Antique Trader Blog

What do Pere Noel and a creepy foot have in common?

Karen — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:40:25 GMT

They'll both be crossing Dan Morphy's auction block come Sept. 11 ...

DENVER, Pa. – Ask any collector of Halloween, Christmas or other seasonal antiques and they’ll tell you that every day has the potential of being a holiday, whether the calendar says so or not. On Sept. 11, Morphy Auctions will offer collectors 890 reasons to celebrate in a fantastic Holiday Auction featuring rarities from several renowned specialty collections.

The first 42 lots in the sale are from a wonderful collection of Halloween candy containers and lanterns assembled over the last 20 years by Connie and Jay Lowe of Lancaster County, Pa. The rare, early German-made items in this collection are of superior quality and are completely fresh to the market.

“Having the opportunity to acquire pieces from a collection as fine as Jay and Connie’s does not come along very often,” said Morphy’s CEO, Dan Morphy. “There are so many highlights, it’s hard to predict which ones will do best on auction day.”

Surely the list of top lots would include: a whimsical foot-shape lantern (shown at right, courtesy Dan Morphy Auctions) with a great face and painted faces on five toes, a veggie man posing on a cucumber candy container, veggie and fruit male/female candy containers, and veggie Halloween man with movable glass eyes and radish arms – possibly the only known example. Other stellar lots from the Lowe collection include a veggie man with a removable candle candy container on top of his head; and an apple head with bobbing-tongue candy container.

Other outstanding Halloween collections were the sources for a rare set of celluloid Halloween nodders, mint with original box; and a delightful black man riding a pig candy container. The entire Halloween section for the sale is filled with hundreds of other lanterns, candy containers and die-cuts.

A beautiful selection of Christmas antiques includes many special pieces, such as a Santa candy container and clockwork nodder, a clockwork Santa and bear family set in a winter scene, Santa on an elephant nodder, and a polar bear.

The acclaimed Bob Lenz collection is represented by hundreds of glass ornaments (including kugels and free-blown glass examples), Japanese and German Santas, celluloid Santas, chocolate molds, and German and Russian Dresdens. Among the rarest of the Dresden designs are a Russian troika (sleigh pulled by three horses) and a battleship with four smokestacks.

The auction inventory also includes a marvelous array of Easter, Thanksgiving and patriotic holiday items from fresh to the market collections.

View more color photos of festive vintage holiday collectibles offered in Morphy's Sept. 11 sale.

— Karen Knapstein

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What might this mystery antique item be?

Karen — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:05:03 GMT

We here at Antique Trader have another mystery on our hands. Have a look at the image and the letter below:

Hi! I hope someone out there can help identify this item! It was in a box of miscellaneous stove parts I purchased at auction. This item is approximately 15 inches long, almost 4 inches high at the round end, has a slight amount of red paint left in areas, has “2BH” on the handle, and has a pulley-type end on the handle inside the round portion. Any help or ideas is appreciated!

Thanks, Debbie, via e-mail

Well, it looks like cast iron and has a handle ... we're at a loss.

Are there any other readers out there who have seen this item before? Send your comments to AskAT@fwmedia.com or ATNews@fwmedia.com and they will be published in a future edition of Antique Trader magazine.

— Karen Knapstein

Heritage Auctions NYC Gallery opens Sept. 1

Karen — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:36:57 GMT

NEW YORK – The eagerly-awaited new Manhattan gallery and offices of Heritage Auction Galleries will open at 445 Park Avenue (at 57th Street) Sept. 1, 2010.

The expansion of Heritage, the world’s third largest auction house, into the New York City market comes at a time when many major auction firms are contracting. The Dallas-based firm also opened a Beverly Hills, Calif., gallery and salesroom earlier this year.

“The New York City area is home to many of the top collectors and collections, and the center of the art and antique market,” said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage. “It’s a perfect fit with our increasingly expanding services, and the best possible place for us to serve the art and high-end collectible needs of our clients. I can think of nowhere else we'd rather be opening a new gallery right now than right in the heart of Manhattan's auction district.”

"Heritage is distinguished by its superb sales catalogs, unequalled online resources for buyers and sellers and transparency in how we do business. We have a non-stop auction rotation that features the very best across 30 categories including rare coins, collectibles, fine art, jewelry, comics, movie posters, rare wine, sports memorabilia and much more," explained Rohan.

