Underwater Stamps to be Released ... Underwater!

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_081.htm

MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Creatures of central California's kelp forest will swim into the nation's mail stream when SCUBA divers unveil the Nature of America: Kelp Forest collectible souvenir sheet stamps and stamped postal cards to launch National Stamp Collecting Month tomorrow.

The underwater unveiling airs live on streaming video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Kelp Forest Exhibit on October 1 at 8:30 a.m. PT when all 25 million stamps and stamped postal cards go on sale nationwide. Media can download broadcast quality B-roll of the event from this link on Oct. 1 at noon PT/3 p.m. ET October 1.

"Tomorrow we celebrate the beginning of National Stamp Collecting Month, one of the world's most popular hobbies," said U.S. Postal Service Board of Governor member Mickey D. Barnett, who will dedicate the stamps. "Stamps are fun and educational tools that highlight the American experience. They commemorate America's heroes, leaders, inventors and artists and honor our ideals and achievements. They also pay homage to the land we love and the great diversity and natural beauty of our country.

Ten years ago the Postal Service began a new series dedicated to the unique ecosystems across our nation. The Kelp Forest set -- the 11th in our Nature of America series -- not only highlights the complexity of the kelp forest as an ecosystem, but also captures the incredible beauty of this remarkable undersea wonderland."

Joining Barnett in dedicating the stamps will be Monterey Bay Aquarium Managing Director Jim Hekkers, Nature of America stamp series artist John Dawson and Monterey Bay Aquarium Guest Program Assistant Manager Traci Reid. Aquarium volunteer SCUBA divers Scott Chapman and Chad King, Web Developer and Research Specialist, respectively, of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, will unveil the stamps underwater inside the kelp forest exhibit.

"We are excited that the United States Postal Service is highlighting this important ecosystem in its collectible stamp series," said Hekkers. "It is meaningful to unveil it in October, which marks the Monterey Bay Aquarium's 25th anniversary, and in our signature Kelp Forest exhibit, as our mission is to inspire conservation of the oceans."

Dawson, of Hilo, HI, created the artwork for the entire Nature of America series under the direction of art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD. Previous issuances were Sonoran Desert (1999), Pacific Coast Rain Forest (2000), Great Plains Prairie (2001), Longleaf Pine Forest (2002), Arctic Tundra (2003), Pacific Coral Reef (2004), Northeast Deciduous Forest (2005), Southern Florida Wetland (2006), Alpine Tundra (2007) and Great Lakes Dunes (2008).

To illustrate the biodiversity of a kelp forest, Dawson depicted 27 species in his colorful acrylic painting. The scene itself is imaginary as a dense grouping of creatures was necessary to illustrate as many species as possible on the stamp sheet. Even so, all of the species could be encountered at or near the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the area featured on the pane. All of the species and their interactions are appropriate and were recommended by scientists. A description of the kelp forest and a numbered key to the artwork appear on the back of the stamp pane, along with a corresponding list of common and scientific names for 27 selected species

National Stamp Collecting Month: Connecting Students to Stamps

In connection with October as National Stamp Collecting Month, the Postal Service has forged a community partnership -- Community Connection -- that contributes to the school improvement plans of elementary school teachers nationwide.

Community Connection provides schools with the resources of 32,700 area Post Offices, the country's largest and most extraordinary archive of American history and culture, and exciting new cross-curricular tools for teaching through stamps and other curriculum-connected classroom tools designed for primary grade implementation in the 2009-2010 school year.

First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, or at the Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes, to themselves or others, and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Nature of America: Kelp Forest Stamp

Postmaster

565 Hartnell Street

Monterey, CA 93940-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by Dec. 2, 2009.

How to Order First-Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

Information Fulfillment

Dept. 6270

U.S. Postal Service

PO Box 219014

Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

There are six philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

464062, First-Day Cover Full Sheet, $6.90.

464064, Cancelled Full Sheet, $6.90.

464066/896900, Oversized Premium Stamped Cards, $8.95.

464084, Uncut Press Sheet, $35.20.

464091, Ceremony Program with 10 stamps, $6.95.

464093, First Day Cover Keepsake Full Pane/Cancelled Sheet, $11.30.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. To learn about the history of the Postal Service visit the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum: www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

The $100,000 dollar bill is actually not a dollar bill at all, it’s a gold certificate. What’s a gold certificate? Well a gold certificate is money that the government prints that only they can own and use. It is intended for only the use in Fiscal Channels. They were never issued or used for general circulation. This specific gold certificate was printed in 1934 and has the 28th president, Woodrow Wilson’s portrait on it. There were only 42,000 $100,000 dollar certificates printed and the only ones around today are not for sale and are used for educational purposes only. The few remaining undestroyed $100,000 certificates are institutionalized today and may be seen only in some museums.

http://purpleslinky.com/offbeat/500-to-1000-to-10000-and-beyond-the-biggest-dollar-bills-in-united-states-history/

The $10,000 dollar bill was the largest of all dollar bills that was printed and circulated in the American general public. This specific dollar bill was printed in 1934 and contains the portrait of U.S. Treasury Secretary Chase printed on it. These bills were also recalled in 1969 and very few are still around today. The $10,000 dollar bill is also a collectible and can be bought online. But don’t expect one of these babies to come cheap, be ready to leave a dent in your wallet and fork out over 10 grand. If I were I wouldn’t spend one of these in a store. These bills would only be for the hardcore collectors.

http://purpleslinky.com/offbeat/500-to-1000-to-10000-and-beyond-the-biggest-dollar-bills-in-united-states-history/

The United States government also printed a $5,000 dollar bill which circulated in the American general public until 1969 when it was recalled. This specific $5,000 dollar bill was printed in 1934 and contains the portrait of the fourth president of the United States James Madison printed on it. There are less then five hundred $5,000 bills remaining in the world and if you are looking to buy one, check online. This site has very many old dollar bills that are for sale and is a dream website for any modern day collector.

http://purpleslinky.com/offbeat/500-to-1000-to-10000-and-beyond-the-biggest-dollar-bills-in-united-states-history/

The United States government also printed $1,000 dollar bills which circulated in the American general public. This specific $1,000 dollar bill was printed in 1928 and has the portrait of the twenty-fourth president Grover Cleveland printed on. The $1,000 dollar bills are also collectors’ items and can be found for sale online. The 1,000 dollar bill and all bills over $100 were printed until 1946 before they were discontinued. They then were then allowed to circulate in the general public until 1969 were they were recalled. The only remaining $1,000 dollar bills are the ones that were not turned in on the recall. There are very few bills left and are all worth thousands of dollars.

http://purpleslinky.com/offbeat/500-to-1000-to-10000-and-beyond-the-biggest-dollar-bills-in-united-states-history/

June 05, 2009

BOSTON— Skinner, one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, announced its recent sale of Fine Judaica – held in its Boston gallery May 21 – was a tremendous success, more than tripling the presale estimate and grossing more than $1.2 million for just over 200 lots of antique and artisan Judaica.

