ROLAND DAVIES OIL ON CANVAS - GARAGE SALE FIND

I stopped by a local garage sale near the house and it was on it's last day (Tuesday). I got a neat find. It an original oil on canvas painting by Roland Davies (1904-1993). Davies was an English Illustrator/Artist whose career spanned at least 6 decades. Davies attended Ipswich Art School 1919-1921. He started his career as a Lithographer creating Cinema and Railway Posters. c1926 he was hired by Temple Press and created some great covers for Autocar and Motor Cycle Magazines. In 1928 he was hired by Modern Boy Magazine to create Illustrations and Covers. In 1931 he was hired by Mardon, Son & Hall to produce and illustrate a set of 50 Tobacco Cards for Ogden's titled "Motor Races 1931". In 1932 he started his own comic strip for the Sunday Express about a cart horse called "Come on Steve". Davies produced 6 animated film shorts based on his comic strip that were released in 1936 and 1937. These crude films have garnered him a bit of a cult status in the genre. The Steve strip ran in the Sunday Express until 1939 and then was picked up by The Sunday Dispatch for 10 more years. From 1938 onwards, he worked on several comic strips (Whoopee Hank" "Contrary Mary" "Sexton Blake" "Dixon of Dock Green" "Norman and Henry Bones" "Red Ray the Space Ranger" "Jill Crusoe" "Pete Madden") wrote and illustrated Children's books and comic annuals such as a British publication of Roy Rogers. Around 1970, he more or less retired from commercial work and devoted his time to painting landscapes, seascapes and street scenes for the art market. I have a Parisian Street Scene that Davies likely did in the early 1970's.

ANTIQUEHAVEN DISCOVERS A NEW FAD

I receive many calls from people wishing to sell dolls that are near worthless. Some creative individuals (and there are a lot of them in the collectible world) have learned that by creating a story around a doll and claiming that the doll is "haunted" and projecting a spirit, it will sell and sometimes for 3-10 x's what it is worth. Some of the tales are long and elaborate and even have audio of netherworld voices attached to the listing . Not being into the paranormal, I am suspicious of this new (to me) trend. I don't find listings of paranormal activity being attributed to old mugs, Christmas ornaments, Tonka trucks or a gazillion other old artifacts. But Dolls.......perfect. They are in human form and some of them can be downright spooky looking. Plus...there have been TV shows showing Ventriloquist's dummies that come to life and everyone knows about the "Chucky" movies. Look on E-bay and see how many dolls are sold that are attributed to being "haunted". Interesting that none of the ones I saw were intrinsically worth more than $20. I didn't see any 1st year Barbies or really nice Victorian era German or French dolls being listed as haunted. But I will say that there is some entertainment in the listings. Just like the Chucky movies were entertaining.

ANTIQUE SURGEONS KIT

I have an antique surgeons kit and do not have any idea how to value it.
I do not find a date or marking on the box although the instruments seem to fit. There may be one or two missing. The box has a brass plate but it does not appear to be engraved or it is worn. Most of the intruments are marked Leach and Greene. One pair of scissors is marked Betz, Germany. The tourniquet says (patent 1855) I believe.
The original retainer that holds the instruments in the lid and is held in place by two embossed swivels is gone and has been replaced with cardboard. Would that have been where the name and address may have been? I appreciate your assistance.

Your set was made by William K Leach and Nathaniel Greene Jr (Leach and Greene) out of Boston, MA. They were in business together from 1862-1900. Some dates of their locations 1862-1869 (82 Tremont) 1870-1875+ (1 Hamilton Place) 1882-1890+ (165 Tremont St). Dating your kit would be more precise if the original manufacturer label was present. The set definitely predates the 1880's as the handles are made of wood. It likely is from the 1860's-early 1870's. The set is almost certain to be a civilian set, but, could have been made during the Civil War era. Value? I recommend one of the best sites on the Internet www.braceface.com Dr Echols is an expert on surgical sets. He does not have any sets by Leach and Greene listed, but, I'm sure he can help. If I had to quote you, I would think this would bring anywhere from $500-1,200 at auction.

OLDRICH FARSKY ARTIST PAINTINGS AND THE CONFUSION

This piece is meant to clear up an issue with a listed artist whose name should be Oldrich Farsky. Farsky was a Czech immigrant to the United States who was born in 1860 and died some time after 1930. My research has led me to the conclusion that all paintings that are signed "O. Farsky" were done by Oldrich. What is the confusion? I believe that Art books, reference sites, auction houses and art galleries have been providing and working from information that has been incorrect for decades. Almost all works by "O. Farsky" have been attributed to the following names:

Aldrich Otto Farsky
Oldrich Otto Farsky
Otto A. Farsky
Otto Farsky
Otto Oldrich Farsky
Oldrich Oscar Farsky
A. Farsky

Regardless of the name associated with the painting, everyone lists his birth as 1895 and death as 1968. Those dates match up to Aldrich Farsky who was Oldrich's son. There is not one bit of evidence other than a mention in a book on California Artists that Aldrich was even an artist. So, it is my belief that the BIO has been wrong for some time. Here is the correct BIO and my evidence.

Oldrich Farsky (b 1860 (Serbian Soil) d 1930+)

c 1877-1879 Studied at the Art School in Prague, Bohemia under Director Von Svarts Prof Brozik, Prof E. Rone.

1880's Had a studio in Carlsbad, Bohemia and traveled and painted in Italy, France and Holland

1890 Dated painting called "The Duck Pond" exists as earliest example of signed "O.Farsky" work I've found. This is 5 years before Aldrich was born.

1893 Oldrich moves to Chicago, Ill during the time of The World's Fair.

1894 Finished painting of Gen William T Sherman wearing his G.A.R. uniform. Possibly the last portrait of Sherman. In 1978, this painting was owned by The State Historical Society of Colorado.

1900 Oldrich appears in U.S. Census from Cook County (Chicago) His son, Aldrich is listed as being 5 years old.

1904-1905 Oldrich has an ad in publication called "The Reform Advocate". Oldrich is listed in the Chicago Blue Book Directory as being an artist with a business advertisement "Fine Oil Paintings and Water Colors" The business was located at 205 E 35th St. nr Grand Blvd Chicago. Oldrich is mentioned in a publication called "Charities: A Review of Local and General Philantrophy (July 1, 1905) in an article titled: "The Culture Which the Slav Offers America" Oldrich is mentioned as providing art work in an Exhibition held in Cleveland by The Slavic Alliance of Cleveland. It is heralded as the 1st Slavic Exhibition of it's kind in America with 162 original paintings and pieces of sculpture by Bohemian, Slovak and Polish artists.

1908 Oldrich is mentioned as being a special guest at a Grand Traverse Area, MI event that was attended by Bohemians (Czechs). He is also listed as writing an article in a Czech paper called "Amerikan Kalander" called "A Story of Traverse City, Michigan and Some of the Early Settlers" It mentions that the article has examples of his paintings.

1910 Oldrich is listed in the U.S. Census as being from Grand Traverse, MI

1914 Oldrich participated in an art exhibit at Dvorak Park in the Chicago Park District.

1916 Oldrich submits a sketch for a bid on decorative work to be done on the auditorium and vestibule of The Harrison Technical High School in Chicago, Ill. His sketch is voted most artistic and beautiful, but, is not accepted by the school board due to some technicality. However, his design was used in another part of the School.

1918 Oldrich is mentioned as being a member of The Czech Artists Club (Chicago) Had a painting of a Michigan Landscape that was dated 1918. This possibly solidifies his already strong Michigan connection.

1920 Oldrich is listed in the U.S. Census as being from Cook County, Ill (Chicago)
He is also mentioned in a book "The Czechs in America: A Study of their National, Cultural, Political, Social, Economic and Religious Life" by Thomas Capek. He is mentioned as a Czech Immigrant Artist of note in Chicago. His son, Aldrich would not have been considered an Immigrant as he was born in the United States in Chicago.

1924 Oldrich presents a painting of either himself or of Professor Antonin Sterba (Art Institute of Chicago,American Academy of Art in Chicago)(1875-1963)to Sterba. Sterba was a fellow Czech who lived in Chicago and also in Pasadena,CA in 1928, the last year that Oldrich is believed to have been in CA. Their relationship appears to date back to at least 1905, when they both had paintings exhibited in a Cleveland Exhibition and both were likely members of the Czech Art Club together.

1925-1928 Aldrich is listed in a book as being an artist who was in Los Angeles, Ca during this time. However, the works signed "O. Farsky" from this time period, which would be Californian landscapes, have what appear to be the same signature as the works from the obviously earlier periods (1890-1920)

1930 Oldrich is listed in the U.S. Census as being from Berrien County, MI

So, in conclusion, we know 2 things for sure. Oldrich Farsky was an artist of some note in the Czech community and had his own store or studio in Carlsbad, Bohemia and Chicago, Ill. In an undated article from an Art Exhibit Farsky held at the Aurora Public Library, Ill, he is said to have traveled from America's east coast to the mountains of Colorado and into Canada. We also know that one of his son's names was Aldrich whose birth and death dates match those given by all the resource books, auction houses and art galleries (Except Skinner's, who I think may have also been able to put together that an art work done in 1890 or 1900 was not done by someone born in 1895) Somewhere along the line in history, someone researched a painting signed "O. Farsky" and came to the wrong conclusion as to which family member was the artist. I am not an art expert in the least, but, of the 30 or so examples of signed "O. Farsky" works that I have seen, I would say that all of them were done prior to 1940.

Current information is incorrect and has never been corrected. People have been purchasing works either attributed to the wrong person or with the wrong set of birth and death dates. If my research is correct, Davenport's and all other artist references should be updated with the correct Farsky and the other Farsky names removed.

A gentleman claiming to be the Great Grandson of Oldrich Farsky has provided more information on the comment section of this blog.

I have 2 paintings by Oldrich that I am being entrusted to sell. They have been in the same family for almost 100 years. I will add photos as I get them.

FURNITURE IDENTIFICATION

I have an antique piece of furniture that my grandfather said was a desk. I was offered ____ for it by a dealer, but, I feel that I may be ripped off. Can you help?

Your Grandfather may have used it as a desk, but, what you have is an Early American Kitchen Cabinet c 1900-1915. It could be made of maple or ash by the photo. The dealer's offer was probably a fair one. At auction, this piece would likely bring $200-400.

WILLIAM BRUNT POTTERY GAME BIRD PLATTER

I have a platter that I need info on. I couldn't find anything on the net about
it. The mark on the back says W. M. Brunt Pottery Co on the outside of the circle and inside of the circle it says semi vitreous porcelain with some kind of bird or eagle. Under the circle it says East Liverpool U.S.A. Can you please tell me
if it is worth anything?

W.M. Brunt Pottery was located in East Liverpool, OH from 1847-1911. This game bird platter likely dates to the 1900-1911 period. In perfect condition you could expect to see this platter priced around $85-125 in an Antique Shop. At auction it would likely sell for $45-75. The dark crazing hurts the value of this platter a bit.

1849 Colt Pocket Revolver

Purchased a nice 1849 Colt Pocket Revolver that was made in 1853. It has all it's original matching serial numbers and is in nice condition. It has an inscribed name that I am researching that could be someone halfway famous. While I am not a firearm dealer, I will typically purchase items in any collectible category. This was my first antique gun purchase in quite some time though, as guns are usually sold via gun shops, shows, to friends, family and other networking means. Suburban antique shops do not get too many opportunities to purchase nice antique examples. The gun will be available in my April 26th auction at the Livonia Elks.

Dundee vs Oberly

Every day we hear about the absurd happening in our country. Huge bonuses for executives who have driven their business into the ground, the Pentagon overspending it’s budget by hundreds of billions of dollars or police officers losing their jobs because of investigations that may have embarrassed a mayor. These absurdities can be national or in our own back yard. In fact, there is an absurdity happening now in Dundee Township, MI. Mark Oberly is a longtime resident who owns a farm on Dennison Rd. He mainly makes his living as an auctioneer specializing in agricultural and livestock auctions. For 20+ years, Oberly ran an outdoor auction every other Saturday near Downtown Dundee. Occasionally, he conducted an auction at his farm and a few years ago when the land was no longer available for use at the downtown location, he moved the Saturday auctions to his farm. The Township notified Oberly that he was in violation of running a commercial business on land zoned agricultural. They are spending taxpayer dollars litigating this case through the Monroe County Circuit Court.

Oberly feels that his constitutional rights under the right to farm act are being violated. He auctions hay and livestock as well as consignment items from the area which largely consists of tools, farm equipment and household items. In the summer and fall, you can sometimes find a small produce stand selling tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables during the auction. A lunch truck sells food and beverages. It is pure Americana, during a time when it seems Americana is fading. Locals make a little money selling their goods, bidders get to purchase items in a friendly environment and people mingle, socialize and grab a bite to eat, just like going to a Farmer’s Market.

The situation Oberly desires is a part of the American Dream…. of taking his two passions, auctioneering and the farm life and combining them together to provide a steady source of income. Times are tough enough out there than to deny an honest attempt to carve out a living, providing a service to the detriment of no one.

You may think “there has to be something disruptive going on due to the auctions?” Well, if 100+ signatures from all the neighboring homes and farms is any indication, then the twice-a-month event is not harming a soul. To date, no complaint has been brought forth by any neighbor. I have been to this auction many times as a consignor and a bidder and I will tell you that two hours after it is over, you would never know that there was an auction. (I also tend to drop money at the local gas station and restaurants when I come into town) Your next question might be “Well…if nothing is being disrupted by the auctions, what gives?” Here is the absurdity….One of the four township trustees behind the lawsuit, who is also on the Zoning Board of Appeals and was a long time Township Supervisor, happens to be Oberly’s former auction company partner and a competing Auctioneer from Dundee. LET’S REVIEW THAT AGAIN….Oberly’s main auctioneering competition in the area is one of the township trustees who is trying to halt his auctions on the farm. Can we see a possible conflict of interest here?

Zoning rules can be amended with what is called a Special Uses Permit. Oberly’s twice-a-month auction could easily be granted with such a permit. There appears to be nothing in the township’s ordinances that would be a sticking point. If the thought process is that the township cannot allow every other working farm to hold regular auctions, it can easily be explained that Oberly has been conducting a similar style auction for over 20 years in the township, and if that does not constitute being grandfathered in, than what is?

Let’s have our local trustees and political figures concentrate on things that really matter in our communities…our schools, our roads, crime and fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars. Leave the hard working among us alone who to try to make an honest days living. Or in this case…twice-a-month.

SILVERPLATE SUGAR TONGS IDENTIFIED

I have some antique sugar tongs that have a mark that I have not been able to identify. Can you please help me out?

The mark belongs to Joseph Gilbert of Birmingham, England and is from the late 19th c. The EP stands for Electroplate. They are worth up to $35

MARX FIGURE IDENTIFICATION

Can you help me identify this figure? I believe it's a 45mm Marx figure. I found this with several other Marx Cowboys, Indians, and Cavalry men - but I can't seem to figure out which set this particular piece belongs to. Thanks in advance!

