I’ve long been a fan of the Negro Leagues. Whenever I’d come across a T-shirt or cap or any other paraphernalia (most of them never at auction), I’d snap it up. I’m not much of…
Category: Sports
Telling the story of Toni Stone as 1st woman in Negro Leagues
Posted in African American women, Black history, Plays, and Sports
Some years ago when I met Mamie “Peanut” Johnson at one of those events where former Negro Leagues players sign autographs, I was surprised and delighted to learn that black women were Negro Leaguers, too.…
The blanket chest was aged and lovely, but the image painted on it was even more impressive. It was more than just a chest for storing blankets; it was folk art, created by someone with talented…
The room was packed as tight as a group of defensive linemen laid out on top of a quarterback. It had taken the auction-house staff days to set up the seemingly endless tables of still-in-their-box…
The last house where Paul Robeson lived
Posted in Art, history, Music, Performers, Plays, Sports, and theater
Arcenia McClendon was telling a story about the time she met Paul Robeson: She was a young school teacher in her early 20s and she passed the house at 50th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia on her…
The soft yellow and blue colors on the postcard were the first thing to catch my eye. I could tell it was a linen card and thereby had some age on it. Many of the…
I had seen the mural before as I drove down Parkside Avenue in Philadelphia, where one block held the once-stately old mansions of some of the city’s elite and middle class. I was driving down…
Is reader’s Ring magazine an original or reprint?
Posted in Boxing, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Sports
Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. 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…
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…
An MLB All-Star Boot for an over-the-top fan
Posted in collectibles, and Sports
The boot was as big as John Wayne’s image as a symbol of the western cowboy. It stood boldly – all five feet of it in red, white and sky blue colors – in a…