The top lot in the sale was a rare and important silver and silver gilt Synagogue Ark-form Hanukkah Lamp, originating in Brody (Galicia), and dated 1787. Auctioned for an astounding $314,000 (including buyer’s premium), against a presale estimate of $60,000-$80,000, this lot and 50 others in the auction were formerly in the Salomon collection, and not seen in the marketplace since sold at auction at the Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York in 1949. From the late 1920s through the 1940s the lamp was illustrated in numerous books, publications and articles.

"The success of this lot demonstrates that exceptional and rare material presented at auction finds a very strong bidding audience in any economy, notes Kerry Shrives, Skinner's Director of Fine Judaica, “but this is especially true in more turbulent times as people turn to tangibles as a hedge against uncertain financial markets.” Shrives adds, “Collectors are always in search of material that is fresh-to-the-marketplace and has great provenance. The robust prices overall at this auction reflect that sentiment."

Other lots that brought big prices include: a Russian silver Temple-form Hanukkah Lamp from Kiev estimated at $10,000-$15,000, but sold for $189,600; a Polish silver Hanukkah Lamp from the early 19th century estimated at $12,000-$18,000, went for $142,200; and a Polish Torah Crown, probably circa 1840, sold for $65,175 well over its $10,000-$15,000 estimate.

Broadly described as the material culture of the Jewish people, Judaica objects have cultural or religious significance, whether made for the marketplace or for the synagogue. Skinner’s department director Kerry Shrives is the only Judaica expert on the PBS-TV series Antiques Roadshow, and Skinner is the only auction house outside of New York to specialize in Judaica.

For more information, visit Skinner’s Web site at www.skinnerinc.com.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/314K_lamp_in_skinner_fine_judaica_auction/

June 10, 2009
by Eric Bradley

DENVER—In 1974 an ad in Antique Trader magazine launched a 35 year tradition for hundreds of Coca-Cola collectors. That’s when collector Bob Buffaloe took a gamble on his hunch that there were more people who felt the red and while Spenserian script meant more than just a brand on a can.

The Coca-Cola Collectors Club was born.

This year members will gather in Denver June 28-July 4 in the Hyatt Regency Tech Center, 7800 East Tufts Avenue, Denver. The annual convention regularly transforms hallways of hotel rooms into mini “Coca-Cola stores” where attendees may buy and sell collectibles. The history of the world’s most well-known product will be represented in collections including everything from current promotional items to calendars, signs and advertising displays dating back to 1886.

“I save my money all year long to buy certain things,” Hilda King, the club’s publications director told Antique Trader magazine. “We are continually getting applications daily. We will certainly hit 1,000 [participants] and we have people coming from Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Australia.”

There is no shortage of material to buy, sell or trade at this convention. Coca-Cola is regarded as one of the original pioneers in marketing and advertising and the quantity and quality of items produced to promote the brand is staggering. Premiums and giveaways were one of the preferred methods Coca-Cola used to sell its soft drinks. Calendars, trays, glasses were given to consumers and soda fountain owners were given ceramic syrup urns based on how much syrup they sold.

Another marketing method Coke used was hiring top artists of the era to produce culture-defining marketing campaigns. Artists with names such as Rockwell, Sundblom, Elvgren and Wyeth created works of art that became major pieces of American history and define, among other things, the image of Santa Clause as we know it today, King said.

As Coca-Cola increased the number of items featuring its logo, interest between drink lovers and collectors increased.

Until 1975, the year of the club’s first meeting, collectors could only meet at special swap meets in Memphis, Tenn., to talk Coke. As collecting became a serious hobby, Coca-Cola supported its fans by releasing a series of reproductions of earlier advertising trays. That helped spark a rise in nostalgia and fuel talk of a formal club to support the hobby.

Today this organization is still run by its members. The club publishes a monthly newsletter and its local chapters sponsor regular meetings and events throughout the country.

Annual conventions are full of activities for both veterans and novice collectors. Room-hopping is an unique tradition which allows members to roam the halls between scheduled events. Other highlights are silent and regular auctions, seminars, banquets, the trading center and the club store. Younger collectors participate in a scavenger hunt.

“I’ve seen things sell for a few dollars and I’ve seen them go for thousands of dollars,” said Dennis Bardin, one of the event’s organizers.

Most events are restricted to club members; however a large swap meet is free to the public. The swap meet is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 4. Several experts are available for appraisals.

For more information about joining the Coca-Cola Collectors Club or its annual convention, visit www.cocacolaclub.org or contact Hilda King at 407-814-7430 or at theccccnewsletter@yahoo.com.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/coke_collectors_club_celebrates_35_years/

June 14, 2009

FREDERICK, Md. – A realistically carved circa-1910 Looff “jumper” carousel horse with a ruffled mane and patriotic symbols on its saddle crossed the finish line in first place at Mosby & Co’s May 15 auction premiere. The 63-inch-long figure, with real horsehair tail and a custom-made, wheeled platform left the gate with a $5,000 bid and closed at $8,525 in the 10-day phone, mail and Internet auction. All prices quoted are inclusive of a 10 percent buyer’s premium.

“I expected the Looff horse to be our top lot,” said Mosby & Co.’s owner, Keith Spurgeon, “but there were some very strong prices on prewar Japanese and German toys as well. An Issmayer penny toy paddleboat that had a minimum bid of $275 ended up selling for $3,300. There were two very serious bidders competing for it.”

The 4 1/4-inch-long Issmayer boat was unusual in that it was of hand-painted brass rather than the usual tin seen in penny toys, and it had both a male and female passenger, spinning side wheels, and its original box.

