Tucked inside a box lot I got at auction this week was a small ziplock bag with a pink ribbon stapled to a green sheet of paper with the words “Anti-depression Kit Contains:”

Interesting, I thought. It obviously was a joke of some sort, because you can’t find (or buy) a kit to relieve depression. Medicines can control clinical depression, but for the “down in the dumps” feeling we all get sometimes, changing our outlook can be the cure.

How we feel about ourselves can set our moods and our relationships. I truly believe that. If we’re sour, we act sourly and treat our friends and loved ones that way. We do have the ability to pull back and remind ourselves to act positively and civilly. We don’t have to be negative; the ability to determine our emotions is one element of control that we do have.

This makeshift anti-depression kit – and it looked truly handmade – was obviously meant as a joke and I took it that way. As I read the green sheet and looked at the items inside, I realized that there were some truths in the message.

This is what the kit contained:

An ERASER, so you can make all your mistakes disappear.

A PENNY, so you will never have to say, “I’m broke.”

A MARBLE, in case someone says, “You’ve lost all your marbles.”

A RUBBERBAND, to stretch yourself beyond your limits. (Unfortunately, the rubber band was brittle and broken – the more reason for us to rely on ourselves rather than a prop.)

A STRING, to tie things together when everything falls apart.

A HUG and a KISS, to remind you that someone, somewhere cares about YOU!

I couldn’t find anything to represent a hug and a kiss in the kit, but a website I visited mentioned Hershey’s candies as the token. I guess the previous owner of the kit ate the Hershey’s Kisses.

This kit bears the sentiment of the countless emails (many of which I delete) I get from folks. Every now and then, though, I get one that I can relate to and use. Do you? What do you do with them? Forward them? Take them to heart? Delete them?

I suppose for anyone having a bad day, receiving an anti-depression kit or a care message can make their day and boost their spirits. Maybe that’s why people feel inclined to send them and forward them.

Every now and then, we all need a little something-something.

You can make these kits on your own, write your own messages and give them out as fun gifts. One website offered some other items to put in them (Photo at left is by Ben Heine):

Candle, to light up the darkness.

Tissue, for drying your tears.

Toothpick, to pick out the good in others including yourself.

Cotton ball, for the rough roads ahead.

Confetti, to add some sparkle to your life.

Lifesaver, to remind you of the many times others need your help and you need theirs.

Another site offered kits for all kinds of occasions – back to school, boot camp, baseball, bike riders, why I love you, unemployment – while another suggested some of the same for people undergoing chemotherapy. Not a kit, but to make you smile, take a look at these YouTube videos of a laughing baby and a baby giving you the evil look.

I came across the anti-depression kit as a “sanity-saving” tip on this website for teachers, among some other things they do to keep sane. Imagine being in a classroom all day with kindergarten or grade-school children.

Maybe the anti-depression kit – and those emails – can induce a sense of serenity. How do you fight the doldrums?

There were 19 brightly colored stickers, most with the name Rickie Tickie Stickies, the rest labeled “the fantasticks.” I examined the packages closely and saw one set of orange daisy-shaped flowers with pink centers. When I flipped to the back and saw the image, it sparked a memory.

It was a familiar Volkswagen Beetle from the 1970s plastered with daisies. Then I realized that I knew the image but not the name. They were a symbol of Flower Power and the hippie movement of the 1960s. I never knew where these images came from or who invented them.

The peel-and stick decals I got at auction were in their original packaging, unopened and sealed, except for one sleeve of daisies. Someone had apparently bought them 40 years ago, never got around to using all of them and just put them aside. The packaging was in good condition, but aged.

There were pink ladybugs (9 for $2), yellow/pink/royal-blue/lime trains with cars (5 for $1), an array of yellow/orange/hot-pink animals (9 for $2) and pink/orange paisleys (9 for $2). The Stickies were dated 1970. The package warned that they had to be removed within six to eight months or the company wasn’t responsible for any damage. 

On the back was the inscription:

They’re Right Now. They’re Bright Now.

