RESTORATION or RENOVATION WITH BRETT HOWARD

Antique Marketplace News, Expert Exchange, Features, Howard Products, restoration, Vintage Living

1. 1940s Mid-Century Modern Art Deco Waterfall Dresser With Mirror, restored with Howard Restor-A-Finish a. Pieces like this can be purchased at garage sales, thrift shops, and antique stores (Usually ...

An Interview with Julian Baumgartner of Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration

Antique Marketplace News, Expert Exchange, Features, Fine Art Restoration, Julian Baumgartner

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor On the left, is a delicate portrait of a beautiful young girl. She may look a bit on the yellow side – what some may ...

Identifying Glass In The Age of The Internet

Antique Marketplace News, Expert Exchange, Features, Glass, Peter Wade

Garage Sale find. No marks, c. 1900. Not shown in the Baccarat catalog of the era. Identified as Baccarat Bambous Tors oval inkwell.

By Glass Specialist Peter Wade It’s a beautiful, sunny day and you decide to go out for a ride and stop by an estate sale. You find a lovely piece ...

Cautionary tales & advice for disposing of art

Antique Marketplace News, Expert Exchange

Anyone who has had to help a family member move or downsize, or been left with the responsibility of emptying an estate, knows the heartache of making the hard decisions: ...

Upholstery Across the Ages

Antique Marketplace News, Columns, Expert Exchange, furniture, upholstery

by Leif Johnson, TLC Upholstery, Palmer, MA, interviewed by Judy Gonyeau The true beginnings of upholstery took place in Ancient Egypt. Animal skins and dressed leather was stretched across a ...

One Hundred Years of American Trunk Innovation

Antique American Trunks, Antique Marketplace News, Columns, Expert Exchange

Circa 1850 “Hourglass” Saratoga trunks (top and right) photo: Paul Norton

By Paul Norton Trunks and travel articles tell a story of adventure and intrigue. The impulse to travel—into town or overseas—required bringing along one’s necessities. As 18th and 19th century ...

Street Clocks & Their Restoration

Antique Marketplace News, Columns, Expert Exchange, Street Clock Restoration

Restored 1910 Brown Street Clock with a Seth Thomas No.2 auto-winder.

By Eric Ryback, restorer and owner, Saint Louis Street Clock Company “I never wore a watch. I always depend on public clocks, and stores have clocks, but that is strange.” ...

A Look at Decorative Arts & Antiques Market Trends for 2021

2021 Trends, Antique Marketplace News, Expert Exchange, The Asheford Institute of Antiques

Decorative Arts & Antiques Market Trends of 2021

A barometer of what’s hot and what’s not in the antiques trade is Asheford Institute’s annual Decorative Arts Trend survey. Conducted from January 2021 to December 2021 by the research ...

Exploring Antique Technologies: Acing the Autopen – Helping Collectors Feel More Confident with Mechanical Writing

Antique Marketplace News, autographs, Autopen Signature, Columns, Expert Exchange, Exploring Antique Technologies, Kary Pardy

This 2011 photo depicts Bob Olding of Damilic Corp, a leading present-day manufacturer of signature machines, demonstrating the vintage Autopen Model 80. The machine uses levers and your favorite pen to duplicate programmed signatures, and while this can be a lifesaver for public officials, many in the government still use it sparingly. Though President Bush received a Justice Department Ruling in 2005 to sign a bill via autopen, he opted not to, and went out of his way to sign in person. Photo: via USA Today and Damilic Corp, Associated Press, 2011

by Kary Pardy Footage from a 1950s 9-second video shows a grey, boxy machine using mechanical levers to exactly mimic the slopes and angles of a person’s handwriting. Since the ...

Exploring Antique Technologies: Leather Fire Buckets – Painted Americana at its Most Helpful

Antique Marketplace News, Bucket Brigade, Columns, Expert Exchange, Exploring Antique Technologies, Kary Pardy, Leather Fire Buckets, New York City Fire Museum

by Kary Pardy Imagine you lived in the 17th or 18th century. Chances are good that you would be surrounded by wooden buildings and that you would be very wary ...

Exploring Antique Technologies: Science and Sparkles – Demystifying your Jewelry Collection

Antique Marketplace News, Columns, Expert Exchange

Archeologists have discovered what they claim is the world’s oldest natural pearl on Marawah Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The pearl dates back 8,000 years to the Neolithic period – the last stage of the Stone Age. It was found in a layer at a Neolithic site that dates to 5800 B.C. to 5600 B.C. “The presence of pearls at archeological sites is evidence that the pearl trade existed from at least as far back as the Neolithic period,” said Abdulla Khalfan Al-Kaabi, the director of the archeological survey.

by Kary Pardy How many times have you looked through a jewelry display at your favorite antique shop and was just a bit unsure about the quality or elements of ...

The Roman gladius was a short (two feet), sharply-pointed, double-edged sword and its design had evolved over the centuries to be the ideal weapon for the legions of the Roman Empire. It was forged from high-grade steel and was primarily suited for the Roman fighting style, where shield usage was heavy and swords were called upon to thrust and stab through the shield wall. In their book From Sumer to Rome: the Military Capabilities of Ancient Armies, historians Richard Gabriel and Karen Metz wrote that in the hands of a highly trained legionnaire, the gladius “was the most deadly of all weapons produced by ancient armies, and it killed more soldiers than any other weapon in history until the invention of the gun.” photo: Wikipedia

by Kary Pardy There are lots of reasons to be drawn to edged weapons, and their beauty and history are chief amongst them. Each piece carries with it a complicated ...

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