Japanese celluloid toys made prior to World War II brought outstanding prices. A 9-inch-tall Betty Boop with molded blond hair, separately crafted red hoop earrings, and original fur ruff wrapped around her neck sold to a Singapore museum for $2,805. The same buyer purchased a mint/boxed celluloid wind-up toy known as Kojin-Butsu, or “Mr. Big Head.” Manufactured in 1930, the red, white and blue-costumed character was created as an unflattering satirical depiction of an American. The 9 1/4-inch toy, which was in perfect working order, hammered $3,191.

Among the prewar Japanese toys combining celluloid and tin, two were standouts. A whimsical Kuromachi Uncle Wiggily Crazy Car in excellent-plus condition made $3,630, and will join Betty Boop and Kojin-Butsu in a Singapore museum. A scarce circa-1935 celluloid boy with goggles driving a steerable, tinplate open car rode off to a new U.S.-based owner for $1,815.

A selection of monster, superhero and Big Daddy Ed Roth Rat Fink kits found no shortage of interested bidders. The same collector snapped up three lots of 1963 Roth creations, including several Rat Finks and a Drag Nut, for $666. Another American buyer paid $1,760 for a 1963 Aurora Superman model still sealed in its box with original cellophane. A rare 1964 boxed Gigantic Frankenstein model kit was another overachiever, settling at $1,320.

A large single-owner collection of carnival sideshow banners had been consigned, and according to Spurgeon, they attracted more phone queries than anything else in the sale. A racy circa-1940 depiction of a nude woman dancing in the desert with a skeleton, emblazoned “Dance of Death,” led the banner group at $3,355. Another oddity, a 48-inch-square banner featuring “Lady Viola the Tattooed Woman” ended its bidding run at $963.

Antique and vintage board games included McLoughlin Bros.’ 1892 Parlor Football Game, which scored a closing bid of $688; and an even earlier (circa-1850s) McLoughlin Yankee Pedlar game with Uncle Sam theme that sold for $390.

A small but select grouping of art glass lamps was not overlooked amid the colorful toys and collectibles. A dealer in Florida paid $2,805 for a circa-1913 Handel reverse-painted boudoir lamp with seascape shade, while a Connecticut dealer secured a Richard Runge-designed reverse-painted Handel table lamp with Teroma (“chipped ice”) glass shade for $4,500.

“Regardless of the category, the best items consistently drew the most interest and sold for the most money,” said Spurgeon. “We had bidders participating from all over Europe and Japan, in addition to Singapore and the United States. It was our first sale, and we’ll be working very hard to make sure our next event, which will be in November, is even more exciting. We have some very nice Americana lots lined up, included an important 36-star American Flag made around 1865.”

To contact Keith Spurgeon, call Mosby & Co. at 781-771-3998 or e-mail keith@mosbyauctions.com. View the entire May auction catalog with prices realized at www.mosbyauctions.com.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/Mosby_and_co_auction_debut_coverage/

June 24, 2009

NEW YORK—An October 1864 letter from Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant was the star of Swann Galleries’ April 23 autograph auction, reaching $57,600. In the letter, Lee proposed a prisoner-of-war exchange in a man-for-man deal, but ultimately withdrew his offer, as he refused to include black soldiers in the exchange.

The auction had an 85 percent sell-through rate and a total that landed squarely between the high and low estimates for the entire auction. Marco Tomaschett, Autographs Cataloguer, said, “This sale demonstrated that autographs retain value despite economic shifts. The prices and sell-through rate are comparable to previous auctions that took place in the best of economic climates.”

Among many examples of autographs by U.S. presidents were a George Washington franking signature, “G:Washington,” on a portion of an address leaf to “Hon Doct’r Franklin” in Philadelphia, $12,000; an autograph letter by Thomas Jefferson, as Secretary of State, to William Short, American Charge d’Affaires to France, Philadelphia, 1791, $13,200; and an ALS from Theodore Roosevelt to a Harvard classmate, discussing his New York State Assembly nomination, and expressing doubts about his ability to succeed in politics, New York, circa 1881, $16,800.

A notorious 20th-century artifact was a complete copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune from Nov. 3, 1948, with the premature headline “Dewey Defeats Truman,” signed by both presidential candidates, and inscribed by the winner, “Truman hasn’t found it out,” $10,200.

Autographs of other notable 20th century figures included “Annie Oakley, A Brief Sketch of Her Career and Notes on Shooting,” 1913, signed by the sharpshooting superstar, $4,320, against an estimate of $700 to $1,000; and a photograph of Thomas Edison and his wife that he inscribed, “To our darling daughter Madeleine, Father and Mother,” $1,560.

Authors were represented by an autograph letter signed from Herman Melville to the Secretary of the American Legation at London, requesting that he deliver a manuscript to his publisher, 1849, $15,600; a collection of more than 50 letters to D.H. Lawrence biographer Harry T. Moore, from members of Lawrence’s family, and others, 1944-1970s, $3,840; and a typed letter signed, with holograph corrections, from Thomas Pynchon to Charles Hollander refusing permission to publish some of his early stories, 1981, $14,400.

Autographs from noted artists and musicians included an autograph letter signed by Grandma Moses, remarking on the increasing popularity of her work, Eagle Bridge, New York, 1940, $2,880; and a signed portrait photograph of Marcel Duchamp, circa 1964, $3,360. All prices include 20 percent buyer’s premium.

For more information visit www.swanngalleries.com.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/Letter_from_grant_to_lee_earns_top_auction_honors/

July 01, 2009
by Eric Bradley

As fans reeled with news of Michael Jackson’s unexpected death June 25, collectors and speculators watched a spike in prices for memorabilia and collectibles draw new items to market and prompt a warning from experts to beware of fake autographs.

The speed with which dealers posted Jackson memorabilia spoke to the power of the Internet, with eBay, TIAS and private online collectibles Web sites all seeing new Jackson items listed within days after the death. Within just 24 hours after the death of the King of Pop, nearly 26,000 results for Michael Jackson could be found on eBay.

Nostalgia fans were searching for more.

Michael Jackson dolls from the 1980s, the pinnacle of the entertainer’s career, were attracting bids despite a seemingly ample supply. A boxed Michael Jackson doll dressed in the “Beat It” costume had received 27 bids, pushing the winning bid to $305. A like doll wearing the costume like the one Michael appeared in at the 1984 American Music Awards had received 15 bids going to $530. Both dolls remained sealed in the original packaging marked “MJJ Productions Inc.”

One week before his death Jackson items languished on eBay.

