Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in November 2009
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on Kovels.com during November 2009. Josef Originals appears again in the top half of the list. This holiday season collectors are looking for cute figurines, like this 4 1/4-inch Christmas angel. She's for sale on RubyLane.com.
See what other searches were popular among collectors in November 2009.
Kovels.com's Top 20 Antiques & Collectibles in October 2009
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on Kovels.com during October 2009. Royal Dux reappeared on the list for the first time in two years. Collectors like art deco-era figurines like the woman at a well shown here. The 17-inch high figurine sold last summer for $660 at a Dan Morphy auction.
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in August 2009
Occupied Japan has been at the top of Kovels.com's Top Twenty Antiques and Collectibles since January. It's a varied category of collecting—pottery dishes, porcelain figurines, plastic and metal toys, and even souvenirs made of shells are found marked with the words "Occupied Japan." So which Occupied Japan items interest collectors the most? According to the collectors who visit Kovels.com, figurines, like the pair above, are hot. This bisque shepherd and shepherdess, each 12 inches high, sold at an online auction site for $72 a couple days ago.
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in July 2009
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during July, 2009. Occupied Japan is still on top, proving Kovels.com is one of the web's best sources for Occupied Japan collectibles prices.
Shawnee shows up on the top 20 list every few months. Their salt and pepper shakers are very popular among collectors. Pictured here is a vintage Shawnee winking owl salt and pepper shaker set that sold for $18 at a recent Tom Harris auction.
It's July and you're probably spending lots of time in your garden. Pairing antiques with your garden gives a vintage look to your landscape. Rustic furniture of natural materials and organic shapes became popular in camps and gardens in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This sturdy chair was made in the 1890s from bent twigs and roots. It sold at a recent Kamelot auction in Philadelphia for $1,230.
Don't ignore backyards and garages at house sales; be on the lookout for other interesting furniture, architectural pieces and garden statuary. Search for prices of all kinds of garden furnishings here.
How about kicking off your local Fourth of July Parade dressed as Uncle Sam? A bidder at a recent Skinner auction took home this vintage Uncle Sam costume for $3,063. It's made of cotton fabric with a painted wooden cane and was sold with its wooden stand.
Our image of Uncle Sam was shaped by Thomas Nast (1840-1902), a popular caricaturist and editorial cartoonist in the 1860s.
By now you've heard that Michael Jackson died this week at age 50. Jackson's skills as a singer, dancer and songwriter insure his position as an idolized figure in the history of pop music. The Michael Jackson memorabilia industry is shifting into higher gear as items related to Michael hit the market. A lucky collector bought this Michael Jackson-signed Galveston guitar for $597 from a Heritage auction about two weeks ago. That was a buy. All Michael Jackson memorabilia will go up in value.
Be careful of paying too much too soon or buying a fake.
What does your dad collect? How about occupational shaving mugs? The funniest one we've seen lately is a Doctor's mug decorated with a skeleton (laughing and smoking, no less). We like the mugs that picture nineteenth-century equipment—sometimes it's a game to name job. Can you tell how the man who owned this mug was employed?
This mug shows a telegraph machine surrounded by quaint pink posies, so its owner likely worked for Western Union or ATT sending telegrams. It sold for $120 last month at a Cowan's auction (the doctor's mug sold for $900 in the same auction).
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in May 2009
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during May, 2009. Occupied Japan is still on top, proving Kovels.com is one of the web's best sources for Occupied Japan collectibles prices.
New to the Kovels' Top Twenty list this month is Bossons. W.H. Bossons, Limited, operated in Congleton, England from 1946 to 1996. Collectors have been on the hunt for information and prices on their character wall masks (heads), plaques, figurines and other decorative pieces.
The Highwayman on the wall mask shown here is also on the hunt—for your money or your life! The word "highwayman" refers to robbers who traveled on horseback from the 17th to 19th centuries. They would lie in wait for coaches on the roads out of London The poet Alfred Noyes wrote about the "French cocked hat on his forehead" and "a bunch of lace at his chin" as he came "riding, riding, riding." This Bossons Highwayman sold for $52 in an online auction.
Mother's Day is coming. What do you remember from your mother's or your grandmother's kitchen? Figurines from the "Mother in the Kitchen" series by Enesco are popular collectible items that may look familiar.
The "Mother in the Kitchen" figurines are also known as "Prayer Ladies" because of the prayers and sayings that are printed on their aprons. The figurines are useful kitchen items such as salt and pepper shakers, napkin holders, toothpick holders, spoon rests, tea sets, flower pots and cookie jars. They were made from 1956 until the 1960s.
The little lady pictured here wears an apron that reads "A Mother's Work is Never Done" and carries a scouring pad holder. It sells for $34 in an online shop.