This 45mm figure is known as a "pioneer" and is one of 10 pioneers that appeared in Marx's 1952 Fort Dearborn Set. The original color was beige. This yellow colored pioneer is likely from a later set or package.

AUCTIONS AND THE BUYER'S PREMIUM

The Antique Trader Magazine recently did a piece on the Buyer's premium charged by some auction companies and asked for their readers to provide comments. Of course, most of the comments were negative, calling the auction houses and auctioneers greedy. A buyer's premium is when the auction house charges a percentage of the purchase price to the bidder (Usually 10%). I believe this practice began at the major houses like Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonhams. The concept has filtered down to the everyman's auction houses. As a bidder, when I started seeing Buyer's premiums appearing in the area, I just adjusted my bidding to conform to the fee. If I was willing to bid $50 for an item, then I just stopped at $45. When I started putting auctions on, I never had a buyer's premium. I looked at it as a negative for the biddrer.......until........I began to realize that auction houses were able to go into an estate or accept consignments for less than what I was charging. Say I went into an estate and to make everything work my commission was 35%. Another company that charges a buyer's premium was able to beat my proposal by 5-10% and thus I was losing business opportunities. This also does not take into account that putting an auction on is not free. As an auctioneer, I cannot pass all of the costs on to perform an auction to my clients or they will not hire me. I also cannot absorb all the costs of putting the auction on or I could be working for near free. So that is where the idea of the buyer's premium (I think) came in. All parties give something to the costs of putting on and presenting the auction. We cannot get the merchandise if we have to charge 40-50% to the seller. Especially as the items get to be better quality. As auctioneers, we have to compete with the Internet, where people can list their own items for around 12-15% on average. It's a lot of work, but, I have seen families do this to save 20%. They might not be willing to do it to save 10%, but, I'm telling you now that it is tough putting an auction on at 25% unless the auction brings in over $20,000 and most local auctions don't come near that mark. Greed? Not in most instances. It is a business reality. If I have a soft auction, I dont make up for it somewhere else. I dont underreport sales to the consignor, I dont cheat my client in some other way to make everything work for me. The buyer's premium gives that little bit of flexibility in being able to compete for estates and consignors and also be able to cover some expenses that otherwise would be passed on to the client or absorbed by the auctioneer. We want to be able to bring the bidder quality and fresh merchandise. The current marketplace has made it harder to do that.

NAPCO AND NIKKO QUESTION

Hi

I have been given 3 Napco Figurines: "Little Mother hh1d" "Wash Day ah901" and "Ironing ah901" and 2 Nikko Pieces 200f and 200l and cannot find anything on these. Any assistance would be good. Thanks.

All 3 of your Napco Figurines were made in the 1950's-early 1960's and were meant to be an inexpensive alternative to Goebel's Hummel Figurines. They were made in similar style by Japanese manufacturers and imported by National Potteries Corp (NAPCO). They are worth around $7.50 each. If the Nikko pieces are Christmas related, they hold very little value. There were many pieces and I would need to know what they are.

GARLAND BROTHERS CORK-HEAD MINNOW FISHING LURE

There is no hotter collectible than old fishing lures. Put a tackle box in the corner of your garage sale and when the door opens, stand back and watch the stampede. Last summer my dad and I made an estate purchase and were happy to find a cute little fella called a Cork-Head Minnow made by Garland Brothers out of Florida in the 1930's. A tough lure to find, the cork head's body is made of wood and it's head.......well.....you can guess. SOLD $590

WRITE UP IN OBSERVER ECCENTRIC - FARMINGTON

I was part of a nice little write-up in Sunday, January 19th's Farmington Observer- Eccentric. Ken Lindsay, Auctioneer and Appraiser of American Eagle Auction invited me to come along to a seminar and appraisal he was conducting at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills. It was a last minute affair for me and I wasnt aware that I would be conducting appraisals, so, I did not even bring my loop, measuring equipment or laptop (Thanks Ken !!) Anyhow, about 30 people braved the cold weather to see the presentation and brought items for review. Most of the items were of sentimental value, but, I was able to see a nice Pittsburgh Lamp that I appraised at $500-750+, a nice 1896 atlas from Lorain County (OH) that I appraised at $100-300. There was a nice French slate mantle clock in which I could not make out the manufacturers name. Similar clocks go for about $150, but, the manufactur's name is important. I am still researching a possible Steiff Bear that has no markings whatsoever. General appraisals are always fun and sometimes a challenge. "Experts" tend to spend their entire career devoted to one category or sub-category of collectibles. There are no "Experts" on everything. It is impossible. So, if someone tells you that they are an "Expert" on Antiques in general, find a second opinion in having something evaluated.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR..........

Earlier this month, Ron Asheton, guitarist and co-founder of rock band The Stooges was found dead of an apparent heart-attack. Asheton was a legend on the mid-1960's-mid 1970's Detroit and Ann Arbor music scene. The Stooges' raw sound helped lay the foundation for 1970's punk rock. Asheton's body was found just past midnight on Tuesday the 6th. The very next day at 3:30pm as his sister, Kathy, was driving to his house, she noticed people loading Ron's guitars and music memorabilia into a van. The main culprit was said to have been an acquaintance and possible former personal assistant to Asheton. The Ann Arbor police arrived and it was also stated that the culprit accused Kathy of assulting him or her. YOU THINK !!???!!!! If my brother had been discovered dead the previous day and I came to find someone stealing his possessions from his home I might assult someone too !!!! This is not uncommon in my business. Frequently I am called in to liquidate an estate that has had items pilfered by family or friends or neighbors before I am hired. You dont have to be star (baby) to have valuables that will turn a nice dollar in the free (or underground) market. It makes me sick every time I hear of a deserving heir having had a part of their inheritance taken out from under them. Thank goodness that Asheton's sister happened across these scoundrols !!!

FIGURINE IDENTIFIED

I have this figurine and would like to know what it is. I have included pictures of the mark on the bottom. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

What you have is a Kewpie figurine, made in Japan, and imported by Lefton China Company around the 1970's. The foil sticker is missing on the bottom. The "N" in a circle mark is the Japanese factory that made the figurine for Lefton. Napco had a similar mark, but, this figurine also has KW 143 marked on the bottom, which is the numbering system Lefton used for their Kewpie line of figurines. This "Boy Pulling Up Pants" figure is worth around $10-25.

Rare Gonder Pottery Figural Woman Bell

This fall I picked up a pair of scarce Gonder Pottery figural lady bells. One is cream colored the other blue. The cream colored one has a very hard to find paper label that says "Sovereign Gonder U.S.A." The bell measures 3 1/2" in height and is simplistic and rather crude in it's design. My guess is that this was made near the end of their ceramic arts production around 1954. It's value is almost exclusively with Gonder collectors.

QUESTION: LANE & CO BLACK PANTHER TV LAMP

I have a black panther on a rock lamp made by lane & co and i just wanted to know the value of the lamp and the year it was made. The number on it says 8504.

Lane & Co was either a pottery company or a jobbing or distributing agency located out of Van Nuys and/or Los Angeles, Ca from c 1950-c 1968. There is not a lot known about the company other than they unceremoniously produced or distributed a great deal of TV lamps and other ceramic pieces for nearly 2 decades. The arched back, climbing black panther TV Lamp was introduced in the late 1950's. It is fairly common and tends to command around $60-85.

MYSTERY ITEM IDENTIFIED

I've been enjoying your blog site for several months and I thought you might be able to help me identify an obscure item that I have encountered. I've showed this to several antique dealers in my area and thus far, no one has been able to figure it out. It's a small sterling silver object with a finely detailed handle decorated with a corn motif and it has an elongated loop on the end. It measures approximately 3.25" in length. The loop is marked STERLING, so I would presume it's American in origin. I'll attach a photo to this email.

Please let me know if you can help. Thanks very much!

Your item is a very nice Victorian loop style button hook. Specifically, due to it's size and design, it's likely a Glove Buttoner for the ladies. The loop was pushed through the buttonhole in a pair of gloves and wrapped around the button to allow the button to be pulled through the button hole. It could be easily carried in a purse or handbag. It is very unique and I bet it would be a very attractive item to the button hook collector. One site you might want to see is The Button Hook Society

ELVGREN PIN-UP INSERTS

With the Antique Shop closed for now and the wife on Maternity leave, I've had a few moments to sneak out of the house and find an Estate Sale or Auction to attend. This weekend was fun as I found a somewhat hard-to-find item. Gil Elvgren was one of the top "Pin-Up" artists of the mid 20th century. His work was found all over on Playing Cards, Posters and Advertisements. In this case, I won a grouping of 31 of 32 Inter-Collegiate Press Stationary Inserts. From his Louis Dow period from 1937-1944, these famous illustrations were included in boxes of stationary, one per box. You'd have to purchase a lot of stationary to be able to get the complete set and I was amazed to find only one missing in this grouping. A single example can bring as much as $30.

1959 COCA-COLA FISHTAIL SIGN 40" X 108" RARE

I have a great 40" x 108" Coca-Cola Fishtail sign that is said to have once been used on a Michigan Race Car Track. Coca-Cola used the fishtail style design from 1958-1963. This sign is dated 1959. It has some signs of being around, but, still displays nicely. Per Petretti's Coca-Cola guide, large signs are the "most difficult pieces to evaluate" Displayability is an issue with signs this large. However, I cant tell you how many times comments were made about it and how many people asked how much money it was. Petretti only shows a few this size in his book which range in value from $450-600. My friend who owns the sign wants $800 or I can keep it in my shop window. "Find another one" is the common mantra on such an item. Fishtail collectors probably do not have this one. Personally, I have not seen another one.

UNKNOWN DETROIT TIGERS ASHTRAY

Photographs are invaluable time capsules in history. They tell us about what people looked like, trends, architecture, interior decorating, clothing and so much more. I found a photo of a child in front of the family Christmas Tree from 1943. In it, on a table to the side, was a Detroit Tigers Ashtray that I have never seen. I showed it to a good sports memorabilia friend of mine and he also has never seen one. Close inspection does not help in identifying whether this was a homemade ceramic piece or one that was meant for public purchase. It appears to be about 8-9" tall and shows a Tiger on top of a baseball that is marked "Detroit". The ball is resting on a baseball glove and bat. This item would be cool to find and match up with the photo.

FLAG BURNING CURIOSITY IN PAKISTAN

The quickest way of telling a 48 star flag from a 50 star flag is the alignment of the stars. On the 48, the common style is to have all of the stars aligned in straight rows 6 x 8. A 50 star flag typically has the stars in an uneven pattern. When I saw this picture in today's news of our Pakistani friends burning our flag in protest, my attention was drawn to the alignment of the stars. I immediately thought "Oh my God, are they burning 50 year old American flags?" Then I noticed that the stars were 6 x 9, making it a 54 star flag!!! Then I thought "Where are they getting these from.....China?" (likely at a bulk discount) I looked for other flag burning photos on the net and sure enough, quite a few of them have 54 stars, so this was not an anomoly. Great late night fodder.

STICKLEY & BRANDT CHAIR COMPANY ROCKER

In 1891, Charles Stickley and Schuyler C Brandt started The Stickley & Brandt Chair Co. in Binghamton, NY. We picked up this Stickley & Brandt fancy rocker that was patterned after a Stickley Bros rocker featured in an 1889 trade ad. This piece has the manufacturer's paper label on the bottom on the seat. Prominately featured on this chair is Victorian era stick and ball work. This chair does not pop up every day, but, I did recently see one on E-Bay that was misidentified as being from the 1920's and from the Arts and Crafts movement. The seller also did not know it was truly a Stickley piece. Our rocker is not mint. There are some fairly minor condition issues and I believe one of the back slats was replaced. It still is a neat piece of furniture from a desirable family of furniture makers.

LIQUIDATIONS IN VOGUE...........RECORDS

I go on house visits all the time where family members immediately steer me to what they feel is valuable. Inevitably, I ask to look around and peek into desks, corners of garages, behind basement bars and yes... into record cabinets. What often is discovered are the real treasures and valuables that the family dismissed as junk or as of no consequence. Recently, I was hired to hand-pick liquidate a partial estate. To my delight, I found 7 old and scarce vogue picture discs that were issued by Mercury Records as disc jockey copies only. Both sides of the disc depict "Little Eddie" the Mercury Man. Vouge records were made by Sav-Way Industries of Detroit, MI from 1946-1947. They were "unbreakable" and as a novelty, had very attractive art work or photos on both sides. Today these picture discs are highly collectible. Unbeknownst to the family, their 7 discs mixed among standard 78's will fetch over $4,500. As a professional, my job is to try and find "hidden treasures" and maximize an estate's return. There is nothing more satisfying in this business than surprising the heirs of an estate by turning their "trash" into treasure!!

SCARCE SAMURAI BOBBLEHEAD DOLL

Bobblehead collecting has to be one of the most fun areas of collecting in the toy world. There are a seemingly endless variety of nodders available and I recently was commissioned to sell a scarce one that should be interesting for the collector. He is a samurai from the 1960's era. Great condition and just a fab expression on his face. I havent been able to find him anywhere, although, I do not possess a bobblehead reference guide. Rare bobbleheads can command into the thousands of dollars. Sports related ones are the most common and desirable, but, you can find non-sport ones that are strong in the marketplace.

PICTURE ISSUE ON THIS BLOG

Well.....AOL made a change that eliminated all of my stored photos on this site. I apologize for the missing images. I am trying to see if their is any way to recover 3years of photos. In the meantime, I will now be using Blogspot's photo imaging. It's a great tool.

1890's JOHN MATTHEWS ICE CREAM SODA FOUNTAIN

In 1832, John Matthews of New York City, considered the Father of the Soda Fountain, began producing soda fountains. Ice cream soda fountains found their invention and popularity in the 1870's and Matthews' company jumped on board becoming the largest maker of them in the world. A while after his death, his company merged with several other soda fountain companies to form The American Soda
Fountain Company. Each company that merged still produced models under their own name. Soda fountains of the 1880's-1890's were made of marble and chrome and were encased within an elaborate wooden "backbar" with a mirror. The designs of the "backbar" were many and drug stores could choose what piece best suited their space and desire. We have for sale a circa 1890 Mohawk Model Matthews Soda Fountain unit. It is the functional soda fountain without the furniture backbar. It has all of it's flavor spigots, most of it's glass syrup refill inserts, most of it's original marble and all of it's company medallions and placques. A wonderful (and heavy) piece of soda fountain history that you hardly ever see available for sale. We will get some pictures for you soon. A similar illustrated example of one can be found at the bottom of the following web site: http://www.fohbc.com/PDF_Files/JohnMatthews_DYates.pdf

INFLATED PRICE GUIDES AND THEIR USERS

One of the problems dealers have when attempting to purchase antiques or collectibles is the seller who has looked up their item in a reference book and has an over-inflated idea of what their item is worth. I find excellent examples in a recently purchased Disney Collectibles guide from 1999. This almost decade old book has some of the following items and their listed value:

1960's Ingersoll Mickey Mouse Wristwatch $350.00 (Identical Watch $21 on E-Bay)
Mickey Mouse Emerson Radio $3,000.00 (Sells for $800-$1,400)
Donald Duck Tin Drummer $1,000.00 (Sells for $50-$250)

Almost every example in this guide is grossly over-inflated in today's market. So what happens? The customer looks up their item. They come into an antique shop and ask the purchaser what they will offer. A fair dealer will look, at say, the Emerson Radio and will offer $500. The seller then thinks that the dealer is a crook as they believe their radio is worth $3,000. The dealer can explain that the value guides are often over-inflated, that the market has changed, that the economy is down etc and the seller will still feel that the dealer is being less than honest. Seller's often feel that the value in an old book (This case 1999) is outdated and should be HIGHER than it was 9 years ago. After all, all collectibles should increase in value over time...right? Nope. Value guides are just that, guides. They offer information and give some sense of value. Check out E-Bay or live auction results to get a true and current value of your item.

