Read Back Issues and Search for old feature articles and columns covering over a decade of compelling and inspiring editorial from the market’s leading authorities on antiques and collectibles.

Bill Traylor painting, $293,750, Christie’s

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Bill Traylor painting, $293,750, Christie’s

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A folk-art painting by Bill Traylor, titled Two Dogs Fighting: ...
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The cover to MAD No. 50 (October 1959), illustrated by Kelly Freas. While Mingo could produce endless identical versions of the Alfred E. Neuman face, Freas’s Alfreds were more impish and had much more expression.

Long Live The MAD-ness

by Grant Geissman By the spring of 1952, artist/writer/editor Harvey Kurtzman was exhausted from researching, writing, laying out, drawing for, ...
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Patriotic sand art bottle, $275,000, Skinner, Inc.

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Patriotic sand art bottle, $275,000, Skinner, Inc.

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A patriotic presentation sand art bottle meticulously crafted circa 1885-1890 ...
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Antique Trends in 2020

Antique Trends in 2020

The great thing about antiques is that with each passing year new items and collectible categories age into this coveted ...
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The Funny Side of Business: From vaudeville and slapstick comedy to standup, political satire, cartoons, sketch comedy, sitcoms, and inside jokes, comedy as an art form and business has been around since funny found a receptive, paying audience.

The Funny Side of Business: From vaudeville and slapstick comedy to standup, political satire, cartoons, sketch comedy, sitcoms, and inside jokes, comedy as an art form and business has been around since funny found a receptive, paying audience.

Every decade and generation are defined, in part, by the humor embraced by the zeitgeist of the times and the ...
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Wayne Gretzky 1979 rookie card, $1.29 million, Heritage Auctions

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Wayne Gretzky 1979 rookie card, $1.29 million, Heritage Auctions

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A Canadian version of a 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Edmonton ...
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Eddie Van Halen guitar, $231,250, Julien’s

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Eddie Van Halen guitar, $231,250, Julien’s

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A guitar custom-made for rock legend Eddie Van Halen, built ...
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Single example from one of two pairs of lace chair arm covers. Rectangular with lightly scalloped side and back edges and larger scalloped front edge. Inner rectangle with foliate decoration. Original to Castle Tucker (Wiscasset, ME). photo: Historic New England

Antimacassars: Then and Now

Erica Lome, Ph.D. "Necessity is the mother of invention.” This adage certainly applied to many of the domestic objects produced ...
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Hermes leather handbag, $8,750, Crescent City

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Hermes leather handbag, $8,750, Crescent City

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A circa 1992 Hermes Kelly Sellier black box leather handbag ...
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At Nuttinghame, Comfort and a Cat

Wallace Nutting: Come Into The Parlor

by Mike Ivankovich The parlor was traditionally a gathering room where family members and friends would meet, eat, socialize, and ...
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The Parlor: An Island of Formality. You entered it only rarely, and you weren’t meant to be comfortable there. But every house had to have one, no matter how high the cost.

The Parlor: An Island of Formality. You entered it only rarely, and you weren’t meant to be comfortable there. But every house had to have one, no matter how high the cost.

No room in the American home in the nineteenth century was more tenderly cared for, fussed over, or jealously protected ...
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Wells Fargo stock certificate, $2,875, Holabird Western Americana

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Wells Fargo stock certificate, $2,875, Holabird Western Americana

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A rare Wells Fargo and Company (NY) stock certificate from ...
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Arts and Crafts era Stickley Side Table

Antiques Peek: I Like My Tables On the Side

by Jessica Kosinski When talking about a modern parlor or living room, there are certain items that immediately come to ...
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Coca-Cola litho sign, $6,000, Rich Penn

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Coca-Cola litho sign, $6,000, Rich Penn

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A Coca-Cola litho on cardboard “Prevent Forest Fires” sign, 33 ...
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This gold charm bracelet of Elizabeth Taylor’s charts the milestones of her extraordinary life and sold at Christie’s for $326,500 in 2011

Charmed, I’m Sure: Big Dreams, Love, and Luck Come in Small Packages

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor Evidence has been brought to light that charms were perhaps first formed as far back ...
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Mackintosh bedside cabinet, $328,000, Lyon & Turnbull

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Mackintosh bedside cabinet, $328,000, Lyon & Turnbull

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A bedside cabinet by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Scottish, 1868-1928) sold ...
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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.

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

by Kary Pardy How many times have you looked through a jewelry display at your favorite antique shop and was ...
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Early promotional card for birthstones featured at the local jeweler

Antiques Peek: Birthday Bling

by Jessica Kosinski Have you ever received or purchased jewelry that featured your birthstone? The tradition of birthstones incorporated in ...
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Eisenberg Originals gold-plated Sinbad figural fur clip with turbaned head with pave and enamel detailing and multi-colored teardrop framed rhinestone dangles, circa 1940. Sold for $1,250

Eisenberg Originals

by Ken Hall Eisenberg Originals are the most beautiful and brilliant pieces of costume jewelry no one’s ever heard of ...
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Russian triptych icon, $25,000, Doyle

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Russian triptych icon, $25,000, Doyle

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall A patinated metal and cloisonné enamel triptych icon, featuring a ...
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Cameos come in all sizes, forms, materials, subjects, and colors. This is an example of a carnelian shell cameo brooch

Cameos – Wearable Sculpture in Relief

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Cameos are one of the most widely recognized types of jewelry. Many of us may even ...
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The 100 Year Perspective

The 100 Year Perspective

On January 1, 1921, California beat Ohio State 28-0 in the Rose Bowl. In that same week, the country’s first ...
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2020 – A Big Year for Old Clothes: Although fashion spending with the exception of ‘loungewear’ is down a record 79% since Covid forced Americans to start working from home last April, industry data suggests that secondhand and vintage are on the rise.

2020 – A Big Year for Old Clothes: Although fashion spending with the exception of ‘loungewear’ is down a record 79% since Covid forced Americans to start working from home last April, industry data suggests that secondhand and vintage are on the rise.

Although fashion spending with the exception of ‘loungewear’ is down a record 79% since Covid forced Americans to start working ...
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Three Alfa Romeo B.A.T. concept cars together brought $14.8 million in sales of Contemporary and Impressionist & Modern Art held October 28th by Sotheby’s

Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Alfa Romeo concept cars, $14.8 million, Sotheby’s

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far By Ken Hall Three Alfa Romeo B.A.T. concept cars together brought $14.8 million ...
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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

Exploring Antique Technologies: Shaped in Steel – Dissecting the Technology Behind your Edged Weapons

by Kary Pardy There are lots of reasons to be drawn to edged weapons, and their beauty and history are ...
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