Innehållsförteckning för September 11, 2019 från Kovels Antique Trader

Premiums sought by kids of all ages during 1950s Q I read Antique Trader all the time and see people asking about their items and finally decided to see if you may be able to solve the mystery of this club card and pin for me. It appeared to have that 1950s appeal to me and was probably why I had purchased it for just a (well-spent) dollar. I picked this up at an old-collector show probably about 10 years ago. I haven’t come across much information about it since and have never seen another like it. I was hoping you may be able to tell me more about it. Many thanks for your time, Tom DePina A One highlight of a child’s life during the 1940s-1960s was the discovery of…

LAWRENCEVILLE, Va. (AP) – “Challenge by choice” was the motto of Saint Paul’s College, which closed in 2013 because of financial problems and declining student enrollment. Now the citizens of Lawrenceville are living up to that motto – by taking up the challenge of collecting and preserving artifacts documenting the 125-year history of the historically black college. Lawrenceville residents and other supporters of Saint Paul’s College have opened a museum to showcase the memorabilia – including an original copy of “Adventure in Faith,” an autobiography written by the Rev. James Solomon Russell, who was born enslaved, became an Episcopal priest and founded the school in 1888. The year-old museum has been such a success that it is ready to expand to a new location. “We’re trying to create a place…

DALLAS - A 1937 Lou Gehrig game-worn New York Yankees jersey emerged as the top lot of Heritage Auctions’ Sports Platinum Night Memorabilia Auction, selling for a whopping $2.58 million — the highest price ever achieved at auction for a jersey not worn by Babe Ruth. Ruth was no slouch, though, as one of his rookie cards, a 1916 Famous & Barr, graded 6 by PSA and ranking as one of the hobby’s top Ruth rookie issues, sold for $504,000. Former President Barack Obama’s game-worn high school basketball jersey sold for $120,000, a record for any not worn by a star athlete, Heritage said, noting that all lots benefitted from the enormous global press coverage of his jersey. The auction, Aug. 17-18, featured 643 lots and raked in $11 million…

BOSTON - An Important Jewelry auction at Skinner, Inc. on Sept. 17 will feature almost 200 lots of antique, period, and contemporary jewelry. Highlights from the auction include a Twinstone Kashmir sapphire ring by Cartier, an antique diamond sunburst brooch from the collection of Hope Goddard Iselin, and a selection of Art Deco jewelry. For more information and to see the lots, visit skinnerinc.com or email jewelry@skinnerinc.com.…

DALLAS – Incredible art from one of the finest mid-century American science fiction collections saw out-of-this-world sales that exceeded the pre-auction estimate by more than $1 million — and shattered multiple auction records in the process. The star lot in The Glynn and Suzanne Crain Science Fiction Collection auction was the book dust jacket James Allen St. John created in 1922 for The Earth’s Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs, selling for $112,500. This price breaks the record for St. John’s art. More than 30 collectors made bids for the image that was published on the hardcover dust jacket of the first edition of Burroughs’ book (A.C. McClurg & Co., 1922), and is cited as a significant reason for St. John’s impact on the visual language of fantasy illustration. The collection…

LYNBROOK, N.Y. – A collection of rare cabinet cards from 1888 were big winners in a recent sale at Weiss Auctions, with one selling for more than $100,000 and setting a record. The North Fork Collection of N173 Old Judge cabinet baseball cards – 37 total, sold as individual lots – brought a combined $431,000 at a Sports, Comics, Comic Art & Animation Auction by Weiss, online and in the firm’s gallery in Lyn-brook. The 500-lot auction grossed a little less than $750,000. The crown jewel of the North Fork Collection was a possibly unique cabinet card photo image of New York Giants captain Buck Ewing wearing civilian clothes. With buyer’s premium, the card realized $109,250, a record for an 1888 N173 Old Judge cabinet card. Also sold were cards…

BRIMFIELD, Mass. - Tens of thousands of treasure hunters, and thousands of dealers hoping they will buy their vintage wares, will descend upon the last Brimfield Antique Show of the season from Sept. 3-8. Those who have been there before know the drill: how to get there, where to park, what to wear. For those who haven’t, the show’s official site, brimfieldshow.com, has an entertaining list of how-tos. Among the tips: • Cash is preferred over checks • Don’t overdress. Presumably, that will signal that you can pay top dollar, because of course there will be haggling. Wear good walking shoes. • If you see something you like, pick it up and don’t put it down until the sale is finalized. • If you collect something in particular, make a…

Only four primetime shows in the history of television have lasted for more than 500 episodes. Both “Gunsmoke” and “Lassie” emerged from the black-and-white primordial soup of early TV to reach the historical milestone. First aired in 1955, “Gunsmoke” ran for 635 episodes while “Lassie,” starting in 1954, ran for 591 shows. “The Simpsons,” which started in 1989, has offered fans more than 660 episodes and counting. The most recent series to reach 500 might surprise you. The History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” is cable’s longest-running show, having debuted in July of 2009. The reality TV show takes you inside the colorful world of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop on the outskirts of Las Vegas run by the always entertaining Harrison family. Logging that many episodes even surprises Rick Harrison,…

