Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
Posted in Black history, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
In its heyday, Jet magazine was black folks’ ticket to their own world. It confounded the notion that they were lazy, had little to say that anyone cared about, and had never made history of any worth. In…
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, Military, and Photos
I was reading a story in my local newspaper this morning about a soldier’s experiences in World War II. It had been written by a columnist whose family had sent him correspondence that this soldier-cousin had…
I was standing a short distance away from where the auctioneer was selling tables of books. I had already shuffled through them and hadn’t seen any that I just had to have. But when I…
The name on the binder is what stopped me. “Everybody’s Magazine,” it blared in gold lettering. It was obviously an old magazine, and with that, I knew it was selling itself much too bodaciously. Even before…
Posted in collectibles, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
The Coke posters were a hit. They were tucked between a glass case and some other tall auction items, almost obstructed from easy viewing. My auction buddy Janet had already seen them (I was too…
Ron O’Neal looked out from the “Super Fly” poster at the auction house in all his grandness – the same way I remembered him from the 1970s in his long coat, matching wide-brimmed hat, quarter-moon…
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Photos
Once, when I joined some friends on one of those two-hour ship excursions in the middle of the bay in Tampa, FL, the tour company had each party to stop and pose for those silly photos.…
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Movies
“Don’t show us!” my auction buddy Janet blurted out – very loudly – as the auctioneer pulled out a nudie magazine with a very revealing cover. He was selling a stack of the magazines at auction…
Posted in Beauty Products, Black history, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Greeting cards
I was watching television one night recently when on screen popped Beyonce in a L’Oreal Paris commercial. Her lips were fire-red, and the lipstick seemed to be applied thickly, as if smeared on. Did her lips…
A half-century ago, Sugar Ray Robinson owned Harlem. He was good-looking, had a pink Cadillac convertible, plenty of money, and was a boxing champ. He was loved and admired and fussed over. He was the man.…
