The Story Behind Lalique By Chad Smith If you’ve ever looked at a piece of Lalique glass and wondered what the story is behind that matte, smoky finish and those perfectly smooth lines, where those exotic and provocative motifs come from and why the work of René Lalique and the Lalique Company even to this […]
Category Archives: Features
14
Apr
Apr
By Greg Alvey In the antique and collectors market, there are some amazing original and unique works of art which can still be purchased at very reasonable prices, and as a bonus, come with their own glass display cases! Welcome to the world of folk art in bottles and bottle whimsey collecting. Captured within glass […]
07
Apr
Apr
The Glass Artistry of DeVilbiss By Marti DeGraaf and Toby Mack Company History Dr. Allan DeVilbiss, a medical doctor specializing in nose and throat medicine, founded the DeVilbiss Manufacturing Company in Toledo, Ohio in 1888. The company’s primary purpose was to manufacture and sell DeVilbiss-invented spray atomizers, designed to apply soothing medicinal coatings to patients’ […]
19
Mar
Mar
Telling America’s Story through the Art of Norman Rockwell and America’s Illustrators Shaping National Conversation on American Illustration Art (1969 – 2014) By Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director/CEO, Norman Rockwell Museum From soaring ideals of freedom and social justice, to heartwarming and humorous moments of the commonplace — America’s illustrators defined the story of our nation […]
16
Mar
Mar
Hunting for Vintage Postcards By Gary Leveille Long before cell phones, e-mail, Facebook or Twitter, the penny postcard was an inexpensive, yet effective way to send brief thoughts and interesting images to friends and family. Today these vintage “snail-mail snapshots” are considered historic treasures offering insight into our remarkable past. Collecting postcards, however, is not […]
03
Feb
Feb
Beauty In Advertising The Alluring Images of Ladies from the Victorian Era by Chris H. Beyer A wise man once noted that pretty women have been selling us things since the beginning of time. Images of attractive women have long been used by advertisers to promote a variety of products. Interestingly, the commercial use of […]
28
Jan
Jan
Neil Young: Sounding Board for Lionel When rock ‘n’ roll icon Neil Young hits the publicity circuit, he doesn’t just talk music or his latest literary endeavor. Surprisingly, he often talks about his passion for trains – and so does his interviewer. When Young appeared as a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, […]
28
Jan
Jan
Lionel Standard Gauge: 1906 – 1940 by Bruce C. Greenberg, Ph.D First Period: 1906 Trolleys and Steam Engines Joshua Lionel Cowen was an extraordinary entrepreneur. In 1900, he and Harry Grant founded what became one of the world’s greatest toy train companies. In 1901 they produced their first trains. In new industries most new businesses […]
21
Jan
Jan
Travels with Chad by Chad Smith The blue arrow on Google Maps, which is loaded on my phone, indicates that I’m moving toward my target, but certain things just don’t look right. It’s a desperately foggy night in Hamburg, Germany, and I’m trying to reach Harry’s Hafenbasar, one part store, one part museum, known for […]
06
Jan
Jan
Larger & More Difficult Casino Items to Collect by Sheldon Smith If you remember the last time I wrote about casino collectibles, I said that I would address the larger and more difficult items to collect. I did not say you couldn’t find them — just that they were large and difficult to collect. Actually, […]