Antiques and Collectibles

Recycling has a long history in collectibles
By Terry Kovel
November 1, 2009
Recycling and reusing is not a new idea.
Ghoulish pieces attract collectors
By Terry Kovel
October 25, 2009
Skeletons are invited guests at our celebration of Halloween, the Mexican holiday called “Day of the Dead” and a few other ghoulish events.
Rare fountains stump collectors
By Terry Kovel
October 18, 2009
Some antiques are so rare and strange that they are classed as “what’s its” by collectors.
Hard pillows once the norm
By Terry Kovel
October 11, 2009
Do you like hard pillows or soft pillows? It might depend on where you grew up.
Decor can double as disguise
By Terry Kovel
October 4, 2009
Decorators used to try to hide a phonograph or radio because it did not match the rest of the room’s decor. They still worry about how to hide a stereo or television, but attractive speakers and flat screens have made technology less intrusive. The early 1900s room had to hold a record player with a large horn. Soon horns were made more decorative with painted designs.
‘Sewing spool’ furniture considered folk art
By Terry Kovel
September 27, 2009
Recycling isn’t a new idea. Our ancestors reused bits of cloth for quilts, made clothing out of flour bags, and used old cigar boxes to make chip-carved picture frames and boxes. Their rule was “waste not, want not,” so it’s not surprising that the bare wooden spools left after thread was used seemed too practical to ignore.
Older costume jewelry made to last
By Terry Kovel
September 20, 2009
Costume jewelry is among the best-selling collectibles in the United States today.
Even experts can be fooled by fake collectibles
By Terry Kovel
September 13, 2009
Ever been fooled by a fake or fantasy collectible? It can happen to anyone, even experts. Two Ohr pottery vases recently were withdrawn from a sale at Sotheby’s, the prominent New York auction gallery. The assumption of most observers is that the vases were spotted as fakes before the sale began. Experts say that George Ohr (1857-1918), a potter from Biloxi, Miss., claimed he never made two pieces that were identical. The vases in the sale were the same except for their glazes.
Collectors prize carnival dolls
By Terry Kovel
September 6, 2009
Twentieth-century iron toys and tin toys have been collected for generations, and many books and articles have been written about the toys and their makers.
U.S. heroes adorn home fabrics
By Terry Kovel
August 30, 2009
Many different drapery fabrics and bed coverings were decorated with pictures of the famous men of the day.
Salt, pepper shakers affordable collectibles
By Terry Kovel
August 23, 2009
Looking for an inexpensive, colorful collectible? Look for pottery and porcelain salt and pepper shakers that you can display and use. Figural ceramic salt and pepper shakers are easy to find. In “Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide,” they are listed at $6 to $200. At yard sales, you can find much lower prices.
Glass forged into unique collectible
Terry Kovel
August 16, 2009
Paperweights are popular and often expensive collectibles.
Slanted desktops appealed to teachers
By Terry Kovel
August 9, 2009
Schoolteachers — or, as they were called in the early 19th century, schoolmasters — stood in front of the class at a special schoolmaster’s desk.
Haviland pioneer in new vase technique
By Terry Kovel
August 2, 2009
The mark “Haviland Limoges” means fine porcelain to most collectors, but in the 1870s Charles Haviland wanted to expand his company’s offerings.
Gardening trends put interest back in farm toys
By Terry Kovel
July 26, 2009
Now that vegetable gardens are in the news — there’s one at the White House, and cities are encouraging residents to plant them on vacant lots — collectors are looking at farm-related toys with more interest.

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