Innehållsförteckning för November 2024 från Kovels Antique Trader

When is a Hula Girl Figural Lamp more than just a classic kitschy lamp? When the wonderfully cheeky item once belonged to rock ‘n’ roll star Tom Petty (1950-2017), the late frontman of the massively popular Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. As a result of that provenance, the Hula Girl Figural Lamp, accompanied by two similar figures, sold for $5,632 during a sale of the rocker's personal collection via Bonhams in September. The top lot in the eclectic sale: Petty's beat-up writing desk touchingly engraved with his and his wife's initials next to a red heart. The desk sold for $40,960, or $7,000 more than what one bidder paid for his Yamaha Grand Piano. John F. Kennedy's meteoric rise to power began in 1946 at the age of 29 when…

Sometime around 1950, rebellious children began deconstructing their crate scooters by pulling the wooden crates off and leaving just the wheeled boards. Other kids improvised by taking wheels off roller skates and nailing them to the bottom of a plank of wood. Regardless of their methods, these enterprising kids created a new handsfree toy they could tool around on that promised more fun. Enter the first skateboards. From this origin as a crude, handmade toy, the skateboard has given rise today to a dynamic culture of art and sport, and an object that's highly collectible. Whether vintage old-school examples or modern decks featuring paintings and drawings by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, skateboards are being collected by a growing number of enthusiasts as nostalgic relics, decorative…

As a kid, I knew all the states and their capitals. From Alabama (Montgomery) to Wyoming (Cheyenne), I could rattle them off as quick as a hiccup. Eat your heart out, Rand McNally! I'd love to tell you I mastered this skill because I was naturally curious about the world I lived in. That I was, at a young age, inquisitive, a seeker of knowledge, a real go-getter whose natural curiosity was going to take me far someday—like to Alaska (Juneau) or Hawaii (Honolulu). I'd like to tell you that, but it's not true. I was just as lazy as you were as a kid. Truth is, I was coerced into memorizing the states and their capitals by a teacher, the one adult who was always messing with your kid…

One of the finest copies known to exist, Fantastic Four #1 (Marvel, 1961), carrying a Near-Mint+ 9.6 grade, sold for a record $2,040,000 in September at Heritage Auctions. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime comic and, really, a pop-culture trophy piece,” said Heritage Auctions Vice President Barry Sandoval. Fantastic Four No. 1 introduced the world to Reed Richards as Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm as Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm as the Human Torch, and Ben Grimm as The Thing. Created by comic book legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the issue was Marvel's first superhero book of the era. It created the entire foundation upon which the Marvel Universe was eventually built.…

Underwater exploration was just a fantasy until British brothers and inventors Charles and John Deane came along. After tinkering with the design of a smoke helmet they invented in 1823, they developed a diving helmet and successfully demonstrated it on a shipwreck six years later. Improving the design further, British company Siebe Gorman became a world-renowned manufacturer of early diving helmets in the 1840s. The Royal Engineers recognized the potential of these helmets and within a few years the Royal Navy was taking them all around the world. From there, an underwater industry was born of exploration and adventure, including pearl diving, treasure hunting, salvage, construction, repair and, later, oilfield diving. After becoming technically obsolete, these brass and copper diving helmets are avidly collected today as historic relics and for…

Las Vegas may be the gambling capital of the U.S., but the symbol of Sin City, the slot machine, was born in San Francisco when German inventor Gustav Schultze created the first nickel slot in 1893. Schultze's slot was a Horseshoes game that paid customers two nickels if the wheel landed on one of 10 horseshoes, a free drink if it landed on a joker, and nothing for the remaining 14 out of 25 symbols. In 1894, Schultze's friend, Charles Fey, made his own version of Horseshoes, and his breakthrough game, known as the 4-1144, in 1895. Built in his basement from wood, the first 4-11-44 was installed in a local saloon and thanks to enthusiastic response, Fey built several more. By 1896, Fey was manufacturing slots full time, including…

OKLAHOMA CITY - 23rd Street Antique Mall in Oklahoma City boasts an 11,000 square foot showroom spotlighting the wares of more than 70 high-quality vendors who don't sell anything more contemporary than the 1960s. Owners Bill and Denny McConnell, a dynamo husband and wife team, have 42 awards on display touting their mall as the best place in town to shop for antiques. While their reputation draws buyers from all over the world, they don't take the success for granted, noting that their 35-year-old business was built the old-fashioned way, with sweat equity. Bill spent years working for Lee Way Motor Freight Inc. unloading trucks. “The last few years I worked at Lee Way, we began to look around to see if there was something we could do to carve…

CALIFORNIA Every first Sunday of the month, Alameda. Alameda Point Antiques Faire, 3900 Maine St., Alameda, CA. The Alameda Point Antiques Faire is the largest antiques show in Northern California, boasting 800 dealer booths. All items 20 years old or older. For more info, visit alamedapointantiquesfaire.com. Every second Sunday of the month, Pasadena. World's largest flea market at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena. More than over 2 million items offered for sale by more than 2,500 vendors. Shop for rare and unusual, vintage collectibles, antigues, new items, arts and crafts and second-hand items. SH: early birds, 5-9am; regular admission: 9am-3pm. For more info, visit rgcshows.com or call 323-560-7469. Every second Sunday of the month, Sacramento. Sacramento Antique Faire, located at Sleep Train Arena, East Entrance, Sacramento, has reopened with new COVID-19…