WATLING SCALE CO. DELUXE 400 FORTUNE TELLING SCALE

I am pleased to offer for sale a 1950's Watling Scale Co. Deluxe 400 Fortune Telling Scale. It is the red and cream version. Over 200 questions. Working condition. It has it's keys and is in tip-top condition. It is as clean as you will ever find. This would be a pick-up only from the Detroit, MI area. A fantastic conversation piece for the home or business. Serious inquires only.

STARKIE'S JOLLY NIGGER BANK - ORIGINAL IDENTIFIED v. OLD REPRODUCTION

In the process of liquidating a living estate, we came upon a rare and original Starkie's Jolly Nigger (Moves Ears) Mechanical Bank. The bank was patented in 1920 by Robert Eastwood Starkie of Burnley, England (British Pat No 152,588). All known banks were made of Aluminum. In 1945, a patent was issued to Robert Patterson Starkie for a similar bank. This is the bank that is most often seen in Antique and Collectible circles and is often mistaken for the original from 1920, even by major auction houses. At first glance from the front, the banks look identical. However, there are at least 8 differences:
1) Original: Ears are located closer to the eyes. A "V" shaped section from the back half of the casting fits into a "V" groove in the front half. Later Version: Ears are located in the middle of the castings.
2) Original: Back has the inscription: "Starkie's Pat No 152,588" Later Version: Blank back.
3) Original: Base plate has circular holes and is unmarked. Later Version: Base plate has square waffle type holes and is inscribed: "Reg. No 844,290 Starkie's Pat No 32,537 Patented in Foreign Countries"
4) Original: Holes in the back of the head. Later version: No holes in the back of the head.
5) Original: Moving the ears cannot make the arm move up. Later Version: Moving the ears makes the arm move up.
6) Original: Bow tie and ears are larger that the Later Version.
7) Original: Thumb is part of one casting of hand. Later Version: Thumb is separate casting from hand.
8) Original: Right arm is raised up a bit from the elbow. Later Version: Right arm is not raised up from the elbow.

So...you can see that identifying the 2 Starkie's banks is easy, but, as a practice not done in the antique world.

I've provided a few photos of the original.




Read more about the bank here:

http://www.mechanicalbanks.org/scrapbook/1960s/griffith_pages/64-05-griffith.htm

MICHIGAN WELCOMES HOLLYWOOD

Roosters got it's first taste of the new tax-friendly policies designed for Hollywood's movie industry by Michigan Governor Jennifer Grandholm. We had a visit from a set designer of a movie currently being produced in Detroit. I understand that these designers visit multiple vintage stores in the search for costumes and props. It is a great way for the industry to infuse some money into the local economy. We sold a few lamps and some vintage novelty items. It will be fun to see if they make the cut in the movie

ANOTHER E-BAY BOONDOGGLE

In it's effort to reign in out-of-control shipping and handling costs charged by E-bay sellers, E-bay installed a program that is supposed to compare your item's s/h to some sort of average s/h cost for comparable items. So, let's say a baseball card usually costs $2.50 to ship and you charge $10, you get a warning that your s/h charges appear to be excessive and that your item may be subject for removal from E-bay listings. Hmm...First of all, I have a problem with this....It's a free country and if someone wants to charge $10 for a baseball card, then I just won't bid on it. PERIOD. Let the seller waste their money listing an item that won't get a bid due to rediculous charges. But, If someone is willing to pay $10 to have a card shipped to them, then God bless them. What I really have a problem with is E-bay telling me that my item's s/h appears to be excessive when it clearly isn't. Lets look at a recent item I wrote an article on (Baseball Bat). I charge $12 to ship a bat. I tested this, and I got a warning. Hmmm. Then I went to E-bay's completed items and looked up game bats. The top 50 SELLING bats to be exact. A sample of the 50 highest selling bats should be a pretty good sample. 2 had free shipping. Out of the 48 others, the average s/h fees were $14.14. My charge is over $2.00 less than the average. Maybe E-bay needs to hire statisticians to figure this stuff out? I would think that I should not receive a warning that my item may be pulled due to excessive shipping costs, if I am under the average for s/h fees for similar items. I relayed my findings to E-bay and was told that my findings would be forwarded to the proper channels. I'm not holding my breath.

KENDALL PENZBEST MOTOR OIL PORCELAIN SIGN

Fresh from Traverse City, Rooster's has accepted, on consignment, a beautiful c 1930's Kendall Penzbest Motor Oil Double Sided Porcelain Sign. At 36" in diameter, it would have been one of the large signs from a gas station. Excellent condition with no major flaws. An exact sign, about 3 condition grades less than this one, recently sold for $500 on E-Bay. Rooster's accepts higher ticket items on consignment, so, feel free to ask us if you have an interest in consigning an item. SOLD for $850.

1950's JACK BOWEN LOUISVILLE SLUGGER GAME-USED BASEBALL BAT - DETROIT TIGERS MINOR LEAGUER

Picked up a c 1956-1960 Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger Game Used Baseball Bat that belonged to Detroit Tigers' Minor Leaguer, Jack Bowen. Bowen, a catcher, graduated from Detroit Redford High School in 1956. He also played with the 1956 Detroit Baseball Federation Champions, Walway team in Class D. Bowen received offers from 4 Major league clubs and signed with his hometown Detroit Tigers for $4,000. The Tigers assigned him to their Class C affiliate, The Idaho Falls Russets, in the Pioneer League. Here are his minor league stats:

yr age tm lev G AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1956 19 Idaho Falls C 94 280 70 9 1 3 .250
1957 20 Valdosta D 126 413 125 22 3 3 .303
1958 21 Durham B 87 303 84 13 1 5 .277
1958 21 Augusta A 24 88 21 3 2 0 .239
1959 22 Durham B 65 218 55 8 0 2 .252
1959 22 Knoxville A 9 26 4 .154
1960 23 Duluth-Superior C 50 168 45 5 2 4 .268
1960 23 Knoxville A 16 53 15 2 0 2 .283
1961 24 Durham B 18 50 16 2 0 1 .320

Career Stats 489 1599 435 64 9 20 .272

I found an autographed Detroit Tigers ball from later 1961 on the net that had a Jack Bowen signature. The seller listed Bowen as a coach, but, I have a 1961 Tigers' Yearbook and there is no mention of a Jack Bowen anywhere. Plus, he would not have been a major league coach at 24 years of age. A Mystery on that one. The knob is marked F3 which was a Jimmie Foxx style bat. It measures over 34". It is uncracked and the knob is not damaged. There are moisture marks on the knob and end of the barrel. There are scratches, a few dings and some white paing residue from hitting something I imagine. I did not attempt to clean this bat, but, I'm sure it can be made to look more attractive. Full signature bats from the minors from this era are more difficult to find I think than the last name only versions. This is a 1950-1960 model. I have a March 20, 1957 edition of The Sporting News that has a half page article written by Joe Falls about Bowen. Bowen was invited to The Tigers' spring training in Lakeland, FL as they were a bit short on catchers. Falls wrote about the local boy and his daily regiment. Bowen never made the majors.

E-BAY REPRODUCTIONS FANTASY & FAKES

Following up on an article I wrote a year ago: The amount of sellers on E-bay that sell almost exclusively reproductions, fantasy and fake items seem to have dwindled. They are still out there, but, some have altered their descriptions to add disclaimers such as: "Please do not assume that an item is old unless we state that it IS in our listing" "Sorry, on some of the collectibles, we do not know when they were made" This is disingenuous, as they are obviously purchasing these items new from China or from suppliers who are getting them from China. In hilarious fashion most state the description as "Excellent with no restorations, no chips or damage" While this is true, they dont take the extra step of telling you that the item is mint out of the box. They still want to create the illusion that this is a vintage item. Another funny thing they do is tell you how they get their items "The items I sell come to me in an array of ways, through flea markets, estate sales, collection liquidations, want ads etc." Again, they dont tell you that they are getting EVERYTHING via a drop shipment from China or from a wholesaler from China. Again, they want to create the illusion that this is not new stuff, but, second hand vintage items. If you want an instant tutorial of items that are being imported from China that are fakes, reproductions, copies etc...check out almost anything that is sold by BRIC-A-BRAC-BARON, TRADERFOUR, OUR_SOUTHERN_COLLECTIBLES, NCGLASSANDCOLLECIBLES or HEARTLAND-COLLECTIBLES. Some of these sellers may even be the same people. Most of them do not state where they are from under the item location field. They use generic places like "Southern Hills" and "Walhalla~Place Of The Sunlight Of God!, United States" They dont want you to piece together that they have multiple sites. They also make a part of feedback private, so, that you cannot see what item a bidder left feedback for. It's fun reading their POSITIVE feedback from bidders which is littered with the following statements: "Listing should say reproduction" "The item red/white black stringholder is very cheap looking-poor quality" "Didnt know there were replicas out there. BUT, fast shipping & Well package!" "So Cute! Not sure of age! Thanks!" "Item received of questionable quality,honorable seller made total refundAAAdealr" There is apparently a market for this stuff as they get some strong sales, so, you gotta ask yourself, "Why the deception?" The answer is that these guys dont want to discourage potential bidders from bidding because the item is truly represented as a NEW piece. It is deception.

BOSTON GLOBE BICYCLE SIDECAR QUESTION

I have an antique Bik-Kar. It is from the 1930-1940 era. It has on the side of it:

The Boston Globe
Morning - Evening - Sunday
Bik-Kar
Mfg by Bik-Kar Co. Worcester Mass

It is a one wheel cart that attatched to a bike to hold newspapers that the paperboy delivered. I can find nothing about this item anywhere. Can you please help me?

Your item would be called a newspaper bicycle sidecar. One was available for sale in June of 2008 via Craigslist in the Boston area for $175. The owner stated that it was his in the 1950's. I also found another reference of this being from the early 1950's. I found a picture of one and I agree. You are correct in that there is no readily available information on Bik-Kar Co. All indications are that this was a regional item. I cannot find another sidecar like this associated with any other newspaper. The fact that the Mfg was located in Mass supports this theory. That being said, the sidecar would have mostly local appeal. The fact that it is large and not readly displayable creates a smaller market for it. I would think that the $175 asking price was reasonable, if not a bit on the high end. However, I could see a mint one bringing more. Regional newspaper collectibles are not high on the antiques food chain, however, sentiment is high to those who worked or delivered for the papers. Get 2 sentimental people at an auction and you can throw estimates out the window. ***** I have since received an E-mail that there is also a blue colored version of this side-car.

MINERVA AUTO EXHAUST HORN

In 1882, Willard Pennock and his brother, Isaac, formed Minerva Car Works in Minerva, OH, which specialized in making railroad cars. Pennock received many patents from 1890-1896 for pressed steel cars and trucks. In fact, Pennock conceived the idea of building railroad cars completely from pressed steel and was the 1st to do so in the United States. Previously, cars and trucks were built from wood or some combination of wood and steel. In 1898 Minerva Car Works was one of 13 independent RR car builders who consolidated into the American Car and Foundry Co. Little to nothing is mentioned about Willard Pennock after this point. However, in 1912, he patented an Auto Exhaust Horn known as the Minerva Auto Horn. All brass, the horn was designed to work when the driver pulled a knob attatched to a cable that transfered exhaust from going through the exhaust system to the horn which would then blow. Not a novel idea, but, Pennock believed that he has developed a better horn that could have different tones depending on the power of the exhasust. (At least that's what I get from reading the patent). These are not very common. Roosters will have this one available after it gets a little clean-up. SOLD

MAINE ANTIQUE DIGEST ITEM IDENTIFIED

The Maine Antique Digest July 2008 Edition had in their help needed section an item that a reader was requesting to be identified. Well...I got this one. The item is an International Order of Vikings Grave Marker. The described hole behind the 12 was to allow the marker to slide on to a post.

1938 NAZI LUFTWAFFE BELT BUCKLE FOR SALE

Rooster's has purchased a 1938 EM/NCO Luftwaffe Herr Style Belt Buckle.
Description:
Pebbled Aluminum
Slotted Buckle Catch
2nd Pattern Eagle
Signed F.R. (Franz Reischauer) and "38" on the back.
Leather Tab - Signed "Franz Reischauer" "Oberstein" "1938"
Terrific condition. Sharp details. Guaranteed Authentic. Purchased from family of WWII veteran. Never owned previously outside of family.
Offers accepted. SOLD for $75

BOOKENDS BY LOUIS GUDEBROD - RARE

A friend of mine picked up a nice set of bookends at a recent auction. Preliminary research came up with very little information about them. They appeared to be signed by a sculpter, L. CUDEBROD. Internet searches came up empty. However, there is an entry in the fantastic "Collector's Encyclopedia of Bookends" by Louis Kuritzky and Charles De Costa (2006) of a pair of Egyptian Pharaoh bookends that are signed by the same L CUDEBROD. After a few scratches of the head, he noticed that on one of the bookends, the "C" in CUDEBROD was actually a "G". A quick internet search revealed that the sculpter was actually Louis Albert Gudebrod. Gudebrod was born 9/20/1872 in Middletown, CT. He spent one term at Yale Art School and then traveled to Europe from 1897-1900 where he attended the Art Student’s League, studying under or with Mary Lawrence, Augustus St.Gaudens and Jean Dampt. Gudebrod had a studio in the Latin Quarter in Paris. While there he worked on a statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman which was shown at the Paris Expostion in 1900. Around the same time, he was commissioned by Louis Comfort Tiffany to design the famous mermaid base for one the 3 Tiffany Nautilus Lamps. In 1901 at the Pan American Expo in Buffalo, he designed one of 5 statues (Lake Huron) representing the 5 great lakes. He was named Director of Sculpture at the Charleston Expostion 1901-02. His statue, "Aztec Group" received a silver medal. Around the same period his design for the Jefferson Davis Memorial Arch was chosen as the winning design over several well known sculpters. Gudebrod's entry in the 1903-04 St Louis Exposition was a statue of the explorer LaSalle. Among his other works was a statue of Gen J.E.B. Stuart, busts of Schiller and Henry Clay, a bas relief of 2 children titled "John and Elizabeth" and a Memorial Tablet made for the Daughters of the Revolution in Meridan, CT where Gudebrod lived most of his life. Now, back to the bookends. They depict 2 monkish looking gentlemen and are entitled with the latin words "Lex" (Law or covenant) and "Prophetia" (Scriptural). They have a copyright of 1915 on the back which is 11-13 years earlier than is attributed to the Pharaoh bookends which were made by Armor Bronze. Gudebrod is not listed anywhere as being a major sculpter or designer of bookends. As far as is known today, he has one pair incorrectly attributed to a L. Cudebrod and one pair that potentially could be a new discovery. The authors of the aforementioned book have been contacted regarding the error and the new bookends. My friend is going to offer them for sale.