A pair of lightly used L.A. Gear Michael Jackson buckle and lace shoes from the 1980s sold for only $38.99, even though the seller noted that others had been listed on eBay for $600. The bargain-priced pair came with no box or hang tags.

In London, jersey-style T-shirts picturing a Michael silkscreen and “Thriller” on the front failed to get opening bids of $12.99 before his death, but were selling for as much as $220 apiece afterward.

A scarce Michael Jackson View-Master Gift Set from 1984 that contained a 3-D viewer, three reels, and a white glove decorated with glitter and his name sold for only $39.99 on June 20. A single pack of View-Master reels listed on June 29 sported a sales price of $159.99.

The April 29, 1971, issue of Rolling Stone that pictured an 11-year-old Michael on the cover sold for $102.50 with 21 bids. The Feb. 17, 1983, issue of Rolling Stone pictured Jackson on the cover with the headline, “Life as a Man.” It sold for $50. The March 31, 1977, issue of Jet magazine with a picture of Michael in a recording studio and the headline, “Michael Jackson: A Young Bachelor Married to His Music,” sold for $127.50. A September 1984 Life magazine in near-mint condition featuring Michael dancing on the cover and 12 pages inside devoted to his concert tour sold for $44.

A red jacket modeled after the one Michael wore in the Thriller video had jumped to $560 with 5 1/2 hours left in the bidding. The lightly worn jacket had a Phoenix brand label and was size small. It had a polyurethane shell, and polyester lining. The seller said she bought it in 1983 for her daughter, who seldom wore it. A similar jacket failed to garner a starting bid of $100 early in the week. The seller from Tennessee prophetically wrote, “This jacket will definitely be worth a lot whenever Michael Jackson’s time ends on this earth.”

Gary Sohmers, the self-described King of Pop Culture who appears as an appraiser on the PBS TV program “Antiques Roadshow,” told Antique Trader magazine he does not put much credence in sales results of “completed items” on eBay. That’s because it is impossible to verifying if the an item actually sold and if it was real.

“An accurate reading was Julien’s Auctions sale Friday night in Las Vegas. Twenty-one Michael Jackson items from David Gest’s collection, which had a total estimate of $6,000, sold for $205,000,” said Sohmers.

“The Michael Jackson items that are going to become valuable are the Jackson Five material from 1968 to 1972 or ’73,” said Sohmers. Albums in close to mint condition will be worth around $30; 45rpm singles will remain $1 or $2 apiece, but 45 picture sleeves will be worth $10 to $20 apiece. Big-ticket items will be authentic concert posters and stage costumes.

The Julien’s Auction sale was scheduled for months but coincidently was held the day after Jackson’s death. The sale saw bidders pay $25,000 for a painting of Mickey Mouse Jackson did as a child and a crystal-studded shirt from his 1984 Victory tour sold for $52,500, ahead of its $1,000-$1,500 sales estimate.

Collectibles featuring the King of Pop were mass-produced and mass marketed similar to his music. The brand building that took place in the early ‘80s sparked a Jackson memorabilia craze that, at the time, satisfied collector’s appetite. More than 20 years later, the secondary market is so packed with merchandise that pieces turn up frequently at flea markets, rummage sales and swap meets.

“If you were a Michael Jackson fan in the ‘80s you could have everything you ever wanted – and there was more that you didn’t,” says Rich Spidle, owner of Spidle’s Collectibles of Mechanicsburg, Pa. “We see a lot of Esquire magazines, albums, key chain fobs – you name it.”

One collectible Spidle said should gain in value is the relatively unknown Jackson Halloween costumes produced about 25 years ago. However, items are considered too “new” to be seen at major shows such as the Atlantique City Antiques & Collectibles Show at which Spidle exhibits every year. Spidle said celebrity deaths tend to bring out speculator-like buying habits.

“In 20 years people are going to horde this stuff like the Kennedy assassination newspapers,” he said. “There’s a ton of it because everyone kept it. Unfortunately, it’s worthless – nobody wants it.”

The auction site eBay was the single largest repository for Jackson items to be found on the Net. Numerous Michael Jackson autographs were listed and some were bringing incredible prices. A Boston autograph dealer sold an 11-by-14-inch concert photo signed by Jackson for an asking price of $1,495. A special edition Thriller CD that Michael Jackson autographed for a fan he encountered at a Sam Goody music store in Indianapolis about five years ago sold for the “buy it now price” of $999.99
Several new electric guitars reportedly autographed by Michael were listed with one example having a high bid of $3,999. The seller claimed the signature was authenticated by PSA/DNA.

“This happens every time a famous Hollywood, sports or political celebrity passes away,” said Joe Orlando, President PSA/DNA Authentication Services, the world’s largest autograph and memorabilia authentication company. “Online auctions and flea markets are suddenly filled with spurious signatures, and frankly many collectors don’t know exactly what they’re buying.”

Orlando also cautioned that autograph buyers might not have adequate consumer protection even if the signature is accompanied by what appears to be a certificate of authenticity. “While Michael Jackson certainly was popular, he usually didn’t offer fans frequent autograph access like some other celebrities,” he said. “So, there simply are not as many Jackson autographs as there are of other contemporary mega-stars.” Orlando warned collectors who purchase autographs or memorabilia should know the reputation of the seller and the reputation and expertise of the authenticators. A certificate or letter of authenticity is only as strong as the name behind it, Orlando said.

Within four days after his death, autographpros.com listed three Michael Jackson autographed guitars on TIAS.com, the Web’s virtual antique mall. The guitars, authenticated though a third party and accompanied by photographs, range in value from $2,995 to $5,123.75.

An item often listed was Jackson’s 1982 Thriller, the best-selling album of all time. Examples in complete, near-mint condition were selling from $70 up to an incredible $500. From Motown Records in 1970, the Jackson Five album ABC reached $51.

Toy collectibles were in high supply. A Bubbles the Chimp stuffed toy from the Michael’s Pets line made by Ideal Toy Co. in 1987, sold for $105.50 on the 13th bid. The scarce toy was still with its original box and song cassette tape. Also in the original box, Cool Bear sold for $60.89, Muscles the Snake made $26 and Jeannine the Ostrich sold for only $21.50.

Three pinback buttons, two picturing Michael in the 1980s and the other proclaiming, “I love (heart) Michael Jackson,” received 16 bids climbing to $41.