For walls, ceilings, shower enclosures, luggage, notebooks, boats, appliances, raincoats, furniture, bulletin boards, cars, glass doors, garbage cans, gift boxes.

Top Quality Vinyl Decals in The “In” Colors. Easy to Apply, Washable, Non-Permanent.

They were a fad of the late 1960s – that’s how they were described on several websites – that made a man named Don Kracke millions of dollars. Kracke, who was working in an ad agency at the time, saw some hand-drawn flowers on the side of a Volkswagen bus and felt he could do prettier, according to neatorama.com.

He designed his own version of daisies, polka dots and paisleys, and put them on his own car, according to a 1998 story in the Los Angeles Times. Neighborhood kids took to them; so he created 3,000 in hot colors, and peddled them in his neighborhood and to a local hardware store. He didn’t expect the fad to last beyond 1967, he told a reporter.

It took off, especially the daisy sticker, embraced by “flower children” all over the country. By the end of 1968, 90 million Rickie Tickie Stickies had been sold.

“The key is timing,” Kracke is quoted as saying on the website drfad.com. He created the stickers a few months after 1967’s Summer of Love, a defining moment for the hippie movement at its epicenter of San Francisco.

The company lasted for about six years before Kracke sold it to a Minnesota company that no longer exists.

In 1977, he wrote a book – which was republished in 2001 – called “Turn Your Idea or Invention Into Millions.” He has brought 2,500 items to market, and was one of the writers of a 1970s comic strip called Yankee Doodles. Kracke is also a painter; his works were exhibited in 2007 at a Palms Springs, Calif., gallery).

Kracke apparently did not trademark his design, so other companies copied the concept. The fantasticks may have been one of them. I could find nothing about these stickers in my research. They had the same feeling of agedness, so I’m assuming they were from the same period.

I have yellow daises, a little boy with yellow hair and a little girl wearing a lime hat with flowers. They’re described as a ”Home Decorating Kit” with suggestions on the back on where to place them – walls, waste baskets, canister sets, mirrors, glass doors, boats, walls and surfboards. All so very familiar.

They probably had been stored lovingly in a china cabinet, cleaned often but rarely brought out for play or entertainment. I came across this grouping of about 30 or more cups and saucers recently at one of my favorite auction houses.

They carried some of the most familiar names in china: Limoges France, Aynsley, Theodore Haviland Limoges, Bavaria, Wedgwood and Dresden. One had USA on it without a more specific maker’s name.

The sets were striking because there were so many of them. At auction, I’m used to seeing a tea cup and saucer here and there – or even several of them at a time – but never a collection. My auction buddy Janet has picked up a few, including some lovely pieces by Aynsley.

The air of sophistication that permeates a vintage tea cup makes you feel cultured – a feeling that is emboldened with the sip of refreshing and relaxing tea from one of them. Put yourself in the middle of a tea party and the experience is enhanced. That’s what I felt when I saw a photo of a women’s tea party in Harlem captured by photographer James Van Der Zee in 1929. It was in an auction at the Swann Auction Galleries in New York earlier this year.  

The photo felt like a Saturday afternoon, the group of women in their finest clothes, sitting or standing while around them were other women servers. The caption identified them as the Madame C.J. Walker Valentine Tea Club, Shop Number 1. Walker was the black business woman who 100 years ago built an empire on hair products for black women.

They’re holding what would now be called “vintage” tea cups. (Photo above is from the Swann Auction Galleries website).

When I think of tea parties, I think of the British and their high teas. But tea didn’t get its start there. The Chinese have been drinking tea from tea cups – they were actually small bowls without handles – for centuries. Tea cups didn’t arrive in Britain until the 1600s. Initially, tea was so expensive that only the upper crust could afford it. During the 19^th century, handles were added and the modern tea cup was born. Here in America (especially in the South), we like our tea cold.

Surprisingly, I could not find a collectors group for tea cups on the web, but I’m sure there’s one out there. As for prices, I found tea cup and saucers ranging from $20 to over $100. Here are some beautiful ones for sale at the Atlanta Antique Gallery.