Collectors look for holiday mementos of all kinds—Christmas ornaments, Mother's Day cards, Halloween lanterns. Political collectors are more likely, though, to seek remembrances of events like the Mexican Revolution. Many Mexicans celebrate the 1862 victory over the French in a festival called Cinco de Mayo (May 5). This page features a poem titled "Liberty." It's from a friendship album that belonged to the wife of an officer that served with General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. The album sold for $4200 at a Cowan's auction last year.
As collectors we have been “green” for years—ahead of the crowd when it comes to recycling and reusing. If you’re like us, congratulate yourselves for being “correct.”
Look at how collectors recycle. Flea market dealers wrap our purchases in old newspapers. No delivery truck is needed; we haul our own great buys in the same car we came in. We search for parts of old buildings that used to be thrown away but now are marketed as “architectural antiques.” We use old, not new, cookie jars and dinnerware. Look around your house and admire your “ecological footprint.” If you bought everything new instead of old, how much extra electricity, gasoline and wood would you have used?
Collectors have saved millions of trees by using antique furniture. New furniture not only requires new wood, but also power to cut lumber, light the factory and deliver the finished product.
Our house is over 50 years old. It was built with old-fashioned lumber, not plywood, and plaster, not wallboard. It has other features that are healthier (no fumes from chemicals) and can withstand flood and hurricanes better than most new houses. When we redecorate, we use new fabrics and paint but don’t buy new accessories or tables. We like old. But we’re not as extreme as the San Francisco recycling group of 10 young friends called the Compactors. They didn’t buy anything new for a year except food and a few necessities like toilet paper and brake fluid. Everything else came from thrift stores, flea markets or even trash bins. They think it was a new idea. We suspect their great-grandparents were doing the same thing during the Depression because they had very little money. And their parents may have been collectors who recycled and saved money buying old things long before their children rediscovered the idea of “sustainability.”
Terry Kovel to be Guest Auctioneer for WVIZ/PBS Cleveland
Get ready! You can see Terry Kovel in action when Kovels.com links to live web transmission of the April 23-26 public television auction that benefits our local PBS station, WVIZ/PBS in Cleveland. You will be able to bid on thousands of items—everything from antiques (Terry Kovel herself is the auctioneer!) to grocery-store gift certificates.
For four days, the live "auction action" will be available via a link at Kovels.com. Items up for bid will include antiques, art, and collectibles as well as general merchandise. Antiques are sold at "Table X," so you can tune in when it's "X time" or watch the whole auction (starting at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday and at noon on Saturday and Sunday). Look for a Satsuma bowl, a large aquarium, and vintage Barbie dolls mint in the box, along with 1930s brass floor lamps, a 1950s French Provincial dining room set, a pair of '50s Baker Furniture end tables, a Renaissance Revival table, sets of dishes, silver, antique jewelry, and much more. Collectibles up for auction include a LeBron James autographed basketball.
You'll be able to bid online or by phone. Look for instructions on the screen as you're watching the auction. For more information, visit www.WVIZ.org/auction. Please note that successful bidders who live outside the Cleveland area must pay shipping costs for anything larger than a gift certificate.
Hard times make for interesting collectibles. This 5-inch printed paper egg is dated 1919. It's really an envelope—the chick pops out to ask for a donation to help France repopulate its chickens after World War I. It sold for $115 at Hake's auction last month.
The front reads: "France Needs Food, So Please Take Pity! Hatch This Egg For The American Committee! Chip The Shell By Pulling The String! Tuck Fifty Cents Under The Chickie's Wing! Mail It To Us, And Enjoy Your Chance To Help Rechickenize Devastated France!" On the back it reads: "Almost Every Chicken Was Destroyed In The French Regions Held By Germans. Eggs And Chickens Are Needed To Enable Returning Refugees To Resume Raising Poultry, On Which They Have Always Depended For A Large Part Of Their Food Supply. Help Rechickenize France!" Inside it reads "The American Committee For Devastated France, Inc. NYC." The chick's wings are folded back to act as coin holder.
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in March 2009
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during March, 2009. Occupied Japan remains on top, proving Kovels.com is one of the web's most popular souces for Occupied Japan collectibles prices.
New to the Kovels' Top Twenty list this month is Milk Glass. Whether it's mass-produced coffee mugs or fancy hand-decorated jars, collectors were on the hunt for prices and information.
Named for its milky white color, milk glass was first made in England during the 1700s. It was popular in the U.S. by the mid-1800s. Items made of milk glass were made by many glass companies such as Cambridge, Duncan & Miller, Fenton, Fostoria, Hobbs Brockunier, Anchor Hocking, Imperial, Indiana Glass, Jeannette, McKee, Tiffin, U.S. Glass, Vallerysthal, and Westmoreland.
