Collecting Natural History
Growing up in New York City, one of my favorite places to visit on cold and rainy days when you could not play in the Park was the American Museum of Natural History. From the dinosaurs to the dioramas of…
Nick Boschetto
Diahann Carroll ring, $56,325, Bonhams
A diamonds and cultured pearl ‘toi et moi’ ring sold for $56,325 at an auction of items from the estate of the late actress Diahann Carroll held March 10 by Bonhams in Los Angeles. Also, a 20th century Steinway ebonized…
Viking Glass – A Colorful History
Viking Glass grew out of its predecessor, New Martinsville Glass Company, which was established in 1900 by Mark Johnson and George Matheny. The plant was up and running in 1901 in New Martinsville, West Virginia, known for its natural gas…
Mercury Glass: Encasing the Brilliance of Silver
Mercury glass is not all it is wrapped up to be as there is no actual mercury used in the encased silvered part of the glass, except during its first few years. While rumors abound regarding the danger of being…
Forged Signatures: Tips to Help Collectors Find the Real Deal
By Kary Pardy, writer of “Exploring Antique Technology” Mickey Mantle’s baseball, a celebrity-signed photograph, the copy of the Declaration of Independence from your relative’s attic: the value of each of these items lies in its authenticity. Forgers go to great…
Can I have your Autograph?
by Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher Since ancient Roman times, a man’s ability to sign his name separated him from the masses and marked him as a member of the ruling class at a time when all but a very few were…
Apple-1 computer, $458,711, RR Auction
A fully functional Apple-1 computer, conceived by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as a bare circuit board to be sold as a kit and completed by electronics hobbyists, sold for $458,711 in an online auction that began March 5 and…
Grahame Sydney painting, $64,350, Thomaston Place
An oil on linen painting by New Zealand contemporary artist Grahame Sydney (b. 1948), titled Cook House, Home Hills, sold for $64,350 at a Global Tour Auction held Feb. 28-29 and March 1 by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in Thomaston,…
What’s in a Name? Sascha, Marc, and Sometimes, Matthew
Story and photos by Donald-Brian Johnson In the world of mid-twentieth-century décor, it wasn’t enough for a designer to be a household name. What sold everything—from dinnerware to dishwashers to draperies—was exactly the right household name. That name had to…
Great Collections: Assembling Only the Best: The Pedro Correa do Lago Autograph Collection
Assembling Only the Best: The Pedro Correa do Lago Autograph Collection From June 1 through September 16, 2018, what is considered “one of the most comprehensive autograph collections of our era”* was offered on display at the Morgan Library in…