Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
There was something a bit discomforting about the giant animal carcasses grouped together in a far corner of the auction house. I was used to seeing smaller animals mounted on the walls waiting to be auctioned.…
Posted in Animals, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
This is the second group of cover and inside-page illustrations from the 1930s that someone clipped from magazines and stored away. Most of these are illustrations of dogs and other animals. I came across these while looking…
The cows were peeking from behind life-sized stone Roman figures. One sheep stood between two metal tractor-seat bar stools, while another seemed to be grazing on concrete. Nearby was a crocodile that looked much too real. The…
Posted in Animals, and collectibles
A few years ago, I got three sets of animal traps among some items I bought at an auction. They were rusty contraptions, and one looked as if it still had a tiny bit of…
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…
“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…
I was so fixated on the wide backside of the gray elephant that I didn’t even see the snake. I don’t often come across a life-size baby elephant – real or otherwise – at auction so…
Posted in African American women, Animals, jewelry, Movies, 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 the items that they own. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but…
