Antiques and Collecting Newsletter Feb. 2012

[grasswire]

Antiques & Collecting Newsletter
Volume 16, Number 8
February 1, 2012
Ron McCoy, editor [[e-mail]]
http://collectingbuzz.com

So, here we are in the second month of the new year and the only month
with fewer than 30 days. Because it's Leap Year, we have 29 days this
month.

"February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March."
- Dr. J. R. Stockton

For such a short month, there is always a lot happening in February:
Groundhog Day, The Super Bowl, St. Valentine's Day, President's Day,
Laurel Kane's birthday, Black History Month, Westminster Dog Show,
National Flag of Canada Day, Mardi Gras, etc.

We hope you continue to enjoy our free monthly newsletter covering the
latest antique/collectible news, trends, interesting tidbits and
spotlights of interesting websites, particularly unusual corners of the
collecting and pop culture world.

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(¯`·.¸¸.-> IN THIS ISSUE

MARKET WARS
ANTIQUE VALENTINE CLIPART
EVA ZEISEL DIES AT 105
BIG LEAGUE MEMORABILIA
RECALLING SUPERSTITIOUS TIMES
PENNY POSTCARDS
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW SUMMER 2012
KOVEL'S BUSINESS DIRECTORY
RODENT PROGNOSTICATES FOR 126 YEARS
VALENTINE ITEMS AT AUCTION
ROMAN BROTHEL TOKEN
NECCO CONVERSATION HEARTS


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MARKET WARS
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2012/pbs-market-wars/

PBS is giving the genteel "Antiques Roadshow" a fierce partner with
"Market Wars," an antiques-hunt reality competition show. The 20-episode
series from the producers of "Antiques Roadshow" will send professional
antiques dealers in a nationwide hunt for the best vintage bargain. The
dealer, pitted against the clock, a budget and each other dealers, whose
item snares the biggest profit at auction wins. The producers of "Market
Wars" promise the show will expose the "real, rough and tumble
competition" in the antiques marketplace. The series begins late next
summer, pairing on Monday nights with "Antiques Roadshow."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANTIQUE VALENTINE CLIPART
http://tinyurl.com/Antique-Valentine-Clipart

About.com Guide Barb Crews writes: "White school glue, paper doilies,
cutting out hearts -- does that ring a bell with you? That's how I
remember Valentine Day activities, that along with the shoe box that
would hopefully be filled with paper treasures. I still love Valentines
today, but now it's the old vintage postcards and wonderful paper
scraps." At the above link, she presents a selection of antique
Valentine images, perfect for use for Valentine crafting with the
old-fashioned look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EVA ZEISEL DIES AT 105
http://evazeisel.com

Eva Zeisel, the ceramic artist whose elegant, eccentric designs for
dinnerware in the 1940s and ’50s helped to revolutionize the way
Americans set their tables, died Dec. 30, 2011 in New York City at the
age of 105. Born in 1906 in Budapest, Hungary, she worked in Berlin and
Moscow. In 1936 she was arrested, falsely accused of conspiring to
assassinate Stalin, was imprisoned for months and released. She moved to
Vienna and in 1938 she married and emigrated to the United States where
she designed for dozens of companies. “Museum,” the porcelain table
service that brought Zeisel national notice, was introduced at an
exhibition at Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1946 and was its first
show devoted to a female designer. During her career she designed modern
dinnerware, glassware, furniture, rugs and even light fixtures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BIG LEAGUE MEMORABILIA
http://dsc.discovery.com

Grey Flannel Auctions, run by Richie Russek and his sons Darren and
Michael, is the business at the heart of "All Star Dealers" which
premiered on January 24 on Discovery channel. This series features a new
twist on the auction/resale/memorabilia genre of reality series
television focusing on the buying and selling of sports-related
memorabilia. From rare game-worn jerseys to vintage bats that helped
shape the game of baseball, the history of sports holds untold
treasures. "All Star Dealers" is on Tuesdays at 8PM (EST) on Discovery.

