The auctioneer was eager to show me one of the small items in the glass case. He had already shown me several others, including a grouping of turtles, and was especially excited about this particular…
Tag: auction
I had basically ignored the two small brass turtles on a tray in the jewelry case. Instead, I had asked the auctioneer to pull out trays with more interesting-looking items. The three glass shelves (and…
Readers ask about Twelvetrees’ black postcards & horn chair
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and furniture
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…
There was something a bit discomforting about the giant animal carcasses grouped together in a far corner of the auction house. I was used to seeing smaller animals mounted on the walls waiting to be auctioned.…
Cracker Jack I had heard of, but not Cracker Jill. That was the first thought that leaped into my head when I saw the name Cracker Jill. It was printed in bright red letters on…
When I heard the auctioneer say the word “African,” I instinctively looked up. He was holding a large and heavy book in his hand, unsteadily, as he flipped to a front page. From where I…
Armed Services Edition books from WWII
Posted in Books
I was standing in the middle of a tight space, an attic with built-in bookshelves overcrowded with dusty books along a wall and in a lovely mahogany case with glass fronts. Two other rooms in…
It was always a chore for me to try to figure out the mileage from here to there by consulting a travel atlas. I recall pulling out the map book, looking at the “Mileage and…
The two diaries had been in a box of other items I actually wanted at auction. I found them later while I was going through the box at home. One of the diaries was locked and the…