More October 2002 Hotlines

American deco watches, Japanese 1960s dive watches, and stainless steel Rolex watches are best sellers at vintage watch stores. And solid gold Rolexes are making a comeback.

The most expensive coin ever sold was auctioned in New York on July 30 for $7.59 million. The uncirculated 1933 Double Eagle gold coin was owned by the U.S. Mint, and $6.6 million of the sale price went to the U.S. Treasury. The balance, minus the coin’s $20 face value, went to Sotheby’s as a commission for the sale.

An auction of empty toy train boxes was held in May at Lloyd Ralston Gallery in Connecticut. One hundred lots were sold for prices ranging from under $100 to $2,240.

Vintage cardboard oatmeal boxes are gaining in popularity.

Tips for grading yellowware bowls: “Good” are molded bowls, many with double blue bands and fluting, that date from about 1920. “Better” are mustard, brighter yellow, or buff yellow bowls that were the smallest (4 1/2 inches in diameter) or largest (12 to 16 inches) in nested sets. “Best” are circa-1850 hand-turned mustard-colored bowls with white bands and rolled tops and bases. (Country Home, August)

Gene Harris Antique Auction Center in Marshalltown, Iowa, plans to have an extra clock auction this year because clocks are selling so well.

Old Coca-Cola bottles discarded on Pacific islands by American servicemen during World War II are being sold for $32 each. The bottles were collected by Emirau Island residents and then shipped to Australia, where they were cleaned and packaged with certificates of authenticity. The 16,000 residents of the island will receive the $1.2 million the bottles are expected to bring. (Bottles and Extras)