Related:
Jimmy Foxx Bat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RECALLING SUPERSTITIOUS TIMES

An array of shriveled mole feet, glass acorns and tiny wooden shoes
conjures up a secret world of superstition and magic at the Wellcome
Collection in London. Once carried around in the pockets of Londoners,
the 400 quirky objects were amassed about a century ago by an Edwardian
banker and amateur folklorist who collected curious objects from
sailors, fruit sellers and "mudlarks," children who once scavenged along
the muddy banks of the River Thames. The amulet collection is joined by
a display of miracle paintings from Mexico in an exhibition which
explores the extraordinary in the everyday. The exhibition "Miracles and
Charms" runs at the Wellcome Collection through February.

Related:

Charmed Life: The solace of objects
http://tinyurl.com/AmuletsGallery

Infinitas Gracias: Mexican miracle paintings (mouse over to see the
paintings)
http://tinyurl.com/MiraclePaintings

Wellcome Collection: A free destination for the incurably curious
http://www.wellcomecollection.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PENNY POSTCARDS
http://www.usgwarchives.org/special/ppcs/ppcs.html

What did your town look like in the early 1900's? Check out your old
stomping grounds during the times of the penny postcard. Click on the
state and then on the county name to see old penny picture postcards
from that area. The postcard images belong to private collectors and are
not for sale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW SUMMER 2012
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/ontheroad.html

PBS television show "Antiques Roadshow" announced the cities it will
visit this summer. Tour destinations are: Boston, MA, June 9; Myrtle
Beach, SC, June 23; Rapid City, SD, July 14; Cincinnati, OH, July 21;
Corpus Christi, TX, August 4; Seattle, WA, August 18. Start scouring
your attics! Veteran television personality Mark L. Walberg continues to
serve as the series host. In each hour-long episode, specialists from
the country's leading auction houses and independent dealers from across
the nation offer free appraisals of antiques and collectibles. Admission
to "Antiques Roadshow" is free but tickets are required. Check the
website for details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KOVEL'S BUSINESS DIRECTORY
http://tinyurl.com/FreeBizDirectory

List yourself for free in this Antiques & Collectibles Business
Directory if your business, publication or club offers a service for
collectors. Just click on “Create a Listing” at the above website and
get started. Or, if you are looking for something, you can browse by
category or search by keyword.

Related:
Club Directory
http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/clubs.cgi

This directory lists over 2300 clubs related to antiques and
collectibles. You can search search name, website name, type or
description.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RODENT PROGNOSTICATES FOR 126 YEARS
http://www.groundhog.org

February 2 brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year—and the
only one led by a rodent. Groundhog Day Celebration 2012 is Thursday at
Gobbler's Knob, near Punxsutawney, PA. Punxsutawney Phil has been
"predicting" the weather for 126 years. Tradition states that one must
observe a groundhog's burrow on this day. If the groundhog emerges and
fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon
end; however, if the groundhog sees its shadow because the weather is
bright and clear, it will be frightened and run back into its hole and
the winter will continue for six more weeks. Our fingers are crossed for
a good report from our favorite forecaster!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VALENTINE ITEMS AT AUCTION
http://tinyurl.com/GoodwillValentine

Surprise your loved one with a vintage bracelet, heart flutes, porcelain
trinket box or a heart charm bracelet. Check out the "Love is in the
Air" section at this auction owned and operated by the nonprofit
Goodwill. They offer a wide array of antiques and collectibles as well
as new and nearly new items pulled from participating Goodwill
inventory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ROMAN BROTHEL TOKEN
http://tinyurl.com/RomanBrothelToken

The Museum of London is displaying a coin found by the River Thames that
may have been used nearly 2,000 years ago as a "brothel token" in Roman
London. The bronze coin shows a man and woman in an intimate embrace.
Experts believe the coin was concealed by mud along the river banks for
some 2,000 years before it was discovered recently by a man with a metal
detector. The token is on display at the Museum of London until April
2012.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NECCO CONVERSATION HEARTS

Each February, as Valentine's Day draws near, we've always given updated
information in the newsletter on those iconic heart shaped candies which
the Necco (New England Confectionery Company) has produced since 1866.
For decades, the company has yearly added new short sayings to its
ever-growing list of "sweet nothings" on its Sweethearts Conversation
Hearts, intended to woo sweethearts and coax a smile from friends. This
year an extensive search and even an email to Necco left us with
absolutely no information as to the new sayings added for 2012. So, if
you're tired of this same old confection anyway but long for the
nostalgic, quirky sayings, you can make your own conversation heart at
the ACME Heart Maker.

http://www.acme.com/heartmaker

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

[McCIoud]

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