June 2006 Hotlines

The English must not clean all the nooks and crannies in their old castles-or anywhere else. A manuscript lost since the 18th century was found in a cupboard in a private home by an auction-house representative. The homeowner thought it was unimportant. The manuscript includes handwritten minutes of Britain’s Royal Society taken by physicist Robert Hooke from 1661 to 1682. There are also Hooke’s personal notes about the microscope he invented, his first sightings of bacteria and cells, and his correspondence with Isaac Newton about gravitation. And he complains about plagiarism and how no one appreciates his work. A donor helped buy the manuscript for the Royal Society for over $1.7 million. The Society claims the 520-page book was taken from its archives 300 years ago.

Some stores catering to teens are selling what looks like a half of a charm bracelet. It’s really a long dangling key chain with charms that can be hooked to a purse zipper or handle. Vintage charms can be used the same way.

Presentation silver has become a popular collectible. Now some collectors are specializing in trophies or plaques for particular events. One longtime collector, a doctor, collects medical presentation silver-pieces given to or by doctors. The inscriptions tell the story. The silver could be a gift from a grateful patient or a prize for an important discovery. (Silver Magazine, December 2005)

Watch out when buying or selling gold jewelry. The high cost of gold, over $600 an ounce (up over 45% since last year), has changed costs for manufacturers of new jewelry. Stores will probably charge 10% to 20% more soon. Antique gold jewelry should also go up in price.

England‘s original 18th-century Lowestoft factory, which closed in 1799, is again open. It’s making many of the old designs.

A collector of vintage suitcases stacks them into a tower and uses them to store linens, out-of-season clothes, and other seldom-used items. (Country Home, May)