The first auction to take place under the auspices of Heritage Auctions New York City will be the company’s Oct. 16 Signature® Illustration Art Auction at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion (The Ukrainian Institute), 2 East 79th Street. It will feature some of the very best illustration pieces Heritage has ever offered, including works by Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, Gil Elvgren, J.C. Leyendecker and one of the most iconic pieces of illustration art pieces to come on the market anywhere in years, Garth Williams’ original graphite and ink on paper drawing for the cover of E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, 1952.

One of the most talked about features of Heritage’s new Manhattan venue will be the Heritage Window on Park Avenue, which will feature a continually rotating selection from upcoming Heritage auctions, across all of the firm’s categories.

“We expect the Window to become a regular attraction for both collectors and everyday New Yorkers alike,” said Rohan.

The offices on Park Avenue at 57th will be open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more auction news and coverage, visit the Antique Trader magazine website at www.AntiqueTrader.com.

— Karen Knapstein

Collectibles from the "here and now" to the "way back when"

Karen — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:09:51 GMT

Pottermania

I admit that Harry Potter may not register on collectors’ radar not as easily as early American stoneware or Caughley cups and saucers, but it is an important emerging area nonetheless. The market research conducted for the new book “Harry Potter Collector’s Handbook” shows that all things Potter have the potential for lasting staying power in the hearts and wallets of today’s young readers and moviegoers. The book is a novel endeavor for our company due to the fact the collecting area is so recent (the first Harry Potter book was published in 1997 and the first film was released just four years later).

The values in the book are very affordable, even for some of the more desirable first edition novels. It makes the Harry Potter collecting area all that more accessible for young people. This week’s cover story may be just the tinder needed to stoke the collecting spark between one generation and another.

(You might also be interested in the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook)

Antique Trader Flashback

On page 12 we feature something that was recently suggested by a longtime reader. This reader called our offices to inquire if we were interested in her large library of Antique Trader back issues, which she found while cleaning out her basement. Curiosity got the better of her and she soon realized an entire morning had slipped by while she read article after article. “I still subscribe and many of these articles are still relevant today,” she said.

Well, a quick peek into the Antique Trader archives provides more than 50 years of articles and familiar names, hence Antique Trader Flashback. If readers like the feature, we will publish more articles from decades past. We’ll show current photographs and recent prices realized but it’s always fun to see what things were once worth 30, 40 or even 50 years ago.

The first article is on John Rogers Groups. When the article was first published in The Antique Trader Weekly, spring 1975, the editors wrote: “We feel that these articles are timeless, that they will be as valuable 20 years from now as they are today.” They were absolutely correct.

Still remember a favorite article from the past? Feel free to call or drop a note in the mail or call. I’ll do my best to locate it in our archives. ■

— Eric Bradley

Several pieces from antebellum potter Dave the Slave in Ga. auction

Karen — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:53:23 GMT

If you read Antique Trader magazine, you've occasionally seen Dave the Slave pottery cross the auction block. These pieces often achieve amazing prices of tens of thousands of dollars.

Who was Dave the Slave? According to www.davetheslave.org (a website by Mud Sweat and Tears Southern Antique and Folk Pottery):

Dave the Slave was an enslaved African-American potter who turned wares in the plantation potteries of Edgefield South Carolina before the Civil War. He made pottery from as early as the 1820s to the mid-to-late 1860s.

Dave is famous mainly for two reasons. First, he had the ability to turn large pieces of pottery, forty gallons or more in size. This was an incredible feat.

Secondly, he would sometimes write on the sides of his ware. It was against the law for slaves to learn to read and write in the antebellum South but Dave could and did. Dave sometimes wrote his name and date on his pottery and on very rare occasions he would write short two line couplets or short poems.

In 2004, an Edgefield District poem jar in ovoid form with ear-shaped handles, inscribed with the poem: 'Whats better than kissing (or) wishing while we both are at fishing'; and on other side signed & dated: "Febry 10, 1840, Mr. L. Miles, Dave," sold for $140,000 at a Charlton Hall auction in Columbia, S.C. (The photo shown at right is courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com.)

More Dave the Slave pieces are crossing the block on Aug. 28 at Hawkins Auction Barn in Waynesboro, Ga. Among other important pottery pieces, Hawkins is offering: Recently Discovered Signed and Dated, Dave the Slave 4 Gal. Storage Jar, never offered for Sale to the public. Another signed and dated Dave Jar (Oct, 16th 1854). (Photo at left courtesy Hawkins Auction)

Visit http://www.hawkinsauction.us/ to learn more.

— Karen Knapstein

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Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals is a polished reference

Karen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:16:50 GMT

A pleasure to peruse, “Collecting Rocks, Gems and Minerals,” written by Patti Polk, who has more than 20 years of rock collecting, cutting and polishing experience, is a beautiful, full-color guide that focuses primarily on the rocks and minerals that the majority of people are interested in for lapidary, jewelry or specimens for display. Some organic specimens, such as amber, bone and coral, are also included in the discussions.

