Expert Insights
Expert Insights is your gateway to the wisdom of the antiques industry’s most respected voices. Gain invaluable knowledge from esteemed conservators, historians, seasoned dealers, and expert appraisers. This section offers practical tips and engaging behind-the-scenes stories. As you uncover their rich narratives, elevate your understanding and appreciation for these treasures.
Retro Meets Timeless: Inside the World of Mid-Century Modern
By Rob Wolfe of American Pickers Walk into any stylish home today, flip through Instagram, or browse a trendy furniture store, and chances are you’ll spot it: sleek wooden sideboards, ...
Holt-Howard Pixieware: The Best Guide with Prices and Tips
By Yasmina Greco, Crazy4Me, Reprinted with permission Pixieware from Holt-Howard, Davar, Lefton, and Lipper & Mann There are remarkable individuals with a golden touch, turning everything they touch into treasure, ...
Why Mid-Century Modern Captured America
By Shirley M. Mueller, M.D. In the mid-1950s, the United States experienced the emergence of a design movement that would forever shape our visual vocabulary: mid-century modern. Characterized by clean ...
Madison Modern: Century House Pottery
by Donald-Brian Johnson During the 1940s and ‘50s, most ceramics and pottery firms were based on the West Coast. Two of the best-loved, however, made Madison, Wisconsin, their home: Ceramic ...
A Steamboat’s Signature: The Nameboard of the Delta Queen
By Jessica Rickman, Certified Personal Property Appraiser Recently, I attended The Nashville Show, a prominent annual antiques show in Middle Tennessee. There, I had the opportunity to examine an original ...
Social Media is Not Your Product Catalog
by Sloane Middleton Mann Let’s be honest: posting product photos on Instagram isn’t a marketing strategy. It’s a hope and a prayer. If you’ve been using social media as a ...
20 Things You Should Always Buy at Estate Sales
by Tamara White Estate sales are the one place where the saying “One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure” holds true. These sales offer the chance to find valuable items ...
8 Essential Estate Sale Tips for Buyers in 2025
Estate sales are more than a way to clear out a home — they’re curated snapshots of a life, where every object has a story and potential value. For buyers, ...
Estate Sales – From Treasure to Trouble: What Happens When Heirs Must Sell Your Collection
by Shirley M Mueller, MD In a nutshell: Though many collectors try to de-access their collections before death, this often does not happen. If sold at an estate sale handled ...
Closets: The Overlooked Spot You Should Always Check At Estate Sales For The Best Treasures
The real hidden gems are often tucked away in unexpected places. By Nicole Letts https://www.southernliving.com/reasons-to-check-closets-at-estate-sales-11748953 Kimberly Murstein and her grandmother, Gail Palm Beach residents Kimberly Murstein and her grandmother, Gail, ...
Estate Sale Finds
by Jessica Kosinski If you are an avid collector like me, you have probably been to many estate sales over the years. My collectibles of choice tend to be various ...
Estate Sales 101: Etiquette, Rules, and Tips for Beginners
browsing through clothing at an estate sale ...
How to Turn Foot Traffic into Web Traffic
by Sloane Middleton Mann Vintage items shine in person. Within styled booths or stores, the tactile browsing and face-to-face connections make an impulse purchase hard to resist. But what happens ...
Antique Apothecary Cabinet ASMR Restoration
I found this antique apothecary cabinet in a local optician’s shop and immediately had the feeling it carried an incredible history. I couldn’t resist uncovering its story while bringing it ...
The Vintage Water Decals of America’s National Parks
by Ron Wolfe of American Pickers In the world of vintage collectibles, few items evoke the spirit of adventure and Americana quite like the water decals from the 1950s, especially ...
From Past to Present: The Story of National Parks in American History
Article by the National Park Service, nps.gov Welcome to a journey through time as we explore the rich history and significance of national parks in America. From the early days ...
How to Build a Vintage Brand: 4 Questions to Drive Growth
By Sloane Middleton Mann. Sloane is the founder of Business of Vintage, the world’s only marketing agency specializing in vintage and antique shops. Follow @business.of.vintage on Instagram for vintage marketing tips ...
Sick Glass and Ways to Deal With It
Content from Antiques Arena, antiquesarena.com. Used with permission. Edited by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor, Journal of Antiques Glass, a material celebrated for its beauty and durability, is not immune to ...
The Summer Treasures Trail: A Cross-Country Road Trip Through Vintage America
For antique enthusiasts, summer marks the beginning of an exhilarating season packed with opportunities to uncover hidden gems. Picture the quaint fields of New England, where charming local fairs revive ...
Jukebox Journeys: Exploring the History, Collectibles, and Musical Impact of a Cultural Icon
by Rob Wolfe At the turn of the 20th century, music took a revolutionary turn with the introduction of records, first made from shellac and later from vinyl. These early ...
Breweriana and Rob Wolfe: A Passion for Collecting
by Rob Wolfe of American Pickers Among the many categories of collectibles I encounter, one that stands out for historical significance and nostalgic appeal is breweriana. This niche area of ...
Collecting Religious Artifacts: Antiquing on a Wing and a Prayer
by Rob Wolfe of American Pickers For centuries, collecting religious artifacts and iconography has been a pursuit that transcends time, geography, and personal beliefs. These objects often hold profound significance ...
Treasures of Christmas Past: Christmas Collectibles
by Rob Wolfe Christmas is a time to create memories, gather with family, and—let’s be honest—for many of us, it’s a time to decorate to the nines. And for a ...
New Markets for Buying and Selling Antiques and Gathering the Stories with the Goods
by Rob Wolfe of American Pickers The antiques market is an ever-shifting landscape with new market entrants, ever-changing trends on what’s in and what’s out, and new ways of monitoring the ...
The Robot Bulldozer, A Flare Product by United Pioneer Company
By Rob Wolfe In the early 1960s people around the world were fascinated with imagining the future that technology could bring. There were many real and Hollywood-created reasons for this ...
