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Mystery Antique of the Week

2010-02-10T00:32:33Z

Size: Estimated 8" - 10"
Patent Date: June 1892

Post your guesses in the comment section below.

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Last week's mystery antique.

Mystery Antique of the Week originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 00:32:33.

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Depeche Mode's Charity Auction

2010-02-09T11:28:41Z

I consider myself a watch collector, but unfortunately I have a feeling, that when the final hammer goes down, these amazing watches will be way out of my price range. At least I hope they are!

From LiveAuctioneers:
One of the most successful bands ever to come out of Britain, Depeche Mode has partnered with the Geneva watchmakers Hublot, Swiss auction house Patrizzi & Co., and LiveAuctioneers to raise funds for Britain's Teenage Cancer Trust. They've come up with a fabulous idea - auctioning 12 unique watches, custom-designed and crafted by Hublot and each featuring artwork on the face that corresponds to one of the band's 12 studio albums. Each watch is presented in a box filled with a number of other gifts personally chosen for inclusion by the band. All proceeds from the Internet-only auction, which runs through Feb. 24, will be turned over to the charity during the band's Feb. 26 concert in Dusseldorf, Germany.

View the catalog of all 12 watches up for auction.

^{LiveAuctioneers.com}

Depeche Mode's Charity Auction originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 11:28:41.

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Collecting Black Memorabilia

2010-02-08T07:11:10Z

^{(c)Bill Correll}

What exactly is Black Memorabilia? The best description is found in "Black Collectibles, Sold in America" by P.J. Gibbs. She explains "in order for an item to be considered a Black collectible, it must be made in the imagery of a Black person or it must be directly attributed to a Black artisan."

That description can cover a lot of stuff! From the early and, many times, offensive pieces depicting the times of slavery to recent collectibles such as Thomas Blackshear's Ebony Visions, it all fits into that catchall category of Black Memorabilia and collectibles.

Collecting Black Memorabilia originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 07:11:10.

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St. Bernard Carving Sells for $30,500!

2010-02-04T12:48:50Z

With a pre-auction estimate at only $6,000 - $8,000, this wonderful wooden carving certainly caught a lot of attention -- selling for almost four times the expected price. Auctions Neapolitan was the auction house selling the piece in January 2010.

Larger image and more information.

^{Auctions Neapolitan}

St. Bernard Carving Sells for $30,500! originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 12:48:50.

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American Pickers - What do You Think?

2010-02-04T11:32:01Z

I don't ever remember as much pro and con discussion about a show dealing with antiques/junk/collectibles/folk art (take your choice) as there has been about American Pickers on the History Channel. The show chronicles two pickers going around the country side, stopping at places that look like they have loads of old junk. After several friends mentioned the show, I searched the channel guide to find repeats of the first episode. It certainly caught my attention when they dug through an old barn and found a carnival ride to buy - can I admit I would love to have that myself?

Then I read more on Kovel's Komments, so I popped over to the American Pickers web site, checking the discussion boards. Wow. The most common complaints, remember only three episodes have aired so far, is how the guys are taking advantage of the elderly. If you've ever bought antiques/junk/collectibles on speculation, you know what a gamble it is or can be. As far as taking advantage, there were a few items I thought they bought for an awfully low price, in fact I immediately went over to Priceminer.com to check what similar items have sold for in the past. (Price was about 25% - 40% of similar looking items)But would the seller have made that much at a yard sale? Absolutely not.

Another thing to remember - it's television! Tapes are edited, edited and edited more. They want drama, they want controversy or at the least interesting discussions going on. The show producers have done that with American Pickers. Is it my favorite show about collecting? No. Will I watch it again, you bet!

So what do you think? Have you watched the show? Do you think the pickers are taking advantage of the elderly? Do you think they are being fair with the prices offered and paid? Let us know in the comment section below or take the poll for a quick way to state your mind.

American Pickers - What do You Think? originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 11:32:01.

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Mystery Antique of the Week

2010-02-03T00:01:48Z

Not a tool!

Wooden base: 5" x 3 7/8"
Circa: Early 20th century

THE ANSWER

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Last week's mystery antique.

Mystery Antique of the Week originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 00:01:48.

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Star Wars and Toy Story Valentines

2010-02-02T14:52:56Z

I have a 7 year old grandson, which means I'm on the lookout for Valentine goodies for the boys. Stuff that they might like and not too girly is a must. That's why I immediately grabbed this Toy Story heart tin filled with candy. It's not chocolate inside, instead there are little individual packages of candies shaped like Buzz Lightyear and Woody. It's made by Frankford Candy Co., which also does licensed candy products featuring SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer and Hannah Montana.

Also for Star Wars Fans -- check out these packages of Valentines that were available for under $3.00 each. One set is lenticular valentines, the other has a Star Wars pencil (16) that fits into each card. In a year or two, these will most likely be selling on eBay for more than $3. each. That's my prediction, doesn't always come true, but Stars Wars stuff is always popular and both of these have a different spin that just plain cards.

Star Wars and Toy Story Valentines originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 14:52:56.

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February Calendar - Free Printable

2010-01-30T11:51:45Z

The two February calendar pages are now online, one features a cookie jar, the other features a glass ornament! Both calendars are made to print and fit into a CD case, making a desk top calendar.

Have a favorite piece you would like to showcase on an upcoming calendar? Let me know!

Calendar pages for 2010.

February Calendar - Free Printable originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 11:51:45.

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Mystery Antique of the Week

2010-01-27T00:29:03Z

Size: Estimated to be approximately 4" - 5" long

THE ANSWER

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Last week's mystery antique.

Mystery Antique of the Week originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 00:29:03.

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All I Really Need to Know about Antiques I Learned in Kindergarten

2010-01-26T08:53:13Z

What a great article on Maine Antique Digest and true on so many fronts. When we get caught up in the nitty gritty or unpleasant parts of business, if we all remembered the kindergarten rules all will be well. Perhaps a bit simplistic, but it all comes down to how you treat people and people will treat you back in kind. Sure there will always be a few class bullies, but the others more than make up for them.

From the Young Collectors

All I Really Need to Know about Antiques I Learned in Kindergarten originally appeared on About.com Collectibles on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 08:53:13.

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