This mug was made in the 1960s by the Federal Glass Co. of Columbus, Ohio, and is offered for sale in an online shop for $5. The covered jar with hand-painted violets and gold beading is part of the Con-Cora line, made in the 1940s by the Consolidated Lamp & Glass Co. of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania and is offered in an online shop for $325.
Spring is here. Why not head to a flea market and search for a figural vase or planter to bring some flowers inside? Be sure to bring the latest Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide 2009 to help you identify your treasure and negotiate a price.
This squirrel planter is 6 inches tall by 8 1/2 inches wide with a tiny chip and sold in an online auction for the bargain price of $11.00. If you have more money to spend, this 6 1/2-inch Pink Poppy vase is for sale in an online shop for $475. Both were made by McCoy Pottery of Roseville, Ohio, in the 1950s.
A copy of Action Comics No.1—the 1938 comic book that introduced Superman—sold for $317,200 last Friday. Fewer than 100 copies of the 1938 comic book are known to exist, making it the holy grail for comic book collectors.
Postcard collectors delight in holiday images like this Irish lad and lassie. We found this pair of vintage postcards for sale in an online mall for $12.
Ran on Home Page, March 11, 2009.
Kovels.com Item of the Week: March 4, 2009
Happy Birthday, Barbie!
Barbie is turning 50 this year. The first Barbie doll was created by Ruth Handler, a Mattel designer, who named the doll after her daughter. Barbie made her debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959, the date that is considered her official "birthday."
Did you know Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts? And that her hometown was Willow, Wisconsin?
The Barbie doll pictured here, called No. 1 by collectors, is the first type produced. She sold with her box and original accessories for $8,050 at a winter McMasters Harris auction. Don't you wish you saved yours?
Kovels.com Item of the Week: 1891 Mardi Gras Invitation
Fat Tuesday revelers take note—save those invitations, dance cards and other paper ephemera after the party’s over. This invitation to the Carnival Krewe of Proteus Mardi Gras Ball of 1891 sold for $980 at a Neal auction in New Orleans. It’s die-cut and unfolds like a pop-up book to look like a castle.
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in January 2009
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during January, 2009. Occupied Japan remains on top, proving Kovels.com is one of the web's most popular sources for Occupied Japan collectibles prices.
New to the Kovels' Top Twenty list is Lefton China. The Lefton Co. was founded in 1941 by George Zoltan Lefton (d. 1996), a Hungarian immigrant who settled in Chicago in 1939. He had a background in marketing and a love of porcelain, and at the end of World War II he began to import giftware from Japan. In the mid-1970s Lefton switched to suppliers in Taiwan, Malaysia and China. Lefton collectors look for vintage cookie jars, figurines, teapots, planters, salt & pepper shakers and holiday items marked with a variety of Lefton stamps or paper labels.
This Lefton kitten figurine sold recently in an online shop for $40. It is marked with a foil label used from 1946 to 1953 and the script letter "N" in a circle which stands for Nippon, the Japanese word for Japan.
Want a stylish hat? This doll is dressed in the height of 1870s fashion with a special tam. It was made by C. F. Kling & Co. of Germany. Kling operated from 1836 until 1941 and was one of the few porcelain factories that made bisque-head dolls with molded hair, hair decoration, hats, jewelry, and parts of blouses.
This bisque shoulderhead doll has molded curls and a body made of muslin. Her painted plaid tam (hat) matches her ankle boots. It sold for $14,560 at a recent Theriault's auction.
Street vendors in Washington were hoping visitors would want to own a piece of history….actually, LOTS of pieces. Obama-related pins, banners, bobble head dolls, pint glasses, mouse pads and calendars were available on the streets of D.C. These collectibles are great mementos but most won't go up in price for at least 20 years.
An autographed program, a ticket to an official function, a personal item that belonged to the political family will be collectible, but since the 1950s, mass-produced items like shirts, buttons, hats and plates, have sold for very low prices years later.
A few of the strange souvenirs offered for sale this week: soap on a rope shaped like Obama's head (the Audacity of Soap), lip balm, printed toilet tissue, an Obama Mr. Potato Head, "4 Barack" hot sauce, several types of coffee, tea, and an energy drink sold with Obama's picture on the label.
Heard on the street, "Celebrate Obama. Buy a magnet for your Momma!"
Someone bought the pennant shown here in 1941 to commemorate Franklin D. Roosevelt's third inauguration in 1941. It did go up in price when it sold recently at a Heritage auction for $54.
If you live in a northern state and have seen your share of snow lately, you've probably seen a few big versions of this vintage model toy truck. It was made by Buddy L Toys and sold for $52 in an online auction.
The Moline Pressed Steel Co., established in 1913 in Moline, Illinois, began making toys under the name Buddy L in 1921. Most of their toys were made from heavy steel, strong enough to hold a child. The company has changed owners many times, but it still uses the name Buddy L on its toys.