POTTERY IDENTIFICATION QUESTION

Received a pottery identification request from Canada for the following pair of planters. They appear to be European at 1st glance and a friend supported my feeling on this. I've seen Belgian and West German pieces that are similar in nature. Scandinavian potteries also had geometric styles that are similar. The bottoms are marked with the numbers 385. I've provided a close up picture. If anyone knows what they are please let our reader know by contacting us.

KELLOGG'S EXPRESS TRUCK BY BANNER

Rooster's Antiques Shop is fortunate to have over 20 dealers who bring a diversity of items to the mall. I am going to occasionally feature neat items that are in the shop and I will start with a Kellogg's Express Truck by Banner. To my knowledge, this truck came in 2 different colors, Green and Red. It also had 4 and 6 wheel variations. Our dealer's truck is the red, 4 wheel version and is in about C8 condition. Banner was in operation from 1944-1965 and this was one of their earlier toys from the 1940's. They do not pop up very often.

TAKE THIS FOR OPENERS

A couple years back I purchased some corkscrews that were found in an abandoned building in Detroit that was once a hardware store. I've liquidated a few here and there, but, I recently found a home for my stock outside of Boston, where my new friend Josef, is an avid collector and dealer. Check out his website for all things Corkscrew. http://www.vintagecorkscrews.com/

1949 MOTOROLA PORTABLE TELEVISION

Rooster's purchased an early model portable television yesterday. It is a 1949 Motorola model 7-VT5B. We plugged it in and the screen lit up and it appeared to work. (The atenna was not included) This TV is housed in a suitcase style case and was available for sale for $199.95 in 1949. We will have it available for sale in the shop for much less!!!. Check out this great site for the history of televisions: http://www.tvhistory.tv/ SOLD

ANTIQUE PETER SMITH & SONS CRATE - DETROIT

Peter Smith established Peter Smith & Sons in Detroit in 1859. It was a Wholesale and Retail Butter, Egg and Cheese Business. His son, Henry J Smith, became sole owner in 1904. They moved into a new building on 1145 Griswold in 1912. Their name (spelled out in tile) can still be seen today on the building. The last reference I can find for the company is from 1914. A bank was headquartered at the building in the 1920’s. It is likely that this crate dates to around 1910. It was found in the corner of a basement at an Estate Sale yesterday in Detroit. When I saw the name on the crate, I remebered it from a Civil War ERA advertisement I saw in a period magazine, so, I knew they were from Detroit and since at least the 1860's. After is warms up and I can clean it, it will be available for sale at Rooster's.

GREAT NEW BLOG SITE

Antiquehaven is proud to be one of the featured antique blogs on a newer site called BLOGGED.COM. Blogged.com categorizes blogs throughout the Internet and makes it easy to find cool ones by the topics that you are interested in. Check it out.

ANTIQUE RESEARCH AND APPRAISALS

CT's Treasure Haven offers appraisals through this blog site. If you have something that you'd like to have appraised or researched, we welcome you to e-mail us at CTSTREASUREHAVEN@AOL.COM. Please provide as much information as possible and a picture. If you are pleased with the results, we always welcome donations to help keep the site going, but, it is not necessary. We want to help you out !!!!

1884 SHIFTING BUGGY TOP PATENT MODEL

Here is a recent item that we sold on consignment, it is an 1884 Shifting Buggy-Top Salesman's Sample or Patent Model. My guess is that it is a Patent Model. It was patented on 4/29/1884 by George Engelhart and Charles Weidner of Attica, OH. Patent number 297771. On the bottom is a typed label that says "Adjustable Shifting Rail for Buggy - Made by Geo. Engelhart in 1883" This adjustable seat was a suppossed improvement over existing buggy seats of the day. It is made of wood and metal and is in well preserved condition despite it's having a small sliver of wood missing on the top. What is great is that you can look up patent dates on line with the Patent Office and get the original diagram and patent request. Check this item out at http://www.patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00297771&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO2%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526co1%3DAND%2526d%3DPALL%2526s1%3D0297771.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0297771%2526RS%3DPN%2F0297771&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

SCOTTY BEVERAGES SIGN - DETROIT MI

I just picked up an old advertising sign for Scotty Beverages from Detroit, MI on E-Bay. Little is known about Roma Gazosa Co, who was the manufacturer of the soda, but, the sign itself was made on a sheet of aluminum made by Kaiser Aluminum, which was founded in 1946 and I found a couple of examples of Scotty Bottles that were from 1945 and 1947. I would date this fragile sign around 1947. It will be available for sale at Rooster's, which loves Detroit related items.

MAMMY OF A COOKIE JAR - MOSAIC TILE COMPANY

Roosters purchased a terrific Mammy Cookie Jar made by Mosaic Tile Company in the mid 1940's. Mosaic did not make these jars for commercial sale, which explains why they book at $375. The 13 1/2" jars have a wonderful and detailed Mammy who has her right hand folded over her left with a big smile. There were at least 6 different color variations and we have the more common yellow version. Cookie Jar sales are somewhat flat, but, how could we pass on ol' Mammy? SOLD

$2,400 Chess Set?

I received a call the other day from someone who wanted to sell a chess set. They receiced the set from someone who told them that they paid $2,400 for it new. She stated that it had an ivory board and pieces. I was skeptical and told them that I would be happy to look at it if they brought it into the shop. I stated that if it were indeed a $2,400 set that I might be able to help her sell it or direct her in another area. She arrived an hour or so later with the chessboard in hand. It was NOT ivory in any shape or fashion. It wasnt even ivory colored. It was an obvious green plastic or composite set with brown speckles, likely made in the last 20 years or so in the Phillipines, Thailand, Mexico or even China. The pieces were very crudely done and the case surrounding the board was rather cheap. She honestly believed what she was told concerning the set and that it was Ivory. I would say that the set was worth more like $24 instead of $2,400. Be wary of those who give you items that they say are worth alot of money. I dont know the full story....it might have been given as payment for services or a debt. But, I do caution those who may receive items in a barter to know what they are getting.

THE YOUNG COLLECTOR

Many an article is being written on the future of the Antique trade as it relates to young collectors. One of the most recent was written by Andrew Richmond and Hollie Davis in the October 2007 edition of Maine Antique Digest ("Who is the Young Collector"). Richmond and Davis give some valid reasons as to why there is a lack of young collectors attending shows and malls...Lack of finances and incompatability with raising children being the main reasons. This is but a tip of the iceberg. The under 40 crowd has not been given much of a reason to want to collect or invest in antiques and collectibles. Where is the basis for wanting to collect? Let's start out with a defintion of collecting: "The hobby of collecting consists of acquiring specific items based on a particular interest of the collector. These collections of things are often highly organized, carefully cataloged, and attractively displayed" Then a definition of Hobby: "a spare-time recreational pursuit" Boy....we antique dealers are in trouble already. We have to somehow gain the interest of young individuals who somehow have spare-time. Where do we start and what are the obsticles? Let us start early. K-12 schooling in this era concentrates on gearing children for the American business world. Art, History, Mythology, Literature, Shop Class etc.. have been relagated to secondary, if not worse, status. An appreciation for the past is lacking. What are children doing in their spare-time? Well....it's video games, the internet, my space, cell phone texting, watching lightning fast-paced TV and movies and X-Games. Attention spans are shrinking. Skill sets are vanishing. Where it may have been feasable to see a teenager spend hours working on a bicycle or building a tree-house in days past, it is hard to imagine any teen spending more than 30 minutes doing anything other that play a video game. Skill building is a thing of the past. Many hobbies are based on skills. How is the model building hobby doing? Have kids in the past 20 years spent time building models? Or setting up trains or slot car sets? How many young prospective watch or clock repairmen are we raising? I don't think I've ever seen anyone under 35 refinishing a piece of furniture. The skill sets are vanishing with our 50+ year olds. America is rapidly becoming a service based society as our manufacturing base moves overseas. High paying jobs are a thing of the past. College students are going into debt with student loans and then going into further debt as our loan-sharking credit card companies allow them to receive cards from which they do not have a means to pay back the loans. The media and higher education institutions have been dumping on America so long, that patriotism has become a relic. The interest in things American (Americana) is waning. So much of what our younger generation has used or played with has been made overseas, that they do not have a pride in what is or was made in America. That is a market that should thrive in the near future. Items made in America. It may not...... So.....we have a 25 year old with high debt, no spare time to have a hobby, no developed skills as it would relate to a hobby, no learned appreciation of history or the arts, a short attention span and no interest in things old or things taking too much time to work on. There are many sidelines to this phenomenon. The younger generation does not host parties or have social get togethers as often as generations past. Time is one factor, size of the home and lack of carrying on customs. Also, people tend to move more which has changed the closeness of our neighborhoods. Younger people tend not to try to "Keep up with the Jones's" like previous generations. Keeping up with the Jones's used to involve "outdoing" your neighbor. Showing off your possessions. If Bob had an incredible "x" then you went out and got a better "x". People liked to show off their collections at dinner parties...what young people have dinner parties any more? So, the landscape has changed. Some of the obstacles have been mentioned here in simplistic form. There is no easy answer as to how we as an industry can bring more young people into the fray......We have whole institutions that make it difficult to compete for time and mind...economies that work against us and a changing culture that is ignoring past hobbies. Whole fields of collectibles are being put on the endangered species list. Here is food for thought. What do you do when a species is put on the endangered list? Some of the same things that are done can be translated to our field. That will be another article for another day.

IT GOT LUGGED AROUND

I went on an Estate house visit north of Clare, MI a short time ago and was amazed to find an old wooden Kroupa Cherry Lug filled with Marx train track from the family farm up in Traverse City, MI. My Paternal Grandmother was a Kroupa and was born on the farm in 1904. I have many fond memories of my Grandma (Kroupa) Woodman and of visiting the farm as a child (I still enjoy it as an adult). It is currently being run by my 2nd Cousin, David Kroupa and his wife, Joan. David is the 4th generation that has run the farm! In 1994 they started a winery, Old Mission Peninsula Cellars, which has excellent wine and is partially sold out of a 19th c. schoolhouse on the Peninsula. I'm sure that old Kroupa Cherry Lugs dont get too far outside the Traverse City area. I received one from my parents for Christmas last year and it will always stay in the family. If you have the chance, visit the schoolhouse and purchase some wine, I don't think you'll be disappointed. For a great article on the farm check this out http://www.mynorth.com/My-North/May-2009/The-NEW-Traverse-City-Cherry-Farmers/index.php?cparticle=4&siarticle=3

NORTHWEST CIGAR MFG CO CIGAR BOX

Roosters purchased a neat cigar box that was distributed by The Northwest Cigar Mfg Co. out of Detroit, MI. Very little is known about this company. It was owned by Frank M Roach from 1894 until at least 1908. This must have been a smaller company, as I cannot find any memorabilia from the plant. The cool thing about this box is that it has a desirable label under the lid; "Compliments of the Season" by American Lithograph Co. I've found people wanting $100 for an unused label. We love old Detroit related historical items and this will eventually find it's way into the shop. SOLD

c 1900 DETROIT FIRE DEPARTMENT PHOTO

Rooster's has just purchased a neat historical item from Detroit. It is a c. 1900 original framed photo of what is believed to be 12 Detroit Firefighters. The uniforms are consistent with the period. 3 of the men have what appear to be bugle insignias on their collar. Two of the men have one bugle which would signify them being lieutenants and one man has two bugles which would make him a Captain. The frame has it's original paper backing with a label from Henry & Willis at 137 Gratiot Ave. which is in Detroit. A mild bummer is that when the photo was taken all of the Firefighter's hats were illuminated giving them a white glare. Not only did that distort the color of the hats, but, it blocked out any cap badges. There are a few identifiable points: The chairs that the men are sitting in are 19th c chairs. They are sitting in the road which is dirt. Detroit's roads were not paved until after Henry Ford started his auto company in the early part of the 20th c. The photo will be available for sale at Rooster's. SOLD

SOLD

1970's Reproduction Mechanical Penny Banks

Most Mechanical Penny Banks found at Garage Sales, Flea Markets and yes....Antique Shops are often 1970's Reproduction banks. I've posted pics of a mid-1970's advetisement for 7 different banks that you could purchase for $19.95. If you purchased a 2nd bank, you got it for half-off. These banks included the Uncle Sam, Trick Dog, Clown, Indian & Bear, Artillery, Dentist and Magician. These offers came via magazines, through your bank or any number of other avenues. Dont be fooled by these now 30+ year old reproductions.

SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD

I had a house visit about a week ago at an old farm house that was built in 1850. The new owner wanted me to go through the house and see if there was anything in it that I would be interested in purchasing. The house was in a fair amount of disrepair and during the tour we discussed all of the interesting things that could be done to the house to restore it. He was considering moving into the house instead of fixing it for resale. Somewhere in the discussion he mentioned that the house was said to have ghosts. I laughed and said that any 160 year old house that is positioned in a neighborhood of relatively newer homes was going to get that designation. There was not a whole lot of old things in the place and the few things I did purchase (which were antiques) seemed to be "placed" there as far as I was concerned. I admired the house and property, told him how great it was that the place was being restored, recommended that he get a metal detector and search the property for antiques and took one thing to research that I felt was newer. Research proved the item to be newer and I offered to return it to him. He asked if I could sell the item for him which I agreed to do. I sold it in 2 days to a regular customer and called him to pick up his money. When he and his son arrived, he told me that he was not going through with the plans to live at the house and that the place was full of paranormal activity. I thought "Well I've got to hear this one" and asked to hear the story. They both told me of just about every story you've ever heard about a haunted house.....seeing apparitions, orbs, slamming doors, having a feeling of being pushed, seeing a hanged man in a tree, having a friend of his son calling out a ghost in the house, etc...I just nodded, enjoying the story. I told him it was a shame that he was not going through with his plans to restore the place. Being in the Antiques business for some time, I have been in a host of old houses with I'm sure storied pasts. I find that when I am in them, I tend to focus on the architecture, the moldings, the floors, the character, the landscape, the history. I have an extreme appreciation and facination for historic homes. If I was superstitious, I could easily imagine getting "freaked" in an old farm house. I've seen movies that raise the hair on your arms and send chills through the body. Imagine having superstitious tendacies and being alone in a house that you feel has spirits. The brain is a powerful tool and it can conjure up all kinds of things if it is inclined. I hope the place gets fixed. It is a piece of history that could stand proud in the community. If it is not fixed, it will definately get razed and then there will be 2-3 homes built on the property. So, if the spirits want to stay in the place, you'd think that it would be counter-productive for them to discourage a renovation that would save the place from being torn down. Oh well.....

