August, 2013 | Auction Finds

August 7, 2013

A surprising mix of black dolls at convention

I wasn’t sure what I’d find when I drove to Washington recently for the convention of the United Federation of Doll Clubs. I knew what I’d be looking for, though. Black dolls. Lots of them.…

August 5, 2013

sherry

A black church’s cemetery under a child’s playground

Posted in Black history, Culture, Death, and slavery

Amelia Brown was 26 years old when she died in Philadelphia in 1819. No one today knows who she was, how she lived, or whether she was married or had children. All we have is…

August 2, 2013

sherry

Readers ask about Lime clown and Classics Illustrated comics

Posted in Dolls, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Reader questions

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…

BUY MY NEW BOOK

“ART WITH HEART: How I Built a Sweet Collection by Buying Cheap at Auction”

I collect art, but I’m not someone who has the means to pay $500,000 for a Charles White or $12 million for a Rembrandt. I’m one of the “rest of us” who want beautiful artwork in our homes but can’t afford to pay big bucks for it.

I found a novel way to build my collection – by buying art for very little money at mom-and-pop auction houses near where I live. I started out buying African American artists whose works spoke to me and were ignored by the mainstream art world. Then I discovered some other neglected artists who called out just as loud.

My book “ART WITH HEART” Is a selection of stories of how I found art that I loved, how I lost out on some, won others, learned some lessons that I share with you – and enjoyed every minute of it.

So, grab a seat next to me as I take you through the moments I spent building a collection that stirred my heart.

Watch the Book Trailer

Listen to and read an excerpt