If you’d like to start collecting them, several sites offered some good information on where to find vintage tea cups and saucers at low cost – flea markets, thrift shops, Goodwill, (and I would add, auctions) – how to take care of your pieces (wash by hand, not in the dishwasher) and tips on collecting.

You don’t have to collect them to just sit in china cabinets. Several sites had put them to other interesting uses: holding cupcakes at a wedding, serving as a cutesy birdbaths, and using chipped ones for storage or good ones for flower arrangements. 

And we must not forget that they are also used to read fortunes through the scattering of tea leaves. It’s a practice called tasseography – I didn’t know it had a  special name – and it has its own special tea cups. Since I have never had my fortune told before, I assumed fortune-tellers used any old cup to read the leaves. Many do, I suppose.

Here’s a look at two fortune-telling tea cups – one with symbols and one with playing cards - for interpreting the leaves, and a website that sells them. These tea cups are also made by some of the finest china makers, including Aynsley. According to wikipedia, the most common designs inside the cups are zodiac, playing cards and symbols.

At one auction a few years ago, I got in a box lot a small pamphlet with some age called “Cup Reading: The Ancient Art of Foretelling the Future,” distributed by the Salada Tea Co. It tells you all about reading leaves and understanding the symbols. An arch – a long journey, probably by steamship. A ring – marriage. A peacock – a happy marriage or good fortune. An owl – illness. Gun – unhappiness.

I’ve never tried out the book’s offerings. Me, I like to figure out my fate on my own or at least make it happen.

As for those tea cups at the auction? After brisk bidding, they sold for $80 – the price for just one of them.

At one of my favorite auction houses recently, I watched as the auctioneer and buyers approached some furniture I had noticed beforehand. It was a like-new child’s bunk bed that I figured would pull in a couple hundred dollars. I could hear the auctioneer describing the set and asking for bids. The set had a bed on top and a slide for the little one to “slide” to the floor. It was open air at the bottom, which could easily become a kind of playroom. Alongside it was a bookcase with shelves for storing toys or books.

The auctioneer started high and aimed lower, stopping at $25. One man – the sole bidder – tossed out $20. Can’t sell it for less than $25, the auctioneer said. The man studied the set for a few moments as the auctioneer egged him on. (And I’m sitting there thinking to myself: It’s only $25!) Finally, the man relented and bid $25.

Later, checking Google, I found similar bunk beds – most a little fancier than this simple one – selling for hundreds of dollars and some for more than $1,000.

What a steal!

Another amazingly cheap buy that day were what looked to be two vintage (or antique) dining-room pieces: a mahogany breakfront with a beautiful cut-glass front and a matching buffet. I missed the actual bidding, but someone mentioned that both sold for about $20 total. I’m not a furniture expert, so I couldn’t tell if they were vintage, antique or reproductions.

I thought they were a lovely combination, but I’m wondering if formal dining rooms or heavy furniture are out of favor. I recall talking to an auction staffer once about a sturdy old bedroom set waiting to be auctioned. He noted that it would not likely sale for much because no one buys that stuff anymore.

But if you do, auctions are a good place to look. But be sure to do your homework to make sure you know what you’re buying. If the vintage or antique designation isn’t important, go for it. You’re not likely to find these prices anywhere else.

The prices at these places just amaze me. I’m on the lookout for a new office desk, so you know where I’ll be hunting.

The exhibit was called “‘I made this jar’ The Life and Works of the Enslaved African-American Potter, Dave.” When I arrived at the exhibit back in 2000, I was struck by both the enormity of the pieces and their beauty and craftsmanship.

These were handled, made and signed by a man who was a slave in Edgefield, S.C., at a time when African Americans were forbidden from reading and writing. But there on Dave Drake’s pieces were poems. Here are some verses from his works:

“I wonder where is all my relations / Friendship to all and every nation”

“Dave belongs to Mr. Miles / where the oven bakes and the pot biles”

He is estimated to have made 40,000 jars, jugs, churns, pitchers and more from the 1830s to 1860s. Dave, who was born around 1800 and died in the 1870s, is believed to be the only black potter to sign and date his pieces (around 100 of them). The Smithsonian bought two of his jars in 1996, including one with the verse: “I made this jar all of cross / If you don’t repent, you will be lost.” It was inscribed “May 3 1862 LM Dave.”  LM apparently referred to one of his owners Lewis Miles.

