The boxes of photo albums were in separate spots on the outside tables at the auction house. As I rounded the corner of each table, I found another album, then another, and then another. Some…
What to do with old photo albums
Posted in Photos
Tag: photographs
When I walked into the community room at Mother Bethel AME Church, I saw a stack of boxes on a table. I was sure they contained the books I wanted badly to see. I was at…
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 some…
Brimfield – African American tintypes and a lot more
Posted in African American women, Books, collectibles, Photos, Tins, and travel
I listened as the owner of the booth told a customer about his radio show and how he could guess a caller’s collectible or antique item without seeing it. I found the notion unbelievable, and…
The magazine-size book was tucked beneath a group of other papers. I found it because I always troll through ephemera at auction. For me, it’s like peeling back the layers of a mystery; I never know…
James Van Der Zee’s photos of Harlem
Posted in Photos
No one quite captured the culture, the love and the beauty of the people of Harlem like photographer James Van Der Zee. We all can conjure in our minds his iconic 1932 photo of a…