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American Pickers sparks the collecting passion
While scanning the TV menu recently, I spotted a program on The History Channel, called "American Pickers". A picker is essentially someone who scouts around to find treasures to buy and sell. And, since I've bought and sold antiques and collectibles for years, I had to check it out.
The show was love at first sight. As a transplanted New Yorker living in Kansas in the 1970's I was often asked, "What are you doing in Kansas?" Many people were incredulous that anyone from a major metropolitan area would call Kansas home. That included my family. I think they were taken aback when I came home sporting suede cowboy boots and, after many years on the prairie, speaking with a bit of a twang. My fairly heavy Noo Yawk accent had all but disappeared.
Initially I moved to Manhattan, KS to go to college. It was new territory for me. I had not set foot in the Mid-west until the day I moved there. I attended Kansas State University for two years, and then realized that veterinary school was not the direction I wanted to go. I met someone from Wichita and decided to give that city a try. I said good bye to my many friends and packed my meager belongings.
We moved into a tiny apartment, behind Mr. Magic Car Wash at the corner of Hydraulic Avenue and Wichita's main thoroughfare, Douglas Street. After about six months, I'd had enough of that apartment. I wanted something bigger. We found a great flat in an old building above an upholstery store. It was while I was living at this location that I got the "collecting bug." I had told my friend, Jim Baldwin that my parents were avid collectors who took me on jaunts to antiques shops on Long Island. Jim told me about a place called the Salvation Army. I had passed the big, foreboding looking, dark brick building, located in a seedy part of downtown, and expressed surprise at the suggestion that I go there.
I decided to check it out. I hoofed it downtown. When I entered the building the angels of collecting sang. It was all over for me. I was hooked. The place was filled with old stuff at give-away prices, even relative to those days. Over time, I bought old trunks, wicker furniture and stacks and stacks of magazines from the 1930's. On one visit I found an old teddy bear for a few dollars, probably worth two thousand on today's market. I filled the new flat with my finds. I started to explore many of the other thrift shops in Wichita. I became a familiar face as I made my daily rounds. I soon started going to yard sales, estate sales and auctions.
I often found myself exploring the Kansas countryside with a friend. I was no stranger to digging around in barns and sheds. They were a trove of old crocks, lanterns, early canning jars, tins, signs, furniture that sometimes dated back to the Victorian era, and old farm equipment. I went to a farm auction where they sold off the contents of old metal buildings. One contained mountains of cereal boxes from the 30's and 40's. They were probably meant to be used as fuel for the wood burning stoves, especially during the depression. I was in my element. Virtually every day was spent hunting for the "find", the "sleeper" or some cool object.
Right around the time I was about to outgrow the flat I was living in, it burned down along with most of my possessions. You can read that story here. After a period of dealing with the loss and getting resettled, we decided to buy a house. I found a big, old fixer upper in the College Hill section of Wichita and began filling it up. The walls were covered with old prints, paintings, signs, and assorted objects. I filled every room with stuff. I was in collector's heaven. So, if anyone asks, "What were you doing in Kansas?" that's the answer.
Now, about the show "American Pickers," it features two native Iowans who scour the American countryside. They pursue their profession with passion and an almost childlike wonderment. They're like a couple of old prospectors. Every once in a while they strike a vein inside a barn, sometimes even hitting the mother lode. The two men featured on the show, Mike Wolf, and Frank Fritz, complement each other well. Their demeanor is very good old boy, almost redneck. But they're no fools. They know their craft well. Mike seems a little more polished, pronouncing tour de France correctly, when discussing a bicycle he found. Frank is a bit more scruffy, rough around the edges, but very knowledgeable. They're likeable characters.
I love reliving my prospecting days vicariously through them. Along the way they meet some of America's great eccentrics, charming their way into their hearts and barns. The show is part
I left Kansas after ten years, and returned to New York. I lived on Long Island's east end, and continued to treasure hunt. The history there went back to the 1600's; including my house. I did find some great treasures, and much of the scenery there was quaint and beautiful. But picking no longer had that rustic country edge to it. In the 19 years that I've been in California I've done very little antiquing in the country. My country jaunts have been more for the sake of hiking and camping. Antiquing is almost limited to the confines of city limits, except for the monthly trip to the Alameda Flea Market. I'm sure that there are barns filled treasures in this beautiful state, I just haven't found them. If I were to start looking I'd choose Gold Country with its rich, colorful, history and hope that it still contains some items of interest.
