As Odd as a Mustache Cup

Dear Lee,

Well, this is different. After a lifetime of receiving letters from your mother, you’re getting one from me. Fortunately, I’m not a complete stranger. Even so, it must be a little weird.

I remember the first time we talked a few years back. I had just written a cover story about Terry for Antique Trader, and you told me how much you enjoyed it. That was nice to hear because I so enjoy your mother and wanted to do right by her.

You probably recognize the picture of the mustache cup here. When we chatted, Terry told me about its history, how when she was a kid vacationing in Niagara Falls with her family she bought it as a souvenir, not knowing what she had but happy to have it.

She paid a quarter for that ceramic cup decorated with purple and gold flowers. It has a strip across the rim on one side, designed to protect a gentleman’s mustache from getting soaked when sipping a cup of coffee.

No child could possibly know that, but kids know what they like. So, the cup went home with your mom. The great thing is, she still has it. That little girl remains in your 94-year-old mother.

It’s funny what we hold on to in life, and what we let go. Often, it’s not an easy choice. And so it was when the decision was made to sell Kovels to Active Interest Media, the parent company of Antique Trader, at the end of March.

“After 70 years it was time to entrust the Kovels brand to a new home,” Terry said of the sale. “We couldn’t think of a better place than with Antique Trader, a publication like ours that collectors trust and enjoy learning from.”

Active Interest Media publishes various collectibles titles in addition to Antique Trader, which celebrated its 65th anniversary last summer. I’ve been involved in the hobby for more than 25 years, first in book publishing and then as editorial director of Antique Trader. I’ve been a fan of Kovels for just as long, having met your mother and father when I first started in the field in 1997.

There’s more, of course, but I must run. There’s a lot of running these days. That’s what happens when you follow in the footsteps of giants. But before I can say goodbye, I have to say Happy Father’s Day!

Someone once told me that being a great father is a lot like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it all over again tomorrow. Unless, of course, you plan on growing a mustache, in which case your mother has a cup that just might come in handy.

Cheers!

Paul

 

 

Editorial Director

Kovels + Antique Trader

pkennedy@aimmedia.com

 

The souvenir mustache cup purchased by Terry Kovel as a child at Niagara Falls.

 

Terry Kovel