Columns
Hubley Manufacturing Company
by Douglas R. Kelly Hubleys have been pushing their way onto my radar screen lately. Over the years, I’ve more or less pursued the Pennsylvania-based toy maker’s “Real Toys” series ...
Wanted: All the Funny Pages – Bill Blackbeard, Funnies Collector
by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor Imagine trying to gather all the grains of sand before the next wave hits the beach and takes them all away. This was the mission ...
The T in Tinplate
by Douglas R. Kelly Most people familiar with automotive history know that Henry Ford’s Model T put America on wheels. In fact, the T changed the course of history, being ...
A Bird in the Hand
by Douglas R. Kelly American toys that are made in Asia are nothing new. Over the last 35 years, many American producers have switched production to China. Before that, Japan and ...
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 ...
British Americans
By Douglas R. Kelly There’s an old saying among collectors that is more than just an old saying: “It’s not so much the toys/paintings/table clocks that matter … it’s the ...
Prize Power
by Douglas R. Kelly Who doesn’t like winning prizes? Real prizes, that is, the good stuff … a jumbo stuffed animal at the carnival, or a cool treasure you pull ...
Wishful Thinking
by Douglas R. Kelly You’d think I’d know better by now. I’ve been hunting and grooving on vintage toys for more than 40 years, and I’ve learned my share of ...
The National Museum of Funeral History: The Heritage of Death Care
While not a favorite topic for discussion, “death care is one of man’s oldest professions,” according to Robert L. Waltrip, an undertaker turned collector on the topic. In 1992, Waltrip ...
Upholstery Across the Ages
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
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 ...
The Courting Chair
by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor When two were courting in early 19th century France, Victorian England, or during America’s Gilded Age, maintaining one’s perceived virtue was paramount. Keeping a pair ...