The show demonstrates that there are still treasures waiting to be discovered, many diamonds in the rough. For me, Mike and Frank are perfect examples of the emotional spark of passion that I had for the hunt. While I can't see myself out there digging around in fields and barns, it's nice to see those guys in action. I'm happy to head for the Mission and make my way to the thrift shops, strolling down mural lined Clarion Alley on my way from Community Thrift to ThriftTown, or dig through the contents of an old San Francisco house like I did last week at an Old Hat Estate sale. But, for all of you American pickers out there I wish you luck and fortune.
| March 17 2010 at 10:00 AM
Expose Yourself - Old Hat Estate Sale and Mystery Trunk
Occasionally I introduce a business in the world of Bay Area antiques and collectibles. This week I'd like to bring your attention to Old Hat Estate Sales as they kick off their first estate sale. The business is run by the team of Alex Healy and Danny Garcia. Below you'll find some information for the sale. And, near the top of the page is a link to their website.
If you're in the Bay Area, are in the antiques and collectibles business feel free to contact me. Thanks, Bob Bragman.
Sale this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, in San Francisco's Mission District.
719 Guerrero St. San Francisco, CAmany novel specimens that old hat has encountered
a tin full of coins that are anywhere from 75 to 100 years old
gold double eagle coin minted in 1908
claw foot embroidered floral print couch with matching armchair
full cherry and gum bedroom set
vintage working packard bell television from the 1950's
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The mystery trunk!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is an enigmatic locked trunk. Amateur and professional locksmiths are invited to get a peek at whatever booty might be inside. $10 gets you ten minutes to get the precious piece open and the treasure inside including the chest with out inflicting damage to it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additional items:
love letters (some in italian, from world war II)a st. Gauden's gold coin, minted in 1908 san francisco
a drawer full of republican political plunder, including a nixon campaign button
antique victor victrola cabinet
cobalt blue power tool companion table saw
vintage Agfa Ansco Shur-Shot D-6 box camera
delightful traveling checkers set
An Apsco Giant pencil sharpener from the good old days, does fasten to walls
fabulous revlon nail grooming products
throwback baby blue kwik kool fan put on the market by knapp monarch
black and white photos from as early as the teens
set of four ornate glass cups depicting childhood fairytales
proper 2 piece traveling luggage, in blue with white detail
a smorgasbord of knockout tools
cast iron cobbler's shoe making stand
| March 11 2010 at 02:30 PM
Little Golden Books, the ubiquitous icon of children's readership
I spent my first 5 years living in the Vanderveer section of Brooklyn, NY. My very earliest memory in life was of a large stack of Little Golden Books that sat on the floor, next to a big 1950's style sofa. Not too far away was the metal pedal car I shared with my older brother and the five siblings that would follow. At age 18 my mother was told that she would not be able to have children. I guess she had to prove the doctor wrong. Books were ever present in our household. My mother was never without a long reading list herself. Her passion for books instilled a love of reading in me.
It seems like every time I mention Little Golden Books someone says they read them as kids and are reading them to their kids now. At lunch the other day I mentioned that I was going to do a blog post about them and a friend replied that she read them to her children when they were young. That reminded me that I'd read them to her grandchildren myself!
Little Golden Books began publication by Simon and Schuster in 1942, at a cost of 25 cents each. The low cost made them affordable to most families. In addition to bookstores, they were available in other locations such as department stores, which was a departure from how books had been sold. Despite paper shortages in WWII, the books were a huge success. Over one and a half million were sold within the first five months. Since their inception, more than two billion have been sold worldwide.
The subjects of the books range widely from literary classics to spin offs from popular TV shows. In the Golden Books version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears there was an illustration where Goldilocks had sat on the too soft Mama Bear's bed and sank up to her neck. As a kid I remember being fascinated by that image, now I think Mama Bear must have had back trouble in her later years. The books have also included Howdy Doody, Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Tootle the Train, The Saggy Baggy Elephant, Scruffy the Elephant, Bozo, Captain Kangaroo, many Disney characters, Santa Claus, many occupations, such as firemen and doctors, and the Poky Little Puppy which has remained virtually unchanged through the years. A book about Doctor Dan came with a real Band-aid. In later years, various Sesame Street characters have been featured, as have Barbie and friends. The continuity in the series is amazing. Nothing has been changed from the original editions as far as content goes. The only difference might be the color of the binding and addition of a bar code.
