Busy days for those of us in the STUFF World
I’m swamped these days with calls asking the value of objects heretofore ignored. Either folks need to sell, or want to pass to heirs now, or are moving houses or …
Autograph Book Equals Hidden Treasure
This week I found an autograph book I forgot about, completely. In this limbo period of lock-down, I’m doing what I suggested to many of my clients. Go to the …
The Amazing Stevengraph
NH sent me a silk textile weaving, generically known today as a Stevengraph. Its history began in the Middle Ages, in a faraway place along the Jona River in a …
Hagenauer Family Hunch
JF sent me a deco style metal sculpture bust of a young male. I presume it’s Apollo from the laurel leaf crown around his head. I don’t see any markings …
Hubley Friendship For a Friend
I once appraised a Hubley Friendship, the only cast iron seaplane ever manufactured by any toy company, for a gifted personality. He gifted it to a friend. Hubley modeled the …
Magic Lantern Slides a Feast for the Eyes
LS owns a box of approximately 75 hand colored glass magic lantern slides at 4’ x 3 ¼’ each. What are they? He had no idea they came from exotic …
Mystery of the Black Feathers
My maiden name is Siegfried and I often see Germanic Sentimentalism mixed with taxidermy. In such blatant ways I find the Germanic culture a bit frightening. J’s objects exemplify Germanic …
Taking a Trip with Mireia Zantop
When TF picked up this work on paper at a charity auction she knew nothing about it. But she loved the octopus. She asked me to find out about the …
Do Your Object Speak to You?
Perhaps the objects in your home speak to you in these troubled times. Maybe they say, “restore me,” “donate me,” or “think of what I mean to you.” Objects remind …
Why Chefs Love Wagner Ware
A good market exists for this rugged cookware from the late 19 and early 20th century, especially for the Griswold, Sidney, and Wagner Ware brands. JE sent me a cast …