Innehållsförteckning för February 13, 2019 från Kovels Antique Trader

November 7, 2018: Favorite Finds • I always wish more people participated - I read them over and over. Loved the diversity and it always amazes me to see what interests other people - things I’d never dream of. I’ve saved all my Favorite Finds issues from previous years. As you asked, I felt the runner up about the scrapbooks with the Holocaust link should have won first place because of the incredible efforts the writer made to do the best thing to return them to the family - a previously lost part of their history. However, the Range on the Range was funny and clever. • I enjoyed reading the November 7th edition, as it was the first time I had experienced the FAVORITE FINDS section. The first-person articles…

The Facebook ad appeared too good to be true: $19.99 for a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer style sunglasses; about an 80 percent discount from the usual retail price. Of course, the ad was a scam. The buying link led to a convincingly spoofed website; the web address even used the words “official” and “Ray-Ban.” In October 2018, the Better Business Bureau published a warning about the counterfeit Ray-Ban scam running on Instagram at the time [https://bit.ly/2SbUhdB]. The admonition “buyer beware” has never been more relevant than it is now: Counterfeit goods are everywhere. If you pay cash for a fake at a yard sale, flea market, antique fair, resale store, auction, or estate tag sale, there’s little chance that you’ll get your money back. After all, you had the opportunity…

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) – An oxen gunpowder container made in 1757 and stolen more than 60 years ago from a Detroit-area museum has been returned. The FBI turned the Nowlin Powder Horn over Jan. 15 during a ceremony at the Dearborn Historical Museum. Authorities tracked the powder horn down in November to an estate auction in Pennsylvania. It’s not known who originally took the artifact in 1952 and the most recent owner may not have been aware it was stolen. It was sold for about $13,000 at auction in 1991 to an unknown buyer. “We got it off the auction block before it went up for auction again,” said Jake Archer, special agent with the FBI’s Art Crime Team in Philadelphia. The powder horn was made in Charlestown, New Hampshire,…

ROME (AP) — The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has vowed to assert its right to keep an important Greek statue after Italy’s highest court rejected its appeal of a ruling ordering the artwork returned to Italy. The Court of Cassation confirmed Dec. 5 the appeal had been rejected Nov. 30. The court will issue its written reasoning at a later date. “Victorious Youth,” a life-sized bronze dating from 300 B.C. to 100 B.C., is one of the highlights of the Getty collection. An Italian court in Pesaro had ordered it seized and returned in 2010, at the height of Italy’s campaign to recover antiquities looted from its territory and sold to museums and private collectors around the globe. The Getty says Italy has no claim to the…

BERLIN (AP) — Offi cials have returned a painting looted by the Nazis to heirs of a Jewish French politician and resistance figure who was executed during World War II. “Portrait of a Seated Young Woman” by Thomas Couture, which belonged to Georges Mandel, was discovered in late collector Cornelius Gurlitt’s art trove while German authorities were investigating a tax case in 2012. The reclusive Bavarian collector inherited the 1,500-piece collection from his father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, an art dealer who traded in works confiscated by the Nazis. Many are thought to have been looted from their original Jewish owners, but provenance research has been slow and only a handful has been restituted. Culture Minister Monika Gruetters pledged at the Jan. 8 handover to Mandel’s relatives to do everything possible to…

HOLDEN, La. (AP) — Louisiana property once owned by “Dukes of Hazzard” star and country singer John Schneider has been auctioned off. WBRZ-TV reports the expansive Livingston Parish property was auctioned off by the sheriff’s office Jan. 16. A private citizen bought it for $385,000. Court documents say Schneider owed nearly $250,000. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Offi ce seized the Holden land housing John Schneider Studios in November after the actor defaulted on his mortgage. The studio’s website said the land included two houses, a baseball field, sound stages and other features. First Guaranty Bank sued Schneider in October over unpaid mortgage payments, and a judge ordered the property seized. Schneider told the station this week that he hoped the property would be purchased by someone who plans to maintain…

ATLANTA (AP) — Offi cials say Coca-Cola is paying for a month of free public admission to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. Coca-Cola Foundation President Helen Smith Price tells news outlets a $1 million donation to the center will allow free admission through February. Center Interim CEO Brian Tolleson says the grant will help the museum share civil rights history with Super Bowl visitors and others. Atlanta-based Coke isn’t an offi cial sponsor of the Feb. 3 game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But its World of Coca-Cola museum is next door to the center, which is about a mile from the stadium.…