“Collecting Rocks, Gems and Minerals” is written and organized so as to be uncomplicated enough for the beginner to understand, but with enough valuable information and details for the experienced lapidarist. Its easy-to-use, quick reference format is arranged by category and color of stone. Color tabs on the edges of the pages help you find your way around with ease.

Among other things, listings include judicious facts such as value per specimen, where it occurs, chemical makeup, hardness and what the item is used for. As there are still plenty of opportunities for you to find these million-year-old treasures in the field, Polk even includes the basics of “How to Locate and Collect Rocks and Minerals,” including safety tips you should follow and basic supplies you should have on hand, as well as what you can do with the specimens once you have them.

More than half of the book is dedicated to lapidary — how specimens are prepared and displayed — and there are crisp, clear images for every rock, gem and mineral sample included in the book. Lavishly illustrated, the title boasts more than 650 color photographs; there are dozens of beautiful examples of different agates alone!

The double-layer, softcover binding should be durable enough to hold up in the field, and will most certainly come in handy at a gem and mineral show. This book gives you a look inside that chunk of rock you may have found in a dry creekbed or elsewhere. I would have liked to have seen more images of specimens “as found” in the field to aid in sight identification for beginners, but there are many books, magazines, websites and other references listed in the “Resources” section in the back of the book for help in this area. And several valuable native mineral examples are pictured, such as silver, gold and platinum.

Polk’s purpose in writing this book “was to create a book that combined the many different aspects of the rock and mineral collecting fields into one cohesive work.” She has a lot of experience and specialized knowledge; that she shares her decades of rockhound and lapidarist lessons with us in this book, and her excitement, affinity and skill at lapidary, gives us enough of a look at what’s inside many geologic finds that might just be enough of a boost to take someone from merely appreciating rocks and minerals to being a true “collector.” ■

Collecting Rocks, Gems and Minerals: Identification, Values, Lapidary Uses, by Patti Polk, Krause Publications, 2010, shop.collect.com, 800-258-0929. Softcover, 272 pages, $17.99. (ON SALE now for $12.23)

— Karen Knapstein

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‘Jewellery’ explains processes, materials

Karen — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:20:19 GMT

No mere pretty little picture book of baubles, “Antique Jewellery” is a useful, compact, reference book that delves into the types of jewelry, the materials old and antique jewelry are made of, and how jewelry was once produced. The list of plates at the beginning of the book piqued my interest and made me jump right in.

According to author Duncan James, who is a lecturer, jewelry designer and craftsman, “It seeks to encourage the reader to look at jewellery more closely and carefully for the subtle hidden evidence of fine craftsmanship and design.”

If you’re in the market for old and antique jewelry, and you can identify quality workmanship, you have a better chance of getting the best value for your money. “Antique Jewellery” is a good tool to help you learn to spot fine antique jewelry while you are out in the marketplace. It offers crisp, clear images of exquisite jewelry examples, though without pricing and value information.

Just as important as the many color photographs are the many helpful illustrations (the little book holds a whopping 60 figural drawings) to teach the intricacies of finely made jewelry, some of which include gold content, hallmarks, principal decorative techniques, types of engraving tools, stone cuts and settings.

Antique jewelry is worth more than the sum of its parts. Take away the condition, however, and that antique jewelry is at risk of being reduced for the cash value of the materials it’s made of. Perhaps an understanding and appreciation of how a 200-year old piece was made, though it may now be broken or battered, might yet be enough to save it, one piece at a time.

“Antique Jewellery: Its manufacture, materials and design,” by Duncan James, Shire Publications, 2007, softcover, 120 pages, $19.95, www.shirebooks.co.uk.

— Karen Knapstein

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Precious metal coins in Friday auction are on investors’ radar

Karen — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:41:17 GMT

SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. – When Wall Street heads south, investors head straight to precious metals – especially silver and gold coins like the ones to be auctioned by Stephenson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers at 4 p.m. (EST) Friday, Aug. 20th.

More than 500 lots will be offered in the sale, with the great majority being the types of coveted American gold and silver coins that are so highly sought after by today’s collectors. Highlights among the gold issues are an 1899 $10 coin, as well as 1880-S, 1886-S, 1897 and 1881 $5 coins. Other important gold coins to be auctioned are 1905 and 1911 $2-1/2 coins, and 1883 $1 coin and U.S. Constitution coins.

