Jack Gunsser returned to the Palmerton Area Historical Society on Jan. 9 with some of his antiques. This was his third visit, and he said it is his final one.

He thanked the group for his Christmas dinner and said he enjoyed the company. He was the presenter for that event also.Gunsser said he was in Walmart and someone came up to him and said he recognized him from the story (Christmas) in the Times News. He got Facebook messages referring to the same article.While looking for things to bring he found an oak wall telephone in the cellar and wondered where he could use it - but returned it to its previous location.As a child he lived next to an antiques dealer in Philadelphia who took him along to antiques auctions. His first purchase during that trip was 36 stereopticon views of Mauch Chunk and his latest purchases were the day before his presentation - a lifetime collector.He said much less is available now than when he started. "I bought a piece of treen (wooden ware) yesterday paying $6 for a goblet."Gunsser began his presentation with a flycatcher. Flys entered a narrow top to get sugar water and could not get out again.He has a trolley bell from Carbon Transit mounted on a board from a church. On the back is a dedication, "In memory of Mrs. E. Ditterline by son Willis."A tray on a stand was used as a cardholder. The servant would present the tray to the master or mistress. If the person did not want to see the visitor the corner of the card was bent and returned to the sender.A celery holder, purchased for $1, was often mistaken for a vase or a spoon holder.Gunsser said people see something from a period or family and think that is the way all people lived at that time or location. "What is in a text book is not what happened," he said.Little copper triangles with serrated edges held carpet in place on stairs and prevented dirt from collecting in corners. He said he has a hundred of them.A hollow stick about two feet long was actually a fire extinguisher. It contained baking soda which was sprinkled on a fire before it got out of hand. They were hung in the corners of each room.One antique is a family heirloom. His mother's walking stick contained a sword. Mary Theresa was a tough lady. She carried a gun and once fired at two Gypsies. Mary carried two flasks - one with scotch and one with blackberry brandy.His betty lamp was new. The old originals are hard to find and expensive, Gunsser said.At the death of a husband, the bereaved wife collected her tears and saved them for a year in a special container. At the one-year anniversary of the death the tears were poured on the grave. He said the idea of a bereaved person wearing black was only partially true because they would go from black to shades of gray to shades of lavender before the mourning period was over.The best place to learn about antiques is in reproductions of the old Sears & Roebuck catalogs.Some society members brought items for identification such as Jeanette Behun's picture of a boy dressed in yellow. It was part of an advertisement for railroad tickets to the 1897 Bethlehem Fair. The picture was of the Yellow Kid who was in the first comic strip ever printed in 1895.In other business: A $3,000 grant from Horsehead Resource Development Corp. will allow the Society to replace railroad ties with a stone wall near the Little White Church..President Jane Borbe said the book Peter Kern is putting together is progressing with publication expected in April or May.The Little White Church Christmas service was standing room only. The new organ sounded wonderful. Two visiting pastors gave part of the service in both Slovak and English. Holy Trinity's Resurrection Bell Ringers played several songs. It will be a hard act to follow, said Borbe.The Christmas dinner had a record 68 attendees. The dinner for 2012 is already scheduled for Dec. 10 at Blue Ridge Country Club.When the Little White Church's chimney was cleaned a squirrel nest was found. Lighting will be improved at the parking lot and entrance to the church.Mary Beth Beers wants Christmas memories for a book. They should be turned in at the Heritage Center or emailed to

curbeth@ptd.net by the end of April.She asked two questions to jog memories: "Who remembers when Grant's store had a Santa Claus?" and "Where was the community Christmas tree before it was moved to the bandstand?"