I thought about Dave the potter this week when I ventured out to the Brandywine River Museum to see an exhibit of decorated American stoneware pottery from the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The exhibit ends on Sunday. Ten to 12 pieces were displayed in the lobby of the museum, home to the works of the Wyeth family of artists. (The pieces above are from Brandywine exhibit.)

Most of these lovely pieces were from Winterthur, and most were in the traditional gray tone with cobalt-blue decoration. The most interesting to me – and which I had not seen before – were a huge water carrier, small banks and a chicken feeder.

I’ve come across vintage stoneware jugs, crocks and jars at auction before, but often the bidding gets so high that I don’t even bother to jump in. At auction this week, a vintage stoneware jar sparked spirited bidding before the price stopped at $425 (see piece below left). It was a beautiful jar made for a wholesale dry goods company called S.F. Toadvine in Salisbury, Md. There was no potter’s name on the piece.

I have gotten some jugs at auction, including one inscribed F.H. Cowden Harrisburg. Mine has what looks like rust specks on the exterior and a big dimple (or is it a groove?) on one side. I also have a whiskey jug, some crocks and a jug made for Henry K. Wampole  & Co. Manufg. Pharmacists in Philadelphia. (See pieces above.)

Stoneware pieces were always functional, used in American homes to hold food before glass canning jars were made. Some were produced as inkwells, miniature jugs and crocks, pudding dishes, mugs, bottles and more.

They were decorated using various techniques by pottery-makers, some of whom distinguished their pieces with trademark designs and wrote their names in lovely script. The decorations included flowers, insects, animals, chickens and birds. People were rarely used (I did find one on the web – an F.H. Cowden jug with what was described as the head of a Native American).

There were always numbers on the pieces I came across and I wondered what they meant. Now, I know they represented how much the pieces would hold in gallons.

The jugs and jars were made with lids (cork or ceramic), but most of them found today have neither. Only two of my pieces have cork lids and I’m not sure if they’re the originals.

Stoneware pottery with salt glaze originated around 1720 in Philadelphia and Yorktown, Va., according to wikipedia. By the late 19^th century, it had moved north to New York, where the Crolius and Remmey families perfected their own version. By the early 19^th century, it was being made in most U.S. cities.  

Remmey’s pieces command very high prices today, along with Cowden & Wilcox of Harrisburg, Thomas Haig of Philadelphia and Crolius, of which I could find very few pieces for sale on the web. Apparently, they are extremely hard to find, just like Dave’s (one site recalled a Dave piece selling for $40,000 to $50,000).

At auction a couple years ago, as noted on the Crocker Farm auction site, pieces by Remmey, Haig and others sold for 3,000 to $39,000. Back in 2007, someone brought in three pieces made in Pennsylvania in the late 19^th century to an Antiques Roadshow in San Antonio, Texas. They included a 30-gallon jug and two smaller pieces, and all were appraised at $5,000. I found these prices for Cowden & Wilcox on another pottery auction site. (The pieces below are from the Brandywine exhibit. The one on the left is an inkwell.)

At age 75, the artist died in 2008 on his way out to paint, and members of his family descended on his home to remove his paintings, according to an article in the Philadelphia Daily News. Also missing were his sketchbooks, paintbrushes, palettes and more. One family member told the reporter that Sloan, an African American artist, wanted his works donated to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he was a teacher for about 35 years and had been taught as a student. His works are in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (where he had been a conservator), the academy, the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia and other private collections.

When I wrote the post, I also mentioned that some of his artwork would be auctioned off at Alderfer Auction and Appraiser in Hatfield, Pa. in June, and that I’d be there. Well, it was but I wasn’t. I was out of town, driving with a friend to pick up her daughter from college.

