My grandchildren think I’m an antique.

I remember watching in relief as my grandparents had indoor plumbing installed in their home. No more midnight trips to the backyard. Yaaayyy! It always took me what seemed like hours to go back to sleep after a trip outside – it felt like I might have one of those outhouse spiders crawling around in the bed with me. The alternative was to use the chamber pot, something I absolutely refused to do. I had SOME dignity, even as a child.

I sewed my first doll dress on a treadle sewing machine. I managed to send the needle partway through one of my fingers.

I rode on the back of draft horses as they pulled a hay wagon that was being loaded with hay bales by the farmhand, not a machine. My grandparents had a tractor, but it was kept in the shed and used only for the really BIG jobs because the gasoline it ran on, was so expensive at 27 cents per gallon.

I remember our first television set … tiny screen and three channels. A remote? What’s a remote? Milk delivered to the back door. Stores closed on Sunday. A typewriter with a platen, a ribbon and a carriage return. What? No delete button?

My grandchildren can hardly believe some of the stories I tell of my growing up years. “Wow! Did they even have lightbulbs then?” is one memorable quote.

Some mornings I wake up with joints that are stiff and sore. I often feel like a turtle on its back as I try to sit up after a half-hour in the recliner; I huff and puff as I climb the second set of stairs. Sometimes it’s hard not to feel like an antique.

But, what makes something an antique?

An antique might be a 1945 Ford, an Early American pie safe or a wonderful painting by an Old Master. An antique could be a postcard sent from a lonesome soldier during WWI, your great-great-grandmother’s teacup, or a brooch found at an estate sale. An antique, while not necessarily always pretty or expensive, has class. Someone has seen the value in it or cherished the memories it brings. Someone knows that under what might be a not-so-beautiful exterior, it’s good and solid and they want to find a place for it in their life.

By that definition, I guess I’m OK with being an antique.

My father, who is a child of the Great Depression, can recall with a high amount of respect, how critical President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal was in terms of turning around the economy and providing jobs for the unemployed.

My mother, who remembers President John F. Kennedy with fondness and sadness, can remember her reaction the moment news of his shooting came over the radio. “He can’t die! He’s the president!” and her shock when she saw live, on television, Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald.

I, born in the tumultuous year of 1968, can recall 20 years later, working for the campus newspaper, having the privilege of shaking the hands of just about every presidential candidate from Paul Simon and Michael Dukakis to Al Gore.

Politics create moments in history – and history itself. That’s one of the reasons why so many people collect political memorabilia today. Each pin and banner not only represents a time and person, but perhaps a cause or movement as well.

I know I can’t look at a women’s “right to vote” badge without being very thankful there were women (and men) who cared enough to lobby, protest and fight for that right.

I bet you can’t look at a candidate pin for Thomas Dewey without thinking of that famous “Dewey defeats Truman” headline.

Can you look at a caricature of Carter without thinking of peanuts? Or study a family photo of Lincoln without experiencing empathy for the many tragedies in his personal life and challenges in his administration?

While some of the more frivolous items do find themselves abandoned on the convention floor, others are finding themselves in the hands of political collectors like author Dr. Enoch Nappen and James Warlick.

Be sure to read our cover story by Dr. Nappen, who shares insight into collecting trends and gives a sneak preview to his recently released book, Warman’s Political Collectibles Identification and Price Guide, published by Krause Books.

To see the real deal, make a point of visiting the Atlantique City fall show Oct. 18-19, where Mr. Warlick will display numerous items from this personal collection dubbed “The American Presidential Experience.” Warlick has had a love of politics from an early age and has opened six political memorabilia stores in Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Georgetown.

Check out our Atlantique City show section on the following pages to see what else is in store at the Atlantic City Convention Center. You won’t want to miss your chance to spout politics and feel like a winner yourself when you find a collectible treasure there.

As the election approaches, Antique Trader would like to know if you collect political memorabilia or if you have a memory to share about a historic election or political moment. We’ll share these before the nation chooses its new president next month.