Millions of collectors visited Kovels.com in 2008 looking for prices for their favorite antiques and collectibles. Here are the top 50 favorites out of the 700,000+ listings in the Kovels.com Online Price Guide.
A belsnickle is a hooded stern-looking Saint Nicholas figure that holds a tree or branch in his folded arms. Belsnickles were first made in Germany in the late 1800s. They were called Pelz Nichol, which means "Nicholas in Fur." Early examples were made of "composition" (a mixture of wood pulp, sawdust and glue), and later ones of papier-mache.
This papier-mache belsnickle was made around 1900. It sold recently at a Pook & Pook auction in Downington, Pennsylvania for $3,744.
One of the toys that most means Christmas to young boys and girls is the train set. It still ranks among the most asked-for gifts. A bidder with lots to spend bought this train set at a recent Noel Barrett auction. It's an O-gauge Royal Blue Limited passenger train set, made around 1906 by Marklin, a German toy company. It has a 13-inch steam locomotive, a four-wheel tender with rear compartment and four 6 1/2-inch cars with hinged roofs. Price: $36,300.
Savvy collectors can decorate a holiday table by hunting for dishes like this Primrose dinner plate, which sold for $10 in an online auction. It was made by Copeland Spode. The pattern was introduced in 1881 and was available in different colors and on different shapes until 1968. It's an old stand-by pattern that Grandma could have had. Fill in your set with bargains from online shops, or pay a bit more and use a matching service.
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in November 2008
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during November, 2008. Occupied Japan remains on top, proving Kovels.com is one of the web's best sources for Occupied Japan collectibles prices.
Coin-operated machines haven't appeared on the Top Twenty list for a long time. A bidder scored a bargain on this one at a recent Rich Penn auction. It's a robot gumball machine made in the late 1960s by Northwestern Mfg. Co. of Illinois. It's 46 inches tall and cost $173. "Try Me – I Talk," it claims. For a dime the user gets a gumball—and probably a giggle.
Visitors use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in November there was less interest.
Many visitors to Kovels.com are searching for amber glass. A collector gobbled up this amber glass turkey jam jar for $534 at a recent Hewlett's auction. It was made by the Cambridge Glass Co. of Cambridge, Ohio. Cambridge worked for more than 50 years, from 1902 to 1958.
This set of 6 Brownie figures sold for $1,650 last week at a Noel Barrett auction. The figures, made in Germany of composition and wood, are all about 5 inches high. They were sold as a set in their original box.
Brownies were first drawn in 1883 by illustrator, Palmer Cox (1840-1924), in St. Nicholas, a popular children's magazine. The pixie-like characters have large round eyes, downturned mouths, and skinny legs. The first collection of Brownie stories was published in 1887 as The Brownies, Their Book. A stage play, Palmer Cox's Brownies (1895), ran for 5 years. Toys, books, dinnerware, and other objects were made with Brownies as part of the design.
Fine art sellers are worried because paintings by modern and contemporary artists aren't bringing high prices. But some unusual items are doing well. This Alexander Calder (1898-1976) silver bracelet made in the early 1940s sold at a Sotheby's contemporary art auction the second week in November. It went for $110,500.
A new type of jewelry, often made of silver, copper or brass, was created beginning in the 1940s. Alexander Calder was one of the pioneering artists in New York City who began to create designs that were very unlike commercial jewelry. It became popular with young women who wanted something "different."
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in October 2008
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during October, 2008. Occupied Japan remains on top, proving Kovels.com is one of the web's best sources for Occupied Japan collectibles prices.
Shirley Temple is back on Kovels' Top Twenty after a long absence. Shirley Temple, the famous movie star, was born in 1928. She made her first movie in 1932. After her movie days, she married, and as Shirley Temple Black she was appointed a delegate to the United Nations in 1969. She later served as United States Ambassador to Ghana (1974 to 1976), and as Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989 to 1992).
Shirley Temple dolls were first made in 1934 by Ideal Toy Company. The doll pictured here was made by Ideal in the 1950s. It is 14 inches high and sold for $118 at a recent Garth's auction. Thousands of items picturing Shirley have been and are still being made. Search for more Shirley Temple collectibles here and in Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide 2009.
Visitors use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in October there was less interest.
Costumes and masks have been used for thousands of years to disguise or to frighten. The idea of dressing up in costumes and masks came to America with the Irish during the immigration waves of the 1840s. In the 1890s, popular magazines ran articles with advice on making costumes and masks and by 1900 catalogs of printed patterns were available. During the last 50 years, Halloween costumes and masks for trick-or-treaters have been heavily influenced by movies and television shows and politics. Boxed costumes were made by companies such as Ben Cooper and Collegeville. Hunt for vintage costumes and you'll surely find some of the costumes you wore during your childhood.
