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Kovels’ February 2021 newsletter features railroad collectibles, antique mechanical banks, Fausto Melotti ceramics, old and new glass paperweights, and vintage Coach purses, all with photos and prices.

It was “All Aboard!” at the Indiana auction of railroad collectibles that is featured in a sale report in Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles February 2021 newsletter. Stay on-track with prices and information about railroad signs, lanterns, locks, bells, and other items from many railroad companies, including the top price steam whistle from a Grand Trunk Railway train that sold for more than $2,500.

Collectors love old cast iron coin banks, especially the clever mechanical ones made from the late 1800s to the beginning of World War II. See some classic (priced, of course) examples in Kovels’ February issue—the Magician, Circus, Speaking Dog, Trick Pony and others—that auctioned in Illinois. And while you’re at it, you can learn about reproduction banks made from the 1950s to 1980s.

Intricate glass paperweights are beautiful and useful whether they are more than 100 years old or less than 40. Kovels’ latest newsletter pictures antique paperweights by Baccarat and other significant makers along with a few more contemporary examples that all sold in Chicago, along with their prices and a list of “terms to know” for the new collector.

Midcentury design enthusiasts will enjoy viewing the ceramic creations of Fausto Melotti that sold at auction recently in Milan, Italy. The sculptural forms with simple shapes and bright colors brought very high prices, ranging from $9,000 to more than $70,000. Don’t miss the examples in Kovels’ February newsletter.

And you don’t have to be a “collector” to love vintage purses. An Ohio auction offered Coach bags and totes, most never used and still bearing original tags. Some were leather, some were canvas, and a wristlet even resembled a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup! Buyers loved the prices—from $24 to $224. Kovels’ latest issue pictures an assortment.

Don’t miss Terry Kovel’s reflections on Valentine’s Day cards, and the February Dictionary of Marks which lists examples with hearts and arrows. The illustrated Collector’s Gallery answers readers’ questions about a French ceramic jar, a horse’s head hitching post, a stoneware jug, and a Nippon tea set. And more than 70 antiques and collectibles are listed in the February Buyer’s Price Guide.