Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
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…
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…
Posted in collectibles, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Personal items
The contraption sitting in front of me on a table in the back lot of the auction house was obviously a typewriter. It had the customary keys, but its typebars were aligned along two sides like…
Several years ago, while browsing in a cramped shop somewhere in Manhattan, I came across several pieces of sheet music featuring African American singers, including one with Ella Fitzgerald on the cover. Among them was a cover…
When I saw the listing for the letters on the auction-house website, I found it rather intriguing. They were mailed to Mrs. Babe Ruth from fans who adored her husband and, unable to get close to…
Posted in Books, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
Friday is the day I answer readers’ questions. 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…
Posted in Advertising, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, Signs, and Women
I have no memories of good times at the fabled Coney Island in New York, but my auction buddy Janet does. She grew up in Brooklyn, and has stories to tell of going there for…
Posted in African American women, Black history, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
At first, it was hard to distinguish the image featured in the dark marks that seemed to be scattered in the center of the poster. The artist Marlene E. Miller had sketched a face in thick intersecting…
Posted in civil rights movement, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
The poster was folded in half, its aged back exposed and giving no hint of what ideas the other side held. It was lying on top of some contact sheets of black and white photos…