This Mousketeer Minnie Mouse costume was made by Ben Cooper Co. in the 1950s. It has a vinyl Mickey Mouse mask, a Mousketeer hat, a cloth skirt and blouse with the "Mickey Mouse Club Mousketeers" logo decals on the front, and a vinyl belt with metal buckle. The costume also has an iron-on alphabet to let you add your name. In its original box, it sold for $144 at a Hake's auction.
The top ten Halloween costume searches on Kovels.com are:
The World Series begins this week. There's no joy in Mudville if your favorite team isn't playing. But a collector with very deep pockets decided to "Play Ball!" and bought his very own World Series game for $44,400 at a Julia auction. It's a perfectly restored coin-operated 1937 World Series Baseball pinball machine featuring the New York Yankees that was made by Rockola.
When you drop a nickel in the coin slot, a ball appears from the umpire's chest and lands in a cup that is the pitcher's right hand. The pitcher throws the ball. You are the batter and press the flipper to bat the ball. The umpire signals balls or strikes with his arms. The machine keeps track of men on base, runs, hits, strikes, balls and the number of outs. Three outs and it's time for another nickel.
There's nothing like apple pie in the fall. A collector paid $4,750 for this redware apple pie plate but probably not to use for cooking. Redware was the first pottery made by European colonists after settling in America. It was used mostly for baking and cooking because it holds heat well and uniformly. Redware was widely used until stoneware and ironstone became popular in the middle of the 19th century, but it is still made today.
Colonists also brought the apple seeds and apple tree seedlings that were the beginnings of our abundant apple crop as well as their own versions of apple pies and tarts. Americans have been making and writing about apple pies since. When the economy was bad during the Depression, apple pie was made the cheap way with crackers instead of apples.
4 or 5 sour apples 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon butter 1 teaspoon lemon juice Few gratings lemon rind
Line pie plate with paste (crust as we know it, made of flour, lard, salt and water). Pare, core and cut the apples into eighths, put row around plate one-half inch from edge, and work towards centre until plate is covered; then pile on remainder. Mix sugar, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, and grated rind, and sprinkle over apples. Dot over with butter. Wet edges of under crust, cover with upper curst, and press edges together.
Bake forty to forty-five minutes in moderate oven. A very good pie may be made without butter, lemon juice, and grated rind. Cinnamon may be substituted for nutmeg. "Evaporated" apples may be used in place of fresh fruit. If used, they should be soaked over night in cold water.
Antique toys are usually a good investment and this one rewarded its collector better than today's financial markets. It's a Hubley showroom sample motorcycle with sidecar, mint condition, that sold for $14,400 at a recent Morphy auction. It has black rubber tires with metal spoke wheels, the original clicker and even the original ball and pull string.
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in September 2008
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during September, 2008. Occupied Japan remains on top of the list.
Vladimir Kagan (b.1927) designed this serpentine sofa, which sold for $4,800 at a recent Treadway auction. It has original green upholstery and is supported by two round platforms and one Lucite leg. Kagan started designing furniture in 1946 and for over 60 years has been a leader in modern design.
Visitors use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in September there was less interest.
Kovels.com Top Twenty Antiques & Collectibles in August 2008
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during August, 2008. Occupied Japan remains on top of the list.
Dolls are always among the most searched-for items. This doll with the pouty face was made in the 1930s by the Lenci company of Turin, Italy. It is made of felt with painted features and mohair curls. She sold for $1,126 at a recent Skinner auction.
Visitors use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in July there was less interest.
Thank you, collectors, dealers, curators, authors and the many others who are part of our community of "antiquers." Your hundreds of notes and calls have made the past two weeks a little easier. Ralph and I were together in work and marriage for many years, yet there are many stories I had forgotten or perhaps never heard:
How he schemed with a dealer to make me think he was buying a 10-foot-tall airplane propeller for our living room, then told me about it in front of the camera during a TV taping.
How he sat for hours in an auction to buy a special antique for me for our anniversary. He got it with the best ploy I have ever seen at an auction. He noticed only two other bidders wanted the antique, so he tapped the one nearest to us on the shoulder and said, "Pardon me, I have waited all day for the next piece--don't you have to go to the bathroom?" The dealer laughed, left for a short time, and Ralph's bid won.
How he often gave a tie or cufflinks to someone who admired them.
How he gave information and advice to anyone who asked, including one bottle collector from Alaska who called at 2 in the morning.
The house is filled with Ralph. Every piece of furniture, every vase, and of course our country store collection are all reminders of a wonderful husband and our years of collecting fun. The personal stories from you, especially the ones that tell of a chance encounter at a show or of the importance of his work, have kept me going. I keep thinking that, as one blogger said, "He's probably poking around in God's cupboards" looking for that next treasure.
