Antique of the Week: Copper Weather Vanes

This column is all about giving new life to old things and showing off some of the hidden gems around Half Hollow Hills. Someone else's trash is another person's treasure, right? Want to show off your own vintage or antique piece? Email amanda.lindner@patch.com.

If there is one thing we learned this week it is to not take the weather in vain. Keeping with the Hurricane Irene theme, this week’s Antique of the Week features vintage weather vanes.

You didn’t need a weather vane this weekend to see that it was windy, and of course if they were up in this storm they would have been ‘gone with the wind,’ but now that the weather has past it is safe to put those decorations back on display.

A weather vane, also known as a wind vane, was historically used by farmers to tell the direction of the wind which would be a great help when on the field. An east wind usually meant rain; with this information the farmer would be able to plan accordingly keeping his crops and livestock in mind.

Weather vanes were generally designed depicting animal forms. The animal represented on a certain farm was usually not by coincidence. A cattle rancher typically had a cow weather vane on top of his barn, a horse breeder a horse and so on.

Although weather vanes are still used outside on top of sheds or garages they are mostly used for decoration and are also seen indoors as well as a popular trend in country décor.

The Antique Market has a few weather vanes for sale in their store. One in particular is of a man riding a horse drawn wagon selling at $175, while another is a Native American holding a bow and arrow priced at $225; they are both made of copper.

Another weather vane found for sale in the antique store is that of a flying pig; it brings a new meaning to the term “When pigs fly!”

The Antique Market is located at 700 East Jericho Turnpike and is open for business 7 days a week from 11 am to 5 pm.