Drop me a note, post a reply here, or e-mail me at robyn.austin@fwpubs.com. Hurry, before the polls close!

EBay. At the mere mention of the site, strong feelings tend to surface, and whether you love it, hate it or couldn’t care less, it is a powerful force in the cyber-marketplace for buyers and sellers. The changes made earlier this year haven’t seemed to cause much of a ripple in the number of listings, though it did “inspire” a few eBay sellers to venture out and start their own auction sites. (OnlineAuction.com is just one of these sites, and is picking up steam; when I last checked, they were up to 14.8 million items listed.)

I admit it: I am an eBay fan. I’ve been a registered user since 2000 and the great majority of my experiences have been positive. But, I’m only a buyer – I’ve never sold anything on eBay or any other online auction site. I’ve participated in enough eBay auctions to recognize certain “adversaries” who collect the same treasures as I do, and I’m fine with getting involved in an auction with these opponents because I bid what I’m willing to pay and no more (which, I believe, is one of the secrets of always being satisfied with any auction purchase, but I’ll save that for another time) and may the highest bidder win.

Recently, I’ve been reading discussions about one of the eBay changes that I believe affects buyers more than sellers: bidder anonymity. Keep in mind, though, I don’t have a seller’s perspective. (Perhaps some of you can help me out with that.)

In the U.S., eBay bidder IDs are kept “partially anonymous,” that is, you can always see the sellers’ IDs, and if you sign in, you can see your own ID. Everyone else’s is kept somewhat anonymous (“to enhance bidder privacy” and protect bidders from fake second chance offers) by asterisks filling in between two random characters from bidders’ User IDs. Only after an auction ends does the winning bidder’s full User ID show up in the bidding history.

There has been quite a bit of discussion on the “absolute anonymity” that eBay has implemented in Australia and the U.K., where bidder IDs are now kept completely anonymous. Think about that from a bidder’s perspective. The largest ramification that I can think of: What will keep a seller from logging in and shill bidding, that is, making phony bids to drive up the final sale price?

EBay has discouraged its sellers with its recent restructuring of seller fees and taking away the seller’s ability to leave negative feedback for buyers.

This week Antique Trader wants to know: If eBay implements absolute bidder anonymity in the U.S. – which some people think is imminent – what effect will it have on bidder, and thus, buyer, participation? How important is it to you that you know who you are bidding against?

What do you think? E-mail robyn.austin@fwpubs.com and tell her what you think, or post a reply here.

Last weekend was beautiful in central Wisconsin, and my family and I took full advantage of it.

To celebrate Father’s Day, my husband, daughter and me went to Zurko Promotions’ Shawano flea market. Zurko’s holds flea markets every Sunday at the Shawano County Fairgrounds in Shawano, Wis., through the summer. This was our first opportunity to get there this season, and for $2 admission per adult (children under 16 are free), it’s a fantastic way to spend the day.

My husband and I love flea markets and auctions. Since our daughter came along, we haven’t gone to as many as we once did, but now she’s getting old enough to appreciate all the wonderful things that can be had … for a price. At first she didn’t want to go, but once I explained to her that it was like a “ginormous” garage sale, she was okay with it.

We didn’t get to the flea market until almost noon (my husband suggested we go out for breakfast, and I always take full advantage of the opportunity when my husband suggests that someone else cook), but we were still impressed with the number of vendors that were there. We’ve been to some flea markets where, if you don’t get there before 10 a.m., you don’t even need to bother going because everyone gets there at the crack of dawn and they’re packing up by 10.

My husband and daughter wandered off to find their kind of treasures while I hung back and just enjoyed being there for a while. It felt great to be back at a market where every few minutes I heard haggling between buyers and sellers, I heard dealers exchanging anecdotes, and buyers calling their friends and families on their cell phones telling them about where they were and what they were finding.

While browsing goods that ranged from hand-made doll wardrobes to old farm implements to (and this is new this year) dried fruits and nuts, I spoke with a few of the vendors of more vintage items.