CLEVELAND – September 2, 2008 - Ralph M. Kovel, nationally known antiques author and expert, died Thursday, August 28, 2008, in Cleveland.
In the early 1950s, Kovel came up with the idea of publishing a book that indexed antiques by the factory-specific marks found on the bottom of the pottery. He and his wife, Terry, became nationally known with the publication of their first book, Dictionary of Marks: Pottery & Porcelain, published in 1953. The book led to a weekly question-and-answer column, "Kovels: Antiques & Collecting," syndicated in 1954, which still runs in more than 150 newspapers. It was also the first of 97 books that the couple would co-author.
Ralph Kovel was born in Milwaukee. He moved with his family to Cleveland Heights, Ohio in the 1930s. A Cleveland Heights High School graduate, he attended the Ohio State University, and later taught courses in antiques at Case Western Reserve and John Carroll universities.
Kovel was a food broker at the same time he found success with antiques. In the late 1970s, he purchased a small Cleveland company called Sar-A-Lee. The company was
sold in 1989 to Sara Lee Corporation, where he continued as Senior Vice-President of Sara Lee Coffee and Tea's Foods Division until 2000. He never retired. He was president of U.S. Brands, Inc., a Beachwood-based direct marketing firm, president of Lucayan Aquaculture, a shrimp farm in the Bahamas, and owner of R & R Roosters, Inc., a restaurant in Cleveland.
Ralph and Terry Kovel were featured in their own television series on public television, the Discovery Channel and, most recently, on HGTV (Home and Garden Television Network). They wrote columns for Forbes Magazine and House Beautiful. Their articles have appeared in Family Circle, Woman's Day, Redbook, Town and Country, Giftware News and many antiques-related publications. They contributed the "Art, Antiques and Collections: Collectibles" section for Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year and were once the prize for a Publishers' Clearing House contest.
Their best-known book, Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, has been published annually since 1968. The 2009 edition was just released. In 1974 the couple began to publish a monthly newsletter, Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles. Their subscription-based newsletter has over 60,000 subscribers and is available in a digital version on the website, Kovels.com, which is visited by over a quarter of a million readers each month.
Ralph Kovel served on the boards of trustees of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Western Reserve Historical Society, and Public Broadcasting stations WVIZ-TV and WCPN-NPR. He won numerous awards for his public service and two Cleveland Emmys for his television work.
CONTACT: Liz Lillis Kovels Phone: 216.752.2252 FAX: 216.752.3115 Email: pr@Kovels.com Website: www.Kovels.com Press Release: PDF version
Delegates at this week’s Democratic National Convention will no doubt go home with handfuls of future political collectibles. An alternate delegate saved this ribbon badge from the 1896 Chicago Democratic convention, where William Jennings Bryan was nominated. The 9-inch-long badge sold this summer for $358 at auction.
There are several similarities between the 1896 and 2008 conventions—mainly the youthfulness of candidates William Jennings Bryan and Barack Obama. Bryan, who was 36 years old in 1896, is the youngest nominee in presidential history. At 47, Obama is younger than most presidential candidates (the average age is 54.8 years). And like the 2000s, the 1890s were troubled financial times in the United States. Bryan’s famous “Cross of Gold” convention address called for reforms in the American monetary system to offer relief from the effects of the Panic of 1893.
Get more prices of other political collectibles at Kovels.com.
Presidential candidates, reporters and observers are gearing up for the Democratic and Republican conventions. Everyone's talking about change—we're talking about political collectibles.
Back in 1952, after 20 years of Democratic governance, the Republicans campaigned for Dwight D. Eisenhower with the rallying cry, "It's time for a change," and the catchier jingle, "I like Ike." This 1 1/4-inch celluloid campaign button, sold at a summer Heritage auction for $168, and cleverly expresses both slogans.
Get more prices of other political collectibles at Kovels.com.
Enjoying the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing? The first poster to announce the games using the term "Olympiad" was this one, advertising the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In the lower right of the poster is the slogan, "Call to the Games of the Xth Olympiad." This example sold for $60 at a recent auction.
Find more prices on other Olympic memorabilia at Kovels.com.
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during July, 2008. Occupied Japan remains on top of the list. But it's China that's all the buzz right now as the world focuses on the Olympic Games.
These dolls were made in Shanghai, China, at the Door of Hope Mission. The Door of Hope was founded to rescue "strayed, stolen, abandoned" children and women who were trying to escape from a life of prostitution. The dollmaking industry provided work for the residents and income for the mission from 1917 until about 1950, when the mission was closed. This bride and groom pair sold for $4,032 at a recent Theriault's auction.
Visitors use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are trying to find the value of an item they own. If an item isn't listed on the Top Twenty list, it doesn't mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in July there was less interest.
