It's been more than nine decades since the first motel opened its doors to weary road travelers. In her latest Postcard Ponderings column, Karen Knapstein examines the emergence of motels and their postcard presence.
Columns
Googly eyed doll could command upward of $950
A reader's inquiry into the identity of her family's googly eyed doll nicknamed the 'hate doll' generates a detailed historic assessment by Susan Mullikin.
DINKs, WOOFs, and HENRYs: Selling to the rich
In one of his most recent Behind the Gavel columns, Wayne Jordan discusses the methods and mindset to use when dealing with affluent customers.
Hake’s: Five decades of stimulating collecting zeal
In a recent Knowing Your Business column, I connected with Ted Hake and Alex Winter, founder and president, respectively of Hake's Americana, to discuss Hake's marking 50 years in business.
Understanding, navigating ‘added fees’ circuit
In this Behind the Gavel column, Wayne Jordan examines the increase of 'added fees' becoming part of some business operations.
Toy race car details give conflicting clues
Paint job, tires, size and driver figure of a toy race car are clues to the age of the toy, but the conflicting information leads more questions than answers.
Purpose of features aids in identifying wood chest
So often the naming conventions for items are about practicality. For example, in a response to a reader Furniture Detective Fred Taylor explains that a chest with a central compartment used to store bonnets and hats was referred to as a bonnet chest.
Behind the Gavel: Does pricing transparency lower prices?
A change toward greater pricing transparency within the antiques and collectibles market is a departure from the norm, but can be useful, provided the information is accurate, says Wayne Jordan.
Larkin side-by-side exhibits functional charm
In his latest Furniture Detective column, Fred Taylor tackles reader questions about a Larkin side-by-side, fold beds, and diversity of mahogany wood.
Sales Management: Performance by the numbers
"Ours is a business built on browsers," states Wayne Jordan in his latest Behind the Gavel column, about the importance of looking at sales management in statistics.