Little Golden Books are very collectible. In the past I sold some on eBay, mostly to people who bought the ones they had as a child. Many are fairly affordable. Some are cross collectibles, such as Howdy Doody books. They would be sought by Howdy collectors as wells as Golden Books collectors. You can tell the edition by the small letter that appears on the last page, in the bottom, right-hand corner. There you'll see a letter. A means first edition, B is second, C is third edition, etc. I recently found a pair of Golden Books that had dust jackets on them. That is quite rare. Most were almost always published without jackets. The books came in other sizes, too, such as Big Golden Books, and a miniature series.
In this budget conscious age, Little Golden Books are an affordable collectible. While there are some scarce ones out there, the books can often be found at thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, and on eBay. They often range from three to ten dollars. They are a fun, colorful whimsical item to collect, and for many, a way to capture an imaginative piece of our childhood.
Take a look at my gallery of Golden Books.
Below are some links to Golden Book auctions on eBay.
Little Golden Book auctions on eBay, click here.
Miniature set of Golden Books on eBay can be found here.
Another can be found here.
And a third set can be found here.
Some Big Golden Books on eBay can be found here.
| March 08 2010 at 01:12 PM
The $85,000 fishbowl or Nemo finds a new home
You thought the real estate market was down. Apparently that's not true if you're a fish.
A late 19th Century French gilt bronze and enameled fish bowl and stand sold at auction in San Francisco Monday, 12/7/09, for $85,000 which is more than five times its pre-sale estimate. The five-foot high bowl and elaborate stand includes depictions of turtles, elephant heads and dragons in bronze. It sold at Bonhams & Butterfields and came from the private collection of the owners of the Washington State antiques gallery Corinthian Studios.
The original listing is below:
Lot 2378, sale # 17536 at www.bonhams.com
Auctioneer's catalog description:
Lot No: 2378
Property of the Corinthian Studios Collection A fine French Aesthetic gilt bronze and enameled fish bowl stand and glass bowl possibly Barbedienne third quarter 19th century In the form of a hardwood stand decorated with stylized shou bracketed by confronting dragons, supporting bamboo form frame on minogame (thousand year tortoises), and inset with glass bowl, all on four elephants heads.
Estimated at $15,000-25,000 *SOLD for $85,400 (inlcuding Buyer's Premium)
Please note dimensions should read: height overall 60in (152.5cm); height of stand 37in (94cm); height of fishbowl in frame 23in (59.5cm) Provenance: Purchased at Aldo Freres, Paris, 1978.
| December 08 2009 at 02:39 PM
Bonhams & Butterfields grand auction Monday 12/7/09
From the Bonhams & Butterfields website:
Fine European & American Furniture & Decorative Arts
The December Fine European and American Furniture & Decorative Arts auction will include several impressive collections including property of Dr. Don Van Derby and the late Don B. Liles whose historic 1887 San Francisco house was restored, furnished and published.
Paintings, furniture, lighting fixtures and decorative arts from this historic house will be offered. Property from the private collection of Corinthian Studios' owners Bob Kongsli and Vern Halcomb include an important Paul Sormani commode, a 16th century fountain, a rare Viennese clock, decorative arts and sculpture. During the second half of the 20th century Corinthian Studios of Saratoga, California was the premier destination for collectors of 19th French furniture, Tiffany works of art, silver and jewelry.
Click here for details and view of items.
| December 07 2009 at 07:00 AM
If it's Gay, it's ok
They're safe, sanitary, sterilized, better, and guaranteed...Gay products, that is. "If it's Gay, it's ok". These date from the early 1950's and were manufactured in Atlanta, GA. I was unable to find any other information on the company. They also sold Gay bobby pins. I believe that they also made fishing lines and lures. I discovered one randomly while surfing eBay years ago, which led me to pursue more.
Gay pencils currently listed on eBay
Gay calendar currently listed on eBay
| November 05 2009 at 08:45 AM
Local antiques publication gets Roadshow inside look
Many of us who are into collecting have wished for a behind the scenes look at the Antiques Roadshow, the holy grail of collectibles TV shows. I've spent many hours watching, wondering if I will learn that I've hit the sleeper jackpot. Aside from that, the program has a fascination that has capture the hearts of millions. The show is informative for not only the objects the guests share, but for much of our history and heritage that is represented by them.
