SubscribeSimple tables with an unusual touch (0)
5/23/13 •
I was on my way out of the front door of the auction house, my arms heavy with a box of stuff I’d just bought but likely didn’t need when I spotted the table. The staff had placed it right in the path of us auction-goers, obviously, to make sure we didn’t miss such a [...]
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Too much of a not-so-good thing (0)
5/22/13 •
They’ve got more pens today, the woman said to no one in particular, but I suppose she was directing her comments to me since I was standing closest to the items she was eyeing. We were under a canopy in a side yard at the auction house, and on a table in front of us were six boxes [...]
Garden benches & chairs – harbingers of a new season (0)
5/21/13 •
The wrought iron garden bench and chairs were the color of pastels, and their appearance forced me to acknowledge them first among the other furniture that spoke of summer. They had been placed in a side yard of the auction house, on a long swath of earth that had been spread over with gravel to [...]
A tool maker’s 1942 federal tax form (0)
5/20/13 •
The envelope seemed too flat-pressed to be holding anything at all, much less anything of value. It had been weighted down by other papers on top of it, and you could practically hear it screaming for relief. Its back was turned up toward me, and the top had long ago been sliced open to get [...]
Reader asks about Lois Mailou Jones’ Paris art book (0)
5/17/13 •
Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources for them to determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do some preliminary research to get them started. So, these are market values, not appraisals for insurance purposes that I suggest [...]
Our houses are filled with memorabilia and artifacts that are part of our family's history and legacy. But far too often we don't know what we have or assume it's worth very little or nothing.
I started going to auctions to fuel my love for African American art – but at a bargain. I love the old masters: Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith. I wanted to find their works and discover other veteran artists whose works may have been hiding in an attic or basement, and forgotten.