CHICAGO - Potter and Potter’s early summer auction, featuring the second installment of rarities from the Jim Rawlins collection, offered nonstop surprises and excitement from start to finish, with an automaton clown conjuring the top lot of more than $13,000. The auction featured outstanding selections of magic-related apparatus and props from some of the most important manufacturers and stage acts of the last century from the collection of Jim Rawlins II and raked in nearly $300,000; 58 lots realized between $1,000-5,000; 7 lots realized between $5,001-$9,999; and 1 lot broke the five-figure mark. The c. 1900 clown magician musical automaton made in Paris by Leopold Lambert, sold for $13,200 against a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-12,000. This impressive rarity had the magician, nodding his head and sticking out his tongue, waving…

NEW YORK (AP) – The vice chairman of New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art resigned recently after eight artists asked to withdraw their work from a biennial exhibition over his ownership of a company that makes tear gas. “It is with great sadness and disappointment that I inform you of my decision to resign from the Board of Trustees of the Whitney Museum, effective immediately,” Warren Kanders said in letter to the board. Kanders, who had served on the Whitney’s board since 2006, decried the “politicized and oftentimes toxic environment in which we find ourselves across all spheres of public discourse, including the art community.” Kanders’ company, the Safariland Group, sells body armor for police officers, as well as tear gas. Critics say the tear gas has been used…

DALLAS - A Chinese Imperial cloisonné enamel and cabochon-mounted gilt bronze censer from the Qing Dynasty, rare Japanese carved wooden figures, Tibetan painted silk Lama Thangkas, embroidered silk panels and ceremonial robes are among the treasures featured at Heritage Auctions’ Fine & Decorative Asian Art Signature Auction Sept. 9-10. Session times are as follow: Sept. 9: Signature Floor Session 1: Lots 78001-78354: 1 pm Central Time. Sept. 10: Signature Internet Session 2 (no phone or floor bidding): Lots 78355-78433: 10 am Central Time. For more information and to view all lots, visit ha.com.…

EAST GREENVILLE, Pa. – Bitters bottles were hot lots at a recent Glass Works Auctions’ Summer Sizzler, with a figural fish bottle being the top seller at $32,760, followed by a Seaworth Bitters Company bottle that sold for $25,740. Several others also sold for five figures. The Fish Bitters top-lot bottle (“W.H. Ware / Patented 1866”) was made in Pennsylvania circa 1866-1875, is light to medium lime green and just over 11-1/2 inches high. Only a few are known to exist in this pure green color, and it has no auction record, according to Glass Works. The Seaworth Bitters Company (N.J.) bottle, made circa 1880-1890 in a unique form almost identical to the Cape May Lighthouse in New Jersey, is aqua colored and in perfect condition. A smaller amber version…

Recently I had the opportunity to visit with my friend Nancy Schuring of Devon Fine Jewelers and her friends, Tommaso Marotta and Sabrina De Simone, from Torre del Greco, Italy, and speak about the new age of shell and coral carving. Torre del Greco has been known for coral harvesting since the 18th century. Tommaso comes from a family of coral fishermen; his grandfather, Captain Giuseppe Marotta, began coral fishing during the early 20th century. Marino, Tommaso’s father, followed his father Giuseppe’s vocation as a coral fisher in the Mediterranean Sea and soon became a rough coral merchant. Rough coral merchants buy unfinished, or rou coral (coral directly from the sea to be finished and prepared for carving. Tommaso and his three siblings, Principia, Giuseppe and Ciro, decided to not…

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@aimmedia.com. Listings will be included on a space available basis. Antique Trader assumes no responsibility for any show not listed. ARIZONA Sep 13-15, 2019 Scottsdale. Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market, Vintage Décor, WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Prima Road, Scottsdale; 480-696-4018; https://junkinthetrunkvintagemarket.com/markets/scottsdale-market/ Sep 18-22, 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 Oct 17-20, 2019 Phoenix. Sweet Salvage Market, 4648 N 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ; 602-279-2996; info@sweetsalvage.net; sweetsalvage.net. SH: Thurs 10am-9pm;…

The 40th National Sports Collectors Convention which recently concluded in Chicago certainly lived up to billing as the hobby’s premier event. It was, without question, the Super Bowl of Sports Memorabilia – cards, autographs, game-used souvenirs and so much more. “The National always is the best show of the year – and this year’s was great, an active event that brought out a lot of really cool stuff,” said longtime Ohio-based dealer Kevin Savage. “The crowd (size) was really good; there were strong sales and the buying was very good, too.” Collectors had plenty to pick from. Just consider: • Ian Desmond worn cleats, dual autographs: $65. • Chicago Stadium seat, with wood base: $225. • Paint pens: $10. • Autographed authentic replica jerseys: J.J. Watt ($250), Ken Griffey Jr.…

One of the most beloved stars of “Pawn Stars” was Richard Benjamin Harrison, co-owner and founder of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop that he opened with his son, Rick, in 1989. He played an important and influential role until his death in 2018. Known as “The Old Man,” Harrison could seem curmudgeonly. Maybe because he spoke with a gruff candor and had no time for idle chit-chat, and felt no one else should, either. In one episode, Chumlee talks about seeing a private jet in the backyard of Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton. He says he would buy a G5 if he could and asks the Old Man where he’d take it if he had one. “The lumberyard to buy some lumber and build a bridge,” the Old Man…