Features

Curated articles that explore the rich intersections of history, craftsmanship, and collecting culture. These long-form pieces are your gateway to learning something new, seeing the familiar in a fresh light, and connecting with the past meaningfully.

December 12, 2014 / Bill Thornbrook, Christmas, Christmas Cards, Features, Hoover, Kennedy, POTUS, Presidenetial, Roosevelt, The White House, Truman

Presidential Christmas Cards

Presidential Christmas Cards by Bill Thornbrook One December day it appears in the mailbox with other holiday greetings. Something sets ...

December 10, 2014 / Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Elvis, Features, Fidel Castro, James Dean, JFK, John Lennon, John Travolta, Lady Di, Marilyn Monroe, Mike McLeod, MLK JR, Napoleon, Prince Harry, Prince Williams, Signatures, Walt Disney, Winston Churchill

How Are These Famous People Related?

How Are These Famous People Related? by Mike McLeod What do Napoleon Bonaparte and Charlie Chaplin have in common? How ...

November 13, 2014 / Austria, Chad Smith, decorative glass, Features, George Hoeltl, Germany, Glass, Johann Loetz, Louvre, Museum, Passau, Smithsonian

A Visit to the Passau Glass Museum

A Visit to the Passau Glass Museum By Chad Smith The Passau Glass Museum in Germany may not be listed ...

November 11, 2014 / budgets, Collecting, Collections, Features, figurines, Glass, stamps

Starting a Collection on a Budget

Starting a Collection on a Budget By Amanda Sheriff Associate Editor, Gemstone Publishing Since the dawn of human beings, we ...

September 12, 2014 / Eric Bradley, Features, Mather and Company, Paper, Peace, posters, propaganda, propaganda posters, War, WWI, WWII

The Paper War

The Paper War Collectors Growing More Fascinated by Images, Themes of Wartime Propaganda Posters By Eric Bradley Propaganda posters, rich ...

September 6, 2014 / Auctioneer, Bottles, Collecting, Features, Hobby, inkwells, Jeff Wichmann, Medicine bottle, soda, Whiskey bottle

From Collector to Auctioneer

From Collector to Auctioneer Boy has the hobby changed By Jeff Wichmann Having been a collector of antique bottles since ...

August 8, 2014 / Advertising, Antique Signs, automobiles, cars, Collections, Dan Matthews, Features, gas, gas pumps, neon signs, oil, oil cans, Petroliana

Collecting Petroliana

Collecting Petroliana By Dan Matthews It pays to advertise, so the old saying goes, but the real profits nowadays are ...

August 4, 2014 / Ashtrays, blackjack, Casino, Chips, Features, Matchbooks, players cards, poker, poker chips, Postcards, room keys, roulette, Sheldon Smith

What Other Casino Memorabilia Do I Want to Collect?

What Other Casino Memorabilia Do I Want to Collect? by Sheldon Smith The last time we left you we had ...

July 7, 2014 / American Indian, Baskets, Discovery, Features, Sarah Peabody Turnbaugh, Weave, William A. Turnbaugh, Woven baskets

Discovering American Indian Baskets

Discovering American Indian Baskets by Sarah Peabody Turnbaugh and William A. Turnbaugh Baskets, big or small, plain or fancy, flat ...

July 3, 2014 / Features, Herb Morrison, Lakehurst Naval Air Station, Mike McLeod, National Postal Museum, New York City, The Commerce Department Report, The Hindenburg, Zepplin

The Hindenburg: A Disaster and a Miracle

The Hindenburg: A Disaster and a Miracle by Mike McLeod Seventy-seven years ago when the 803-foot Hindenburg crashed on May ...

June 20, 2014 / Corning Museum of Glass, Features, Glass, Kelley Jo Elliott, Museum, Rene Lalique

René Lalique – Enchanted by Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass

René Lalique - Enchanted by Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass By Kelley Jo Elliott, Curator Glass is a ...

June 5, 2014 / America, Courbet, Degas, Features, French Impressionism, Manet, Monet, Shelburne Museum

In a New Light: French Impressionism Arrives in America

In a New Light: French Impressionism Arrives in America Shelburne Museum June 14 through September 1, 2014 Exquisite and powerful ...