POTTERY IDENTIFICATION QUESTION

I have been a reader of your blog for a while now and truly enjoy the informative articles you have posted.

Scrolling down toward the earlier posts I read that you had offered to assist with identifying items and I wanted to take you up on that if you have the time.

Came across this ceramic piece a few years back and haven't been able to ID the maker/age. I believe it to be some sort of ceramic food mold. It is 10" wide and 3.5" tall. There is a spot where I was able to see the color of the clay underneath the thick, multicolored glaze that appears to be a deep red/burgundy color. The color under it all appears to be white and there are spots of green as well. Haven't seen anything like it in my experience. There are a number of firing marks on the bottom ribs and it is lightly crazed all over the entire surface. Someone suggested it might be Bennington Pottery. After writing I received an e-mail back from one of the curators of the museum, which stated:

"The Rockingham glaze and typical form of your piece make it nearly impossible to attribute to a specific maker or even a specific region. All one can say with any certainty is that it is of American origin and dates c. 1850-1900."

I am getting stumped here and wondered if you could offer some clues or search suggestions?

I believe the curator from Bennington to be correct. The "Redware" Food Mold could have been made by any number of U.S. Potteries and will be difficult, at best, to identify. It seems to be a 19th c. piece without inspection. It may be too old to be in the Morton Pottery Family. I favor Eastern U.S. Potteries, likely from CT, VA, WV, MA, NH, VT. Don't be upset if there is not a precise identification. Major auction houses put wares such as this up all the time with only a general description. (19th c. Redware Food Mold - Rockingham Style Glaze) I will post your pictures and see if we can get a more definitive identification. I would appraise the piece at $75-125.

1920's DETROIT TIMES NEWSPAPER DELIVERY WAGON

Rooster's just picked up a fantastic 1920's Detroit Times Newspaper Delivery Wagon on consignment. The consignor's husband won this wagon around 1928 in a paper selling contest. It has been in the family since and is in terrific condition. It measures 39" long x 19" wide. The wagon has 4 wooden gates on all sides and 2 Detroit Times boards. You can see this great wagon at our shop at 5303 S. Telegraph in Dearborn Heights, MI. 313-291-0460.

WANTED: 1954 TOPPS BASEBALL MISCUT CARDS

I am looking for severely miscut 1954 Topps Baseball cards for a research project. Cards must have 2 separate identifiable cards in 1. Condition is not a concern.

1951 COLUMBUS RED BIRDS TEAM SIGNED BASEBALL

I picked up a 1951 team signed baseball from the Columbus Red Birds. There are 21 signatures. The Red Birds were the St. Louis Cardinals' top Minor League Ballclub. It is an "Offical American Association" Baseball. Here are the players that signed the ball.

Player/Manager Harry Walker,CF Rip Repulski,P-LF Cot Deal,3B-2B Vern Benson,1B Charlie Kress,P Ed Blake,P Glen Moulder,2B Bernie Creger,C Charlie Marshall,? Russ Kerns,1B-RF Mo Mozzali,SS Fred McAlister,INF Joe Aliperto,C Dick Morgan,P Hisel (Pat) Patrick,P Pete Mazar,P Lee Peterson,P Elroy Joyce, P George Copeland,P Dave Thomas, C.J. Waltrop
10 of the 21 names on this ball played in the major leagues for at least one game. 2 more made the majors as a coach or director of scouting.

FOOTNOTE: I Sold this ball to the Grandson of Joe Aliperto. Joe never made it to the majors and I found out that he died young in an automobile accident. His son, the father of the purchaser of the ball, was only a young child and never knew his father (Joe). This ball will be given as a gift to the Aliperto family as a souvenir of Joe's playing days. I cant explain how happy I was to be a part of the process of this ball making it's way home.

MARX WALT DISNEY'S DONALD THE DUCK SKIER

Recently picked up a nice and rare Marx - Walt Disney's Donald the Skier on E-bay. A wind-up toy made of plastic and metal, this one works and is with the original box. Once in a while you can find a deal, but, all the planets have to align correctly. There is not a lot of information out there on this toy. O'Briens Toy book from a few years ago says this is from the 1940's and lists it at $1,000 in C10 condition. Heritage Auctions sold one in the last year for $388 and said it was c 1970's. Another auction house in Ohio sold 2 in the last few years for between $425-550 and said it was from the 1950's. I agree with the later house. I think this is a c 1955-1963 toy.

1965 SUPREMES POSTER FIND

Hit a garage sale the other day and picked up a very rare Supremes poster from their October 15th, 1965 concert at the Lincoln Center Philharmonic Hall in New York. This particular poster is actually a lobby poster from the event. Dried glue is still on the back four corners from being posted. The poster measures 25" x 38". It is in a different color than the more easily found commercial posters that were available for sale at the hall and commercial outlets after the concert. This was an historic event, in that it was the 1st pop concert to be held at the prestigious Center. The poster has been in a frame since the 1970's, but, does have some wear, wrinkles and tear. A terric Motown collectible. I'll hang on to it for a bit and see where the market might be today. The only other example of this poster I've seen sold for $575 at auction in 2003.

WHAT CROSSES THE TACT LINE?

A Collector/Dealer friend of mine just lost his father. Within a week of his father's obituary in the newspaper, he received 2 letters from Estate Sale/Liquidation companies with information about their services. I am aware of both entities and the owners that sent him this unsolicited and untimely mail. One is a Real Estate Agent/Estate Sale Company and one has a Resale Shop/Clean-Out Company. Opportunists who read the newspaper's obits and then try to gain a benefit by finding the address of the deceased and contacting family is not a new concept. I believe there was a Seinfeld episode where it was suggested to check the obits out as a way to find desirable apartments that may become available. See...the thing is, although not unexpected, my friend has taken his Father's death hard. The last thing he wanted or expected to see when collecting his Dad's mail that week were letters offering to clean out his father's junk or get his estate liquidated. It's called the grieving process. Is there a need for our Estate Sale services out there? Yes. But, we are in the Yellow pages, we advertise in other medias, we rely on word-of-mouth referals, we have probate and real estate connections, we have Antique shops and other related businesses to let people know about our services. What 98% of people in our business DO NOT do, is send unsolicited mail to the deceased people's family just days after reading an obit in the newspaper. But, unfortunately, tact is not a necessary component to be a successful business person. If you turn-off 9 out of 10 people, but, one becomes a client and turns into a good job, then who cares about the other 9? They are not paying you.......Lawyers are sometimes called "Ambulance Chasers", I guess it would be appropriate to call some Estate Sale companies "Hearst Chasers".

Rockingham Bennington Pottery Look-Alikes Morton Pottery

In the 1920's-1930's, Morton Potteries out of Morton, Ill produced a line of pottery called Woodland. Similar in nature to the work of England's Rockingham and Vermont's Bennington Potteries, it is often mistaken for being manufactured by those potteries. Woodland pieces are characterized by the blending shades of green, brown and yellow with a shiny glaze. Common type pieces include bowls, pitchers, vases, planters, teapots and pie plates. Most of these are found unmarked, making identification difficult. So, these pieces are often lumped into the Rockingham/Bennington category. 6 Potteries operated out of Morton, Ill from 1877-1976. They include Rapp Brothers Brick and Tile Co
(1877-1915), Morton Pottery Works (1878-1915), Morton Earthenware Co (1915-1917), Cliftwood Art Potteries (1920-1940), Morton Brick and Tile Co (1915-1936), Morton Pottery Co (1922-1976) and Midwest Potteries Inc (1940-1944). Rapp even had a line called Rockingham, which adds to the confusion.

SCARCE SMILEY FACE BATHROOM SCALE

I have a cousin who has hated smiley faces ever since they first made their appearance in the 1960's. He made the mistake of letting people know how much he disliked these yellow monsters and thus began an endless stream of Smiley Faced gifts for his Birthday, Christmas and any other excuse of a holiday to give him a gift. Not wanting to be rude and throw the gifts out, he reluctantly created a mini-museum in his house, a "Face Place" so to say. This weekend's journeys found me finding a rare Smiley item....A Brearley Bathroom Scale. Likely made during the height of Smiley Mania in the late 1960's to early 1970's, this guy is very hard to find. I bet my cousin does not even have one !!! SOLD $70

AUCTION EXCHANGE ARTICLE PROMOTES DECEIT

Had a chuckle reading an Auction Exchange and Collectors News front page story on Yard Sale Tips in the March 26, 2007 edition. The Exchange, which has always been a strong backer of ethics in the trade, printed a front page article on yard sale tips that states that the 1st tip is getting into a sale early. To do this, it recommends: intruding, imposing, manipulating elderly people and single women, pretending, making up stories, making false remarks, lying, blaming others and cross-referencing addresses with phone numbers to call individuals prior to a sale (invasion of privacy). This article was the antithesis of what the Auction Exchange has stood for in the past. I thought it may have been an April Fools joke, but, that issue is next week.......Maybe there will be an article suggesting how to improve shill bidding techniques. ******Bravo for The Auction Exchange issuing an apology for the article in their very next issue of it's paper. They also have instituted a Letter to the Editor section moving forward.

JIMMY PAGE GIBSON DOUBLE-NECK GUITAR

It is often asked "What today will be collectible tomorrow?" Well...I have an answer for you. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame, has teamed with Gibson to produce 25 limited edition signed replicas of his famous 1971 model double-neck guitar. Each guitar can be had for the sum of $33,500. 250 vintage original spec signature double necks will also be offered for $10,000-$12,000, but, will not have the same aging, personalized signature on the head-stock or personal inspection as the LE edition. I GUARANTEE you that this is an investment. I predict that the LE edition will go up in value the minute it lands in it's buyers hands. I would be willing to bet that the LE edition will be worth $100,000 in 10 years time (or Ten Years Gone for you Zep fans). The Page/Gibson double-neck has all the ingredients of an investment collectible:
1) Rarity
2) Desirability
3) Strong Collector's Foundation (Led Zeppelin/Page have a huge fan base)
4) Quality
5) Historic Interest
6) Longetivity (Interest in the item will not be fadish)

To view more about this great guitar offering, here is a website http://www.gibson.com/jimmypage/index.html

IDEAL SARALEE NEGRO DOLL

In 1951, The Ideal Toy Corporation released what they felt was the first "correct" Negro Doll ever made. Previous dolls were either "pickaninny" dolls or white dolls painted black. Sara Lee Creech of Belle Glade, Fl photographed and carefully measured children from her hometown and sent the information to sculptress Sheila Burlingame, who made four head models that were used as the basis for the dolls. 17-18" tall and made of Vinylite plastic with moving eyes, the dolls sold from 1951-1953 for $6.95. Today, Saralee dolls can easily bring $150+. (Inspired from an old Life Magazine Article)

THE RADIO BOYS TO THE RESCUE

Old children series books from c 1910-1930's are a common find at garage sales, flea markets and auctions, but, occasionally there is a rare find that can be fun. I picked up a Radio Boys book by Allen Chapman, with dust jacket, last summer at an auction. It is the last in the series (1930) and I am guessing that it was not printed in the volume that previous Radio Boys books were printed. I would also assume that due to the stock market crash of 1929 and the insuing depression, that the 1930 release date was not the best for sales. Although the book has some moisture stains on the covers it was able to fetch $760. Typical books from the series usually bring under $35. A nice site for children series books can be found at http://www.seriesbookcentral.bobfinnan.com/

ANTIQUES/COLLECTIBLES RECESSION PROOF?

I've attended 4 auctions in the last 10 days and the prices have been through the roof. Word from other auctions has been the same. Michigan is in a critical recession at this time, so, what gives? Why are auctions still bringing top dollar?
One likely reason is the Internet. Bidders/buyers are found around the world instead of being restricted to Michigan. In the past, a recession such as the one in the late 1970's would cripple the antique market. Local buyers had no discetionary income and would not be out beating the bush for antiques. Now that buyers have an avenue to sell their product worldwide 24/7, they have no fear of sitting on inventory until the economy improves. So...the Internet helps to make the Antique Business more recession proof than ever before.

1970 GOOSE LAKE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL TICKETS

I picked up 2 boxes of 1970 Goose Lake International Music Festival Tickets. Green and White. The Goose Lake Festival was held in Jackson, MI August 7th thru 9th. It is estimated that 200,000 people attended the festival. These plastic "tickets" were given out. The tickets were made by Ewing MFG Co out of Las Vegas, NV. Both sides have a goose in a circle surrounded by the words "Goose Lake Music Festival" Check out the list of who performed:
Friday: John Drake's Shakedown, Mighty Quick, SRC, The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble, John Sebastian, Chicago, Small Faces w/Rod Stewert, Ten Years After Saturday: New World Symphony, Brownsville Station, The Litter, Teegarden and Van Winkle, The Flying Burrito Bros, The Stooges, Third Power,Mountain Sunday: Suite Charity, Alice Cooper, Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger System, Frost, The Flock, Savage Grace, James Gang, Jethro Tull.
There is some debate on a few of the acts. Savoy Brown and Joe Cocker were on the promotional posters, but, did not perform. Alice Cooper is said to have performed and not performed. The MC5 was a late add according to some sources, but, I cannot confirm that. Mitch Ryder, New World Symphony, The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble, Small Faces w/Rod Stewart, Teegarden and Van Winkle and Frost were NOT on the promotional poster, but, did perform. These tickets are a great piece of Rock n Roll History. I know that there are a number of these New/Old Stock boxes floating around, I am glad to have acquired a couple.

Great Garbage Can

Another Garbage find !!! My associate at the shop found a 100+ year old 5-Gallon Light House Establishment Oil Can in the garbage. Clearly marked on the bottom of this brass can, are the words "U.S. Light House Establishment, US Depot Staten Island, NY" A maritime collectible, the item was purchased on E-bay by one of the largest collectors of Lighthouse and Coast Guard Memorabilia in the nation for $660. He has a terrific web site http://www.lighthouseantiques.net/antiques/antiques.html. The can was used to carry oil from the storage shed to the lighthouse to fill smaller oil cans and lanterns. Another great garbage find.

