My auction buddy Janet and I immediately noticed Little Jasper when we approached the glass case at the auction house, which was holding a special doll sale on this day. We’d never heard of or…
Little Jasper African American pull toy
Posted in Toys
Month: May 2013
“You don’t have to worry about anyone stealing that,” the man said as he walked up to me. That thought hadn’t crossed my mind as I stood there looking at the massive concrete garden seat…
A theater troupe’s African American marionettes
Posted in Art, collectibles, and Performers
At first glance, I could not tell what was in the row of cardboard boxes that filled the long tabletop at the auction house. There appeared to be about a dozen of them, with strings…
Swan figurine by Laszlo Ispanky
Posted in Art, collectibles, and Figurines
I was sorting through a box lot of disparate items recently, not sure what I would find of value or interest. I removed item after item, fingering them carefully, and finally came upon a small swan…
One reader accused me of being jealous of the stars of “Market Warriors.” Another called me a bottom-feeder. Ouch, that hurt. Those were two of the comments I got recently from readers who came across a…
An automaton cat that cobbles boots
Posted in Toys
Something was making a racket among the old teddy bears. I had placed about five of the stuffed animals in a black garbage bag, after having removed about a dozen from another cardboard box that held them…
A wooden phone booth from the 1950s
Posted in collectibles, furniture, and Home
I had looked all over the auction house for the phone booth. I had seen it on the website – an anachronism now but quite ubiquitous and popular in its day. I had scoured the…