curios
Shelf-dwelling peculiarities
Curios are objects valued for their unusual, rare, or exotic qualities rather than practical use—the kind of things that fill antique shops and collectors' shelves: The cabinet displayed curios from her travels.
The word is the plural of curio, a shortened form of curiosity in its sense of an object that arouses interest.
Minor decorative objects
- figurinesSmall ornamental sculptures
- miniaturesTiny representations of larger things
- keepsakesItems preserved for sentiment
- souvenirsObjects preserving travel memories
baubles · knickknacks · ornaments · charms · tchotchkes · snow globes · thimbles · spoons
Objects kept for remembrance
- souvenirsObjects preserving travel memories
- keepsakesItems preserved for sentiment
- ephemeraDisposables preserved as collectibles
- postcardsMailable souvenir notes
photographs · nostalgia · travel · vacation · tourist · gift shop · sentimental · remembrance
Strikingly unconventional
- peculiarStrangely unusual
- strangeUnusual or unfamiliar
- unusualNot often encountered
- grotesqueDistorted, bizarre figure
freakish · cabinet of curiosities · taxidermy · specimen · anatomical · natural history · sideshow · Victorian
Quality from past eras
- heirloomInherited family treasure
- VictorianOf a prim era
- patinaSurface film from aging
- porcelainTranslucent fired clay
provenance · restoration · appraisal · auction · Chippendale · rococo · baroque · cameo
trinkets
Minor decorative objects
- figurinesSmall ornamental sculptures
- miniaturesTiny representations of larger things
- keepsakesItems preserved for sentiment
souvenirs · baubles · knickknacks · ornaments · charms · tchotchkes · snow globes · thimbles · spoons · paperweights
mementos
Objects kept for remembrance
- souvenirsObjects preserving travel memories
- keepsakesItems preserved for sentiment
- ephemeraDisposables preserved as collectibles
postcards · photographs · nostalgia · travel · vacation · tourist · gift shop · sentimental · remembrance · scrapbook
bizarre
Strikingly unconventional
grotesque · freakish · cabinet of curiosities · taxidermy · specimen · anatomical · natural history · sideshow · Victorian · macabre
vintage
Quality from past eras
porcelain · provenance · restoration · appraisal · auction · Chippendale · rococo · baroque · cameo · Edwardian
- collectingcollector, art collection, stamp collecting, collectible, coin collecting
- Victorianaseances, Dickens, spiritualism, Sherlock Holmes, phrenology
- curioscuriosities, knickknacks, knickknack, trinkets, tchotchkes
- flea marketsvendors, stalls, booths, bargains, haggling
- home decorvase, candles, lamps, cushions, artwork
- knickknackstchotchkes, trinkets, bric-a-brac, gewgaws, gimcracks
curiostools
Devices for doing work
necessities · essentials · household items · utensils · appliances
curiosmasterpieces
Works of supreme skill
fine art · major works · museum pieces · magnum opus · monuments
- morbid curiosityInterest in disturbing things
- curious mind
- Curious GeorgeNosy monkey character
- curio cabinetGlass case for collectibles
- intellectual curiosityDesire to learn and understand
- curious onlooker