British Town's Famous Lights To Be Sold

The Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival in the English seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. Founded in 1879, they run each year for 66 days, from late August until early November, at a time when every other English seaside resort's season is coming to an end. Dubbed as the greatest free light show on earth, the council has organized collections of lights that run six miles long and use over one million bulbs. Every year there is also the Festival of Light which features interactive installations and is described as being “a contemporary look at the concept of light and art working together to create entertainment.”

Some of the light-up figures that form part of the famous Blackpool Illuminations are to go on sale January 30^th at the council's Rigby Road depot, and it is open to the trade and members of the public. Genies with lamps, seahorses and seashells, and a huge Thunderbird 3 aircraft are just some of the items being sold off by Blackpool Council. A council spokeswoman said it was a great opportunity “to own such an unusual piece of memorabilia”.

“I am obviously very sad to see these fabulous illuminations go,” said councilor Maxine Callow.

“But at the same time I am very pleased that the public as well as the trade are being given the chance to own such an unusual piece of memorabilia. Blackpool is possibly best known for its illuminations display and by owning one of the antique features it is possible to own a piece of history while at the same time clearing the way for new, more advanced items for visitors to enjoy.”

One of the seven horses that used to light the Gynn Square roundabout carousel will also be featured in the sale. The council believes some buyers may want to use the old features as garden ornaments.

Prices for the famous lights range from £50 to £350. For more history on the Blackpool Illuminations, check out this page in Wikipedia where I found my information, and for more on the original article, click here.

Yardley Community Center Antique Show

The national trend of going green has worked its way into the world of antiques. That's what Joy Harrington — a collector, dealer and the organizer of this weekend's Yardley Community Centre Antique Show — said as the center sets the stage for its 54th annual show. An antique isn't just something that sits on a living room hutch anymore, said Harrington, a community center board member. “People are starting to remember, or think about, older things and are reusing them,” she said. Of course, some things (read: the expensive ones!) are meant to be just collectibles, she added.

Twenty-one dealers from throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland will set up shop Friday and Saturday at the Yardley Community Centre, selling primitives, miniatures, quilts, furniture, cupboards, jewelry, pottery, crockery, ceramics and more. Organizers expect from several hundred to nearly 1,000 people to attend. The money raised helps the community center maintain its building, which dates to the early 1800s. The items at the show range from antique bottles that cost just a few bucks to antique furniture that costs a few thousand dollars. “We really try to have a nice balanced show that's for everyone,” Harrington said.
For more of this article, or if you would like to attend the Yardley Community Center Antique Show, click here.

Colonial Williamsburg's Annual Antiques Forum

When Colonial Williamsburg presents its 60th annual Antiques Forum, more than 20 of the nation's top antiques experts will share their latest discoveries between Feb. 3-7. Titled "From North to South: Regional Diversity in American Decorative Arts," the program features a comprehensive schedule of illustrated lectures and video-assisted workshops designed to survey the rich and varied heritage of early American regional antique styles before 1830. The talks will explore the period's unique ceramics, silver, textiles and paintings as well as its buildings.
The keynote speaker is cultural historian and educator Barbara Carson, who will present The Chipstone Lecture on "Cultural Diversity in Early America." Other visiting scholars include Carrie Rebora Barrett, curator of American paintings and sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who will discuss "Regional Rules and Provincial Politics: How American Painters Dodged the System." Dean Failey of Christie's New York auction house will explore "Regionalism in American Decorative Arts."The program also will include several presentations by Colonial Williamsburg curators. Ronald Hurst, who is the Carlisle H. Humelsine Chief Curator and vice president of collections and museums, will profile "Regional Traits of Urban American Furniture, 1750-1800" and detail "What's New in the Colonial Williamsburg Collection."
Advance registration and payment is required. The registration fee of $550 includes admission to program presentations, an opening reception, daily continental breakfasts, coffee breaks and afternoon refreshments as well as a closing reception and dinner. For more information, consult the original article by Mark St. John Erickson here.

Art And Antiques Dubai

Indian jewelry, boxes, weaponry, textiles, and vintage photography will be featured at the debut of the “Art and Antiques Dubai” show in Madinat Jumeirah. The event will showcase over $200 million worth of art spanning from ancient times to present day, and developing through history according to the religious, political, and cultural emphasis of the times. There has been a rise in demand for 17^th-20^th century Indian jewelry among collectors all over the world due to the scarcity of Mughal jewelry made for the Mughal emperors. The pieces feature priceless stones such as Burmese rubies and Golconda diamonds from the earliest producing diamond mines in the world. Other featured items include an 18^thth century Mughal colombian emerald armbands, an antique fly whisk set with precious stones, jewelled dagger handles, and fighting knives of steel inlaid with gold.

