Kosloski’s Kashub Commodities? Authenticity and Value Creation in Wilno Furniture

Abstract

Abstract We often attach value to the ephemera and objects we collect, especially if there are personal connections or nostalgic importance attached to the items. Over time, some items in a collection become more valuable and desirable than others. Among Canadian antique collectors, one such object of desire is a late nineteenth-century blanket box. Made by a few craftsmen who came from Prussian-occupied Poland and settled near the small hamlet of Wilno, Ontario, Canada, these boxes were originally valued for their function. But many surviving ones were scooped up in the 1960s and 1970s by pickers. Subsequently, they were featured prominently in books, magazines, and antique auctions, and their value increased dramatically. To unpack the life history of and value associated with the Wilno blanket box, this article utilizes an object biography approach. It seeks out transnational connections to Europe and analyzes the object in the physical, technical, economic, and social realms. It also shows how interactions between objects and people contribute to value creation.