NATCHITOCHES, La. (AP) — Museum goers in northern Louisiana will soon be able to see an exhibit on Louisiana’s efforts in World War II. A special exhibit produced by The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will go on view at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum [https://louisianastatemuseum.org] on Feb. 1. The exhibition, called The Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in World War II, highlights the state’s contributions to the war effort. It includes artifacts, photographs and oral histories. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who along with the Louisiana State Museum, is unveiling the exhibit, cited the construction of the Higgins boats in New Orleans as one of the ways the state aided the war effort. The boats with their flat fronts that lowered down to…

CHICAGO — Hindman LLC announced January 8, 2019 that it has acquired auction houses Leslie Hindman Auctioneers and Cowan’s Auctions. The new venture brings together two of America’s defining auction firms, uniting a nationwide network of specialists and resources. Born to serve and grow the industry landscape through digital transformation and customer service, Hindman LLC reflects the shared vision of Leslie Hindman and Wes Cowan, the respective founders of each firm. “We’re thrilled to join forces with Cowan’s who shares many of our core values, including our vision for a national client-centric auction house,” said Leslie Hindman, Co-Chair of the newly formed Hindman LLC. “We’ve both grown by connecting local communities to the global art market and by providing excellent service across all categories, sales channels and price points. And…

HONOLULU (AP) – Officials broke ground on a $20 million revitalization and expansion project for the Pearl Harbor campus of the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. The project, which is expected to be complete in April 2020, will add new exhibits and about 3,000 square feet of space, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. The facility will be named the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum. The updated museum will include three exhibits covering submarine warfare in World War II and the Cold War, as well as its use in present day and into the future. Portions of the campus will be closed during construction, but its centerpiece World War II submarine will remain open. The USS Bowfin launched on Dec. 7, 1942, receiving the nickname “Pearl Harbor Avenger.” The submarine went on…

ROCKFORD, Ill. — For the 59th year, 39 professional antiques dealers from throughout the Midwest will gather Feb. 16-17 at Forest Hills Lodge in Loves Park (near Rockford), Illinois. Saturday’s show hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday’s show hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. These experienced antiques dealers have been saving their best 19th and early 20th century furniture, holiday, textiles, pottery, folk art, toys, garden adornments and decorative elements for this special event. All merchandise is presented in pleasing individual booth displays. Diversity is the key to this show’s continued success. A wide selection of antiques and collectibles in every price range tempt both the experienced and beginner collector. Friendly dealers share their knowledge and excitement with customers, making for a memorable “thrill of the hunt” - the satisfaction…

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A mid-week auction featuring an exciting decorative collection of African sculptures and masks, followed by a single-owner collection of jazz recordings, and finishing with a collection of 19th & 20th century American coins will be held Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 10 a.m. Eastern time by Gray’s Auctioneers, online and live in Gray’s gallery. The full catalog is up and pre-bidding is open at GraysAuctioneers.com. Bidding is also available on Liveauctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. In-person previews will be held Thursday thru Wednesday, Feb. 14-20, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb. 16, from noon-4 p.m. Gray’s gallery is at 10717 Detroit Avenue in Cleveland. The auction provides a rare opportunity for collectors to break into the three main categories, or add…

DALLAS – Heritage Auctions took a first step into a new area of collectibles when its offering of 25 certified and graded collectible video games made its debut Jan. 13. “A lot of collectors are just as passionate about their childhood games, such as their trading cards or comics,” said Heritage Vice President Barry Sandoval, about the results from the Internet Comics, Animation & Art Auction. “We thought these certified games would do well, and we weren’t disappointed.” The games are graded, certified and housed in protective cases by Denver-based Wata Games, offering consistency and objectivity that can be achieved only through an independent, third-party grader. More than 30 collectors pursued The Legend of Zelda (NES, Nintendo, 1987) Wata Games 9.4 B+ (Seal Rating) until it ultimately sold for $3,360…

About fifteen years ago I attended an auction with my sister in a small town in southwestern Massachusetts. I still remember everything I purchased at that sale including an Empire two-drawer work table, a religious oil on canvas, a French five-drawer till, a mid-eighteenth century blanket chest with candle box, bracket feet, two drawers and tulip strap hinges and finally, another painting. Much of the painting’s details were obscured by many years of dirt and darkened veneer, nevertheless, what was visible was intriguing and I decided it was something on which I would bid. The painting didn’t garner much attention during the preview, which is always a hopeful sign that an item might not sell well. The sale progressed and late in the evening with almost all lots sold, the…

