When I enter an auction house and see documents and papers, I immediately head to them. I love flipping through the old stuff to see what bit of history is embedded in them. Who knows,…
Category: Ephemera/Paper/Documents
Artsy 1930s Fortune magazine covers
Posted in Art, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
On first glance, the image reminded me of a mural I’d perhaps seen of workers building a skyscraper in Chicago. I don’t remember where I saw the work – I’m sure it was during a…
I was flipping through some magazines at auction last week when a familiar cover willed me to stop. It was an August 1965 copy of Ebony magazine with the silhouette of a man’s face in white against…
Blacks in the West, Panthers’ banner, soldier’s letter
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Photos
The collection was awesome. Laid out in the glass case in front of me, the display of photos of African Americans who journeyed west in the late 1800s was both expansive and illustrative. The collection included…
The items were laid out peacefully on the auction table like the remains of a relative. Tintype photos in beautiful cases of relatives long gone. Small personal books and Kodak photos. A heavily worn Bible in a…
When Thomas A. Dorsey lost his first wife in childbirth in 1932 and his son a day later, he was so devastated that he questioned his faith. He found his way back to his God,…
Aunt Julia’s Cook Book of African American recipes
Posted in Books, Cooking, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
The first thing that caught my eye in the box on the auction table was a small folded sack with the words “Georgia Cured Bacon” in faded print. I don’t consume pork but I am…
Readers ask about Jet magazines & Hoosier cabinets
Posted in Black history, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, Kitchen, 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…
Lillian wanted to make certain Ricke knew that this card with the pin-up girls was not her choice: “This was Irvs idea,” she wrote. Looking at the card, I understood why she disavowed it – although with…
1963 March on Washington record album
Posted in Beauty Products, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Music
I hadn’t seen much on the auction house website to entice me, but I went to the auction anyway, not expecting to find anything I’d want to take home. The bidding had gotten started when…