The Great Escape: Hidden Treasures

Although any lover of the English language will generally detest the transformation of nouns to verbs, such as Googling, scrapbooking, and the like, we must admit antiquing has a nice ring. And spending the afternoon antiquing, especially in the East Bay, can be a pleasant means to while away an afternoon.

Martinez has dozens of antique and collectibles shops all over downtown, on Ferry Street, Main Street and beyond.

Pop in some of these stores and have a look around. Have you always wanted a gold-plated 1940s German tea set? Done. Looking for rare collectibles such as a Jayne Mansfield record? Martinez antique shops may have those too.

In no particular order, check out Antique Corner, Olde Towne Antiques, Bill and Mike's Antiques or Bad Girls Antiques, just to name a few.

Wandering through these stores can be a way to unplug from your everyday responsibilities and unwind. Some of the retro 1970s kitchenware evokes childhood memories, and gratefulness that chartreuse is not a popular color in American homes any more. And what was with the owls? And the macramé?

But we digress.

Make your way through the treasures and decide if candlesticks, rolltop desks or Fiestaware grab your attention. Maybe your one or two dolls represent the early stage of a massive Betty Boop collection.

What is capturing other collectors’ imaginations?

According to kovels.com, these are the top 10 collectibles for May 2011:

1. Occupied Japan

2. Coca-Cola

3. Red Wing

4. Pepsi Cola

5. Campbell Kids

6. Pairpoint

7. Shirley Temple

8. Howdy Doody

9. Cash Registers

10. Bottle Openers