Credit: Conestoga Auction Company Division of Hess Auction Group (c) 2026 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.
    Nearly 200 years ago, a little wallpaper and pasteboard and a scrap of fabric made a brightly colored multipurpose box. Now, antique boxes like these can sell for hundreds of dollars. Photo Credit: Conestoga Auction Company Division of Hess Auction Group (c) 2026 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.
  • Cherokee County Court Docket
    Cherokee County Court Docket
    Today, “zero waste” may be a movement, but in the past, it was a necessity. Scraps were repurposed not out of environmentalism, but because they were too valuable to throw away. Folk art and crafts turned discarded material into useful and beautiful items.For example, a colorful wallpaper box with a pincushion top sold for $468 at the Conestoga Auction Division of Hess Auction Compan...

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