ANTIQUES
Presidential images in ads draw interest
It made news in January 2010 when a photo of President Barack Obama wearing a Weatherproof Garment Co. jacket was used on a billboard on Times Square. The photograph was taken when the president visited China, but he did not give permission for his image to be used in an ad. Weatherproof was asked to take the picture down and did.
By Terry Kovel , August 13, 2010
Lapel watches a favorite item at auctions
First came the church-tower clock to help everyone in town know the time. Then in the 1500s, a watch on a chain or a ribbon was used by the very rich. By 1700, women could have a watch pinned to a dress as part of a chatelaine that held keys, scissors and other household tools. Later came the traveling clock, then the pocket watch.
By Terry Kovel , August 06, 2010
Wemyss Ware was the rage a century ago
Smiling pottery cats and flower-decorated pottery pigs have been made in Scotland since 1882. Today, both the old and new versions of these pieces are known as Wemyss (pronounced Weems) Ware.
By By Terry Kovel , July 30, 2010
Iron elephant sells for $100 at NY auction
What can this painted iron elephant do? The sleek art-deco design suggests that it was made between about 1925 and 1940. The trunk moves up and down. Think elephants and peanuts because this is a nutcracker. Put a nut in his mouth, quickly lower the trunk, and crack the nut’s shell. Red paint with white and black accents covers the 5-by-10-inch figure.
By Terry Kovel , July 23, 2010
All cupboards are not what they appear
Go to an antique show and you might see a pie safe, jelly cupboard or sugar chest. But most beginning collectors would call each a “cupboard” or “chest” with no idea how the furniture was originally used.
By Terry Kovel , July 16, 2010
Picture clocks combine time and artwork
One of the more unusual clock styles made in the 19th century is the “picture clock.” It is a clever novelty, and a few modern versions are being made by Swiss clock companies.
By Terry Kovel , July 02, 2010
Collectors seek amusing, useful art-deco pieces
Many companies today are looking at their sales figures and deciding how to change their products to attract more customers. The same thing was true in the 1930s when Chase Brass & Copper Co. decided to make art-deco pieces for the home, along with the buttons, nails and thousands of other brass products it had manufactured since the company’s founding in 1876.
By By Terry Kovel , June 25, 2010
Unique styles of furniture draw top dollar
The 20th century brought a new style of furniture. Earlier furniture designers made slight changes in the shape of a leg or the height of a chair-back as they went from Queen Anne to Chippendale to Sheraton to Empire to Victorian to Arts and Crafts.
By By Terry Kovel , June 18, 2010
Collectors are rediscovering joys of majolica
The 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London included the introduction of many amazing new products, one of them the revival of majolica. In the 19th century, Italian pottery of the Renaissance era was being studied and collected by English museums.
By By Terry Kovel , June 11, 2010
Once-common milliner’s heads now sought-after
Hats are not as popular today as they were years ago, so there are fewer hat shops and fewer people making special hats fitted to a particular buyer. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, milliners were found in every city and town.
By By Terry Kovel , June 04, 2010
Circus-themed items favored by collectors
Children love the circus, so what better toy than a model circus parade. In the late 19th century, cages of animals were drawn by horses through the main part of town to announce that the circus had arrived and to stage some shows. People along the parade route saw horse-drawn cages, elephants marching in a row, aerialists, clowns and other acts.
By By Terry Kovel , May 28, 2010
Wicker furniture started on docks of Boston in 1844
Wicker furniture has been made since the days of ancient Egypt. The cradle for the first American baby born to the Pilgrims was made of wicker. But the glory days of wicker furniture in America started on the docks of Boston in 1844.
By By Terry Kovel , May 21, 2010
Hatchet clock, though rare, didn’t sell well
Sometimes it is impossible to find another collectible just like yours, so how can you learn what yours is worth?
By By Terry Kovel , May 14, 2010
Matt Morgan pottery pieces hard to find
Art pottery was first made in the United States by a group of women in Cincinnati who had seen the pottery exhibits at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. Several groups were making pottery by the 1880s.
By By Terry Kovel , May 07, 2010
Samovar used to heat water for making tea
A samovar, a tall metal container that heats water to make tea, is well-known in Russia but often is confusing to browsing customers at an antique show.
By By Terry Kovel , April 30, 2010
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