Innehållsförteckning för November 1, 2022 från Kovels Antique Trader

A rare 48-inch double-sided porcelain Musgo Gasoline sign sold for $1.5 million, setting a world record at Richmond Auctions inAugust. The previous record for an antique advertising sign was $400,000. The Musgo Gasoline sign was discovered in an attic in Michigan. It had never been seen by the public and was a fresh-to-market example. Musgo, originally located in Muskegon, Michigan, was believed to have been active for less than six months during the mid-1920s. Following its closure, most of its signs were used as septic tank lids, which caused one side of the sign to decay from exposure to septic fumes. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, now has the most valuable sports jersey of all time. A jersey worn by Jordan during Game 1 of…

While visiting Kentucky during a recent travel trailer road trip, I heard about a restored riverboat in Louisville that offered rides on the Ohio River. While checking out this vessel, I met Charlotte Mason, the Communications Manager for Belle of Louisville Riverboats (an organization run by the Waterfront Development Corporation, a branch of the Louisville Metro Government, owner of the steamboat). Mason guided my wife, daughter, and me on a private tour of the Belle of Louisville, including the boiler room, engine room, pilot house, and captain’s quarters (complete with a true-life ghost story). Three days later, we had the opportunity to board the Belle for a two-hour sunset cruise, the highlight of our time in Kentucky (home of Colonel Sander’s secret blend of 11 herbs and spices back in…

For many collectors and dealers, home party jewelry is all about Sarah Coventry. And yes, the business prolifically sold jewelry through home showings for many years with party hostesses earning free and discounted jewelry just for inviting a few friends over. But did you know there was a higher end line associated with Sarah Coventry? Were you aware that some pieces made by the makers of Juliana jewelry were also sold through home party representatives? And did you know the “rare” pieces of vintage home party jewelry are examples that didn’t sell well originally? Find out more about this unique facet of collectible jewelry that has been around since the late 1940s and is still going strong. SARAH COVENTRY AND EMMONS Sarah Coventry and Emmons are both brands created by…

Our interest in the afterlife transcends socio-economics, politics, religious beliefs and time itself. The idea of a spirit world is very much alive for those that adhere to ancient theologies as well as those who believe in ghosts and spirits in a general sense. Robert Murch serves as chairman and president of the Talking Board Historical Society. He has collaborated with game manufactures and serves as a consultant for television and film when Ouija and related boards are shown in movies and documentaries. He has studied, cataloged and collected Ouija and talking/spirit boards for thirty years and owns more than 1,000 varieties. His work is devoted to sorting fact from fiction pertaining to the boards’ varying depictions, which range from being seen as a harmless parlor game, a tool used…

On October 27, 1966, CBS introduced the world to “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” and a Halloween classic was born. The program, adapted from Charles Schulz’s newspaper strip, “Peanuts,” featured scores by jazz composer Vince Guaraldi; Snoopy’s World War I Flying Ace in a doghouse dogfight; Lucy snatching the football away at the last moment as Charlie Brown attempts to kick it; and the classic line from Charlie Brown who, peering into his trick-or-treat bag while his friends revel in candied glory, says “I got a rock.” According to Schulz, this so saddened viewers that for years his California office was inundated with sacks of treats addressed to Charlie Brown. This limitd-edition animation cel is by José Cuauhtémoc “Bill” Melendez, an Emmy-winning animator who brought Charlie Brown and the…

When Frank and Barbara Sinatra threw dinner parties, you might think their guests ate off fancy plates gilded in gold or perhaps antique Meissen pieces. But they set their table with whimsical dinnerware that looked like lettuce. The Sinatras were avid collectors of Dodie Thayer’s lettuce ware and frequently used it for entertaining. Their whopping 307-piece set, including plates, platters, tureens, bowls, candlesticks, and teapots, sold at Sotheby’s in 2018 for $37,500. Mrs. Sinatra had acquired the dinner service directly from Thayer by traveling to Palm Beach, Florida, the glitzy town Thayer’s ancestors helped settle and where her lettuce ware had a cult following. Known as the “Pottery Queen of Palm Beach,” Thayer modestly began her hobby in the 1960s, teaching herself how to mold clay from lettuce and cabbage…