KOVELS ANTIQUES
Kovels Antiques: Spice boxes were vital item for food safety
Spices were an important part of cooking in the days before refrigeration was available in most homes. Meat and fish were smoked, pickled, peppered, salted or treated with combinations of spices that kept the food from rotting.
By Terry Kovel , July 01, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Phrenology inkwells make fun collectibles
Phrenology, the study of the shape of the skull, supposedly could tell the shape of your brain and information about your behavior. The “science” became popular about 1810, years after it was developed by German doctor Franz Joseph Gali, in 1796. It remained popular until about 1840 as a way to understand personality and to help with decisions when hiring employees or choosing a spouse.
By Terry Kovel , June 24, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Elaborate wine trolleys favored by antique fans
A trolley, according to an American dictionary, is a cart or wagon of several types that moves on a track or wire. But in England and other parts of Europe, the definition can include a wine trolley, a cart that was used to serve wine.
By Terry Kovel , June 17, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Stars provide clues to ages of collectibles
Flag Day was first celebrated on June 14, 1889, in a public school in Fredonia, Wis. The teacher thought the pupils should celebrate the 112th anniversary of the official adoption of the Stars and Stripes.
By Terry Kovel , June 10, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Mixed mediums offer bargains for collectors
Today’s most famous designers often have the talent to create furniture, pottery, jewelry, paintings and even industrial items and architecture.
By Terry Kovel , May 27, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Bars, cabinets for liquor often draw top dollar
Drinks before or after dinner have been part of the ritual of dining in America since the 1800s. By then, the wealthy lived in houses that had a dining room, living room and perhaps a parlor or library.
By By Terry Kovel , May 20, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Porcelain once trumped gold as valued item
Gold is selling for very high prices today, but porcelain was more precious than gold in 17th-century Europe. Thin white porcelain was first made in China in the 10th century, but it wasn’t seen in Europe until 1260, when some pieces were brought back by Marco Polo.
By Terry Kovel , May 13, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Old carousel figures coveted by collectors
Carousel figures, made mostly in the early 1900s, sell for high prices today. Carousels probably were first made in the 1700s to train spear-throwers, not as enjoyable rides for children. A horseback rider would ride toward a hanging ring and try to put the spear through it.
By Terry Kovel , May 06, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Bunnies’ links with Easter go way back
Easter bunnies are older than you think. They were part of pre-Christian fertility stories, and since rabbits are known to have many, many babies, they are symbols of new life in the spring.
By By Terry Kovel , April 29, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Unusual articles of furniture often uncomfortable
Should a chair be a “conversation piece” or be comfortable? Twentieth-century designers’ chairs can be either, but they’re rarely both.
By Terry Kovel , April 15, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Magical old toy also helped kids learn alphabet
Educational toys are not a new idea. A rare 19th century “Yankee Schoolmaster” toy was offered in a recent auction.
By Terry Kovel , March 25, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Collectors still enamored by water droppers
Writing by hand took time and skill long ago, before letters were written with pens dipped in ink, with fountain pens or typewriters, or via e-mail on computers.
By Terry Kovel , March 04, 2011
Odd ‘whatsits’ made for farm, kitchen use
Unfamiliar objects used by our ancestors continue to confuse and amuse today’s collectors. “Whatsits” were a popular subject on television shows.
By Terry Kovel , January 28, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Role of comfort in furniture has seen changes
Before the 1850s, few chairs were made for comfort. Seventeenth and early 18th-century American chairs were designed with hard seats and straight backs, and few had arms. No slouching allowed. People were expected to sit up straight.
By Terry Kovel , January 21, 2011
Kovels Antiques: Santa’s look has changed over the years
Santa Claus hasn’t always been a fat, jolly man with a beard and a red coat. He hasn’t even always lived at the North Pole. The Santa of today often is called the “Coca-Cola Santa” because he was first drawn in the 1930s for a series of Coke ads.
By Terry Kovel , December 24, 2010
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