ESTATE SALE ISSUE IN METRO DETROIT

As an owner of an Antique Shop and an Estate Sale Company, I have the ability to hear what is going on within the industry and in it's trenches. One of the things I am hearing more and more about is frustration in attending Metro Detroit Estate Sales, as it relates to the hoarding of street numbers. Street numbers are a way of keeping people in order, based on their arrival at the sale, to avoid a mass rush on the door when it opens. The unwritten rule is that the first person to arrive hands out sequential numbers as people arrive. Those people can leave and return just before the sale, if they wish. The first person must stay the entire time or hand-off the task to another willing person. (Some Estate Sales hand out their own numbers at a designated time and will accept an exchange of street numbers) It does not take much imagination to figure that this system of numbers can easily become corrupt. What is happening is that there are a couple loosely knit groups that are hoarding numbers. A member of the group arrives at a desirable sale very early, sometimes the day before and "holds" the first 15-20+ numbers aside for others from the group who might arrive at the sale. So, in effect, an early bird, not part of this inner circle, may arrive 4 hours early to find that they are #21, when they really might be the second person to arrive at the sale. An even more undesirable affect is the person who arrives 1 hour prior to the sale to find that they are #40. Many who fit this bill are leaving the sale, not to return, once they find out what number they are getting. They feel there will be nothing left for them once they finally get into the sale. The unknown fact to them is that they are more likely the 20th physical person at the sale instead of the 40th. What I hear constantly (and have witnessed countless times myself), are tales of people arriving just before the sale, discretely being given a number and (surprise) end up being in the top 20 ahead of those who have waited for hours. I heard a great one yesterday where a lady had 2 sets of numbers on her dashboard turned upside down. When asked why this was the case, she said nothing and scowled at the guy. The bitter competetion that is Estate Saling is tough enough without having people number hoarding. I have really been hearing how dealers are being turned off by Estate Sales with many threatening to stop going if they have not already. Some are avoiding sales in certain areas or performed by certain companies that are ripe for street number abuses, which plays right into the hands of these groups. Less competetion for them.

How can this be stopped?

1) Estate Sale companies can give out their own numbers (Many already do). If Estate Sale companies control the order of their sale, this will eliminate number hoarding. If they accept an exchange of street numbers, for theirs, starting at a certain time, they will be exchanging numbers with only the people who are physically present. From that time forward, people will get numbers in the order they truly arrive. I have noticed that companies that do their own numbers, including mine, do not have that same hoarding crowd in the top 20 people.
2) Form you own group and arrive even earlier. Now here is a sacrifice. Pick out the 2 or 3 sales that appear to be very desirable and have your people get there before the others. That might mean 1:00 am or 3am, but, you may be able to control the street numbers. Rotate with others in the group if you have to. Take 2-3 hours shifts. Of course it would be your duty to hand them out in the proper sequential order.
3) Mob rules. Call out the number givers. If you arrive at a sale very early and you have a rediculously high number, I guarantee they are saving numbers for others. It is, of course, possible that numbers have been given to others days prior on the same numbering system, but, if you feel you are being wronged stand-up. It isnt against any law to position yourself where you feel you really belong. There are no Estate Number Laws. Numbers are a Gentleman's way (agreement) of being fair and orderly where there likely will be chaos. If there is an obvious breach of the Gentleman's agreement by hoarding numbers, then all hell should break loose and it should be to each their own. The Gentleman's agreement means nothing at that point. Number hoarders do not expect trouble. Any breach of their little system is met with immediate resistance, lying, verbal bullying and sometimes physicality.

That is why I favor ALL Estate Sale Companies implementing their own numbers. By doing so, they will have a fair system in place that will encourage customers to attend their sales, minimalize negative goings-on outside their sale and put control back into their hands. When allowing customers to control the numbers, they are likely handing a responsibility over to people who do not have their or their clients best interest in mind. They are only concerned that they get in the best position possible to get into the sale early and will do nothing to encourage others outside to attend the sale. They would love it if they were the ONLY ones showing up at the sale. I would never put that kind of power into another's hands at my sale, even if it means a little inconvenience in handing out numbers.

If you have a good story or comments about this issue, feel free to post them.

A FIND BEHIND THE CURTAIN

One of my recent finds was this "barrel" at an Estate Sale in Birmingham, MI. I saw it at the end of the hall and it was wrapped in Victorian Era paper. "Gladstone Co" was the decal on the top. On one side of the barrel some of the paper was falling off and low and behold, there was a Twenty Pounds Tobacco Stamp with George Washington's image, dated 1874. Above that was another tobacco label. So !!!! I knew immediately that I had an 1870's tobacco barrel that was recovered over 100 years ago and re-used by one Gladstone Co. After being told that the item was $10, I forked over an Alexander Hamilton and took the barrel home. I knew that there was some sort of label on the opposite side, so, I carefully peeled some of the paper away to reveal a quite large Scotten, Lovett & Co label. Scotten, Lovett & Co was located at 104, 106, 108 and 110 Randolph Street in Detroit, MI. I am familiar with the Scotten name, as their tobacco pouches from the 20th century are quite common. But, I believe his affiliation with Lovett must have ended quite some time ago, perhaps in the 1800's. More research needs to be done and a careful process of peeling away the paper is underway. It will never be 100% and there will be some minor paper loss to the original label (Hello....glue was used). I think I can get it respectable enough to appeal to a tobacco collector.

ALEX CERAMICS ELEPHANT AND DONKEY CIGARETTE PACK HOLDERS

I purchased this elephant yesterday at auction. It appears to be a cigarette pack holder. The head pops up and shows an area the size of a pack. The piece was made by a little known company named ALEX CERAMICS out of Van Nuys, Ca. Research shows that they also made a similar Donkey piece, thus, showing an obvious political theme. I see nothing else made by this company, nor have any information. If someone wishes to add to this information, please do.

FIRE KING MUGS - THE SECRET REVEALED

Everyone always asks, "What is hot?" I've written about this subject and there is not usually an answer that exceeds a few items. Some dealers do not want to tell you what is hot for fear that other dealers will discover the hot item and possibly grab it at a garage sale before they can. Well......here is something that has been hot for a while, but, barely talked about.....Fire King Mugs. The market is insane for mugs made by Anchor Hocking's Fire King. Advertising mugs are crazy and made for a great investment should someone had picked them up just a few years ago for .25 cents to $1.00 at a Garage Sale or Flea Market. I used to be able to pick up Burger King mugs for .25-.50 all the time. Now, they bring $60-90 each !!!!! I sold a Burger Chef mug 2 years ago for $170. Some rare mugs can bring over $200. The supply of these mugs have dried up. I know that a couple years ago, I went around to local resale and small antique shops and cleaned up on these mugs at $2-3 each. The secret is out, but, everyone is keeping it to themselves. Not any longer.....good luck...pick them up and pay a bill or two.

UGG.........DON'T THROW IT OUT !!!!!

Went on yet another house call the other day where everything small and thought to be junk was thrown away at the street. I cant tell you how many times this happens. So many people think that we dealers are only interested in the large furniture, trunks, standing lamps and sewing machines, while the fountain pens, paper items, tools, advertising buttons, kitchenware etc....get tossed. 70% of what was probably in that house was at least from the 1960's and there was only a shell left. I purchased a couple items and referred the furniture to another dealer who was better suited to handling those pieces. But......what was there? Please don't throw ANYTHING out that is not personal items or old bills/tax info and definate trash before bringing in an expert. The real money is probably there...in the "junk".

1950's HERMAN MILLER DCW BENT PLYWOOD CHAIR

I had a chair sitting in my basement for a year that I picked up at an auction. The back rest needed to be repaired, so, I just kind of put it to the side for a later day. I knew it was at least in the Eames/Herman Miller Style, but, without a label, I just assumed it was a "like" piece. Well, in cleaning up the basement, it was time to research and get it out and turns out it was a 1950's Eames Herman Miller DCW (Dining Chair Wood) Bent Plywood Chair. Original. Designed by Charles & Ray Eames in 1945/1946, this chair was voted by Time Magazine as THE chair of the 20th century. Originally produced by Evans Products from 1946-1949, production was taken over by Herman Miller in 1949 and it was produced through the 1950's. A re-surgance in popularity brought it out of mothballs in 1994 and it still being re-produced in different colors. I listed it on E-bay and before the aucion ended, it had over 600 views and 60 watchers. That demonstrates the extreme popularity of Herman Miller/Eames furniture.

HERB ALPERT - KING OF THE GARAGE SALE LP

If you go to a Garage Sale or Estate Sale and there is a box of old LP's, there is a 90% chance that you will find a copy of a Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass record in the bunch. I think that if I would have purchased every copy of "Whipped Cream and Other Delights", "Going Places", "South of the Border", "What Now My Love" and "SRO" that I ran across in the 20+ years that I have hit Garage Sales, that they could have lined up to the moon and back. Why is this such a common find? There are 2 reasons:

1) Alpert sold more pop LP's in the 1960's than any artist not named The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
2) People will actually purchase Beatle, Presley and Sinatra LP's at a Garage/Estate Sale, leaving Alpert's LP's to be sold in next year's Garage Sale.....and next years....and next years.....and next years.....

What is the solution? Well.....

1) There has to be some recyling value to the cardboard cover and vinyl. You could probably open an entire recycling plant to handle all of the Alpert LP's alone and employ 20-30 employees, which would give a boost to the economy.
2) Skeet shooting.....these LP's have to be cheaper to use than clay pigeons (and more plentiful)
3) MT Alpert.....If it is found that recycling in not an option, Ohio is pretty flat could use a ski resort mountain (built upon Alpert Lp's of course)

Your ideas would be welcome............

THE BASEBALL GLOVE - AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE

Before there were things called video games, almost every American kid played baseball at some time in his youth and owned (or stole) a baseball glove. Baseball was truly (and may still be) America's past-time and glove collecting is a very hot bi-product of our ancestors passion. I picked up 10 vintage gloves today at a garage sale and the memories were like out of the "Field of Dreams" movie. Most people who know me, know I got my start in this business by collecting sports memorabilia. While I no longer collect, I have a love for picking up and dealing in sports stuff, mainly baseball. For fun, as I usually do for you guys, I looked up the top 10 selling endorsed gloves on E-Bay.
1) Mickey Mantle Rawlings w/Box $3,333
2) Mickey Mantle Rawlings w/Box $3,000
3) Mickey Mantle Rawlings w/Box $2,450
4) Babe Ruth Draper & Maynard $1,000
5) Babe Ruth Spalding $ 661
6) Stan Musial Rawlings $ 500 (Buy it now)
7) Edd Roush Ken-Wel $ 383
8) Bob Skinner Rawlings w/Box $ 373
9) Clete Boyer Rawlings $ 242
10)Jelly Sorelle Nokona $ 240

As always, this list (minus Mantle and Ruth) will always be in flux. You don't have to be a Hall-of-Famer to bring good money, if you have the box or if the glove is very rare. Ok....now you ask...did I get a Mantle or Ruth today?...........................................................................................Nope.

DETROIT GOLF CLUB TROPHY HEADING HOME AFTER 100 YEARS

I recently picked up a trophy from a boys golf tournament held at The Detroit Golf Club in 1906. I listed it on the net, for maximum exposure, hoping to find someone who might have a tie in with the club and want it for their collection. I even imagined it returning to the club and maybe ending up in a showcase there. Well....guess what? It is returning to the club. The General Manager of The Detroit Golf Club won the trophy (at no profit to me unfortunately) and perhaps it will be displayed exactly 100 years from the time a young Master Franklin Robbins took it home after winning the tourney. It kind of takes the bite out of basically breaking even on this small piece of history to see it return to it's original home.

GEORGE HARRISON 8MM HOME MOVIE DISCOVERED

In the depths of the garbage set to be put into a mountain, I discovered a Dec 4, 1974 8mm home movie from a George Harrison concert at Detroit's old Olympia Stadium. Being a huge Beatles fan (But not a collector) I was anxious to see this film and tried to play it on 2 different 8mm projectors. I must not know how to use these things as I had trouble getting the picture to remain in one constant image. However, it is definately a George Harrison concert with fairly close and good footage. I do not know if there is sound on these type of films. The projectors did not have sound. A piece of history was about to be discarded forever and I was lucky that my radar was on passing this mound of trash. I will list on E-bay.

PROMOTIONAL CARS - DEALERSHIP VEHICLES IN MINIATURE

Rooster's just purchased 7 Ford Promo Cars that will be going into the shop. They are nice, but, nowhere in the league of the top echelon promo cars out there. A quick study of promo cars on E-bay show favor for....no surprise......The Chevrolet Corvette. When it comes to promo cars there are several factors that come into play. Condition, whether it has it's box, rarity and rarity of color or style. Sometimes you can just throw that up into the wind when 2 guys get bidding and the car doubles or triples book. Here are the most recent top 11 cars on the Bay:

1. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Marina Blue $900 NM
2. 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Conv Tan $605 NM
3. 1953 Chevrolet Corvette Conv Turquoise $585 NM
4. 1964 Mercury Park Lane Platinum Beige $536 MIB
5. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette Conv Yellow $530 MIB
6. 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Conv Red $510 NM
7. 1963 Chrysler Imperial Pale Metallic Gold $495 MIB
8. 1964 Buick Wildcat Conv Tawny Mist $483 MIB
9. 1966 Chrysler Imperial Red w/Black Top $412 FAIR
10. 1964 Chrysler 300 Rosewood $401 NM
11. 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Curious Yellow $400 MIB

This list likely changes month to month, but, the Chevy Corvettes are always going to be up there and a safe buy. Any Promo car is a safe buy at $10 in EX condition.

VIETNAM WAR ERA PATCHES - THE FAKE DILEMMA

To the surprise of myself and many I know in the Antique business, there is a whole industry that exists producing reproduction Vietnam Era miltary patches. Known for their interesting and colorful designs, Vietnam Era Patches are highly collectible. However, much like WWII Nazi items, they are heavily reproduced. And here is the scary thing....they do not have to be rare patches. Common patches are reproduced in great quantities. Many of these patches have been made in Vietnam, so, they are correctly advertised as being "Made in Vietnam" but, are brand new. E-bay is rife with these. Experts state that some of these patches are almost indistinguishable from the originals. We recently picked up a collection of about 30 patches and we have definately found some horrible repros and some real good repros. We also found some that appear legit period pieces. So....how do you tell? Here are some sites that will help http://www.ljmilitaria.com/index.htmhttp://www.vintageproductions.com/repro-info.html/strong>

TRIFARI BUTTERFLY BROOCH BY ALFRED PHILIPPE

Hit a local resale shop today and purchased a wonderful Sterling Trifari Butterfly Pin/Brooch designed by the reknown Alfred Philippe. Designed in 1944, this was one in a set of 3 Butterfly pieces which included a Large pin, small pin and earrings. There is a terrific resource on the net where you can see this set and a whole bunch of other costume jewelry: http://www.TRIFARI.COM/mac.htm

SHIPPING AND HANDLING INSANITY ON EBAY

Ladies and Gentlemen, shipping and handling charges have reached a new and idiotic height on E-bay. A rising trend has seen sellers charging rediculously high amounts for sending their merchandise. Today, I saw a $12 charge for sending a baseball card. Yes....a baseball card that with a padded envelope costs .83 to ship. Let's add the cost of the .35 envelope to that and we have $1.18. Lets add other incidentals such as a plastic protector (.05), cardboard to put it between (negligible) and gas and time ($1.00?) So..we are around what I charge to ship a card ($2.30). Let me repeat....$12 to ship a baseball card? Even if you ship it priority, you are talking $5.10 in costs. The madness will only end if bidders lay off these items due to the stupid added costs.