Who doesn't love a summer evening under the Big Top when the circus comes to town? Children of all ages enjoy Schoenhut's classic Humpty Dumpty Circus toys, too. The Humpty Dumpty Circus, made by A. Schoenhut and Co. from 1903 until the 1935, was one of the most popular toys of the early 20th century.
This Schoenhut "Humpty Dumpty Circus" set from the early 1920s sold at a summer James D. Julia auction for $1,440. The canvas tent stands 23 inches high and 24 inches wide. The set includes five poseable performing figures, five "painted eye" animals and seven accessory pieces all in its original box.
For more information on Schoenhut Humpty Dumpty Circus pieces, get Kovels' special downloadable copy of the 1918 Schoenhut Circus catalog. The 48-page color digital reprint in PDF format includes the original price list and a short history of the Schoenhut Company. It is available only from the Kovels.
Turn on your radio and tune in to Terry Kovel when she does a live interview on Martha Stewart's "Living Today" show on Martha Stewart Living Radio.
When: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 1:30 PM EST Where: Channel 112 on Sirius Satellite Radio
Stay tuned for more information!
THIS brightly colored Bakelite radio was made in the 1940s by the Fada Radio and Electric Company of New York. It sold recently at a James Julia Auction for $1,093. The letters F A D A are the initials of Frank Angelo D'Andrea, who started the company in the 1920s. Collectors call this cabinet style the "Bullet," though the name was never used by Fada.
Read more about radios from the 1930s and 1940s in the July 2008 issue of Kovels' on Antiques and Collectibles newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
Mexican silver jewelry has been popular since the 1940s, when many of the major designers and silversmiths enjoyed a large tourist demand for their jewelry. Much of it was made in Taxco, a town about an hour from Mexico City. Sigfrido Pineda (1929-present), better known as Sigi, is one of the masters of Mexican silver. This four-piece set created by Sigi sold for $1,422 at a recent Skinner auction. It consists of a necklace, pin, bracelet and earrings. Sigi opened his first workshop in Taxco in 1952 at the age of 23 and is still working today.
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during of June, 2008. Occupied Japan items remain on top of the list. Only two categories changed—phonograph and Davy Crockett dropped off in favor of porcelain categories, Capo-Di-Monte and Hutschenreuther.
Many visitors to Kovels.com are also searching for bicycle
prices. Pictured here is a bicycle that sold recently at a Copake auction. It wouldn't get you far at all in this month's Tour de France, but it might get you lots of money if you have a good one to sell. This "boneshaker" model from the late 1860s sold for $3,750. It is thought to be made by the Hanlon Brothers of New York City, a popular team of traveling acrobats and bicycle builders. They were granted a patent in July, 1868, for an improved version of the velocipede, an early bicycle style popular first in Europe. The Hanlons introduced an adjustable seat and pedals, as well as bands of rubber around the wheels to decrease noise and slippage—a welcome improvement, no doubt, but still a "boneshaker."
Visitors use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in June there was less interest.
Uncle Sam wants YOU to save your pennies. But it took lots of pennies and lots and LOTS of dollars to win this "Uncle Sam" bank at a recent Morphy auction. This cast iron mechanical bank was made by Shepard Hardware Co. of Buffalo, N.Y. in 1886, when it sold for $8.50 per dozen. The winning price in April was $26,910.
Put a coin in Uncle Sam's extended hand. When the lever behind the umbrella is pushed, the bag opens, his arm lowers, and the coin drops into the bag (actually into a receptacle below). The bag snaps shut and then his beard bobs up and down.
Weller 1930s Gardenware pieces are hard to find. They were placed outside and many were broken by lawn mowers and winter weather. A buyer found this rare 13 3/4-inch high Weller "Pan with Rabbit" garden ornament charming, and paid $6,750 to take it home from a recent Cincinnati Art Galleries auction.
Weller pottery was first made in 1872 in Fultonham, Ohio. The firm operated in Zanesville, Ohio from 1882 until it closed in 1948. Almost all pieces are marked "Weller."
See more Weller garden ornaments in the August issue of Kovels' on Antiques and Collectibles newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
Kovels.com … Collectors' Top Twenty Choices for May 2008
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during of May, 2008. Occupied Japan items topped the list. Visitors to Kovels.com are always interested in jewelry prices and in May it was the second most popular category.
We haven't seen Shawnee on the top 20 list for a while. Pictured here is a casserole from the Fruit and Basket line made by Shawnee in 1951. It was designed by Robert Heckman. He introduced color blending, a decorating method that used a spray gun and three basic colors to decorate the fruit. Highlights, sometimes gold paint, were added with a brush. This 6 1/2-inch casserole sold for $52 in an online auction.
Visitors use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in May there was less interest.
