Sometimes when I’m sitting at an auction waiting for an item to come up, I’ll saunter over to the furniture sale. The stuff sells so cheaply that the auction house might as well give it…
Furniture at too cheap a price
Posted in furniture
Month: July 2010
I first learned about Dave the Potter when Winterthur, the former DuPont estate that is now a museum, held an exhibit of his stoneware pieces. The exhibit was called “‘I made this jar’ The Life…
Belated look at sale of Louis Sloan’s art
Posted in Art
Back in April, I wrote about a tug-of-war within the family of the late Philadelphia artist Louis B. Sloan over his artwork. At age 75, the artist died in 2008 on his way out to…
It’s pretty hard for me to pay retail these days. Not after seeing how little items go for at auction. The key is knowing when these items are up for sale. You can find that…
It’s hard to imagine the voice of James Earl Jones coming out of some of the Vader Project pop-inspired helmets at auction last weekend. Carmen Mirandarth (with fruit as hair). Darth Mushroom (baby-girl pink), Hanus…
I’ve gotten two requests lately from people asking me to determine if their treasured heirlooms are worth anything. I’m not an appraiser, but I do know how to conduct research. So, I agreed to research…
Psst! Wanna buy a ski boat?
Posted in Boat
You couldn’t miss the boat when you entered the door to one of my favorite auction houses recently. It was stationed just to the right, not blocking your path but close enough so you wouldn’t…
The slightly tawny postcards were adorable there on the table at the auction house. There were six of them, depicting the members of a wedding party, all stylishly dressed in what looked liked 1920s clothing.…
Searching for J.N. Wilson’s stereoview cards
Posted in Black history, collectibles, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Photos
I got an email recently from a great-granddaughter of Savannah photographer J.N. (Jerome Nelson) Wilson, whose stereoview card of two black boys from the 19th century has been the subject of recent news stories. Tina Wilson…
Black golfer, black relics & black ancestors
Posted in Black history, and Sports
This week, my local newspaper ran three stories with a black history theme. I was surprised to see so many in one week, but I found it fitting since this is the week leading up…