The small pamphlet with the black and white cover bore the title “The Negroes in a Soviet America.” On the cover was a young African American man, smiling broadly and happily as he undoubtedly envisioned…
Author: sherry
Photos of Victorian blacks & Maya Angelou art auction
Posted in Art, Black history, and Photos
“This looks interesting,” my auction buddy Janet wrote in the email. The first words that caught my eye in the story she had sent were “Victorian Era Blacks” and “Rare photos of 19th-century blacks.” I…
A blank check on a lithographic stone
Posted in Art, collectibles, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
The cement gray stone was about 3″ thick and reminded me of a cornerstone without the sharp bend. I knew this was no cornerstone because it had images inscribed on both sides. The stone seemed…
When I saw notice of the hotel-liquidation sale on the auction-house website, I emailed several of my friends. I knew that most of them didn’t need furniture but maybe they knew someone who did. There…
The tables were loaded with boxes, but they held the stuff that should have been tossed long ago. I went through them anyway, gingerly moving aside items to see beneath the detritus. One auction-goer, a…
Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources to help them determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do…
When I saw the black and white police car in the front room of the auction house, I had a flashback. Not a flashback to reality but a flashback in spirit. The car reminded me…
Who doesn’t love a carousel? They evoke memories of carnivals and state fairs without the hair-raising and screaming fits of roller-coasters. They are the genteel rides, slow and steady, their immobile horses guiding you in…
1968 inlay puzzle of a black child drawn as his natural self
Posted in Children, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Games
The images of the African American boy were partly hidden beneath a black cloth doll on the auction table. I immediately moved the doll aside so I could get a closer look at the images…