Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Photos
Anyone who knows anything about HBCUs knows Howard University in Washington. It’s not the oldest of the historically black colleges and universities but it is among the most august. It has a large web of…
The rain had poured overnight, pounding the items left outside on tables in back of one of my favorite auction houses. Which meant that all of the box lots were soaked, including about 50 pairs of ladies sandals,…
Posted in collectibles, Glassware, and Home
I’ve never been much of an Avon buyer. Avon to me was perfume and cologne – which I don’t wear because it irritates my nose – but who can forget “Skin So Soft,” its much-promoted…
It was raining like crazy outside one of my favorite auction houses a few Sundays ago. But inside, there was this pretty little yellow dining room set that stood out like sunshine on a cloudy…
Posted in Books, collectibles, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, history, and Photos
I met the historian and bibliophile Charles Blockson some years after I arrived in Philadelphia. I had gone to his enclave at Temple University, a small space that housed the thousands of books, manuscripts and artifacts…
Posted in Art, collectibles, and Postcards
Back in November, my auction buddy Janet found four neat postcards among a lot of cards she had just bought. They were images of two black couples demonstrating how to do the cakewalk around 1904.…
Posted in Art, Carvings, and collectibles
They were lying almost cheek to cheek on a long table, in double rows, at the auction house. Some of the nicest African masks I’ve seen in a while. Some years ago, I was into…
Posted in Books, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, history, and Religion
I get a lot of requests from readers wanting to know where to buy a dream book and asking me to look up numbers for them. Please Google “dream book” to find an online store that sells…
Posted in history
I wasn’t sure what to expect as I sat there Saturday in the Vineyard Theater in New York waiting for the “Scottsboro Boys” production to begin. A minstrel show about one of the most tragic…