For more information on “Arts and Antiques Dubai”, visit Haughton International Fairs.

Ancient Throne Found In Ruins

iTaggit encourages our users to show off their antique furniture collection in our gallery, but this newly unearthed piece leaves most others in the dust. The remnants of the first known surviving Roman throne have been discovered 82 feet below the surface in the buried city of Herculaneum. Herculaneum was engulfed in lava and ash in the year 79 when Mount Vesuvius erupted, killing thousands. Luckily for our generation, the layers of volcanic ash preserved the sites and are providing historical information on what domestic life was like in the ancient world. Even more remarkable about this piece is that it was found in the Villa dei Papiri, a first century country home believed to have been the residence of Julius Caesar's father-in-law. Archaeologists first dug the two legs and part of the back of the wooden throne that was decorated with ivory bas-reliefs depicting Greek mythological figures absorbed by Rome's culture. It is also decorated with images of pine cones and phalluses, as well as images of the gods Attis and Dionysus. A throne of this sort had only been seen in artistic depictions before now. The fragile antique remains will undergo a lengthy restoration while the dig in the Villa dei Papiri continues. The Villa dei Papiri was named as such due to the hundreds of ancient papyruses found in a library, and the site has only been partially excavated.

Highlighted Finds From The Antiques Roadshow

I decided to scour the internet for some feel-good antiques stories, and I found my interest faster than I had imagined when I stumbled upon the Antiques Roadshow website. They had some of their highlights posted from the last 10 years of the show, as well as the schedule for their new season starting in 2008. Check out some of these great objects! It will put you in the mood to clean out the attic and see what you find!

Chang's Chair

Chang's chair, appraised by Leigh Keno, of Leigh Keno American Antiques and Leslie Keno, of Sotheby's, both in New York City. From Charleston (2001).

The Keno brothers got a chance to see a very unusual piece of antique furniture brought in to the ROADSHOW by a South Carolina woman named Margaret. The Kenos were excited to get the chance to appraise Margaret's family heirloom. The identical brothers agreed: "Of all the different tapings we've done over the years, this is one of the most special." Why? Because Margaret is the great-granddaughter of Chang Bunker, one of perhaps the world's most famous conjoined twins. Born near Bangkok in 1811, the brothers settled in North Carolina, marrying a pair of sisters in 1843 and starting families. The two couples occupied two houses nearby one another, Chang and Eng spending half their time in each home each week. The heirloom that's found its way to Margaret is her great-grandfather's special hardwood chair, built double-wide to accommodate both brothers at once. Noting what a unique and wonderful piece it is, as well as that there has been a resurgence of interest in conjoined twins of late, the Keno brothers estimated the chair's market value at $10,000 to $12,000. Margaret was pleased but not tempted. "Well, that's interesting to know, but it will never be for sale," she said.

Somali Neck Rest

Somali neck rest, appraised by John Buxton, Dallas, Texas. From Birmingham (2000).

A sixth grade teacher from Geraldine, Alabama, brought a neck rest he'd bought for $2, wondering if it was real or a reproduction. "When my class studied African or Asian countries that use neck rests," he said, "I let my students pass it around and look at it so they could be familiar with what a neck rest is." First, appraiser John Buxton explained what he had on his hands. "A neck rest is actually a pillow. Women with elaborate coiffures would place this under the back of the head as they slept to keep their heads off the ground and their coiffures intact." Then, John gave him the good news: "This a real piece, and let me tell you why. It was made in Somalia in the 1920s or 1930s and has a wonderful patination where it's been used. The designs on the side are a wonderful blending of African and Islamic pattern. It's a fine example in excellent condition and would be worth $500 to $700 — a pretty good investment."

Skull Humidor

Skull humidor, appraised by Riley Humler, of Cincinnati Art Galleries in Cincinnati, Ohio. From Columbus (2000).

When a creepy skull showed up on his appraisal table, Riley Humler took it as a good omen. The skull, actually a humidor, was used to store smoking tobacco and was made by the famous Weller Pottery in Zanesville, Ohio, 30 miles east of Columbus.
"My father collected Weller pottery for 30 years," said the man who brought it in. "He bought this at an estate sale 20 years ago for $85." His father was not only a pottery fan but also a distant relative of Sam Weller, who had started the family business. "This skull is the rarest of all Weller humidors," Riley revealed. "In addition, Weller produced an admiral, a Turk, a Chinese man, and Irishman. Although those aren't all that common, they can't hold a candle to the skull. Only five or six of these are known to exist." Riley appraised the rare piece at $2,000 to $3,000, remarking that the skull was "quite unique and interesting — although you wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley."

