The auction-house staffer mentioned something to the auctioneer helper that I could not hear. Atop a stand on wheels, the auctioneer had just ended the sale of another item in his rapid-fire cadence, watched and waited. “A piece of…
Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
The auction-house staffer mentioned something to the auctioneer helper that I could not hear. Atop a stand on wheels, the auctioneer had just ended the sale of another item in his rapid-fire cadence, watched and waited. “A piece of…
I don’t usually waste my precious moments on electronic items in box lots at auction. Most times, they are old and obsolete, and have lost their raison d’etre. They’ve had their glory years, many revolutionary in…
As a child, Deborah Johnson’s mother had a Topsy-style doll that she did not love. In fact, she hated it, Jennie Butler would later tell her daughter. Topsy was typically a dark brown-complexioned doll whose hair…
Posted in collectibles, Cooking, dishware, and flea market
It was advertised as an antiques street fair, which worked perfectly for me because I had items in my basement that weren’t exactly antiques but they were vintage. I gushed to an organizer that this seemed…
As I watched the movie, I looked keenly for the snow-white leather sofa. It was the prop that stood out the most last summer at an auction that sold furniture and accessories from the movie “Dead Man Down,” scenes…
On first glance, the dome-shaped item looked like an antique version of a roulette wheel. It had the trademark numbers encircling the edges, but it was missing the red and black stripes radiating from the…
Posted in Art, Children, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Photos
The flat box was lying practically in the middle of a wide table of throw-away items at the auction house. So I had to stretch my arms pretty far over to retrieve it, and I…
Posted in Art, collectibles, Figurines, and Halloween
We had taken a wrong turn out of Kennebunkport after watching black-clothed surfers riding and flipping on small tidal waves. They looked liked tiny seals against miles and miles of the ocean blue Atlantic behind…
Posted in China, collectibles, dishware, Glassware, Home, and Kitchen
My auction buddy Janet and I picked out five items at auction recently to see how well we’d do against some of the TV auction shows in choosing valuable items. Each day this week, I’m…
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