Literally hundreds of Morgan and Peace silver dollars have been entered in the sale, including 1882, 1883, 1884 and 1890 CC (Carson City). Within the selection of half dollars are 30 Liberty head coins plus several large lots of rolled Walking Liberty and Ben Franklin halves.

The coin offering continues with Barber halves and quarters, 1875 and 1875-S 20-cent pieces, large cents, 2-cent pieces, 3-cent pieces and a lot consisting of 11 half-cents. Additionally, there are large quantities of Barber, Mercury and Roosevelt dimes; Buffalo nickels, and many mint and proof sets, including early proof sets from 1953, ’54 and ’55.

Pennywise buyers won’t want to miss the selection of flying eagle and Indian-head cents or the Lincoln cent book spanning the years from 1909 through 1940 inclusive. The book is complete and includes an example of the scarce 1909-S VDB (the initials of designer Victor David Brenner).

"This is an auction that will present excellent buying opportunities both for the advanced collector and the newcomer," said Stephenson’s owner and auctioneer, Cindy Stephenson. "Gold and silver coins stand apart from other types of popular collectibles in that they also have intrinsic value. They have a built-in hedge against inflation, since they’re both a commodity and a monetary instrument."

All items in Stephenson’s Aug. 20 Coin Auction will be available to inspect from 1-4 p.m. on auction day. The complimentary auction catalog may be viewed or downloaded online through Stephenson’s website.

For questions regarding any lot in the sale, call 215-322-6182 or info@StephensonsAuction.com. The auction will take place in metro Philadelphia at 1005 Industrial Blvd., Southampton, Pa. The venue is accessible to major interstate freeways. Those who cannot attend in person may bid absentee, by fax or e-mail prior to the auction, or by phone either before or during the sale. Please arrange for phone line in advance of sale.

About Stephenson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers:

Family-owned Stephenson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers is located near Philadelphia in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and is a full-service auction company that has been in business for nearly 50 years. Stephenson’s knowledgeable, experienced staff members are known for their willingness to assist and their honesty in all dealings. The company conducts weekly and specialty auctions in a 5,000-square-foot, climate-controlled gallery, and holds on-site events if selling real estate or business/residential contents. Each auction season, Stephenson’s produces an Antiques & Decorative Arts Auction that draws worldwide interest and heavy Internet bidding. Stephenson’s is licensed, bonded and insured, and is a member of the SeniorChecked network.

17th annual Folk Fest this weekend, Aug. 20-22

Karen — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:44:04 GMT

NORCROSS, Ga. – Folk Fest – billed as “The World’s Greatest Self-Taught Art Show and Sale” – will celebrate 17 years in Atlanta with a three-day show slated for Aug. 20-22 at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross. Nearly 100 galleries and dealers will exhibit at the air conditioned, 85,000-square-foot venue. Norcross is located north of Atlanta, off exit 101 of I-85.

Visitors will pour into Georgia from all around the country to see what’s hot in the world of folk art. Folk Fest is where museums, prominent galleries, serious collectors and major art publications make their new discoveries. Attendees will find items priced from a $5 starter piece to a $50,000 museum masterpiece.

Jumping on Grandma's Bed by Woodie Long.

Since its inception in 1994, Folk Fest has become the largest and most important event in the rapidly burgeoning folk art genre. Prestigious galleries and dealers from across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe – all specializing in self-taught art, outsider art, Southern folk pottery, antique folk art and anonymous works – have regularly attracted 12,000 people or more.

As with previous Folk Fests, this year’s show will kick off with a Friday night meet and greet with the artists. Attendees of past events have mixed and mingled with some of the biggest names in folk art: Woodie Long, Charles Lucas, Cornbread, Michael Banks, Chris Clark, Willie Jinks, Mary Proctor, Ruby Williams, Michael Crocker, the Meaders family and many others.

Double face jug by the late renowned folk artist Lanier Meaders.

Folk Fest has been staged from the start by Steve and Amy Slotin, owners of Slotin Folk Art, based in Gainesville, Ga. The couple regularly holds folk art auctions in Buford, a bit further north from Norcross, in addition to Folk Fest. It was Steve who got the folk art bug first, when he ran across an ugly Lanier Meaders face jug near his childhood summer camp in Cleveland, Ga.

“I discovered there were primitive forms of pottery and art all over the South,” Steve remarked. “These incredible pieces were created by housekeepers, janitors, factory workers, farmers and house painters. They created art, but had very little formal education at all. They used found materials – rusty metal, stray sticks, discarded objects, leftover house paint, mud.”