I am lucky enough to be able to spend a fair amount of time on my computer learning about things that interest me. Google is a wonderful device. If I need to find some information on a piece of art I saw at an auction there are lots of sites online that will tell me something about the artist, the period or the genre – or maybe all of the above including information about the specific work. The same holds true for an unusual piece of orange FitzHugh porcelain that sold recently for a lot of money. I can learn about Chinese export porcelain from a number of sources. But then I go looking for information on a subject that I know a little bit about – furniture – and…

DALLAS, Pa. (AP) – There isn’t much that can top a signed letter from Teddy Roosevelt, or an 1806 land grant containing the signatures of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. But Larry Cook, of Dallas, who is an avid collector and expert on presidential history, may have found the item that can top the signed Roosevelt and Jefferson documents that are among the 8,000 pieces in his collection. Cook recently acquired a document that is not only rare but could shed light on a bit of unknown history regarding one of America’s most famous presidents. Last summer, Cook added a document to his collection that contains the signature of Abraham Lincoln. Written on vellum paper, the document outlines Lincoln’s promotion of John Hall to captain within the Commissary of Subsistence,…

MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) — The earliest known portrait of George Washington is on public display at his historic home. Washington’s Mount Vernon estate put the 1772 portrait by Charles Will-son Peale on display Dec. 13 in its museum and education center. The portrait is on loan from Washington and Lee University and is expected to stay at Mount Vernon [https://www.mountvernon.org/] for the next two years. In exchange, Mount Vernon has lent its famous 1798 portrait of Washington by Gilbert Stuart to the university. That portrait serves as the basis for Washington’s depiction on the dollar bill. The Peale portrait shows Washington as a colonel in the Virginia Regiment and is the only known portrait of him before the American Revolution. Mount Vernon believes it’s the first time the portrait…

BERLIN (AP) — Four young men have gone on trial over the brazen theft of a 100-kilogram (221-pound) Canadian gold coin from a Berlin museum. The “Big Maple Leaf” coin, worth several million dollars, was stolen from the Bode Museum in March 2017. Three men, identified only as Wissam R., Ahmed R. and Wayci R., are accused of stealing the coin during the night using a wheelbarrow to haul it away. The fourth suspect, Dennis W, worked as a guard at the museum for a private security firm and is accused of scouting out the scene. German news agency dpa reported the four men, aged between 20 and 24 years, went on trial Thursday in Berlin district court. Investigators believe that the suspects cut up the coin and sold the…

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio City Council approved a $450 million redevelopment plan for the Alamo, marking a new chapter for the nearly 300-year-old site. The council voted for the proposal in October, signing off on disputed changes, including moving the 1930s Cenotaph memorial, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The vote comes after months of debate by city offi cials and residents over elements of the redevelopment plan, such as closing streets to vehicle traffi c, moving the Cenotaph, and using fences or barriers to control public access. The council approved a 50-year lease that gives the Texas General Land Offi ce management and control of the plaza. Other changes include building a museum. Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the decision “a turning point that finally gives the Alamo…

GENOA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — More than 200 items belonging to “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert and her husband, Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield, have been purchased in an estate sale in Michigan. Items sold in the American Eagle Auction & Appraisal Company online auction this month included a red wedding dress, signed memorabilia and awards Gilbert received, The Livingston Daily Press & Argus reported. Interest in the sale exceeded expectations, said auction house owner Kenny Lindsay. The online auction catalog received about 58,000 views and more than 300 bids were placed. “The amount of exposure the auction got was off the charts,” Lindsay said, though he declined to disclose how much money was raised during the auction. Lindsay said one standout item was a photograph signed by…

FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) — A city board in western Arkansas has decided to support a temporary sales tax to help finance a museum for the U.S. Marshals Service, which museum offi cials said will help revitalize the area. The Fort Smith Central Business Improvement District Board on Jan. endorsed a 1-cent sales tax, The Southwest Times Record reported. The tax would support the U.S. Marshals Museum and be in effect from July 2019 to March 2020. Residents will vote on the issue during a special election in March. The foundation has received more than $35 million in cash and land donations so far, but about $16 million more is needed to complete exhibits, Dunn said. “We realize in the special election that we might have an uphill battle, but…

