Coin Banks: Cold Hard Cash
by Douglas R. Kelly Strange, but I don’t remember ever owning a piggy bank. What I did have growing up was a plastic bassett hound bank, which I’ve since learned was made by Union Products and was around 15 inches…
Nick Boschetto
Wool in America and the Revolution of the Mill Girls
by Judy Gonyeau,managing editor The English immigrants who came ashore in the 1600s brought their acumen with them, including a taste for British goods when it came to the household and the clothing they wore. It has been said the…
Lace Fabric
by Melody Amsel-Arieli Faded doilies and lacy gloves may evoke visions of bygone afternoon teas in overstuffed parlors. Yet these openwork textiles were likely inspired by highly embroidered Italian Renaissance church vestments. In time, decorative needle lace—hundreds of impossibly tiny,…
Painting by Banksy, $2.032 million, Julien’s
Results of Recent Auctions From Near and Far by Ken Hall A large-scale painting of a grim reaper figure riding in a carnival bumper car titled Brace Yourself! by the graffiti artist Banksy sold for $2.032 million at a Modern…
Outdoor Antiques Shows: Younger Buyers Come for the Experience
If you are someone who frequents annual outdoor antiques and vintage markets, no doubt you are seeing a shift, like I am, in the age and intent of show-goers and the impact that change is having on what is being…
Mark Twain’s typewriter, $106,250, Heritage Auctions
Results of Recent Auctions From Near and Far by Ken Hall The Williams No. 6 typewriter that author Mark Twain purchased in 1906 and used until his death in 1910 sold for $106,250 at a Historical Manuscripts Signature Auction held…
Hattie Carnegie: 20th Century Fashion Entrepreneur
By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher “My clothes are built to show off the woman who wears them. I like them to be simple… to move well, to move with the times and a little ahead of the times.” – Hattie…
Antique Brilliant Cut Diamonds
by Sunseria Morgan, Jewelry Curator, rubylane.com Diamonds have not always been the bright shiny sparkling jewels that we know and love today. For centuries diamonds remained uncut in their natural rough form, or were crudely shaped only with a…
Portrait of George Washington, $34,375, Nye & Company
Results of Recent Auctions From Near and Far by Ken Hall An oil on canvas portrait of George Washington after Rembrandt Peale, titled Porthole Washington, sold for $34,375 at a March Estate Treasures auction held March 8-10 by Nye &…
What, If Anything, Is Your Old Technology Worth?
By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Consumers born after 1980 have no memory of a world without cellphones, home computers, or personal gaming devices. The speed from introduction to mass adoption of these now everyday products in basically a 40-year period…