A box of 1984 Michael Jackson trading cards with all 36 unopened packs of cards, stickers and bubble gum brought $150. The pink box has Michael’s picture on the top. A 1991 Michael Jackson Hollywood Walk of Fame trading card had 17 bids before selling for $50. An identical card sold a minute later for $45. A week earlier packs of 1984 Michael Jackson photo cards and stickers sealed in original packaging did not attain their $4.99 starting bids.

One of the strangest items on eBay was a slice of toast bearing what the seller from Florida claimed was an image of Michael Jackson’s face. Apparently no one else saw the likeness because it failed to garner a $5 starting bid. However, a Cheeto snack the seller thought resembled Michael Jackson’s famous moonwalk moves found a buyer for $35.18 ... plus shipping.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/michael_jackson_death_sparks_surge_in_prices/

July 01, 2009

MILL VALLEY, Calif. – Antiques and Collectibles are not only nostalgic, but a green way to decorate. Mark your calendar for The Marin County Antique Show Aug. 22-23.

Have you thought about shopping for those home and gift items as you also recycle? You can shop “green” by purchasing existing goods. It reduces fuel oil, new manufacturing waste, and conserves our natural resources and environment. Another benefit of purchasing antiques and vintage items is that you can often find great quality items at reasonable prices, plus antiques often increase in value over time.

The Marin County Antique Show on Aug. 22-23 features the finest in antiques and collectibles, with something for every collector.

Create a unique home environment with one-of-a-kind treasures from the past, including beautiful antique china, silver, glass, porcelain, pottery, and linens. Design a special look for your home with antique pieces, decorate with elegant furniture, shop for gifts for family and friends, or add to your own collection. This show offers two days of great shopping for collectors, decorators, and antique lovers.

Highlights include fine art, vintage and estate jewelry, Asian art, watches and clocks, books, photographs, postcards, posters and prints. Fine selections of Bakelite jewelry, ancient artifacts, coins, vintage toys and dolls, Native American and Western art, kitchen collectibles, vintage clothing, and decorative arts are among the treasures at this show.

Free appraisals will be offered. Porcelain and glass repair is also available.

Contact Golden Gate Shows at 415-383-2252. For more information, or a discount coupon good for $1 off the admission price, go to www.goldengateshows.com.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/going_green-with_antiques_at_marin_co_antique_show/

July 08, 2009

CHICAGO - Two revealing letters from gay rights advocate Harvey Milk, set to cross the block July 28 at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, are breaking news across the nation.

Among the news outlets covering the upcoming auction include MSNBC, Chicago NOW, Windy City Times and the San Francisco Citizen. The letters show Milk suspected he was about to be discharged from the U.S. Navy for being gay. Milk became the first openly gay man to hold public office in the state of California. He was assasinated in 1978. Sean Penn won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Actor for portraying Milk in the self-titled movie.

The letters were sent in the mid-1950s to Milk’s friend Patrick Mormon. Milk joined the Navy during the Korean War and served aboard the submarine rescue ship WSS Kittiwake as a diving officer. in 1955, he was discharged for undisclosed reasons.

The first of two letters sheds light on the history of his discharge and the ethics of outing homosexuals in the 1950s for young gay men in the Navy. The second letter discussed Milk’s intentions to be “marry” an unnamed lover.

The letters are estimated to bring between $2,000 to $4,000 during Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Fine Books and Manuscripts auction, 1338 W Lake St.

The letters will be on display July 26-27. A catalog is available at www.LeslieHindman.com.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/milks_letters_making_big_news/

July 15, 2009

NEWTON, Mass. – Jordan’s Furniture CEO Eliot Tatelman was the high bidder at a June 18 auction of the iconic Historic Enchanted Village holiday display from Boston’s Jordan Marsh department store. The 8,000 square feet worth of Bostonian childhood memories included mechanical figures, accessory items and stuffed animals. Generations of New Englanders grew to cherish visiting Historic Enchanted Village, making the pilgrimage one of their most beloved holiday traditions.

Stanley J. Paine Auctioneers conducted the auction sale live and online for the City of Boston, offering the Enchanted Village only in its entirety. Paine had seven registered bidders who ponied up a $25,000 deposit, and he banged the gavel at $161,000 including a 15 percent buyer’s premium. Tatelman said after the auction that he would recreate the display in his Avon, Mass., furniture store.

The entire assembly was stuffed away in crates in 2006 after decades on exhibit at Jordan Marsh in downtown Boston and later at City Hall Plaza.

In the 1930s, David Callahan, a buyer and vice president of the department store, negotiated with toy makers in Bavaria to bring a handmade electromechanical animated figures and items to Boston, which comprised the famous Historic Enchanted Village.

It was an animated re-creation of a holiday scene in a colonial New England town. The scene included adult figures, 75 children, 75 bears, and other animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. The average size of each lifelike figure was 4 feet 8 inches.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/famous_mechanized_holiday_scene_sold_for_161K/

July 15, 2009
by Melody Amsel-Arieli

It’s not often that burial caves and graves are discovered while digging the foundation for an archaeological museum. But in Jerusalem, it’s not surprising. This area, which from Biblical days lies outside Jerusalem’s city walls, was reserved for burials.

Today some of their funerary Roman and Byzantine pottery, coins, and jewelry are displayed upstairs, in the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum.

The Rockefeller, financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and opened in 1938, is located near Herod’s gate, just outside the walled Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. Its landmark architecture, fashioned from striking white limestone, combines elements of both the East and West, as does the country itself. Spacious exhibition halls illuminated by high, rectangular windows and featuring domed, vaulted ceilings, recall European cathedrals. A peaceful garden courtyard, tucked inside, featuring a rectangular pool, a spouting gargoyle, and an exquisite blue-tiled Islamic-style niche, reflects its Middle Eastern surroundings. This area also includes 10 picturesque stone bas-reliefs, one for each of the cultures that have influenced this corner of the world.

The Rockefeller displays extraordinary archaeological finds from Jerusalem, Jericho, Megiddo, Samaria, Ashkelon, Acre, and the Galilee that were discovered between 1920 and 1940. Most are pottery, tools, and household tools, and all are arranged in chronological order. Visitors, in the course of an hour or so, can stroll through one and a half million years of human history, from the Stone Age through the 18th century. Yet few do.

