Readers often ask me what their items are worth, but I can’t offer them a quick answer because I have none. I often wondered why they didn’t try eBay first, since that’s where millions of transactions occur daily.…
Month: May 2013
“Yard work, yard work, yard work.” The weight of what the auction-goer saw in front of him was so heavy, it seemed, that he had to repeat it three times to get it off his…
Dox Thrash & his carborundum prints
Posted in Art
As soon as I saw the word on the label, I recognized the material. It wasn’t something that most people would notice unless they still used a strop or hone to sharpen a man’s razor. “Carborundum”…
I came looking for the coffins, the shellac boxes that cost too much money but we all feel obligated to bury our loved ones in, anyway. These were supposed to be African coffins, so I didn’t…
Stereotypes in old mags & children’s books
Posted in Books, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Reader questions
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…
Simple tables with an unusual touch
Posted in furniture
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…
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…
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…
Reader asks about Lois Mailou Jones’ Paris art book
Posted in Art, Books, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Reader questions
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…