I asked how often they come to the Shawano market, and a couple of them said they come every week, and that they always have a good rotation and of vendors and good vendor turnout. One said it was her first time this season, because they don’t come before Memorial Day since they’re traveling a distance and there just isn’t enough of a crowd to make it worth their while. The vendors were all very upbeat and positive.

The majority of the vendors I spoke with also said that they’re pretty happy with how the season’s shaping up, even though the weather has been “beating us up.” One of the vendors opined that he thought the secondary market was going to be okay and manage the rough economy better than retail stores because retailers have to pay more to stock their shelves. I think he’s right.

A summary of my most recent flea market experience: The weather was beautiful, there was a great group of vendors with a wide array of merchandise both old and new, and an appreciative buying crowd. If there is any way possible, I’m going to make it back to Shawano for the holiday extravaganza that is scheduled for July 5-6, because a couple of the vendors told me they were going to be “filled to the fences.”

Will I see you there? Or will you be visiting other venues? Feel free to post a reply here and share your flea market experiences and impressions.

Philip Capewell will have around five years to think about what he's done.



On April 25 an English judge sentenced the man for handling valuable antiques stolen from a couple, who was tied up in their country house, and threatened with various tortures like having thier fingernails pulled out if they didn't tell the thieves where the valuable antiques were.

They did as any of us would have done when faced with such a thing; they told the thieves exactly where the antiques were.

Two other men were also found guilty of conspiring to handle stolen antiques, but not of the theft itself. I'm not exactly sure if anybody has been charged with the deed itself, because this article from the Midhurst and Petworth Observor is rather poorly written. I do hope, however, that someone pays for the heinous act of committing the crime itself.

This sentencing is a clear message at least to would be antique thieves and fences in England: You will do time if busted.

Capewell is in poor health, suffers from depression - and has a penchant for selling stolen goods. He's a serial offender. I'm sorry for his health issues, but if you do the crime, you will do the time. Sorry. Them's the breaks. Capewell evidently showed no remorse for his crimes, and in so doing gave the entire antiques community a black eye. I hope he uses his time to the truly reflect on how he's wasted his life.

Here's a British article aimed a teeny, tiny little audience, but it's an interesting discussion just the same - especially if you have a few mil to throw at a Warhol...

Tinley Chojor was a very well-known name in Buddhist art circles.

Chojor painted many many beautiful things, among them the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery in Woodstock, NY, just across the mountain from where my best friend and his family had a house in the area, and where I spent many happy hours as a young man in my 20s.


Times Herald-Record/DEBORAH MEDENBACH

This is a picture of Chojor in Woodstock, takinga break from his work.

Chojor's awesome lines were second only to his deep belief in the philosophy he was charged with painting. He was a native to Tibet, who learned the art from his father.

This story is from the Times Herald Record, based in the Hudson Valley, where I lived for almost a decade.

I would say I'm sad, but not really. He had an amazing life and leaves behind an amazing legacy of great art - ceratinly the best at his craft in the states, if not all of the world. According to the Buddhist principles that Chojor based his life and art on, he's already moved on toward his next life.

Rest in peace to a great artist.

Just a tiny mention here at The Press Association regarding the upcoming London sale of a rare three-volume first edition set of Jane Austen's "Emma," inscribed by the great woman herself to her governess.

I will plead ignorance here and tell you I've never read "Emma," or seen any of the film, PBS or BBC adaptations of it. Austen just isn't my thing, really, but I respect her place as a huge and enduring literary figure, and actually do regret the gap in my literary knowledge. Back inmy early 20s, when I was working a night job at Shakespeare and Co., on lower Boradway in NYC, my focus was really on Faulkner, Nabokov, Cormac McCarthy, Russel Hoban and a plethora of great Russians. Perhaps when my daughter gets a little older, and I have time to read a real book in large chunks, I'll pick up Austen. Oh well.

The books are expected to bring about 50,000 pounds, or $100,000, depending on the exchange rate when the sale takes place June 24.

Interesting post here from a blog called Victorian Antiques and Design.

It's questions whether the current mortgage crisis is causing the death of Suburbia. I heard the story on NPR the author was talking about and was intrigued at the idea.