Some, in this city rich with museums, simply overlook this architectural jewel in favor of others. Some hesitate to brave its location, smack dab in Arab East Jerusalem. Others cite its small size, staid atmosphere, and old-fashioned rectangular display cases, unchanged since its beginnings. Yet the Rockefeller’s serenity, combined with an absence of crowds, allows for leisurely contemplation of long gone—yet achingly familiar—lives.

Who can view a Late Stone Age man, his head garlanded with a funereal band made of shells, without imagining the moment when they were wound round his brow? Who can view red-orange necklaces of carnelian beads, known in ancient times as “the blood of the goddess Isis,” without imagining the women who wore them?

Yet not all is left to the imagination. Jerusalem’s Israel Museum, which manages the Rockefeller, organizes shuttle service and bi-weekly guided tours. Presented by those in the know, even artifacts that are merely identified by number, as many here are, come to life.

A clay ossuary, a final resting place for human bones improbably featuring a gaping mouth, eyes, and a sharpened nose, heralds discussions about 4000 BC burial practice. Golden bracelets, part of a treasure trove stashed hurriedly beneath a floor as its owners fled three millennia ago, glitter like new.

A patched clay bathtub, similar to those we use today, turns out to be an ancient burial receptacle, a sarcophagus. A single marbled foot, forever severed from its towering, nameless body, mutely dramatizes the Roman conquest of nearby Ashkelon. A handful of decorative silver and bronze fibula, straight-pin-type brooches people once used to fasten their clothing, pinpoint more questions than answers.

An ancient game board, complete with triangular gemstone pawns and massive rolling dice, resembles senet, a similar game unearthed in Egypt. But another, a mysterious viol-shaped ivory board studded with cribbage-like holes from Megiddo, offers no clues to its past.

Remains of Hisham’s 8th century Winter Palace, however, which was discovered near ancient Jericho, speak volumes.

Though abandoned after a massive earthquake, decorative fragments of the caliph’s bathhouse survive intact. A bevy of charming, painted quails parade past an Arabesque window. A party of elaborately carved, painted three-dimensional stucco barely-clad human figures unique in Islamic Art, some perhaps of the fun-loving caliph himself, frolic as of old. A circle of plump cherubs, once doming the palace reception hall but today safely ensconced upon the floor, smile up at bemused visitors.

The Rockefeller’s broad sweep of human history, according to curator Fawzi Ibrahim, naturally reflects the region’s three great monotheistic religions. He cites the Museum’s Crusader-era lintels, carved marble swaths depicting scenes from the life of Jesus from the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the cedar panels from the original 8th century al Aqsa Mosque.

Ibrahim also cites a 6th century synagogue mosaic floor discovered in Biblical Ein Gedi, an oasis once renowned for its unique balsam perfume industry. It features a warning in Judeo-Aramaic, inscribed in stone: anyone who neglects his family, provokes conflict, steals property, slanders his friends, or reveals the secret of Ein Gedi’s balsam is cursed.

The Rockefeller Museum, located on Sultan Suliman St., in Jerusalem, is open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

While private visits are free, guided tours (in Hebrew or English) through pre-registration with the Israel Museum, at telephone number 972-670-8811, are available twice weekly for a fee.

Visitors arriving in winter are advised to wear warm clothes, as the Museum is not heated.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/The_rockefeller_protects_israeli_antiquities/

July 15, 2009

Q: I found this interesting glass box at a garage sale for $40. It has no marks or signature. It is 8 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches.
Did I pay too much?
— L.S., Davie, Fla.

A: Even without a signature your box was made by Tiffany studios. Produced from 1898 through the 1920’s, inkwells, letter racks, book ends, etc. came in 24 different patterns and various patinations. Some pieces and patterns were produced for only a short time making them quite rare today. Your example is in bronze in the pine needle pattern over green and white glass. It could have been part of a desk set and is in a well known Tiffany pattern. Similar examples have sold at auction for $1,000 or more.

http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/Ask_AT_40_yard_sale_find_is_1000_tiffany_box/

A personal check endorsed by Neil Armstrong on July 16th, 1969, the day Apollo 11 lifted off, was sold at a New Hampshire auction for 27-thousand-350 dollars.

The sale was completed on Thursday.

The ten-dollar-50-cent check was made out to NASA manager Harold Collins to pay back a loan. Allegedly, Armstrong told Collins not to cash it, since he planned to return to earth after his moon walk.

An engineer in California bought the memento.

Signed items by Armstrong are very rare. He stopped signing paraphernalia 15 years ago because forgers and opportunists were peddling his signature on the Internet for money.

The check's previous owner was a space memorabilia collector who got the check from Collins' son.

Reported by: RNS Newsroom Solutions
Monday, Jul 20, 2009 @08:45am CST

May 14, 2008
by: Alex

What is a mangle? You'll be forgiven if you don't know what it is: a mangle is a cast iron contraption with two wooden rollers, a spring, and a side wheel with handle. Its function is to wring clothes dry after you wash them, so obviously it's now obsolete with the invention dryers and all ...

A few years ago, Nancy Alford was in a local department store when she saw, and fell in love with, a mangle. For her sixteenth wedding anniversary, Nancy wanted (and got) - you guessed it, a mangle. Her husband thought she was mad.

Since then, she has collected so many of them that they had to build a new house (which she aptly named Mangleten) to fit all her mangles.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/05/14/neatoramas-guide-to-25-of-the-strangest-collections-on-the-web/

May 14, 2008
by: Alex

Phil Miller is a sucrologist - meaning that he collects sugar packets and sugar cube wrappers. Indeed, Phil has been collecting since 1978 when he started with the Presidents of the United States sugar packets, and he hasn't looked back since. Life must be sweet if you collect sugar packets.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/05/14/neatoramas-guide-to-25-of-the-strangest-collections-on-the-web/

Texan artist Barney Smith has an unusual choice of art medium: toilet seats! For the past 30 years, Barney had created over 700 artistically decorated toilet seat lids.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/05/14/neatoramas-guide-to-25-of-the-strangest-collections-on-the-web/

May 14, 2008
by: Alex

Dr. Douglas Arbittier collects old medical equipments, and specializes in cased surgical sets. His collection includes a lot of amputation saws, and bloodletting artifacts (leech jar, anyone?).