I finally got a chance to view the paintings on the auction house’s website and to see what prices they brought. Eight paintings, all oil on masonite, were sold – their subjects scenic (most are landscapes, his love) and their style a bit impressionistic. (Photos of the paintings are from the Alderfer website.)

In the newspaper article, students of Sloan’s recalled him taking them to the Catskills, the Delaware River Water Gap, the Poconos and the Adirondacks to paint. This tale from a friend of Sloan’s who watched him paint Catskills’ landscapes was posted on the blog Al’s Frost Valley alumni blog in 2009.

Here are the paintings that sold at Alderfer – at  pretty reasonable prices, which include a 10-13 percent premium. You can see the paintings on the website, first by searching for the June 11, 2010, auction and then checking pages 7 and 8.

Floral sketch, $840.

Creek landscape, $390.

Sunset landscape, $900.

Winter landscape,  $390.

Sunset landscape, $468.

Shade trees, $877.50.

Seaside landscape $360.

Countryside landscape, $480.

The key is knowing when these items are up for sale. You can find that out by checking out auction sites in your area via auctionzip.com. Most auction houses announce on their websites – and with photos – what they will be selling, especially if they have a big sale of special items.

Take one of my favorite auction houses. A week ago, it sold about 100 lamps, sconces, chandeliers, lighting parts, glass globes, andirons and fireplace screens from an antique lighting store whose owner had retired. An ad for the company on the web said that it sold, repaired and restored antique lighting. Weeks before, the auction house had announced the sale and then advertised it with photos on its website.

The lighting appeared to be more vintage and modern to me (rather than antique, defined as being 100 years or older). The most elaborate was a tall white floor lamp with curved leaves and petals at the top, and a 1950s look. It was a little much for me, but someone loved it enough to pay $175 for it.

No one seemed to be interested, though, in the glass globes (even at $5 for about 15 of them on one table). Two tables of them remained after the sale, including some pretty soft yellow ones for a chandelier. The auctioneer asked me if I were interested. What would I do with globes?

Fewer than 10 people followed the auctioneer as he went from piece to piece, starting with table lamps, including a nice brass desk lamp that I bidded on at $5 when no one else seemed interested (and which I really didn’t need – beware of this at auctions!). I was outbidded by a regular who got the lamp for $9 and like me admitted that he didn’t need it, either.

In all, many of the fixtures sold for about $2 to $60 (a lot went for less than $10). Few were sold for more than $100. I wasn’t around when the auctioneer sold the brass sconces, about 25 to 30 of them hanging on a wall. You can’t get lighting at these prices at your local home store, especially ones with some age and good crafstmanship.

Here are some tips on buying antique lighting that I found on ehow.com. Be sure to check and update the wiring (by a professional) for safety.  This site offered some information on the styles of antique lighting, and this lighting company has some beautiful antique lighting for sale.

Here are photos of some of the lighting sold at the auction. (Click on each photo below rather than viewing through PicLens.)

[View with PicLens]

Carmen Mirandarth (with fruit as hair). Darth Mushroom (baby-girl pink), Hanus (a red-nosed clown), Darthodontics (bad decaying teeth). He’d likely, though, be right at home with one bearing the title “Root of All Evil,” although he’d have to snort like a pig, since the main feature was a pig’s snout.

The helmets were among 100 auctioned off Saturday at Freeman’s Auctioneers & Appraisers in Philadelphia, a very unlikely place for such a pop-culture event. When I think of Freeman’s, considered the oldest and one of the most venerable of auction houses in the country, Star War’s Darth Vader does not come to mind.

But there they were, lined up on black-draped stilts along two walls in the gallery, where they had been stationed all week for previews. The auction culminated a five-year project conceived and organized by owners of a toy-selling company in North Hollywood, Calif.

The idea for asking 100 of the best pop/underground/urban/poster/surrealist artists (how they were described depended on what article you read) came from the husband-wife team of Dov Kelemer and Sarah Jo Marks. The two own DKE Toys, which distributes designer toys, books and prints.