Victorian Insect Collage

Victorian insect collage, appraised by Gary Espinosa, of Bonhams & Butterfields in Los Angeles, California. From Los Angeles (2006).

Appraiser Gary Espinosa had never seen anything like it! He examined what appeared to be several shiny, iridescent glass beads arranged within a mahogany case. A closer look revealed that those bead-like items within the display case were actually exotic beetles and scarabs placed atop a wallpapering of moths and butterflies. The owner of this one-of-a-kind insect collage had purchased it in London in 1991 along with a book of pressed flowers and a copy of Spenser's The Fairy Queen. He paid $400 for the group of items. Though Gary had never encountered a piece like this insect collage, he was very familiar with the culture that inspired its creation. "This was made during the Victorian period in England. ... They had a tremendous culture for nature at that time." Stuffed exotic fish and birds were also very popular. Gary compared the piece to a Sailor's Valentine: a similar Victorian collectible made with seashells arranged in a circular pattern. Though in "remarkable condition," Gary noted that the delicate insect collage would preserve longer if it was resting flat rather than hanging and subjected to gravity: "As you can see, we've got a couple of little scarabs here that are falling off and dropping down into the case here." Despite Gary's efforts at researching and consulting with other appraisers, he was unsure of how to determine a fair market value for the piece. He proffered, "I would say fair market auction value between $2,000 to $3,000. But, we think that ... at a natural auction for exotic nature things, this might even do considerably better." The owner was clearly delighted, and Gary was truly appreciative for such an intriguing and fun piece to appraise.

19th-century Folk Art Whirligig

19th-century folk art whirligig, appraised by H. Peter Curran, of Wilton, Connecticut. From Dallas (1998).

A woman brought in a piece of folk art originally from her great-aunt's barn in Connecticut. Upon the death of the great-aunt about 25 years ago the piece had been valued at $1,500 and given to the current owner. Appraiser Peter Curran identified the piece as a fine example of a mid-19th-century whirligig, designed to scare away crows. Much to the owner's astonishment, Curran estimated the whirligig's worth at between $20,000 and $25,000.

Lake Breeze Fan

Lake Breeze Fan, appraised by Gary Piattoni, of Gary Piattoni Decorative Arts, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois. From Savannah (2004). "So really, what we have here, is really like the great-grandfather of jet engine technology," explained appraiser Gary Piattoni to Evelyn from Savannah who brought in a fan that needn't require electricity. This Lake Breeze fan, named after its Lake Breeze motor, ran on the hot air created by a flame from a kerosene lamp. It came out in 1919 and sold for $22.50, but unfortunately never found great favor in the market due to its rival, the electric fan. The electric fan won out for perhaps obvious reasons pertaining both to safety and the primary function of the fan. The hot open flame created by the kerosene lamp was dangerous — never mind counterproductive to the cooling process. Nonetheless, Gary said, the fan is an excellent example of a piece made obsolete by improved technology — and it even still works. These fans are fairly rare today, and many collectors thrive on all kinds of fun pieces of outdated technology! With that in mind, Gary surmised that a keen collector might pay between $1,500 to $2,000. And that's no hot air.


Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am off for the rest of the week and will continue blogging on Monday. Don't forget to use iTaggit to manage your holiday collectibles.

World War II Artifact Unearthed

Many of us have friends or relatives who lived through or participated in World War II. It is known as history's greatest armed conflict. Movements from that era were so influential, they were represented with their own icons such as Rosie the Riveter, and these icons have become quite collectible over the years. One such memento has been unearthed on a beach in Wales, but it won't end up on anyone's shelf. An American P-38 fighter plane ran out of gas and crash landed some sixty-five years ago, where it was buried in surf and sand. The pilot, Second Lt. Robert F. “Fred” Elliot, 24, of Rich Square, N.C., was not injured in the crash, but died three months later during a flight over Tunisia in North Africa.

Due to unusual weather last summer, the sand began to shift and erode, revealing the long-forgotten WWII relic. The Lockheed “Lightening” fighter has a distinctive twin-boom design and based on its serial number as well as other records, “the fighter is arguably the oldest P-38 in existence, and the oldest surviving 8^th Air Force combat aircraft of any type,” said Ric Gillespie, who heads a U.S.-based nonprofit group dedicated to preserving historic aircraft. Check out the original article for more details about the plane and the only remaining Elliot family member who learns more about his namesake.

Roundtop Texas - Fabulous Antique Shopping!

A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about this bi-annual antique and collectibles show that takes over part of the Texas Countryside. Her name is Jen Perkins, and she and her family have been shopping this show for years...

Commonly referred to as "Roundtop" - the show takes over fields and fields of farmland in Roundtop and Warrenton, Texas every October and April. Dealers come from all over the country - and shoppers descend with trailers to take home their goodies.