When you visit his website, keep what Dr. Arbittier said in mind: "be thankful you live in today's medical world.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/05/14/neatoramas-guide-to-25-of-the-strangest-collections-on-the-web/

May 14, 2008
by: Alex

If you want to collect handcuffs, then Joseph W. Lauher is your man, and handcuffs.org is the website to see. Indeed, Joseph has the largest collection of handcuffs (with focus on vintage ones), leg irons, nippers, and thumbcuffs on the Web: Link

What's a nipper and a thumbcuff? Well, a nipper is a handcuff that locks only one hand, but has a handle for keeping the cuffed person under control (Photo to the left is a 1888 nipper made by Thomas & Smith).

A thumbcuff, like its name implies, cuffs both of the person's thumbs.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/05/14/neatoramas-guide-to-25-of-the-strangest-collections-on-the-web/

May 14, 2008
by Alex

Like its name implies, the Air Sickness Bag Virtual Museum is all about vomit bags. Indeed, it catalogs more than 2,000 photos of air sickness bags from all over the world.

In addition to airplane air sickness bags, the website also has a collection of bus sickness, sea sickness, and even space sickness bags!

Though most are underwhelming in terms of design, some are actually quite artistic. Virgin Atlantic airlines even held a "Design for Chunks" project in 2004, where artists submit their designs to be put as a limited edition barf bags!

http://www.airsicknessbags.com/

By: Graham Barker

Some people gaze into their navel for inspiration: I look into mine and see navel fluff. Also known as navel lint, it is that fascinating fluffy substance that forms mysteriously in the belly buttons of special people.

I've been collecting navel fluff (just my own) since 1984, and upon learning of this, people usually ask "Why?". To this I answer "Why not?". In my mind, the worth of any collection depends on the following factors (in which my collection rates well):

Uniqueness - millions of people collect stamps and coins, but as far as I know nobody else collects navel fluff. That makes my collection unique!

Rarity - the navel fluff of Graham Barker is produced in very limited quantities by only one person and is not easily obtainable by others (not that anyone would want to).

Completeness of collection - I've been collecting my navel fluff consistently for around 20 years and have seldom missed a day's harvest. This makes my collection almost complete, a bit like having the full set of a country's currency.

Good condition of items - like uncirculated banknotes or stamps, my navel fluff is in mint condition. When harvested, I remove any body hair from the fluff then store it immediately in a jar, where it remains uncontaminated.

It was on the 17th of January 1984 that I found myself under-occupied in a youth hostel in Brisbane. The night was steamy and stormy - too wet outside and too hot inside to do very much, and my attention drifted to my belly button. There it was ... fluff! I must have seen it before that night, but this occasion was the first time I ever picked it out and wondered about it. I became curious about how much navel fluff one person could generate (enough to stuff a cushion, maybe?), and the only way to find for sure was to collect it and see. My first piece of navel fluff was stored in an empty film canister, and the collection had begun.

I've read that if you do something every day for three weeks it becomes an ingrained habit, and thats what happened with collecting navel fluff. The ritual of removing fluff from my navel and putting it in a jar prior to my daily shower soon became a habit, and now that I've been doing it so long it would take some effort to stop. As the photo shows, the volume collected is disappointingly small for such a long time, and I doubt I'll ever have enough to stuff a cushion, but it may be handy for something one day.

Michael Biesecker wrote an interesting article on navel fluff in the 19/4/95 edition of Technician, accessed via North Carolina State University library. In it he discusses the widely held belief that navel fluff forms when very tiny pieces of fibre break off the inside of clothing. These tiny fibres gather in the belly button and amalgamate into balls of lint.

He observes that the colour of navel fluff varies amongst different people, and that those who habitually wear clothes of a similar colour tend to produce fluff related to that colour. However, those who wear a variety of colours usually end up with fluff of a grayish blue colour similar to the lint found in the lint filters of clothes driers. This colour is most likely an average of all clothing colours worn.

Those with hairy stomachs tend to generate more fluff, as abdominal hair is alleged to assist with dislodging fibres from clothes then collecting and channelling them into the navel. Also those with larger bellies often experience greater volumes of fluff - possibly due the tendency of large stomachs to possess deeper navels, thus a larger space for the lint to lodge in.

But how does it accumulate in the navel? Dr Donald E. Smith remarks that navels may possess a moist and sticky secretion that catches whatever lands nearby. On the other hand, Dr Bhupendar S. Gupta, whose doctorate is in the study of textile fibers, attributes the accumulation of navel fluff to the stomach's "microclimate" - where the flow of air between clothing and the abdomen carries small lint particles that get lodged in the navel.

Probably the best investigation into navel fluff was conducted by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki of the University of Sydney. He devotes a whole chapter to it in his popular science book "Q&A With Dr K" (Harper Collins Publishers 2001). The role of abdominal hair in dislodging and channeling clothing fibers is confirmed, but he also suggests the type of washing machine can also play a role. Apparently top-loading machines are not as gentle as front-loaders, leading to greater quantities of dislodged fibres, many of which remain in the clothing and cause greater accumulation in the navel. He also found that a well developed "snail-trail" - hair connecting the pubic hair to the navel - also encourages lint in the belly.

Navels that stick out - outties - rarely collect lint. My research indicates that abdominal hairiness is the factor contributing most to lint generation, with depth of the navel coming second, so the hairier the stomach and the deeper the navel, the more lint is accumulated. Perhaps this is why navel fluff is most commonly found in amply proportioned males. Women get it too, but the numbers are fewer - most likely due to women (in general) having significantly less stomach hair than men, and generally smaller/shallower navels. I think the greater readiness of men to talk about and admit to such phenomena could also be a factor: women are more likely to find such matters distasteful!

http://www.feargod.net/fluff.html

June 28, 2009 at 1:24 PM

RALEIGH, N.C., June 28 (UPI) -- "Antiques Roadshow" appraisers valued a jade set as high as $1.07 million, the highest appraisal since the show started traversing the United States.

The collection -- jade pieces from China's Chien Lung reign from 1736-1795 -- belong to an unidentified woman who arrived early at the Saturday taping in Raleigh, N.C., of the popular PBS show, The News & Observer in Raleigh reported Sunday.

The woman told the appraiser the pieces belonged to her father, a military liaison to China in the 1930s and '40s, show officials said.

Asian art appraiser James Callahan, who examined the four pieces, said the dealer steered her father to quality items. The popular PBS series travels cross-country, helping folks assess the value of collectibles and heirlooms.

"The dealer selected very fine pieces," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."

Callahan says the value of the pieces depends on the market for them in China and that the Chinese government often wants to get such pieces back.