In a recent video interview on the site Outta This World, Marks said that they chose artists they like and whose works they sell, and selected Star Wars as the theme because they love Star Wars. In a 2008 interview on the blog Vinyl Pulse, Kelemer said that he had been selling collectible toys for 15 years and was a collector of Star Wars memorabilia. He said in the interview that he had made a down payment on his house some years ago by selling his vintage Star Wars collection.

Each artist – from all over the globe – was given a full-sized helmet (obtained from a licensee who had about 100 unusable ones in a warehouse) and one rule: Keep it kid-friendly, Marks said in the video. They noted on their Vader Project website that Star Wars’ creator Lucasfilms had no association with the project.

The first exhibit was in Los Angeles in May 2007 with 66 helmets (that’s the number that had actually been returned by the artists, Marks said). From there, it toured Europe in July 2007 and Japan in 2008. The final stop was last year at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Most were artists I had never heard of before, but I was intrigued and fascinated by the replica helmets and the wildly divergent visions of the artists. Through my research, I learned more about several of them and their amazing work outside the Vader Project, including Kozik, who appeared to be the master artist of concert posters.

I also came across two helmets by African American artists among the group: Jermaine Rogers (see his ”Death-Starry Night” above left and in the online catalog, page 166), a concert-poster artist with some neat products and what seemed like an avid following. Madtwinz (see their entry above right and in the online catalog, page 129), twin brothers who mix hip-hop and animation, who made “The Root of All Evil,” one of my favorites. There were also a smattering of women, including Carmen Mirandarth’s Girls Drawin Girls, who said they created their company to highlight female animators.

Rogers’ helmet did not sell at the auction. In fact, many of them did not make what appeared to be the minimum bid of $1,500. (The catalog had estimated most to sell from $3,000 to $5,000.) About one-third of the helmets sold at auction.

The auction itself was pretty quiet and low-key. Most of the bidding was on the phone, the internet and through absentee bidding, with only two participating from the floor. Only about 15 people were in the room. There appeared to be more people at the previews on the days I attended last week, most likely interested in seeing what the artists had wrought.

Here’s a sampling of what sold and for how much (the prices do not include a 25 percent premium):

Mr. Cartoon, Darth Fader – $14,000

Frank Kozik, Rust Vader – $10,000. One of my favorites.

Huck Gee, Kurai No Kurai – $8,500

Wade Lageose, Lageose Design, Untitled – $8,000. Another favorite.

Plasticgod, Praise the Lord – $6,500 (online catalog, page 158). Another favorite.

Martin Ontiveros, Dark Lord of the Slits – $5,000

Touma, The Dark in Mind – $5,000

Gris Grimley, Villians – $4,250 (online catalog, page 90)

Cameron Tiede, Darth Invaded – $4,000

Amanda Visell, Untitled – $4,000

Urban Medium, Good vs. Evil – $3,250

Tim Biskup, Honor Thy Father – $3,000 (online catalog, page 26)

Girls Drawin Girls, Carmen Mirandarth - $1,500

So, I agreed to research their items via Google and see what I came up with. If they were selling well on auction, retail or other sites, I’d recommend that the items be appraised by a reputable and certified appraiser. Since this does take time, I’ll only do it for friends.

 
The first request came from a woman whose aunt had dishes purchased during World War II in Japan. The niece sent me photos of a cup and saucer that included the makers mark on the bottom. I’d never associated Japan with dinnerware so I didn’t expect to find much. English manufacturers in particular are noted for quality dinnerware.

I found the cup and saucer selling for $9.99 on eBay and other sites, and I told her not to start spending that inheritance. I also sent her a link to a post I had done about elegant dinnerware that had come up at auction.

This week, I went to the home of a friend of a friend who has some pieces he thought might be worth a little something-something. I took along my auction buddy Janet who has developed an expertise in certain areas of her own. I took photos – along with notes – of a cedar chest, a secretary desk, some glassware and other items. I’ll Google them and then advise him to call in a certified appraiser based on what I find. Since there were no makers marks on most of the items, I warned him that I may not be able to find them.