The art was pure and honest, beautiful in its simplicity and embodying the best the South had to offer. Slotin knew he’d found a treasure in his own back yard the day he saw that first face jug. He created Folk Fest to share it with the world. He advertised the very first event in a prominent folk art magazine, without a show date, a venue or even a single exhibitor signed up.

“I took this enormous leap of faith,” he said, “believing that if I could just share this primitive art, this local treasure with others, they would appreciate it as much as I did.” His gamble paid off. Exhibitors signed up and on opening night 6,000 enthusiastic people packed the auditorium. Over the course of its 16-year history, Folk Fest has doubled in size and attendance.

Guinea Fowl by the artist Cornbread.

Slotin said that, despite folk art’s emergence as a legitimate and popular art form (it’s regularly displayed at the prestigious High Museum in Atlanta), he still finds himself having to explain to people exactly what folk art is. Generally, folk art (also referred to as self-taught art or outsider art) includes paintings, sculptures and Southern pottery – some of it anonymous works.

“For a long time this art has been kept outside the mainstream art community,” Slotin explained. “Self-taught art is the most important visual culture America has ever produced. And it’s not country crafts, duck decoys or split-cane baskets. It is highly personal art. It’s religiously inspired paintings, crude tin cutouts, wood-relief carvings and environmental sculpture gardens.”

And it’s usually created from refuse and other found objects. “Self-taught artists don’t seek out the art world,” Slotin observed. “The art world, collectors and dealers passionately seek them out. Their art is done by untrained people who draw on their culture and experiences in an isolated world. It’s made with a true, untutored, creative passion, raw and totally original.”

Artistically acclaimed acceptance has caused the folk art genre to blossom. But, ironically, its very existence is threatened by the inevitable urbanization and population of the onetime habitat of self-taught artists: rural areas. The purpose of Folk Fest, Slotin said, is to celebrate these artists and share with the public an art culture whose roots may soon disappear.

Sadly, over the years Folk Fest has had to say good-bye to many of folk art’s more celebrated masters, legends like Howard Finster, Leroy Almon, Mose Tolliver, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, R.A. Miller and Steve Slotin’s first find, Lanier Meaders. But the enthusiasm for folk art continues to strengthen, as visitors pour into Atlanta to add unique pieces to their collections.

Folk Fest will begin on Friday, Aug. 20, with the Meet-the-Artists Party & Show Opening, from 5-10 p.m. ($15 includes readmission). The Aug. 21-22 show hours are 10-7 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. Admission is $7 both days. Children 16 and under are free. The North Atlanta Trade Center is located at 1700 Jeurgens Court in Norcross, off exit 101 of I-85.

For more information, you may call Slotin Folk Art at 770-532-1115 or visit www.slotinfolkart.com.

Photos courtesy Slotin Folk Art

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Vintage costume jewelry in North Jersey

Karen — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:57:17 GMT

The NJ/METRO chapter of VFCJ (Vintage Fashion Costume Jewelry) will host the club member’s semi-annual Mini Convention, show and sale on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. This jewelry show, open to the public at no fee, will take place at the Lake Mohawk Country Club in Sparta, N.J., in the Mohawk Room.

Everything related to costume jewelry - vintage rings, brooches, pendants, necklaces, bracelets and earrings from bygone days will be on display and offered for sale. Lots of reasonable, authentic, retro treasures will be available. Exhibitors and collectors of vintage costume jewelry from the tri-state and regional area will be present.

There will be a showcase of rhinestone jewelry from the late 1940s, predominantly from the manufacturers DeLizza & Elster (D & E), the designers of costume jewelry under the tag labels of Juliana, Tara and Gloria.

A wealth of information about the hobby of collecting costume jewelry can be obtained as well.

For more information contact Joyce Simmons, coordinator for the NJ/METRO chapter at 973-729-3341 or simmonsjo@yahoo.com.

Calendar of Events

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 9:30 am – 3:00 pm

Vintage Costume Jewelry Club Show, Lake Mohawk Country Club, Mohawk Room, 21 The Boardwalk, Sparta, NJ 07871.

Open to the Public – no fee

You might enjoy these articles:

• Kathy Flood interviews jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane
• Warman's Jewelry explores the passion of personal decoration
• Flood heads first major jewelry sale for Collect Auctions
• Collectors drawn to enamel jewelry
• Baubles, bangles and jewels of Southern belles and Northern beauties

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• Find us on Twitter and Facebook
• Visit the Antique Trader website and sign up for our FREE eNewsletter.

• Get up-to-date pricing for tens of thousands of antiques & collectibles on Collect.com – FREE for 1 year – when you join the Collecting Insider Club!