Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
Posted in Black history, history, and Work
The history of black folks in America can be so elusive. Every now and then, I come across an item at auction that seems to have no connection to black history and with a little…
Posted in collectibles, Equipment, history, and Work
The machine was filthy, dusty and battered, but when I saw the plunger I knew exactly what it was. Anyone who’s seen Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner in the Looney Tunes animated series…
Posted in collectibles, Equipment, and Work
The auction house website showed photo after photo of dusty vintage and antique typewriters. I didn’t raise a brow because I’d seen plenty of them – both dusty and clean – over the years. When…
I was walking among the furniture and other large tabletop items at the auction house when I came upon a display of oversized machines. There were about a half-dozen wood and iron contraptions – one of them was…
Posted in collectibles, Equipment, and Work
The text message from my auction buddy Janet wasn’t very encouraging to me: “You going to Briggs tomorrow?” she asked. “They have 12 vintage cookie jars and a bunch of old/rustic tools for sale. Could…
Posted in African American women, Black history, Equipment, Home, and Work
When I saw the wooden barrel in the rear yard of the auction house, I thought it was a planter, just like the ones I had at home, but much bigger and wider. As I…
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…
Posted in collectibles, Equipment, and Work
The first photo at the top of the series on the auction website showed a contraption with a single wooden wheel like a WWI military tank but with an upward slant. The next featured a…
“Yard work, yard work, yard work.” The weight of what the auction-goer saw in front of him was so heavy, it seemed, that he had to repeat it three times to get it off his…
“This is a man’s version of buying shoes,” my auction buddy Janet observed as we watched the men wrangle over some antique wooden machinist tool chests at auction. Janet isn’t exactly the kind of woman…