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during the month of April 2008. Visitors to Kovels.com are are always interested in jewelry prices, and again in April it was the most searched-for category. Stove, Occupied Japan, World War II, Furniture, Silver Plate and Capo-di-Monte are other categories that have been making consistent appearances on our top 20 list.
Pictured here are examples of six categories that are either new to our list or haven't appeared in a while: McCoy (bank, sold for $62, Hewletts Auctions), Bicycle (Schwinn Jaguar, sold for $315, Tom Harris Auctions), Royal Bayreuth (tomato pitcher, sold for $88, Richard Hatch Auctions), Davy Crockett (dime register bank, sold for $168, Henry Peirce Auctioneers), Cookie Jar (Metlox rooster, selling for $270 in an online shop), and Glass Bohemian (Harrach iridescent vase, sold for $554, Jackson's International Auctioneers).
People use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item that they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in April there was less interest.
Though mothers have been revered for centuries, the greeting card industry didn't have an official holiday to promote until 1914. The holiday's original purpose was to honor mothers whose sons were lost in the first World War—a carryover from the holiday's first promoter Julia Ward Howe, who wanted to unite mothers in protest against war.
Mother's Day had become a general celebration of motherhood by the time Wallace Nutting created this hand-colored photograph card in the 1930s. Sentimental greetings, often in the form of short poems, were printed on unfolded panels meant to be framed and displayed all year.
From clutter to coveted collectibles—a collector cleaned his basement and found out that one's man trash is truly another's treasure. Auctioneer Jim Cyr researched the cans, and by auction time the estimate was $20,000 to $40,000. Phone and audience bidding resulted in a price of $126,000.
Two burlap sacks full of old cans that were taking up space in a New Jersey man’s attic went to Cyr Auction Company in Maine with the hope they would bring a few thousand dollars.
The rare cans were from 1935 to the 1970s. They were stacked and soldered together because they were used to decorate a basement bar. Condition was very good because they were found “inside” rather than “outside,” an important differentiation for beer can collectors.
The Kovels' Top Twenty list is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on its website during the month of March 2008. Visitors to Kovels.com are are always interested in jewelry prices, and in March it was the most searched-for category. Stove, Occupied Japan, World War II, Coca-Cola, Furniture and Capo-di-Monte are other categories that have been making consistent appearances on our top 20 list.
Pictured here are examples of 10 categories that are either new to our list or haven't appeared in a while: Silverplate (napkin ring, sold for $110, Alderfer Auctions), Knife (pocket knife, sold for $33, Desert West Auction Service), Lighter (by Cartier, sold for $633, Brunk Auctions), Lladro (Little Leaguer figurine, sold for $125, JK Galleries), Milk Glass (squirrel on acorn box, sold for $81, Phoebus Auction Gallery), Silver Chinese (tea set, 4 piece, sold for $2,875, John Moran Auctioneers), Clock (Gustav Stickley, sold for $39,000, Craftsman Auctions of Rago Arts & Auction Center), Phonograph (Victor IV, sold for $2,875, MV Auctions), Rosenthal (figurine, pair of lions, sold for $585, DuMouchelles), and Doll (Bébé Jumeau, sold for $5,700, O'Gallerie Auctioneers).
The complete Top Twenty for March 2008 are:
Jewelry
Stove
Occupied Japan
Silverplate
World War II
Coca-Cola
Furniture
Capo-Di-Monte
Knife
Lighter
Lladro
Milk Glass
Silver Chinese
Clock
Hutschenreuther
Phonograph
Bavaria
Copeland Spode
Rosenthal
Doll
People use Kovels' website and price guides for a number of reasons, the most common that they are just trying to determine the value of an item that they own. If an item is not listed on the Top Twenty list, it does not mean that it's unpopular or that there isn't a demand for it. It only means that in March there was less interest.
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What does your dad collect? How about occupational shaving mugs? The funniest one we've seen lately is a Doctor's mug decorated with a skeleton (laughing and smoking, no less). We like the mugs that picture nineteenth-century equipment—sometimes it's a game to name job. Can you tell how the man who owned this mug was employed?
As collectors we have been “green” for years—ahead of the crowd when it comes to recycling and reusing. If you’re like us, congratulate yourselves for being “correct.”
Get ready! You can see Terry Kovel in action when Kovels.com links to live web transmission of the April 23-26 public television auction that benefits our local PBS station, WVIZ/PBS in Cleveland. You will be able to bid on thousands of items—everything from antiques (Terry Kovel herself is the auctioneer!) to grocery-store gift certificates.
When you drop a nickel in the coin slot, a ball appears from the umpire's chest and lands in a cup that is the pitcher's right hand. The pitcher throws the ball. You are the batter and press the flipper to bat the ball. The umpire signals balls or strikes with his arms. The machine keeps track of men on base, runs, hits, strikes, balls and the number of outs. Three outs and it's time for another nickel.
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