THE UNKNOWN POTTERY FIND - WELLER POTTERY

There is nothing more fun than finding a piece of pottery that is not marked and finding out or confirming what it is. At auction this past weekend, I picked up what I was sure was a Weller Jardiniere in the Ivory Pattern. For some reason, Weller is one of the few major Pottery Books that I do not possess. So, I was left to check the net for examples. After 30 minutes or so, I had my exact Jardiniere with the Weller mark !!!! Not an expensive piece, this is just a nice planter that would make a neat showpiece in a Florida room. Hunting for pottery is fun. Train yourself in identifying unmarked Pottery, it could give you an advantage in the auction and flea market circuit.

THE OLD AS-IS - NO REFUND GAME

Be afraid........be very afraid........of E-bay Sellers who put in their description that their items are "as-is" and/or they do not give refunds. I have seen an increasing number of sellers using one or the other or both of these in their terms. Why would anyone who is selling on E-bay not want to stand behind the product they are selling, even if the item is used or old? My guess would be that the item has issues and they want to dump off their problems to someone else. The only time I put "as-is" on an item in my shop is when the item has a problem. The only time I ever use "as-is" on an E-bay item is when it is something electronic or mechanical in nature. I still will usually refund a customer if they are unhappy on those type of products. A huge red flag is sent up when someone states that they do not offer refunds. They might as well say "Hey, you will be stuck with it" instead. Why beat around the bush? The terms people are putting in their listings seem to be getting longer and longer. As rediculous as it is getting, you should read them and look for red flags. Also....always check for excessive shipping. If they are charging $5.00 for an item you know would take 2 stamps to ship, watch out !!!!!!

THE 78 RECORD

Oh those pesky 78 speed records. Brittle, cumbersome and often scratched up beyond belief. We get constant offers to buy these boogers and many calls asking if they are worth anything. The answer is usually no. We sell them for $1.00 each, without exception, in the shop and simply pay little to nothing for them. However, every collectible category has it's exceptions. There are some very popular old Blues, Jazz, Early Rock'n Roll and Hillbilly 78's. The chance you have a high end one is rare, but, there. A recent look at E-bay shows the 5 highest selling 78's:

1) Fruit Jar Guzzlers Paramount "Stack-O-Lee" $2,200
2) Alonzo Boone Supertone "Electric Chair Blues" $ 910
3) Eddie Walker & Band Supertone "It's Tight Like That" $ 810
4) Elvis Presley Sun "Milkcow Blues Boogie" $ 676
5) Mississippi Sheiks Bluebird "Lonesome Grave Took My Baby" $ 520

So.......How many of those artists did you recognize? 1? Exactly....sort of a rule of thumb is that if you've heard of the artsit...ie.....Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ray Anthony, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Kenton, Glenn Miller etc...then it likely is not worth anything. It's the uncommon that attracts attention in the styles of music listed above.

A PIECE OF HISTORY - MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

I recently sold a 1932 Michigan State Water Carnival Trophy on E-bay to a devout collector of vintage Michigan Agricultural College, Michigan State College and now Michigan State University Memorabilia. He posted the trophy on his site: http://www.cqql.net/mac.htm. Check it out for great historical content. Even though I am a University of Michigan (Dearborn) Alum, I gotta give some props to the site and the job he has done!

1935 MARX BUNNY TRAIN

CT's Treasure Haven picked up a neat and rare 1935 Marx Bunny Train. Part of a set called "Animal Express", this is the "engine" of the set. A wind-up, it works perfectly and a bell dings as it moves along. The complete set came with up to 4 cars and track. The bunny shows a little wear from being around a while, but, overall, it is not too bad. Finding one in any condition is special.

NAZI ARTICLE IN ANTIQUE WEEK

I read the article written in the October 17th edition of the Antique Week by Editor Tom Hoepf, who is reconsidering his opinion on the selling of Nazi artifacts. His main reason is based on two statements; one from a Jewish reader who stated "The Issue is that there is a very active current market for Nazi items. Neo-Nazi groups want the stuff." and one from a Jewish head of a prominent auction house "What Hitler and his Nazi party did to the Jews was not an act of War, one country against another. It was the Genocide of a people." Neither statement can be disputed. However, let's take a closer look at history and it's relevance to collecting Nazi items.

In the history of mankind, wars have been fought and waged by PEOPLE. It has been people killing people, race killing race, people of one nation killing people of another nation. Attila the Hun, represented a people, not a country when he ravaged Europe in the 5th Century. He delighted in war and conquest and was merciless. Would I like to acquire a relic that belonged to Attila the Hun or even a relic that belonged to a member of his army? You bet !!! That does not mean that I subscribe to The Attila the Hun Let's Purge Europe Club or some Neo-Hun group. Nazism is much closer to us in current history and there are Anti-Jewish feelings around the globe. The largest of the Anti-Jewish crowd would not be the relatively small Neo-Nazi groups that exist in the world, but, are likely millions of those in the Arab world. I do not believe that Arabs are considered great collectors of WWII Nazi Memorabilia, who hoard it to promote their agenda or hatred of the Jews. The main collectors of Nazi memorabilia are World War II or Military buffs who likely collect ALL types or war memorabilia from ALL different countries, the main ones being The United States, Japan, England, Russia, Italy and yes......Germany. The German's made quality weapons, had stylish uniforms, kept impeccable records, had some interesting officers and generals (Remember...quite a number of them wanted Hitler dead) and were one of the principles and primary instigators of the War. It is only obvious that German items would be desirable for such collectors. Look throughout history and you will find a facination for collecting items from "The Bad Guys" or the defeated. Many a "Yankee" collector covets Confederate memorabilia. Should they be denied the opportunity to find or collect Confederate items because there is a chance that a Pro-Slavery or Neo-Confererate might purchase such an item and use it as a symbol for their beliefs? As for the despicable Neo-Nazi's, my guess is that they are hardly a factor at all in the purchasing of legitimate WWII era items. They are more interested in symbolism. "If it has a Swastica or a picture of Hitler on it, let's buy it" Symbolism is shallow. Is collecting history or understanding history a shallow endeavor? It is my belief that those who push the prohibition of selling WWII Nazi/German related items are concerned with it's symbolism. They are concerned that it promotes hate and that it stirs up horrific memories. These are not banal feelings. But, by doing so, they are themselves pushing an agenda that has nothing to do with (nor does it understand) the true nature of collecting. A legitimate Nazi dagger sold at an auction is not likely going to find itself in some dingy basement, scabbered at the hip of a bald headed, tattoed, Neo-Nazi as the gentleman who wrote the Antique Week would have us think. It is likely going to be put in a drawer or chest of a military or history buff who does not want to have items from a major country, in a major historical moment in history (WWII) denied or made difficult for him to purchase because of an agenda designed to snuff out an agenda that has nothing to do with his political, philosophical, religious or personal beliefs. I am not saying that legitimate Nazi/German related items do not end up in the hands of those who are Anti-Jewish. I am saying that it is short-sighted and shallow to attempt to regulate or deny the selling of historical items because it MAY be purchased by someone who is Anti-Jewish. Haters do not need true artifacts to fan the flames of their hate. They will manufacture their own. If every physical artifact of the German/Nazi reign was magically destroyed, it would not end the hater's hate. They would re-create old symbols or create new symbols. That is what the shallow do.

THE PIGGY BANK

What fun it must be to have a Piggy Bank Collection. There are numerous varieties, they are cute, they come in different sizes, they were made by most of the heavy production potteries and they are affordable !!!! Yesterday I picked up the popular Hull Pottery Corky Pig Bank at a re-sale shop. This one is unusual in that it has a plastic ribbon around it. I have never seen one that has this ribbon (Perhaps the owner put it on). Branda Roberts' Hull Pottery Identification Guide (2006) does not picture a ribbon on any of the different Corky Pig varieties. Corky is listed in the new (and fantastic) Roberts guide at 140.00-175.00. This is way too high. A more accurate value would be $50-80. That is why price guides are only guides. Anyhow...Piggy banks are a great starter item for collecting. A great site on collecting piggy banks can be found at http:/geocities.com/Paris/9896/

E-BAY AND THE OFFER

There is some debate as to whether accepting offers prior to the close of an E-Bay Auction is good practice for the seller. Let me share with you my experience. I have probably conducted about 6,500 auctions or so in the 7 years that I have been on E-Bay. In that time, I have probably had 100-150 concrete money offers to end an auction early. I have never ended an auction early and have had only about 5-6 auctions finish at less than the stated offer. That is 5% or less...the math is obvious. When getting a firm offer to end an item early, you are almost certainly getting a below market offer. Don't even be tempted. A back door approach is the bidder who asks what the buy it now price is or if you have a sell price to end it early. I've had many more of those inquiries. Let me assure you, if you are getting that type of inquiry, the item you have is very desirable and they are only trying to get the item out of auction circulation before their contemptoraries get a shot to bid, so that they might get it through non-competetive means. I would estimate that in 95% or better of the cases in which a seller sells early, the buyer is the one getting the deal at the expense of the seller. And for those sellers who say that it saves them the E-bay closing fees by sellling outright, I would say that the average auction I've had finishes at least 30% higher than stated offers. (My most recent example is a comic book I sold for $105. I had a $25 offer) Again do the math. Your 5.75% and lower E-bay savings do not make up for a 30%+ end of auction price difference over an offer. Just a little tip. The shark looking to end an auction early is not looking out for your interest as a seller. When thinking of accepting an offer to end an auction early because of fear that the item may not get that high in the bidding process, just look at my numbers. If only other things in life were that certain.

1954 TOPPS TRIMMED VIA PSA

I just received a group of cards back from PSA Grading Services and 2 of the 1954 Topps Baseball cards came back as altered. Both cards must have been trimmed very carefully at one time and did not fit properly into PSA's card protector. I compared them to other 54' cards I have and indeed, they are a little off. One of the cards I picked up on the Internet and the other I paid $250 for from a fellow dealer. I informed the dealer, and he is willing to take the card back even though he likely had nothing to do with the trimming. I find that honorable and do not forget such acts. I have seen cards on E-bay that are advertised as being in NM condition and with the tag, untrimmed. I thought that this was sort of unnecessary, but, it seems that there have been people in this hobby that try and correct a small fault by trimming an edge to get what appears to be a beautiful card, leaving the unexpecting buyer with a card that has been altered and virtually worthless. Another likely scenario is the buyer like me, who gets an altered card and does not have a seller who is willing to take the card back, and just tries to pass the card on to someone else, fixing a wrong with a wrong. Beware of trimmed cards.

BILL TUTTLE GAME USED BASEBALL BAT

CT's Treasure Haven purchased a Louisville Slugger Bill Tuttle Game Bat today. Tuttle mainly played between 1954-1962, with cups of coffee in 1952 and 1963, for the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City A's and The Minnesota Twins. The bat has a marker number 13 on the knob for his uniform number. Tuttle switched to the lucky number 13 during the 1956 season and kept that number for the rest of his career, spanning the 3 teams. So....the bat dates to that time period (1956-1963). The bat is in excellent condition. No chips, no cracks and no repairs. Some mild scuff marks is about all. This will be an E-bay listing. SOLD TO EX-MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER, JESSE BARFIELD

1964 BEATLES TRAY

Ah...here we go again with another Beatles item that at one time was reproduced. Rooster's picked up this 13" in diameter 1964 Beatles serving tray. It is hand varnished and had an oven baked finish. The original trays have 2 known characteristics that separate it from the c 1970's reproductions. 1) The trays originally had one of two paper manufacturing labels on the back. Worcester Ware or MTM (Metal Tray Manufacturing). 2) The reproductions were marked "Made in England" while the originals were marked on the front bottom "6 MB MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN". This tray no longer has the back label. It does, however, have the correct bottom mark. It is unknown to this person if there was ever a reproduction that had the Made in Great Britain mark. This tray will go for sale in the shop.SOLD IN SHOP FOR $85

NO....YOU LEAVE FEEDBACK !!!!

One of the funnier things I've dealt with in 7 years of buying/selling on E-bay, is the bidder who wants the seller to leave a positive feedback right when the item is paid for and/or before they give feedback to the seller. Think about how silly this is for the seller. Any number of things could happen with a transaction that could make a bidder want to leave a neutral or a negative and believe me, they are not all logical or warranted. If a seller leaves a positive feedback prior to a bidder's feedback, they basically leave themselves defenseless in leaving a Negative or Neutral feedback if something goes unexpected in the transaction (ex....biddder CLAIMING they never got a package). The seller should get some sort of feedback that all was OK or not OK before leaving a feedback in return.

WESTWARD-HO COMPOTE BY GILLANDER & SONS

CT's recently purchased the partial contents of an Estate. One of the items found was this 19th century covered compote made by Gillander & Sons out of Philadelphia, Pa. Gillander started his factory in 1861. The pattern on this compote was known as "Pioneer" when first introduced after the Centennial of 1876. It later became known as "Westward-Ho", depicting an American Indian on the lid and a Buffalo, Deer and Cabin on the base. At various times since the 1930's this pattern has been copied or reproduced. The tell tale sign of a reproduction is a lack of precise detail. It is very difficult for the untrained eye to tell the difference from 1960's Repos to the originals. This untrained eye believes that this is an original. SOLD ON E-BAY FOR $65

ANTIQUE BOOTH MERRY-GO-ROUND

Trying to find quality floor space dealers is difficult in this ERA of Antique Dealing. E-bay, an aging dealer population and the economy have sucked the life out of dealers or diverted them from the traditional Antique Mall. The ability to turn an item in 7 days that has been unsellable in a mall has in the past few years been intriguing. However, the E-bay market has been flat on the standard fare items. It is time again that the Antique mall will be the selling place for more common items. Plus, people still like to touch and feel items and browse for things they never thought of searching for on E-bay. Not much can be done about the aging dealer population, but, interestingly enough, the internet has created some young dealers who are realizing that not everything profitable they find out in the world is best sold on-line. They see a place for having a small spot in a mall. The economy NEVER affects the good dealer. There are always people who feel they have to buy and always people who are in a need to sell, particularly in a bad economy. We intend on riding out the wave of closing shops and being a force in the Metro Detroit Area for years to come. We sell stuff......and there will always be a market for stuff.

1957 ELVIS PRESLEY COMIC BOOK - RARE

I just purchased a large comic book collection today. Among the best of the items was this scarce 1957 "Young Lovers" #18 Charlton comic book with Elvis Presley on the cover. "The Real Elvis Presley Complete Life Story" is in this issue, with a 2 page biography. (The comic stories do not deal with Elvis). The catch is the early cover. This will be listed on E-bay.SOLD ON E-BAY FOR $200

1934 DETROIT TIGERS YEARBOOK

Rooster's Antiques picked up a 1934 Detroit Tigers "in picture" Yearbook today. Fairly scarce, this is a yearbook before they had yearbooks. The yearbook as we know it, first started in 1955. Prior to that, all you could purchase at the stadium was a game program. This booklet has individual bios and photos of each player. It was published by The Free Press Photogravure Co. Sold for $155.00

ROOKWOOD VASE - GARAGE SALE FIND

You hear all of the stories, but, they do not always happen to you. Today I picked up a Rookwood production vase, numbered 2123 for 75 cents at a Garage Sale. The sale was full of newer Target type items and NASCAR collectibles. Sitting there next to a Precious Moments figurine (Which I bought for $5.00) was this great art pottery piece. It is in wonderful condition with no chips, cracks, crazing or repairs. This particular vase was made in 1940, per the Rookwood date code on the bottom. Not a rare piece, this mold was made as early as the 1920's. It's estimated value is $125-200. I will list on E-Bay. >Sold for $177.50

WOLVERINE LURE AND TACKLE COMPANY - DETROIT, MI

Little is known about the Wolverine Lure and Tackle Company. It was located at 700 Harper Ave in Detroit, MI and likely went out of business in the 1950's. I have a single sheet advertising brochure that was sent out to Sporting Goods and Hardware stores. I also have examples of the metal lures depicted on the brochure, that were made by Wolverine. If anyone knows more about Wolverine Lure, feel free to contact us.

