Excerpt from an interview with Warren Dotz Warren Dotz is an author of award-winning, graphic design books published by American and foreign imprints such as Random House, Chronicle Books, Insight Editions and Graphic Sha Japan. A theme common to his publications is the “Art of Commerce,” particularly package label and promotional illustration. As a pop […]
Category Archives: Features
06
Aug
Aug
By Michael Eckles In the last ten years, antique advertising has become a very popular lot in auction arenas around the country. The category is made up mostly of posters and signs but also includes calendars, banners, chargers and trays. Printed advertising as we know it has been around for hundreds of years, starting with […]
19
Jul
Jul
by Dick Friz Dr. Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary, published in 1755, defined “toy” as a “petty commodity, a trifle; a thing of no value, a plaything or bauble.” Today, the good Doctor must be spinning in his grave. Toys, of almost infinite variety, forever evoke fond, poignant memories of a care-free childhood. Live, in-house antique toy […]
11
Jul
Jul
Collectible Playing Card Art Story & Photos by Donald-Brian Johnson Mary Nastase has over five thousand playing cards. That’s right, five thousand. And for the most part, they’re all different. Well, the illustrated backs are, anyway. As for the “faces” (the sides where the numbers appear), only so many numerical configurations are possible in a […]
07
Jul
Jul
by Eric Bradley The toy business and the toy collecting hobby are surviving in the midst of genre-busting trends. The arrival of the internet made it cheaper and easier for collectors to buy, sell and trade, and share information than ever before. Now the mobile revolution – ushered in with smartphones and tablets – is […]
23
Jun
Jun
The Rise of Kitchen Glass for Cooking By Rosemary Trietsch The term “Depression Era Glassware” usually evokes images of beautiful table settings in a rainbow of colors. But what very few people realize is that the earliest Depression glass produced was kitchenware and, that this lovely stuff so treasured today, was actually born out of […]
19
Jun
Jun
Story and Photos by J. E. Klopfer The well known antiques writer Mary Earl Gould was the first to introduce mechanical nutmeg graters to modern collectors, when her 1958 book Tin & Toleware featured her collection of six graters. In today’s market, her examples are of the more common varieties, with rare kitchen-mechanical nutmeg graters […]
11
Jun
Jun
by Franceen Munson The kitchen, perhaps more than any room in a house conjures up more memories and associations than any other, with its smells of favorite foods, images of beloved people and shared times, and the general warmth of home. It was the hub around which much of family life was spent in the […]
20
May
May
by Megan Mahn Miller If the art auction market is a civilized dinner party, where beautiful works of art trade hands, the rock and roll memorabilia auction market is a stadium rock show, complete with raucous fans, huge contracts and auction prices sky rocking like pyrotechnics. Last year saw a number of new auction sale […]
12
May
May
by Gary Sohmers In the beginning, there was art. Then music, performance, and finally, advertising. So begins the growth of the cultural arts, a path towards enlightenment, amusement, and profitability. Most early musical and theatrical performances were promoted in printed matter in the form of broadsides, handbills and leaflets. In the early 19th century, classical […]