The Collector’s Guide to Victor Records, by Michael W. Sherman, was first published in 1992. It has just been revised and reprinted. It’s an important reference guide to labels, serial numbers, markings, re-pressings and more ($39 plus $5 shipping). Learn more and order at 78rpm.com.

Do you dream about finding an antique worth thousands of dollars? So does Billy Crystal. We heard he has been hooked on collecting since he started watching Antiques Roadshow. He goes to flea markets often and says he wants to find an item worth thousands of dollars in a junk shop. Don’t we all.

Don’t be confused by Wedgwood marks. Josiah Wedgwood, the famous English potter, never used his initial in a mark—he used just his company’s name. Ironstone marked “J Wedgwood” was made by John Wedge Wood, a potter working in Burslem (1841-1844) and Tunstall (1845-1860), both in the same Staffordshire district where Josiah’s company operated. If you look closely at John’s marks, you can usually see a small gap or dot between “Wedg” and “Wood.” The word “Wedgwood” also appears on pieces by Podmore, Walker & Co. (Enoch Wedgwood was a partner), Ralph Wedgwood and other potteries with some family rights to the name. And another English company used the mark “Wedgewood.”

We have a friend who collects old things that “talk.” Not talking toys or phonograph records, but things with words that tell a story. She likes her hallmarked English sterling silver tray that says “First Prize, 1892, Best Pig at the Fair.” And a Red Wing pottery mixing bowl with an ad glazed inside that says “Mix with Us and Save Dough, Tyler & Downing Groceries & Meats, Anamosa, Iowa.” We like our own small English china dish with a traditional blue and white border and the words “Please don’t burn the tablecloth.” In the old days you often put cigarettes and a lighter at each place at a fancy dinner, and this dish was everyone’s favorite ashtray. What’s your favorite “talking” antique? Tell us. Email editor@Kovels.com

Winter is coming and gardeners in our part of the country are enjoying a new kind of fun with vintage garden ornaments. Plastic pink flamingoes from the 1940s and 20-year-old concrete geese are suddenly showing up in front yards dressed in warm coats and hats. In the 1950s, landscaping a house meant a straight line of short and tall bushes and trees across the front of the house. Today even old houses have been transformed with curved flower beds, rocks and statues in the front yard—curb appeal.

Pie tins were hot collectibles 10 years ago when a renewed Frisbee craze made original “Frisbie’s Pies” tins important. Collectors were soon looking for old pie tins with any bakery logo. Embossed pie tins, made by the 1890s, are hard to find. Look for handmade tins with logos or hammered or punched decorations. Signs of wear add value. Tins at antique shows are usually $25 and up. (The Frisbie Pie Co. was in business in Bridgeport, Conn., from 1871 to 1958. School kids or bakery employees at some point started tossing the tins to each other and the game caught on. To avoid copyright infringement charges, Wham-O, the maker of plastic Frisbees, changed the spelling of the toy’s name in 1957.)
 

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