SHELLEY BONE CHINA BEGONIA TEA SET

Rooster's just picked up a Shelley Bone China Begonia Tea Set. It has a nice Tea Pot and 4 sets of cups and saucers. Pattern 13427. Shelley as it is known today, existed from 1910-1966. The backstamp on this set dates it from 1945-1966. Shelley is one of the premier names in bone china. Light and yet durable, they have incredible eye appeal.SOLD for $440.00

1945 GE PEPSI-COLA STORE COOLER

CT's Treasure Haven recently picked up this 1945 GE Pepsi-Cola Store Floor Cooler at Auction. It books out at $600 in a recent Pepsi-Cola price guide. It is in VG condition. The electric cord and a belt need replacing. The paint is still pretty good. A wax job will really bring out the color. I have no idea if the motor works. The double door, hinged lid is original. This type of Cooler is not readily found. It will soon be available for sale at our shop, Rooster's Antiques. Sold in Shop $350

WHAT'S HOT?

A frequently asked question in the business is "What is hot right now?" It is funny, but, the Antique and Vintage Collectible market does not really work that way. There are hardly ever any overnight sensations. Jadite glass is a recent example of something that all of a sudden became hot, largely due to Martha Stewart displaying pieces in her magazine. This was an exception to the rule. The question really needs to be "What is down?" More categories of items find there way out of being desirable than become desirable. The thing to key on is the things that never go out of style. Here is a short list: Toys, Fishing Tackle, Advertising, Jewelry, Sports Memorabilia, Linen, Militaria, Pins and Badges, Movie, TV and Music Memorabilia, Coins, Art Pottery, Elegant Colored Glassware, Automobilia, Aviation, Railroad and Marine Collectibles, Historically Significant Items and the Odd and Unusual. Focus on the items that are always consistant and you will be ok. Don't mortgage the house on trends.

PLAYBOY PLAYMATE PUZZLES - E-BAY REJECTS

It appears that the auction site, E-Bay, has decided sometime in May 2005, to forbid the listing of Playboy Playmate Puzzles in mainstream catagory listings. Puzzles can still be listed in the Adult Category. In just about every year from 1967-1973, Playboy issued puzzles of Playboy Playmate Centerfolds. These puzzles were issued in canisters with head shots of the Playmates, who could be in the can, on the outside paper label (No nudity). A paper photo insert was available under the lid to show you what the puzzle looked like. Each of these photos were taken from the centerfold in the magazine, which E-bay allows to be listed in the general catagory: (Books-Magazine Back Issues-Men-Playboy Pre 1980). This apparent decision basically kills a harmless, vintage collectible. There are a host of people who likely will never visit E-Bay's Adult section because it deals with heavier and hardcore pornographic material and those that do visit it are likley looking for something other than a harmless Playboy Puzzle. Playboy nudity of the 1960's/early 1970's, is no more hard core than what is found in current editions of Cosmopolitan and other women's magazines in the grocery store checkout aisles. Playboy Puzzles are a compliment to their corresponding Playboy Magazine Edition and should continue to be allowed to be listed in the Playboy Pre 1980 Section.

ESTATE SALES SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN - DETROIT

CT's Treasure Haven is a full service Estate Sale Company. Every sale is unique and we attempt to conform to each situation and need. Our services include, complete or partial liquidation, selling of house, cleanouts to prepare for sale by owner, auction services, consignment opportunities at our Antique Shop or Internet, complete or partial purchase of Estate. We also have the ability to bring in quality contractors at fair prices to fix-up the house to prepare for sale. We are honest and work hard. We cover the following Metro Detroit Area Cities: ALLEN PARK, ANN ARBOR, AUBURN HILLS, BELLEVILLE, BERKLEY, BEVERLY HILLS, BINGHAM FARMS, BIRMINGHAM, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, BRIGHTON, CANTON, CARLETON, CENTER LINE, CLAWSON, COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, DEARBORN, DEARBORN HEIGHTS, DETROIT, EASTPOINTE, ECORSE, FARMINGTON, FARMINGTON HILLS, FERNDALE, FLAT ROCK, FRANKLIN, FRASER, GARDEN CITY, GROSSE ILLE, GROSSE POINTE (FARMS, PARK, SHORES, WOODS), HAMBURG, HAMTRAMCK, HARPER WOODS, HARTLAND, HAZEL PARK, HIGHLAND PARK, HUNTINGTON WOODS, INKSTER, KEEGO HARBOR, LATHRUP VILLAGE, LINCOLN PARK, LIVONIA, MADISON HEIGHTS, MELVINDALE, MILFORD, MOUNT CLEMENS, NEW HUDSON, NORTHVILLE, NOVI, OAK PARK, ORCHARD LAKE, PINCKNEY, PLEASANT RIDGE, PLYMOUTH, PONTIAC, REDFORD, RIVER ROUGE, RIVERVIEW, ROCHESTER, ROCHESTER HILLS, ROMULUS, ROSEVILLE, ROYAL OAK, SAINT CLAIR SHORES, SALEM, SOUTH LYON, SOUTHFIELD, SOUTHGATE, STERLING HEIGHTS, SYLVAN LAKE, TAYLOR, TRENTON, TROY, WALLED LAKE, WARREN, WATERFORD, WAYNE, WEST BLOOMFIELD, WHITMORE LAKE, WIXOM, WOLVERINE LAKE, WOODHAVEN, WYANDOTTE, YPSILANTI

ANTIQUE QUESTIONS & IDENTIFICATION

Feel free to contact us or this forum for questions regarding the identification of your antiques or collectibles. The price is free. We will do the best we can to identify and give you a value.

1959 TOPPS FOOTBALL CARDS VENDING BOXES

One of the more exciting Auction finds in the last year were multiple vending boxes of 1959 Topps Football Cards. While the boxes were not unopened, a majority of the cards were in terrific NM condition. Unfortunately there were some full boxes that had water damage and the cards were destroyed. All of the cards were in the 2nd series (89-176), so, there are no major star cards, but, we won't complain, as vending finds such as this occur maybe once in a lifetime. I know that some of the 1st cards I sold were sent in to PSA and 20+ came back 9's. A majority of the cards in these boxes are likely 7's and 8's. I cringed every time that someone took cards out of the boxes and shoved them back in during preview. I am sure some of the cards were damaged this way. Even the slightest ding to a corner prevents it from grading a 9. I've been in no hurry to liquidate the cards, but, I do occasionally offer an ungraded set for sale on E-bay.

THE GARBAGE PICK

The Garbage Pick is at the root level of the Antique Business. The most famous and over-used phrase in the biz is "One man's junk is another man's treasure." This mantra cannot be more true than the item that is deemed worthless and thrown in the garbage and subsequently rescued by the scavenger. I have been privy to some excellent picks lately and it is amazing what people are still throwing out, even after all the buzz and awareness created by shows like The Antique Roadshow. I am pleased that there are still "finds" out there by our "Junk Archeologists". On the other hand, I am troubled to think that they are only saving a fraction of the treasures that are ending up in a mountain. Long live the garbage pick.........

PLANTERS PEANUTS COUNTER JAR

Rooster's Antiques picked up a nice example of a Planters Peanuts Jar today. This jar stands just under 10" tall and is 8" deep. It is a Streamline Jar and has "Planters Peanuts" painted in yellow on the front and an embossed "Planters" on the back. The lid is fantastic and has Mr Peanut displayed. There are many variations of Planters Peanuts and Mr Peanut Counter Jars. Beware that there are many fantasy and reproduction pieces out there. One simple rule is that there never were jars of color produced. Fake jars are commonly seen in Pink, Cobalt Blue and Yellow. This nice jar will be put in the shop.>SOLD .

c. 1948 MAJEL WARFIELD "JAVANESE DANCER" WATERCOLORS, LISTED ARTIST

I have a set of 2 watercolors titled "Javenese Dancer" done by the New Orleans born (1905) artist Majel Warfield. She is a listed artist, appearing in Who Was Who in American Art and Davenport 's. Not a whole lot is known about her work or life, other than she appears to have had many pieces in the 1940's that appeared for sale in upscale retail outlets, such as W & J Sloan's in San Francisco, Broadway Department Store in Los Angeles and Grinnell Bros. in Detroit. These are original works that each measure 32" x 26" in the frame. A paper label on the back of each gives the artist's name, name of watercolor, and the fact that these were sold thru Grinnell Bros. "Majel" is signed in the lower left of the watercolors. Ex condition. Some chipping away of paper on the backside. I would prefer to keep these as a set and they are available for sale for a reasonable offer. I am not interested in shipping them, but, I can be had.

JOHNNY BRISTOL MASTER TAPES

A few years ago I picked up two master tapes at a re-sale shop by former Motown Associate Johnny Bristol. One tape was recorded on 3/28/77 at Davlin Sound Studios in Universal City, Ca. and contains the songs "I'm So Proud of You" and "When the Fire is Burning". The client was Atlantic Records, producer Johnny Bristol and Engineer Eric Prestige. Tape is a Grand Master 456 AMPEX and is labeled Master Reel #3. Both of these songs appeared on his 1978 LP "Strangers". The other tape is more of a mystery. It was recorded at Devonshire Sound Studios in North Hollywood, Ca. and contains a song titled "Holliday Inn". On guitars is listed David T (Walker), (Ray) Parker (Jr) and (Dennis) Coffee. All 3 of these sessionmen appeared on Boz Scaggs' 1974 LP "Slow Dancer" in which Bristol was a producer. I have no record of a song titled "Holliday Inn" or "Holiday Inn" by Bristol or Scaggs. No date is listed on the tape. This tape is a Scotch. Both tapes are 2" and I do not have a reel to reel player to see what is actually on them or how they sound. I would have these available for sale, but, I can't really sell without knowing that there is something actually recorded on them. Let me know if there is an interest.

Glo-Glaze Pottery, Sebring, Oh, African Shakers

These African or Nubian Salt and Pepper Shakers are out there, but, I've never seen them identified. Well, Rooster's Antiques has happened to obtain two sets with an Identifying label on the cork stopper. These shakers were made by "Glo-Glaze Pottery" out of Sebring, OH. There are dark black and Lighter brown versions and they stand 4 1/4" tall. Because these stickers were attached to the stopper, they easily fell off or were taken off. Who is Glo-Glaze Pottery? I have been unable to find any history of this company or anything indicating that this was a brand name of a larger pottery. The foil label would seem to indicate 1950's era. If anyone has additional information, that is what this forum is about and we can share information.

FAKE BEATLES HOHNER HARMONICA

We recently had one of our dealers bring a Beatles Hohner Harmonica into the shop. The item looked good, but, I know that there are many fantasy pieces out there, so, I did a little research. I went to a good website for Beatles reproductions and fantasy pieces http://members.fortunecity.com/bcrc/index.html However, a fake harmonica is not mentioned on this site. The next thing to do was to find and identify an original. The original 1964 Beatles Hohner Harmonica was on a card that depicts the Fab Four. The Beatles were also depicted on the harmonica box. The box and harmonica itself are separated and encased in a plastic bubble on the card. (Note that the harmonica is a standard Hohner and does not mention or show the Beatles whatsoever). The fake piece has the identical card w/photo, but, the card is cropped. The card still says "Hohner" which would be a violation of Hohner's trademark. The harmonica has a sticker or label with the Beatles images ON the harmonica (This is incorrect). I would bet that there is likely a Hong Kong mark somewhere under the label. This reproduction/fantasy piece was likely made in the 1970's, so, it still is around 30+ years old and has some collectible value. I later saw one of the fakes on E-bay and even though it was identified as possibly not being an original, it still brought decent money on E-bay. But, do not confuse this with the real deal, which is easily a $200 item in EX condition.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY ROTUNDA CHINA

One of the hottest collectibles in the Detroit area is Ford China. From the 1930's-1960's, Ford had restaurant china with it's logo made for use at the Ford Rotunda Pavillion Cafeteria. There were many pieces including plates, bowls, celery dishes, butter pats, cups and saucers, creamers, sugar bowls and soup and salad bowls. Most pieces out there were made by Shenango China, but, you will find pieces made by Buffalo and Wellsville China. Plates that have the Rotunda pictured on them are popular and very eye appealing. Odd pieces, such as the fluted creamer, can command hundreds of dollars.
Trying to put together a complete set of china with the serving pieces could be both challenging, fun and rewarding. I will also add.......expensive.

ROOSTER'S ANTIQUES

Rooster's Antiques & Collectibles
5303 S. Telegraph
Dearborn Heights, MI

313-291-0460

The Best Kept Secret in the State of Michigan.

15 Dealers

This is Chris V's and my Antique Shop. We specialize in all things neat and cool from the 1970's to the beginning of time (we don't get those items too often). Stop in !!!

1954 TOPPS BASEBALL SET

I've just gone over the lastest Sports Market Report Magazine (June 2005) and there is a nice article on the 1954 Topps Baseball Set. It just so happens that I have been working on this set for a few years. There was one interesting tidbit in there that I have assumed for some time....that there may have been more than 3 series issued with no solid confirmation of that fact. The 2nd series, which would have included cards 51-75, has always been deemed more scarce, and thus a higher premium is charged for those cards. While there is little doubt that some of those cards are tougher to find, I have found some of them no harder to find than another grouping later in the set. The other series are cards 1-50 and 76-250. Why would Topps issue a set in groups of 50, 25 and then 175? Cards 1-50 are definately easier to find, as are the higher numbered cards. My theory is that there were 3 more series issued and that one would have been around cards 149-175. There are quite a number of cards in that range that I have found a bit tougher to find. I think the SMR Population report as of 6/24/05 would bare this out. In that grouping there are 27 cards. Of the 27, only 7 had total submissions to PSA of over 125 cards total (26%) Of the 27 cards that preceed and follow that range (54 total) 48 had submissions of over 125 (89%). 5 of the cards in the suspect range have less than 110 submissions (19%). There are only 8 other cards in the ENTIRE SET outside that range that have less than 110 submissions (7%). Even the Dodger and Yankee cards in that range, outside of #166 Johnny Podres, are lower than average. I am willing to bet that there were at least 3 other series issued, 76-148, 149-175, 176-250. I wonder if other set builders or dealers agree with my theory? If this can be proven, it would reshape the way that the set has been viewed for over 50 years.