Those two requests intersected with another idea that had lodged in my mind regarding appraisals. I was reading a recent newsletter published by Swann Auction Galleries in New York about a service it offered: Swann would send its experts out to organizations for an afternoon of appraisals as a fundraising event. The auction house would provide the appraisals free of charge to the organization, which in turn would charge people to have three items evaluated.

I had been to one of those appraisals about a year ago. For $5 each, I had three items appraised: a group of 25 or more original drawings by cartoonist Bo Brown, a Japanese painting of a winter outdoor scene and an old print of the Pennsylvania State House. The appraisers were from a major auction house in Philadelphia. As I waited, I heard the appraiser tell one couple ahead of me that their painting was worth about $30,000.

As for my pieces, the appraiser found Brown’s originals selling for about $250 each on the web (I already knew that because I had found the same information on my own). The State House print was actually a reproduction. He could not tell me the worth of the Japanese painting because that was not his area of expertise. He suggested that I bring it to the auction house (which I never did).

The appraisers did not try to solicit us – a large crowd showed up that day – by offering to sell our pieces. The process was pretty cut and dried. I recommend taking advantage of these free appraisals. One website, though, said don’t do it. The writer, an appraiser and consultant, indicated that these were more drive-bys than appraisals, and that you wouldn’t get an accurate accounting of the value of your piece. I, however, believe that this is a good way to get expert available to help you make up your mind about hiring an appraiser.

Appraising your collectibles or artwork or other valuable property, and making sure they are adequately insured, is something all collectors should do. Appraisals aren’t cheap, but they’re worth it. The cost of the appraisal will likely depend on the amount of work required, and always try to get an estimate of the cost up front.

For years, I bought African American art, hung it on my walls and enjoyed it. I kept telling myself that I should have it all appraised – the number of pieces were starting to add up – but I never took the time to do it. Finally, I did and learned that my pieces had increased in value and were worth much more than I expected. Now when I buy new pieces – always at auction – I have them appraised and added to the insurance list.

Here are some other things to consider:

•           After getting your pieces appraised, check the company that has your homeowners policy about insuring your collectibles. Most insurance companies give you a discount for multiple policies.
•           The Philadelphia Print Shop – which offers formal, email and ball-park appraisals – suggested on its website an alternative: Do your own research first by checking galleries and other sources online, and price guides and other books.
•           The American Society of Appraisers, which has local chapters, including one in Philadelphia – is a good place to look for a certified appraiser. On the Philadelphia website, I read the section on members in the news to see whose names were mentioned, who were conducting training sessions and who was receiving awards for their work. Those are among the ones I’d check out further.
•           Some auction houses will examine your pieces free of charge to make a cursory assessment, usually by appointment, or invite you to email an estimate request after answering a few questions. These houses also have experts who can do a formal appraisal for insurance purposes. Some accept walk-ins on certain days.
•          Check out the websites of several auction houses near you. Go to one or two of their auctions to determine the staff’s trustworthiness (auctionzip.com can locate auctions in your area). Do a Google search of them. Find out if they have a free appraisal event coming up and take your item to it. If they do house visits for an initial free consultation, take them up on it. But don’t be pushed into going with them if you feel uncomfortable. It’s your decision.
•           The Smithsonian American Art Museum website provides research tools to help you determine the value of your collectibles. And Fadedgiant Books has a database showing how much books are being sold for on eBay and Yahoo auctions.

Tina Wilson Callen had been following the developments and was intrigued about the interest in her ancestor. A photo with the boys’ images – similar to a stereoview card made by Wilson – and dubbed a “rare slave photo” was found in an attic in North Carolina recenlty, and questions have been raised about its rarity. 

I was curious about Callen’s quest to collect stereoview cards that Wilson – JN, as she calls him – made. So I decided to email her back and ask her about it. Here are her answers, with some minor editing.

Q: How long have you been collecting or searching for your great-grandfather’s works? Did something in particular spur you to start?

