I am sure that several collectors of Currier and Ives will take umbrage at me saying they are forgotten classics of the antiques world, but, that being said, I remember walking into Betty Smiths antiques shop in Hummelstown, Pa., and seeing C&I prints for $700 or more back in the early 1980s. Today, those same prints can be found for often under $100, a casualty of changing times and tastes in the antiques market. The images produced by Currier and Ives spanned the 19th century and covered topics ranging from art to history to ethnicity to comedy to tragedy. They were the television of their time insofar as the topics they explored were among the most popular of their era. Looking at period photographs of the 19th century, it is easy to pick them out hanging on parlor walls. My introduction to C&I prints began when I was working at Fort Hunter Mansion, north of Harrisburg, Pa. Hanging on the stairs to the second floor was a collection of historic prints. I recall one image of the assassination of Lincoln that was so graphic that it gave me nightmares. It was as powerful an image in the 1980s for me as it was when first introduced in 1865. Fast forward to a visit to Antiques World on the Gettysburg Pike outside of Harrisburg. There my mother bought me a Currier and Ives print of Jeremy Cross Masonic Chart. While I sold that piece years later, I would dearly love to come across another. It was my first C&I print. Mom also told me that my dad had owned many C&I prints, so I assumed the love for them came from nature as much as nurture. Over the years, I watched C&I prints rise and fall in price. The Tomb of Washington came home with me one day for $20, which I was very proud to have found. Over the years, however, I lost interest in the prints. Then when we moved Virginia, I spotted a C&I print of the Battle of Williamsburg. A significant but little-known battle of the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, the battle was fought literally yards from the front door of my house. I frequently walked my dogs on the trails where the fighting occurred, and so when I saw the print, I knew that I had to have it. From there, the rest is a rekindled history. I started to collect prints by Currier and Ives again and was amazed how inexpensive many of them were. Like lusterware and brass candlesticks, they were the antiques of the past. In the 1970s, this was the hallmark of a formal Colonial interior. Everyone had to have them. And one can still find lots of fake candlesticks, luster pitchers and Currier and Ives prints that were created during this time period (and thankfully by modern standards, they are so poor that they are easy to discern). Today, one can find really wonderful images by Currier and Ives at very reasonable prices. There are plenty of books and guides to help you learn what to look for in buying. For me, my latest find was a copy of the assassination of Lincoln print that haunted my boyhood dreams. Peter Seibert, a native Pennsylvanian, grew up in the antiques business and remains closely tied to auction houses, collectors, and dealers. Professionally, he has served as a museum director and public historian in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Virginia, and Wyoming. He holds a Master of Arts in American Studies from Penn State and has authored two books and numerous articles on decorative arts, interior design, and history.