Before traveling any distance we recommend that you verify event dates. To list your antiques-related event (show, auction, convention, etc.) for free in Antique Trader, send event information (date, location, contact information, times) at least six weeks in advance to: AT Calendars, C/O Antique Trader Editors, 5225 Joerns Dr., Suite 2, Stevens Point, WI 54481 or email to ATNews@fwmedia.com. Listings will be included on a space available basis. Antique Trader assumes no responsibility for any show not listed. ARIZONA Feb 21-24, 2019 Phoenix. Sweet Salvage Market, 4648 N 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ; 602-279-2996; info@sweetsalvage.net; sweetsalvage.net. SH: Thurs 10am-9pm; Fri-Sun 10am-6pm Feb 22-23, 2019 Phoenix. Phoenix Antique Show by PABCC, North Phoenix Baptist Church, 5757 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ; 602-908-1053; www.phoenixantiquesclub.org. 60 vendors; 105 tables. Blakely, Depression glass, old bottles,…

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Melting Pot Productions announced that the annual Spring Antique Spectacular Vintage Market will be held March 1-3 at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island, Illinois. This bi-annual event features 70 vintage vendors with antiques and vintage items galore. The show, now in its 25th year, is located at the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 4th Avenue in Rock Island, Illinois. The antiques show will feature select antique dealers with unique merchandise from around the world. Hunters of vintage will have an opportunity, all weekend, to shop the wide range of quality antiques. With the Antique Spectacular, there is always something to interest every collector, whether they have a new interest in vintage and repurposed for decorating their home or have been collecting antiques for years. This…

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Turner Auctions + Appraisals is presenting the Felicia Michalski Collection of Decorative Arts on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. PST. Offering over 350 lots acquired over five decades, the sale features a wide array of decorative arts from America, Europe and Asia. Among the single items and groupings are bronze sculptures and marble busts; oil and watercolor paintings; art glass and pottery, including Lalique, Gallé, Rook-wood, Weller and Roseville; porcelain and metal figures; brass letter openers; pitchers and jugs including Royal Doulton and Ridgway; scent and perfume bottles including Lalique; porcelain and enamel boxes; cigarette cases; mirrors and dresser brushes; framed portraits, plaques and portrait miniatures; several lamps and clocks; candleholders; bookends; inkwells; antique photographs with fine Syrian frames; vintage marbles; salt and…

MT. CRAWFORD, Va. — The Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates Winter Americana & Variety Auction contains a true diversity of material and will include everything from rare straight razors and vintage illustration art to country furniture and children’s articles. The large auction will take place over two days, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 and Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019 with absentee, phone, internet, and in-house bidding available. Friday’s session, beginning at 9:30 a.m., features esteemed private collections of children’s and holiday items, including a large number of pieces published in Children’s Dishes by Margaret & Kenn Whitmyer, including extremely rare Standing Lamb and many other glass dishes, Victorian glass, 100+ candleholders, many fine sets of Staffordshire transferware, character and Christmas china sets, and RS Prussia sets, to name but a few. Saturday’s…

DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. – The first sale of 2019 was a success for Downingtown auction house Pook & Pook. Pook’s Americana & International auction drew its strength from a number of single-owner collections, achieving a total of $1.77 million (including buyer’s premium) with a 95 percent sell through rate over 750 lots. In addition to bidding in the gallery, online bidding was available through bidsquare.com. The sale saw a total of 1,172 online users approved and bidding on 97 percent of the lots offered. In house, a total of 481 requests for phone bids over the two day sale kept Pook’s entire bidding staff on their feet, while absentee bids numbered 451. In the fine furniture category, auctioneer James Pook preceded the first lot by noting that it hadn’t been on…

As we send this edition of Antique Trader off to the printer, in central Wisconsin we are dealing with sub-zero temperatures and dangerous, double-digit below zero wind-chills. It’s arctic vortex conditions that encourage even the most hearty souls to hunker down and stay put. So, what do we do when we can’t venture out? Because of the weather, or injury, or transportation issues? The reason, or cause, doesn’t matter. How you deal with it will not only help you keep your sanity, but may put you in a better position to enjoy your hobby or profession more when you can get out and once again move about. There’s no better time to appreciate the things you have than when you’re shut in. And there’s no better time than when you’re…