A: I started collecting JN’s stereoviews a few years back. One day while on eBay, I typed his name in for a search and to my surprise a handful of views were available, mostly the common Bonaventure views (Photo above is an early stereoview of a road in  Bonaventure Cemetery). Then I came across some city scenes, then every once in a while a plantation scene. I bought a few of the cheaper-priced ones at first. Once they arrived, that really sparked my interest.

I myself have always enjoyed photography. So it intrigued me to continue some research and I learned more about stereoviews and viewers. Also picked up a couple of books.

Q: What have you been able to find, where and how? How large of a collection of his works do you have?

A: I have about 50 of his views. I mostly like the Savannah city scenes, the waterfront. I do have a very interesting one of Bonaventure with a handful of monuments. You can see the river in the background. Jerry Flemming, the director of cemeteries for the city of Savannah, contacted me after I bought it on eBay. He was bidding also. He wanted to know if I could send him a copy of the view. He does research documenting the dates of the cemetery and had not seen that view before. I sent him a copy. Then a few months later while I was in Savannah I had the pleasure of meeting him, showing what I had collected and he showed me around Bonaventure and the various monuments in some of JN’s views. It was very interesting.

Q: What if any stories were handed down to you about him? Did anyone in the family inherit any of Wilson’s photographs?

A: Not many stories have been handed down. As far as I know, there was not any of JN’s work handed down through the years.

Q: I’ve seen a photo of Wilson, his wife & children. Which child did you descend from?

A: In the photo on the front of the Bonaventure article, James the third child from the left was my grandfather. He passed away before my mother and father were married. All the Wilson families were large and spread out over the years.

Q: Do you live in the South?

A: I grew up in Miami. When my family moved south in the mid-1950′s, we lost touch with most of the Wilsons. I only have contact with a few cousins.

Q: You said that you tried to get the stereoview card of the two black boys that was auctioned recently on eBay, but lost by a second. Tell me about that.

A: Last week (6/7/2010), I came across a collection of JN’s on eBay. I bid on it, mainly interested in the plantation scenes, knowing they usually sell between $50 and $75 on the internet. I have paid a little more for select views. I put my bid in and almost forgot about it ending 6/8. June 8 is my birthday and we were having dinner. When I remembered I jumped up, ran to check on it. I was still the high bidder at $124. I had my max set at $144, so I decided to up it to $162.98 just in case.

 
My son and I were watching the countdown from 10 seconds. At about 4 seconds left, a bid of $163 popped up. I tried to go higher but just did not have enough time. I was sad but figured it was one of those things. I wanted to contact the buyer to see what he was going to do with them (the card was one of 12 selling as a lot on eBay), but could not figure out how to do it. So I just forgot about it and figured I might come across them again one day. No big deal. Then that Friday (6/11), I was working outside and my husband came running out with the article about the Brady picture. I had to go back to eBay to look at the one I was bidding on, then looked in the New York Public Library Digital Gallery to see if it was the same one I had seen there.

Did not know what to think. I knew that JN and other photographers bought and sold negatives all the time back then, but it just did not make sense with the story of John and the bill of sale.

Then a few days later doing yet another search of JN came across your blog. And that really got me thinking. Not being an expert on stereoviews but knowing what I have picked up over the last couple of years and the searches I have done, it sure looks like it was JN’s. I do not know anything about (Civil War photographer Mathew) Brady. But there are still a handful of plantation scenes out there and this one sure fits the bill of all the other ones that JN did.

I come across ones that have an early marking of JN Wilson on the back and then with Havens and Wilson, and O. Pierre Havens on the id. I know JN sold his negatives.

(From Sherry: According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum website, Havens and Wilson opened a photo studio in 1872 in Savannah. In 1888, Havens moved to Jacksonville, Fla., and set up one there. On the web, I found several stereoview cards from the 1870s with blacks and Native Americans attributed to the two men, along with ones by Havens alone here and here. In my research, I found a site with stereoview cards of blacks and Native Americans from the late 19th century done by various  photographers.)