"Roadshow" workers said the woman's initial reaction was silence, followed by, "Damn!"

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/06/28/Roadshow-antique-appraised-at-107M/UPI-61021246209853/

It probably is not even really George Washington’s hair - but it still sold for $17,000. Four strands reportedly clipped from the first president were sold at auction Friday night to a Richmond man who declined to give his name. Colorado resident Christa Allen said her father, a Philadelphia lawyer, had given her the hair, which was pressed under glass in a locket and accompanied by a watch.

Allen told potential buyers that the hair had been handed down since it was clipped from Washington’s head. The Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pa., inspected Allen’s evidence and gave her its backing.

Jamie Bates, owner of Thompson & Riley, which auctioned the hair, had hoped it would bring at least $75,000. “I’ve never sold George Washington’s hair before; I don’t know,” Bates said before the auction. The hair is believed to have been snipped from Washington when he was briefly disinterred in 1837. I wonder if they can do a DNA test on it?

(http://allweirdnews.com)

A few years back, I acquired a very large “collection” of story papers. I make mention of this purchase because it became the catalyst of the story I now tell. Now that I had all those a story papers I wished to find out more about the writer of a particular story, “The Man in the Black Cloak,” Francis W. Doughty.

Mr. Ross Craufurd had done an article (1979) for the DNRU (Dime Novel Round Up) and was known to have Mr. Doughty’s notes as well as having a collection of dime novels of his own. Since they were last known to be in Mr. Ross Craufurd collection, it was obvious that the answer to all questions was in finding that collection.

I had hoped that the current editor of the DNRU, Mr. J. “Randy” Cox would have the answer.
Randy confirmed that Ross had died many years ago, a mystery in itself. There was no family, and no known provision for the collection that he knew of. There was a rumor that the University of Rochester (UR) may have been the recipient. UR knew nothing. Well; I guess I was sending out some kind of “vibes” because what transpired next, and in record time, is almost “eerie.”

One day on ebay, I purchased a few dime novels. I asked the seller if he had any more. He said he had and we agreed to get together at his house.
His house turned out to be about a 2 hour drive from me, a long way from Brooklyn where Mr. Craufurd last resided. On the bed there was laid out about 100 or so dime novels. Also on the bed were 3 custom slip case boxes stacked one on the other.

I went on talking about me, my collection and the items I was still searching for. I even told him about my search for Craufurd etc. He told me about himself and his collection. He then tells me that he has an additional surprise for me. Huh? Well he certainly did! He turned to the shelf behind him and pulled out one of many binders, he opened it up and there it was the name “ROSS CRAUFURD!”

It seems like Ross’s died in late ’79. On that fateful day, (actually about 3 months after) he was discovered in his house along with his pet dead cats. He had no remaining family. At least in the end he was surrounded by the things he loved in life.

On a day that would prove to be one of providence, a cleaning crew and dumpster arrived. As “fate” would have it, the man who interceded that day turned out to be a neighbor of Ross just one house removed!

For a paltry price he was allowed to go into the dumpster and pull out what he wanted. Numerous paintings, lithos, books, and bindings were taken. We have all heard that Fate works in strange ways. Such was the case here.

I looked for a resolution to the Doughty/Craufurd mystery and found answers almost too quickly with some very poignant and unexpected answers!!

Oh, the 3 gray archival slip case boxes!?


When they were released from their slip cases, there stacked one on top of the other, still bold and bright was a complete set, all 139 Issues, MINT of………….
-The James B

For over 45 years I have collected non-sports bubble gum cards and their related advertising dating from the 1930's and 1940's. One of the hardest complete sets from this era to obtain in high grade condition is a 288 card set from 1938 titled: "Horrors of War."

The "Horrors of War" set, produced in 1938 by Philadelphia-based Gum, Inc. (later named Bowman Gum Co.), produced a political furor unlike any other. Warren Bowman was the owner of Gum, Inc. and claimed that he wanted to "teach peace by exposing the horrors of war." These 288 baseball-card sized color cards, each depicting graphic & terrible scenes of war, were even utilized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a way to explain the terrors of war to the American public.

In my quest to put together an entire set I advertised in many publications and in time received a letter from a woman who claimed that she had an original "Horrors of War" BOX that the cards came in. After negotiating a price for the box, I paid her and several weeks later received in the mail the "Horrors of War" box. To my utter surprise, the "Horrors of War" BOX turned out to be the complete boxed set of the first 240 cards, in their original celephane packages, and in MINT unused condition !! When I negotiated the price with the former owner, I assumed that the box was empty and without any cards !!!!! Imagine my surprise when I first opened the package, felt the weight, and realized that it was filled with the first 240 original cards from the set.

I would later find out that the seller of the full box was the ex-wife of Warren Bowman, the owner of the bubble gum card company !! It turned out that the Bowman's son had put the set away in the 1940's and had decided to sell it when he was nearing retirement, 50 years later !!!

Nogooddeed

I collect many things and have done so for 45 of my 49 years. One of the things that I collect is Native American photography. I was always interested in pre-Curtis, 19th century albumen photos of chiefs and delegations. One item high on my hit list was a famous photograph of Geronimo talking peace with General Crook in the mid 1880's. It is a classic photograph taken by an important Tombstone, Arizona photographer named Camillus Fly.

Interesting historically because soon after the photo was taken, Geronimo changed his mind about surrender and went on the warpath again. Therefore the series of photos taken that day are amongst the very few ever taken of Indians still on the warpath. One day the image came up at an auction and I was determined to get it and indeed did get it.

I was obviously delighted with this outcome. But I wanted to celebrate in an unusual style. I went to my private library and looked through well over a dozen books containing reproductions of famous Native American photographs. Of course, I came across my new found treasure several times. As I looked at many other photos, I silently asked myself what other image would I have wanted more at that time than the one that I had just acquired. One image that I saw really caught my eye momentarily. It was of Sitting Bull, Red Cloud and another important chief with a buckskin clad interpreter.

I told myself that if I had to make a choice between the one in the book and the one that I had just purchased it would be a tough call. Later, I resumed other activities and then forgot all about both photos. Several days later, I received a phone call from a dealer in rare photography. He knew what I liked and thought that his latest acquisition would be right up my alley. It sounded great and so I made an appointment to view it later that week. I hung up the phone and then I got chills.I realized that he had just described the photo that had stuck in my head only days earlier. I would not have to make a choice. That week I got both of them.