ANTIQUEHAVEN

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 ...

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 ...

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 a...

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.

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 st...

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

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