The pinback buttons I spotted in the glass auction case were new to me. I’d seen buttons of political candidates, civil rights campaigns and cartoon characters, but I had never come across any with the faces of…
Category: collectibles
Vintage radios in the form of lovely furniture
Posted in collectibles, Home, Music, and Radio
My auctioneer friend Rodney looked out over the sea of furniture and saw what I had already seen. “There are a lot of good ones out there,” he said. We were both admiring a collection…
Cracker Jack prizes and childhood nostalgia
Posted in collectibles, Personal items, and Toys
The sign on the open flat box clearly identified the tiny metal items, but plenty of us auction-goers knew instantly what they were. “Vintage Cracker Jack Prizes,” the sign stated. Who among us Baby Boomers…
One collector’s love affair with novelty cigarette lighters
Posted in collectibles, Military, and Personal items
It was a collection that bespoke of a different time when just about everyone lit up. This collector had pulled together novelty lighters in an abundance of shapes. I’ve been going to auctions for so long…
Roswell spaceship as mysterious as ever
Posted in collectibles, and Figurines
The small model looked too modern to be a replica of the spaceship that many believed crash-landed in Roswell, NM, in 1947. It had sleek aluminum wings that folded over onto itself at the back…
When cap guns were king
Posted in collectibles, and Toys
As soon as I saw the two sets of cap guns, they brought back memories. Memories of my boy cousins and little brothers who fired paper caps at each other with toy guns. How far we…
The many incarnations of the noble typewriter
Posted in Antiques, collectibles, and Equipment
Most of the typewriters on the tables at the auction house appeared to be in good condition, bearing little of the dust I’ve seen on some that have been stored in basements for years, unseen…
Fancy little match safes to keep you from catching on fire
Posted in Advertising, collectibles, Personal items, and Tins
The first time I came across a match safe at auction, I wasn’t sure what it was. It was about the size of my palm, a little bigger than a pill box, and simple. Likely,…
Inkwells recall a different era of keeping in touch
Posted in collectibles, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Personal items
The emerald green inkwell caught the eye of my auction buddy Janet. She had intended to bid on it, but she was in another room waiting for a sweet little antique Underwood typewriter to come…