The issue, as a whole, is very interesting, especially from a sociological, post-war point of view, as the suburbs, a big car and big backyard were the backbone of the American Dream. Now, thanks to greedy lenders lying to some unwary folks, and buyers who knew they had no business getting ARMs, all mixed with terribly suspect financial policy from our government, and you have - quite possibly - what author Paul Wilham is talking about.

I grew up in suburbia, and my very sense of self and society is somewhat tied up in those ideas - the mall sas everything, the modern ranch house was uniquitous and nobody ever questioned whether it was the right place to be or the right thing to do, except when bullies threw my brother Cris's shoes into a creek, and maybe it was just me who wanted to move away...

Anyway, this is an important discussion in 2008, and one that's only going to gain relevance as the housing crisis deepens and properties lie empty.

Check it out. An interesting read and a good blog.

I wrote about the Triceratops auction in Paris a while back...

Here's an update from a North Dakota archeologist who is hoping the buyer will give it back to the state, since the state was never given a chance to get it in the first place. There has been no word from the buyer, either on whether he or she will give it back, or who they are.

Look... As much as I'd like to give you back my triceratops - I call him Sticky - I just can't bear to. I rule the playground now, and the chicks really dig it...

Here's a very cool new site for an architecture online magazine.

Great stuff. A lot of insight into modern htinking on building, and a great place for all those new college grads with architecture degrees, which is the new art history...

If you haven't checked it out yet, then check it out. If you came here through it, then you know why we're all so excited here to get this thing up and running.

The new Antique Trader Web site is the culmination of many months of hard work and collaboration, not to mention much forward-thinking by the upper management of F+W Publications. It is the hard work of all of the staff here (Karen Knapstein - Web editor; Sandra Sparks - Senior Editor; Robyn Austin, Editorial Director; Scott Tapa, Associate Group Publisher; the entire ad team, and the Interactive team in Cincinnatti) to get all the information just right, get everything linked just so, and to make sure that all our various players are up and running.

At the new AT site you'll find breaking news, industry shop, show and auction information, calendars, features, columns, advice and more than 1,000 archived articles from the past several years of AT. You'll find stories that don't get into the paper, and expanded photo coverage of auctions and features. It's easier to navigate and hopefully gives you all the information you need within a couple clicks.

Check it out, click around to get a feel and see what's there. Check back often and enjoy!

This is interesting and - dare I say it - sexy for the antiques industry.

From ArtInfo.com.

I wrote here not two weeks ago about the market in Russian art, followed by something about Muslim art, and shortly after that  Sotheby's has a huge sale of Russian art. Who buys it? Oh yes, Russians.

Except that one peice, and only one piece failed to sell for it's estimated amount. Why? It's alleged ties to the Russian Mob, and the death threats that came with its initial theft.

No picture available to my knowledgable, which might just push this thing mainstream. I hope that guy from CSI Miam is in in the pilot...

Yes. Very sexy.

This is pretty cool, especially considering that a) the philosophy of the Buddha was about the impermanance of all things and b) it's in Bamayan region of Afghanistan - well associated with the destruction of the giant stone Buddhas there by the taliban in 2001 - and these paintings are the earliest oils known.



This story is from Discovery News.

The giant stone buddhas are blown-up. Much gnashing of teeth. Seven years later, more, and rarer images show up in a hidden cave.

Afghanistan is so widely associated with Islam and the taliban, that it's easy to forget how important the region was in terms of the Buddhist way for several hundred years. It was a center of study and art and monasteries.

I hope these paintings are kept safe and sound. If not, never fear. It's all about impermanence anyway...

The sad reality of the antique coin market right now is that there are an awful lot of fakes coming out, especially being manufactured in China.

This guy in Orlando - busted faking it in the land of Mickey - is just barely one blade of grass in a large lawn.

This is being sold by Philips De Pury on Thursday in London. There is a much better pic on the home page of the auction house. It is expected to take $160,000.

Don't know what I think of it, really. Just interesting.