Recently, I was requested to appraise many pieces in a home that dated to 1740 in which the same family had lived for several generations. The pieces included an American Empire Neo-Classical style sofa and the other a pillar-and-scroll clock that sat on the wood mantel of the large kitchen fireplace. Neo-classical American Empire furniture is a style derived from furnishings designed during the Napoleonic First French Empire (1804-1812). Americans became enamored of this style during the 1820s and utilized the designs in furnishings as well as architecture. This mahogany-framed sofa encompasses many characteristics of the style including the beautifully undulating, serpentine apron decorated by acanthus leaves as well as the acanthus leaf-carved arm posts and acanthus leaf decoration on the crest rail. The crest rail also has a palmette,…

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A Texas physician can keep his 70 million-year-old dinosaur skull fossil in an ownership fight with the U.S. government. The Dallas Morning News reports a judge in Fort Worth agreed with Dr. James Godwin of Wichita Falls. The palentology enthusiast argued the government, which seized the Tyrannosaurus bataar skull in mid-2013, waited too long with its August 2017 claim. The National Stolen Property Act allows five years from when an offense is discovered to seek forfeiture. Godwin’s lawyer says U.S. agents in July 2012 learned of his connection to the fossil. Authorities believe the fossil was unearthed from the Gobi Desert between 2000 and 2011, smuggled from Mongolia and illegally reached America. Godwin acquired it in Wyoming. The skull is at the Museum of the…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jewelry, clothing and other Elvis Presley-related memorabilia have been sold at auction in Tennessee. Elvis Presley Enterprises [https://www.graceland.com/] says the auction at The Guest House Graceland netted more than $600,000 Jan. 8, on what would have been his 84th birthday. The Guest House is a hotel located steps from the Graceland home, where the singer lived in Memphis. Graceland says a red velvet shirt likely worn on stage by Presley at a 1956 show in Tupelo, Mississippi, sold for $37,500. A gold and diamond ring that Presley wore on stage and gave to his father sold for $30,000. A ring Presley gave to singer J.D. Sumner sold for $22,500. A winter ski jacket and a “Love Me Tender” theater lobby standee also were sold. Presley died…

JENKINS, Ky. (AP) — A city in eastern Kentucky is auctioning a 1921 Thompson submachine gun to raise money for its police department. Jenkins Mayor Todd DePriest told WYMT-TV that the gun appraises for at least $75,000 and officials hope to use proceeds to match grant funding that will allow them to buy new police equipment. DePriest says the city bought the gun from a consolidated coal company, probably in the 1920s. He says the story passed down is that the gun was used to guard the payroll when it came in on the train. Until it’s sold, police say they are storing it in a safe place. City officials say they are working with an auction company to find history on the item and to help sell it.…

BOSTON (AP) — Historic photographs of President John F. Kennedy and the other prominent Kennedys are adorning Boston’s Financial District. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy teamed up to create the display. Organizers say banners displaying the iconic images will remain in place along the Greenway for the rest of the winter. JFK Library Foundation Executive Director Steven Rothstein says he hopes people who see the photos will be inspired to visit the presidential library and the Kennedy Institute. The photos include images of the nation’s 35th president; his brother, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy; and their mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Greenway Conservancy Executive Director Jesse Brackenbury says many visitors to Boston are interested in…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Great Dane known for making mischief has a permanent home in Columbus, Ohio. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has acquired more than 16,000 Marmaduke cartoons from 1954 to 2010. The cartoons are part of a collection that includes strip’s creator Brad Anderson’s original art, correspondence, fan mail, memorabilia and more. Anderson had no significant connection to Columbus but, before his death in 2015, had been in contact with the library’s curators about housing his work at the venue, curator Jenny Robb said. The library, on the Ohio State University campus, also serves as an archive for the National Cartoonists Society, of which Anderson was a member. “My dad had said for a number of years that he wanted all his Marmadukes and all…

FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) — The U.S. Marshals Museum has obtained a building permit valued at $19 million that will allow it to complete construction of the U.S. Marshals Service’s national museum on the banks of the Arkansas River. Fort Smith issued the permit Nov. 2 after museum offi cials submitted construction plans that included exhibit designs for the 53,000-square-foot structure on Riverfront Drive north of downtown. “It’s a full permit,” city building official Jimmie Deer said. “They can complete the project. They got all their approvals.” The museum paid $33,536.50 in fees for the building permit, money Deer said will go into the city’s general fund. Museum President and CEO Patrick Weeks said he’s expecting steel for the structure to begin arriving soon as crews with CDI Construction Inc.…

ONLINE Sundays. Heritage Weekly Internet-Only Comics Auction, www.ha.com/comics, 6pm CT Sundays. Heritage Weekly Internet-Only Movie Poster Auction, www.ha.com/Posters, 6pm CT Sundays & Tuesdays. Heritage Weekly Internet-Only US Coin Auction, www.ha.com/Coins, 7pm CT Tuesdays. Heritage Weekly Internet-Only Currency Auction, www.ha.com/Currency, 7pm CT Thursdays. Heritage Weekly Internet-Only Nature & Science Auction, www.ha.com/NatureAndScience,10pm CT Thursdays. Heritage Weekly Internet-only World Coins Auction, www.ha.com/WorldCoins, 8pm CT First Thursday of each month. Heritage Monthly Internet-Only Wine Auction, www.ha.com/Wine, 10pm CT Last Sunday of each month. Heritage Monthly Internet-Only World Coin Auction, www.ha.com/WorldCoins, 8pm CT Feb 16, 2019 Douglass. Online-Only Auction, Woody Auction, 130 E Third St, Douglass, KS; WoodyAuction.com Mar 28, 2019 Online. Online Gun Auction, Rock Island Auction Co., www.rockislandauction.com May 18, 2019 Online. Woody Auctions’ Online Only Auction, hosted by www.liveauctioneers.com SH: 9:30am May…

SHAWANO, Wis. — Show producer Zurko Promotions announced it is adding a new show to its line-up of pop-culture events: The Windy City Coin-Op Show. This event is being held at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, which offers five separate buildings and covered sheds in addition to plenty of outdoor space. The DuPage County Fairgrounds is located at 2015 W. Manchester Rd., Wheaton, IL 60189, only 35 minutes from O’Hare. Due to the interest in an event of this nature, many collecting areas are expected to be represented, including vintage and collectible slot machines, penny arcade games, cash registers, antiques, pinball machines, video games, advertising, juke boxes, and soda machines. Also expected are petroliana, thermometers, old toys, phone booths, and breweriana. Restoration services will also be on hand for many coin-op…

MOSCOW (AP) – Russian police on Jan. 28 found the painting that was stolen a day earlier from Moscow’s famed museum of Russian art in broad daylight before unsuspecting visitors. The painting of mountain ridges by Arkhip Kuindzhi, titled “Ai-Petri. Crimea,” was stolen in front of confused visitors on Sunday evening at the Tretyakov Gallery in one of the most brazen Russian art heist in recent memory. CCTV footage released by the police shows a young man calmly walking up to the painting, stopping to take a look and then taking it off the wall with other visitors looking on. He then crosses the hall and walks away. The Interior Ministry said Monday that they have detained a 31-year-old suspect in the theft and recovered the painting, which had been…

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The train engine bells started to cling and clang. The bell’s rhythm was interrupted by the blast of the horn. And the Oklahoma Railway Museum’s popular Halloween Train ride pulled out of the 1906 depot as costumed riders peered out passenger car windows at a crisp, fall day. Nestled amid the scrub oaks and trees of northeast Oklahoma City’s Adventure District, the museum is about to make tracks into its 20th year. Founded in 1999, the museum has preserved relics of the railroad past — train engines, cars and cabooses — that were restored and parked on the grounds. It all started with an idea from local railroad enthusiasts who found the decaying 1905 depot from Oakwood in Dewey County that was originally on the Kansas…

Some styles are timeless. Like many women, long-time Marshalltownian Jane Lynch Bauer held onto her senior portrait and the dress she wore in it — a frock of shades of peach done in taffeta with a ruffled, net skirt. But she hadn’t thought about these relics of her past in several decades until she stumbled upon them in recent months while moving to a new home. “We were in our farmhouse for over 48 years and had a lot to clear out,” Bauer said. “Almost the very last thing in the corner of the storeroom was a metal trunk and I wondered what was in it, and there was the dress.” The wheels began to turn in the mind of her daughter Cynthia Ragland, who thought the dress would be…