May 19, 2014 / America, Civil War, Features, New York Historical Society, Quilts, Textiles

Civil-War Era Textiles Offer a New Perspective on America's Past at the New York Historical Society

Civil-War Era Textiles Offer a New Perspective on America's Past at the New York Historical Society Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts ...

May 12, 2014 / Antique Marketplace News, Bank, Celeb, Celebrity, Checks, Clemente, Daniel Wulkan, Errol Flynn, Features, Lennon, Lincoln, Moments, Monroe, Retro Collectibles, Ty Cobb

Moments Frozen in Time

Moments Frozen in Time Celebrities’ Cancelled Checks By Daniel Wulkan When collectors like myself come across a signed cancelled check, ...

May 5, 2014 / E. C. Segar, Features, Fred M. Grandinetti, Olive Oyl, Popeye, Popeye the Sailor, Thimble Theatre

Ninety Five Years of Olive Oyl

Ninety Five Years of Olive Oyl By Fred M. Grandinetti Olive Oyl, featured in comic strips, animated cartoons and numerous ...

April 7, 2014 / Cape Cod, Features, Glass, Katharine H. Campbell, Massachusetts, Sandwich Ma

Historic Sandwich, Massachusetts: The Town that Glass Built

Historic Sandwich, Massachusetts: The Town that Glass Built by Katharine H. Campbell Sandwich Celebrates! The town of Sandwich, Massachusetts, Cape ...

March 28, 2014 / Features, Norman Rockwell, Norman Rockwell Museum, Paintings, Sotheby's, Stockbridge Massachusetts, The Gossips, The Saturday Evening Post

“The Gossips” are Back in Town

“The Gossips” are Back in Town “The Gossips,” one of Norman Rockwell’s most popular paintings, has returned to Norman Rockwell ...

March 28, 2014 / Ashtrays, Casino, Chips, Features, Matchbooks, Memorabilia, Postcards, Sheldon Smith

So Maybe I Don’t Want to Collect Casino Chips

So Maybe I Don’t Want to Collect Casino Chips This column is devoted to pieces of gaming memorabilia OTHER than ...

March 12, 2014 / Features, Forrest Fenn, gold, Jewels, Mike McLeod

A Treasure Chest Filled with Gold and Jewels Waiting to be Found

A Treasure Chest Filled with Gold and Jewels Waiting to be Found by Mike McLeod Perhaps you have heard the ...

February 20, 2014 / Charlie Chaplin, Eric Bradley, Features, Heritage Auctions, Schoenhut doll

100th Anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s Screen Debut

100th Anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s Screen Debut by Eric Bradley, Heritage Auctions February 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of Charlie ...

February 12, 2014 / Art, Features, folk art, John Whitenight, mourning jewelry, Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell, Schiffer Publishing

Mementos of Mourning – The Quintessential Folk Art

Mementos of Mourning - The Quintessential Folk Art By Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell "The Halloween Queen®" Remember me. Memory is so ...

January 10, 2014 / Antique Marketplace News, Ben Model, Cliff Bowes, Expert Insights, Features, Jack Duffy, Koko the Clown, Lorraine Eddy, Neal Burns, Phil Hall, Silent Films, Wallace Lupino

Profile of Silent Film Collector Ben Model

Profile of Silent Film Collector Ben Model By Phil Hall There are few people who enjoy a greater degree of ...

January 7, 2014 / Apollo, Buzz Aldrin, Collecting Apollo Moonwalkers, Features, Moon Landing, Moonwalkers, Neil Armstrong

Collecting Apollo Moonwalkers

Collecting Apollo Moonwalkers by Bill Thornbrook Forty-five years after the first Moon landing, astronaut items still fly high. Between December ...

December 8, 2013 / Christmas, Features, Gifts, Holidays, Nostalgia, Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell, Santa, toys

Once Upon a Time There Was Christmas

Once Upon a Time There Was Christmas By Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell "The Halloween Queen" Holidays do not have to be ...

November 1, 2013 / Antique Jewelry, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, diamonds, Edward Lewand, edwardian, Estate Jewelry, Features, Georgian, gold, Retro, Tiffany & Co., Victorian

Antique and Estate Jewelry; Its Time Has Come

Antique and Estate Jewelry; Its Time Has Come By Edward Lewand, GG, ASA, AAA Over the last few years, having ...