My friends and I have been going for a couple of years - and the shopping just keeps getting better. The show continues through October 6th - so if you're in Central Texas - get on down there.

Look for lots of blogs about the treasures we saw and purchased at this year's show.... See more of my iTaggit Blogs here!

What's In A Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
-Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

A few of iTaggit's members have been writing lately about old books they have had or found. Some are first editions, some have valuable signatures, and some have no idea what they are looking at or how valuable it is. Well, if you stumble upon a book, or even a piece of paper, that happens to have William Shakespeare's signature on it, you have tremendous luck or a very interesting heirloom on your hands. Although in modern times, it seems two hours can't pass without someone needing you to sign your name, in the past it was much more rare, even if you worked with a quill and parchment on a daily basis. For all the writing Shakespeare did, his signature is one of the most scarce to find. Today, there are only six of the playwright's known authenticated signatures in existence, making his one of the most valuable in the world. The known ones can be found on a conveyance for a house in London, a legal deposition, a mortgage document, and three are in his will. Any one of those has been quoted at a value of $3 million. That amount makes any name sweet.

The Most Expensive Dessert In The World

Sure your collectibles are worth a lot of money, but a dessert? Sri Lanka has great antiques to buy, and is certainly known for their Buddhist temples, but “The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence,” which debuted in March, has brought delicacy and wealth to new heights. Its creation was inspired by the success of the restaurant’s other gem-studded treat, the Bombay Sapphire Martini. Wine3, one of the resort's restaurants, offers the Indulgence for $14,500. Yes, I typed that correctly. $14,500. What makes it so special? “The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence was created to give visitors at The Fortress Resort in the coastal city of Galle a one-of-a-kind experience,” said Shalini Perera, public relations manager at The Fortress. The dessert is a gold leaf Italian cassata flavored with Irish cream. It is served with a mango and pomegranate compote and a champagne sabayon enlighten, and is complimented by a chocolate carving of a fisherman clinging to a stilt, an age old local fishing practice. But the crowning jewel, and I mean that quite literally, is the 80 carat aquamarine stone that rests on a sliver of chocolate shaped to resemble the traditional stilt fisherman that is part of The Fortress' logo. Patrons are welcomed to pocket the gem after they polish off the delectable dessert. Although, the hotel has had many inquiries about the item, one as far away as Japan, no one has yet forked over the money to try it.

Thrift Thursday - Antique Quilt Block

One of my favorite pastimes is rummaging through piles of fabric at thrift stores. On occasion, I come up with a real treasure. My mom is an avid quilter, and I absolutely adore quilts - especially old quilts.

I found this hand-pieced quilt block about 2 years ago in one of my favorite vintage stores - New Bohemia in Austin, Texas. I had found two blocks from the same maker months before, and given them to my mom. Then I found this one, and decided to keep it!

I think the fabric is from the 1930s - but I am not sure. It is very old, and the prints are amazing. I just pinned it to a piece of acid free paper and framed it in a cheapie frame. It hangs in my "textile corner" at the iTaggit offices.

One of the things I love about iTaggit is how I can store so much information about each item - multiple pictures, the story of how I bought it, and all kinds of specialized fields depending on the item's category. My mom recently added a collection of her small quilts - check them out! Much more on quilting and quilters to come!

Czech Pottery & Texas Traditions

Today I used iTaggit's awesome research feature to find out more about a piece of pottery I purchased last year. It's a funky bowl from the 1950's with a gorgeous linnear design and a pretty glaze. I was able to make out DITMAR URBACH on the mark, and found a website with a history of this pottery online, as well as photos of their marks.

It's a Czecheslovakian factory that has it's origins in the late 1800s, and was two factories combined into one. After going through several ownerships, it was confiscated by the Nazi's in 1938, and then nationalized in 1945. I found this info on the Collector's Circle website.

I was also able to find a matching piece online! I have contacted the owner of this vase to see about buying it, and used their selling price as a reference in valuing mine.

Now - onto Texas Traditions. For those of you who don't know, Texas has a rich history of immigrants from Eastern Europe. One of the cultural groups that is thriving is that of Czech Descendants. Any Texan can swear by a homemade Kolache - yummy pastries with fruit (or many other) fillings that are sold all over the State.

I have fond memories of going to the Texas Folk Life Festival as a kid, eating Kolaches, and going 2-Steppin' at the local SPSJT Hall. In fact, no road trip from Austin to Dallas is complete without a stop in West, Texas - home of the best Kolaches around!



So you see - I was meant to own this piece of Czech Pottery - it's right at home here in Central Texas! Without iTaggit, I never would have learned all this info. One of the things I love so much about collecting is how it can enrich your life!

See my decorations collection here, and check out more of my blog posts here!