September 2005 Hotlines

Remember the boxes made from matchsticks or toothpicks? A modern artist, Steven J. Backman, is making sculptures from toothpicks. His 13-inch Golden Gate Bridge is made of 30,000 toothpicks.

Japanese collectibles were usually marked “Nippon“ from 1891 to 1921. They could be marked “Japan” or “Made in Japan” both before and after World War II. From 1945 to 1952 they were marked “Made in Occupied Japan.”

The July issue of the Toothpick Bulletin, published by the Toothpick Holder Collectors’ Society, included comments by Ted Friesner, the society’s vice president. He noted that toothpick holders, like most antiques, appreciate in value slowly. But some collecting trends do affect their prices. When Heisey, Riverside, and carnival glass had hot streaks a few years ago, their toothpick prices went up. Milk and custard glass haven’t seen the same kind of popularity upswing, so those toothpicks are not as expensive.

Most sports memorabilia collectors have never even heard of a “Fashion Course trophy ball.” When one sold for almost half-a-million dollars, we learned that a series of three Fashion Course baseball games were played in 1858 between the all-stars of Brooklyn and New York. The games were held at the Fashion Race Course in Corona, Queens, and were the first to charge admission. Their success led to the consideration of baseball as a business. The auctioned ball, sold in its custom-made wooden case, brought $498,800 at a Robert Edward auction. The ball was originally awarded to Brooklyn after it won the second game in the series.

The “Gabriel” weathervane stolen from the steeple of a church in Crown Point, New York, was recognized by a folk art dealer when it was offered for sale. Thieves had removed the valuable weathervane and replaced it with a poor copy that fell off. The original Gabriel has an estimated value of over $250,000. The church must decide if it should be sold, put in a museum in town, or mounted back on the steeple.

Top collectibles, according to Country Home magazine (August): Paper crafts like purses made from folded gum wrappers, industrial parts like iron gears and glove molds, fun kitchen towels with silly pictures or sayings made after 1945, unconventional quilts like those made from cigarette felts or prize ribbons, hammered aluminum from the 1930s to the ’50s, rustic furniture, vintage plastic sunglasses from the 1950s and ’60s, larger-than-life objects often used as ads, and educational charts and boards from schools, even flash cards.

Private collections of rare items that were bought years ago always do well at auction. In May, the sale of the Farquharson Collection of American Indian art at Sotheby’s was a huge success, with over 90% sold. This story repeats at every level of collecting, with successful sales of advertising, bottles, art glass, pottery, dolls, toys, and trains making news recently. The amazing part of the Indian sale is that every item was purchased by one American collector.

Bugs Bunny is getting a new look and a new name, Buzz Bunny. He will have laser eyes and be a martial arts expert. The new cartoons are set hundreds of years in the future. We don’t know if he will still say “That’s all, folks” at the end of each cartoon.

Camera phones are causing some concern at antiques shows. Many dealers do not want pictures taken of their antiques unless they give permission. Some shows now have “no photography” signs that forbid camera phones, too. We often photograph pieces to use in our writing and we always get permission first. Once dealers know why you need a photo, they rarely refuse.