Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources for them to determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do…
Category: Music
Mystery of the “Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dawg Aroun'” song
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Music
I had seen the piece of sheet music in a back room of the auction house, slightly ajar in its frame, the masking tape holding it in place having lost its glue. The front cover was…
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,…
Readers ask about March on Washington album & ukelin music
Posted in Music, Reader questions, and Uncategorized
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…
The jukebox was a mighty mess. Someone had attached pieces of tape to keep the front from falling off. One of the plastic decorative arms on the side had a small crack. The wood-grain finish was scuffed and scratched.…
“I Feel Good” James Brown doll
Posted in Dolls, Music, Performers, and Toys
Auctions are about more than just antiques. They’re also about kitsch, and what can be more kitschy than a singing James Brown doll. Such a doll showed up at an auction I attended last weekend…
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…
A 45 record of Ethel Merman singing ZIP code song
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, Music, and Records
I distinctly remember the cartoonish ZIP code man with the stringy right-leaning body and bug eyes. I was still a young girl when he became the popular mascot of the Post Office’s then-new five-digit ZIP code. I…
A Louis Armstrong I didn’t know
Posted in Black history, Music, Performers, and Plays
A couple years ago, I picked up a studio photo of Louis Armstrong with his first band the Hot Five from the 1920s. Armstrong was at the piano and seemed to be talking to the…
Readers ask about Fred Wesley’s lyrics & Kennedy newspapers
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Music
Fridays 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…