SubscribeColored prints from the heyday of toy theaters (0)
6/17/13 •
The paper booklets seemed so out of place among the stacks of over-sized prints on the auction table. They had the customary drawings that you’d expect to find in an art gallery but these were not single sheets. They were so small, they shouldn’t have been here. That’s why I stopped; I had to see [...]
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Readers ask about Louis Armstrong toy & Ford Model T (0)
6/14/13 •
Fridays 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 based on prices I find on the web, [...]
Hand-colored photos of early Japanese villagers (0)
6/12/13 •
The stack of black and white photographs with hints of color were propped against a table leg behind a lackluster print of a little girl and a garden. I instantly suspected that some auction-goer had secretly placed them in this sheltered spot. No way the auction house would have hidden such a wonderful grouping of vintage hand-colored Japanese [...]
The real-life “Little Black Sambo” (0)
6/10/13 •
When I saw the title of the book, I’m sure I let out a silent groan. I was so sick and tired of seeing “Little Black Sambo” caricatures of a little black boy and his parents in a world that showed the ignorance of the people who perverted their humanity. Most of the time, I [...]
Readers ask about gypsy cards, Bazooka comics and needles (0)
6/07/13 •
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 based on prices I find on the web, [...]
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.
