More June 2005 Hotlines

The new designer look of dresses with waistlines means belts are back. Look at the antiques shows for Indian concha belts, Chinese silver belts, and Arts and Crafts leather belts to set off the latest fashions.

Will large feathered hats come back into style because of the royal wedding in England? Perhaps in England, but probably not in America.

Age alone does not determine value. A 1956 shoebox with a pair of unworn canvas shoes inside sold for $377 at a Hake’s Americana & Collectibles auction. The box is decorated with a picture of Mighty Mouse and the words “CBS Television’s Mighty Mouse Full Cushion/Arch Cushion.”

Trolls are coming back with a new name, Trollz. The new trollz are cute and up to date, with curled hair, fashionable clothes, Ipods, and phones. The ugly old trolls, part of Scandinavian folklore and a craze in the 1960s, will probably be more wanted than ever.

Provenance is important. Four tumblers printed with a Hyannisport Club emblem, two pitchers, and seven fruit jars sold for $1,200 at Sotheby’s sale of property from the Kennedy family homes. Without the provenance, they would not have been worth enough to put in an auction. A flea market price would be under $25. Sotheby’s five sales of Kennedy family property totaled over $5.5 million.

There is renewed interest in painted furniture of all ages.

Blue Mountain Pottery in Collinwood, Ontario, made attractive pottery from 1947 until it closed in January 2005. It’s a future collectible to buy now.

Antique shows and flea markets continue to see more buyers and better sales. The collectors are back.