The Collector's Weekly, headquartered in San Francisco, had the good fortune to be able to attend a San Jose taping. You can read about the experience below:
An Inside Look at Antiques Roadshow: A Collectors Weekly Special Report, September 22nd, 2009 - By Dave
Ever wonder how Antiques Roadshow really works? How they pick who gets on TV? Whether the people on the show have fun? Whether the appraisers really know what they're talking about?
As longtime fans, we'd always been curious about Roadshow. So when we were offered backstage passes for the show's August 2009 taping in San Jose, and free rein to wander the set and talk to whomever we wanted, we jumped at the chance!
A total of 3,200 pairs of free tickets were issued for the 2009 San Jose Antiques Roadshow taping on August 15th (almost 30,000 applied). And during the course of the day some 75 appraisers evaluated almost 12,000 items. About 90 segments were filmed, of which only about half would later appear on-air. (see full story here)
| September 30 2009 at 12:11 PM
Catalog shopping the year the Titanic sank
I went to the Alemany flea market on Sunday, despite the rare September threat of rain. It looked like the weather scared away several of the dealers. There were lots of empty spaces. I wandered through a few times, visited with a vendor friend, and was about to give up the treasure hunt, when I spotted a couple of old catalogs. One was for Macy's. The other was for a company I had never heard of, John M. Smyth Company, and dated from 1912. The condition wasn't great, cover-wise. But, the contents blew me away. It was such a slice of life from back in the day. You could order a motorcycle, organ, hernia truss, pharmaceuticals, jewelry, furniture, or even a buggy (sans the horse).
1912 was the year that the Titanic sank. The story I often heard as a child, related to the Titanic, was how my grandfather, a child at the time, and his family, were denied passage on the Titanic by immigration authorities. His parents, with five children at that time, were emigrating from Russia. They made it as far as England when my grandfather broke out in a rash. It turned out to be the measles. Had he not gotten visibly ill, they probably would not have made it. So, on some level I owe my existence to the measles.
I browsed through the fragile pages of the catalog, thinking that it would be fun to have a time machine, and gather several of the items shown. Well, we don't have a time machine, only remnants of our past, yellowed, faded, and worn. And, that's what I bring you. It's a glimpse into our past. Once again, the year is 1912, the same year the Titanic sank. The brittle, discolored condition made it difficult to photograph the pages. Never-the-less, the content is a great peek into our past. If you click on the image above, you'll be taken to the photo gallery. I hope you enjoy it.
See the history of the catalog here
While we.re on the subject of catalogs, you may have heard about the Sears catalog mishap in 1975. That story can be found here
There was a song that was published in the day, relating to the incident. It can be heard on YouTube: Song Man on page 602
| September 16 2009 at 05:34 PM
Fire and Ice - A story of material loss and starting over
In my first post, I told of my early days, as a New York to Kansas transplant, collector. You san see that story here. In addition to covering topics about collecting, I'll be posting stories of my journey as a hunter of treasures, great and small. Here is my next installment.
The year is 1973, the place Wichita, KS. By now I had moved from a studio apartment behind a car wash, to a one-bedroom apartment that cost $50 a month. The landlord apologized when he had to raise the rent to $52.50 due to an increase in garbage collecting fees. It was located in an old brick building. The main floor was an upholstery shop, run by a former mortician. I believe that in the old days, undertakers were also furniture dealers/makers. So, the transition kind of made sense. The structure probably dated from turn of the century.
There were two apartments upstairs, with a shared landing at the top of the stairs. I furnished it with my flea market, estate sale, yard sale, and garage sale finds. I painted and wallpapered creating a retro look. It was a fun place to live. There was an entry hallway with a window into the kitchen, so you could see people coming and going. I had never seen a feature like that before. There were French doors that divided the front parlor from the rear. The bathroom had an old claw tub. Next to the tub, there was a built in water-heater, hidden away by a small door. Occasionally, while taking a bath, something would cause the door to the heater to blow open with a loud bang, which would startle the heck out of me. I don't know what caused it. But, considering that the building eventually caught fire, it couldn't have been good.
