Kovels.com Lists the Best of the Best Collecting Stories of 2015

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cleveland, Ohio — January 15, 2016 — Kovels Komments, the weekly eNews about antiques & collectibles from Kovels.com, lists the top 5 antiques and collectibles stories of 2015 with some follow-up:

1. King Tut’s Mask Damaged — February 4, 2015
The famous burial mask of pharaoh Tutankhamun was broken when it was taken from its museum display case to repair lighting. The beard came off. It was fixed hastily and the work was botched. At first conservators thought the repair couldn’t be reversed. But after exploring methods and materials, they made a new invisible repair. As of January 2016, the mask is back on display.

2. Frankenstein Poster Auctions for Scary Price — April 22, 2015
A 1931 Frankenstein movie poster auctioned in March 2015 for the world record price of $358,500. The three sheet poster, 78 inches tall, was found in the projection booth of an abandoned movie theater in the 1970s by a boy who worked there. The poster, restored and framed, was sold by Heritage Auctions.

3. Discarded Computer Sells for $200,000 — June 3, 2015
Clean Bay Area, a California recycling firm, sold a vintage Apple-1 desktop computer that was dropped off by an unknown woman who didn’t leave her name. A company employee recognized it as one of the original 200 Apple-1 computers that were made in 1976. The company is searching for the woman. Because the computer sold for $200,000, she has $100,000 waiting for her.

4. $16,500 Pearl Found in Soup — June 17, 2015
Remember the myth, “Be careful eating clam chowder, you may bite into a pearl”? In this case it’s true. Quahog pearls are lavender, lustrous, and big enough to mount in a ring. They are rare – only four have been found since 2002 and all were found while eating or cleaning clams. A fifth pearl, found earlier in a bowl of chowder, sold in 2015 to a Japanese collector for $16,500. The pearls are so rare it is difficult to set a value and this is the first price we have seen.

5. $2 Thrift Shop Painting Sells for $10,000 — October 19, 2015
On half-price day, a thrift store in California sold a painting for $2.50. It was labeled “Moonlight Scene Austria” and stamped on the back “Muller Paris.” The new owner took the painting to Witherell’s, who identified it as a Hermann Herzog, painted in 1874 in Germany before he moved to America. Auction estimate was $2,000 to $4,000. The very good thrift shop buy became an unbelievably good buy when sold in October 2015 for $10,000.

For more top stories, go to Kovels Komments at Kovels.com.

About Kovels.com
Kovels.com, created by Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel, provides collectors and researchers with up-to-date and accurate information on antiques and collectibles. The company was founded in 1953 by Terry Kovel and her late husband, Ralph. Since then, Kovels’ has written some of America’s most popular books and articles about antiques, including the best-selling Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, now available in its 48th edition. The website, Kovels.com, online since 1998, offers more than a million free prices, and includes a free weekly email, “Kovels Komments.” It gives readers a bird’s-eye view of the market through the latest news, auction reports, a Marks Dictionary, readers’ questions and answers and much more.

Contact Information:
Liz Lillis
216.752.2252
Pr(at)kovels(dot)com

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