I had a great, old iron bed that I had purchased from a thrift store for $7, some deco waterfall furniture, including a vanity with a huge, round mirror, lots of old prints, including Maxfield Parrish, an old oak table in the kitchen, overstuffed deco mohair chairs, with carved wood trim, some 1920's tapestries on the walls, old brocade curtains, portieres in the doorways, a and assorted knick knacks. Friends often came over on Sundays to watch an old Mae West movie, followed by a W.C. Fields movie. We'd cook something scary, like Hamburger Helper, and devour it.
One brutally cold Kansas day in January, the mercury hovered around zero, and there were vestiges of ice on the ground from previous snowfalls. I had returned home from my job as a supervisor at a sheltered workshop for developmentally disabled adults, a position that I loved. I was dog-tired and was going to take a nap. But, hunger won out. Being the great gourmand that I was, I heated up a frozen Mexican TV dinner.
After I finished my dinner, I decided to watch TV. Shortly after settling into my big, comfy chair, I smelled something awful. I thought that I might have forgotten to turn off the oven. I checked, but that wasn't it. It was an odd smell, almost like trash. But, something told me to get out, and do it fast. I ran into the outer hallway, and down the stairs, hoping the whole time that they didn't collapse under me. When I ran out the front door I could see that the whole downstairs upholstery shop was consumed in flames. The fire department had already arrived. I stood there without a coat, in my stocking feet, and watched my apartment go up in flames.
My roommate worked in a composing room for the Wichita paper. I ran to the paper, which was about a 1/2 mile away and told him what was going on. As we drove back to the apartment we could see a big, black plume of smoke. Eventually the fire was extinguished, and the building was unsalvageable. Surprisingly, the stairway survived. The next day we nervously went into the apartment to see if there was anything that could be salvaged. It was surreal and still, with its blackened surfaces and icicles hanging from the water sprayed by the firemen's hoses, like a scene from Dr. Zhivago. It was frigid inside. A couple of old mannequins looked particularly eerie from the soot and ice covering them.
There was a gaping hole in the bedroom floor. Had I gone to sleep that day instead of eating, I would not have made it. My iron bed, which I still use today, was one of the few things to survive. Some of my old magazines and artwork did, too. They had traces of soot on them. I kept the items in a brief case and could smell the smoke for years, every time I opened it. I had purchased an antique barber chair that felt like it weighed a ton. I remember that I almost broke my foot when the base fell off, carrying it into the apartment. Apparently someone had tried to steal it, and made it as far as the busy street. The attempts must have been thwarted by something causing them to drop it and flee. It looked like it had been hit by a car or a truck. I'd hate to have seen the condition of the vehicle that hit it.
The thief or thieves did manage to take the air conditioner in the window. Virtually everything except for the few items mentioned, was lost. My magic little inner sanctum was gone. When I went outside, into the back of the building, there was an elderly neighbor in the adjoining yard. I told her about the little voice inside that told me to get out of the building. She whispered to me, "It's the Lord, it's the Lord". A short time later, what was left of the building was razed.
The Red Cross gave us bedding and vouchers for clothing. Basically, we were homeless. That's a term you didn't hear back then. We called my friend, Jim, who told us to come and stay with him. He had an extra room, in a good sized apartment. I felt a sense of loss. We become attached to our things. At the same time, I was very grateful to have a place to stay. We managed to exist harmoniously. As luck would have it, Jim decided that he wanted to find another place, and we got to stay in his apartment. It was a great space, this time above a chiropractor's office.
At first I couldn't entertain the thought of starting over. But, once you have the collecting bug, you always have it. I found some globes from gaslight fixtures in the crawl space of my new location. I think that inspired me to start collecting again. And collect I did, with a vengeance. I was starting to think in terms of not only collecting, but reselling. The most important thing of course, is getting out safely. I was very lucky. If you have a story of starting over, I'd like to hear it. You can send a note to collecting@sfgate.com
| September 16 2009 at 09:30 AM
Excellent how to for a successful garage sale
A colleague just posted her annual garage sale how to, worthy of mentioning. Click the link below to view her blog:Throwing yard sales for fun and profit
| August 28 2009 at 01:14 PM
A guide to collecting in the Bay Area: Where to shop, what to buy, collections and reminisces on the great buys.
By Bob Bragman, Read Bio
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