With the lifetime gift tax exemption scheduled to drop from $5 million to $1 million on Jan. 1, 2013, collectors are scuffling to pass on as much tax-free wealth as possible to their children and heirs. But be careful. When it comes to gifting collections, both collectors and appraisers need to move cautiously. Read More +
Tag Archives: collectibles
Enter the 4th annual Favorite Finds contest for a chance to win a $500 auction credit
Enter your favorite antiques collecting story in the 4th annual Antique Trader Favorite Finds contest for a chance to win a $500 auction credit from Heritage Auctions! This year’s runner-up entry will win a 10-volume reference library courtesy of Krause Publications. It’s free to enter and every participant receives a free copy of the Nov. 14, 2012, cover-dated magazine in which the stories are shared! Read More +
McKinven gambling novelty collection a work of art
Riverboat hustlers may take 5-card stud to an art form but they’ve got nothing on John McKinven. His love affair with gambling novelties is on display (and up for bids) at Potter & Potter’s Auction closing May 13. Read More +
Antique City returns April 14-15, 2012 with new venue, free admission for young collectors
On April 14-15, 2012 Norm Schaut’s huge “Antique City” Fun Fair will be staged at the Lehigh University Fieldhouse in Bethlehem, Pa. Pennsylvania’s largest and most diverse indoor antiques fair will present 250 exhibitors from 32 states offering everything from furnishings to fine art, jewelry to jukeboxes, porcelains and postcards to dolls and trains to ships and planes. Read More +
Cheap Antiques: Steals, deals and the ones that got away
These lots are ones auctioneers don’t want you to know about: deals, steals and cheap antiques. An 86-inch high two-piece breakfront bookcase for $350? Yes, please! Read More +
SoCal’s All-American Collector’s Show marks 40 years with 200 dealers
GLENDALE, Calif. – If you’re a treasure hunter, a fan of vintage toys and memorabilia, or a history buff, you likely found your way to the Los Angeles area Glendale Civic Auditorium to celebrate and enjoy the 40th anniversary of The All-American Collector’s Show. The weekend event acted as a magnet for some 200 dealers from all over the U.S. (as well as Sweden), to sell and trade tin wind-up toys, cast-iron toys, Disney memorabilia, dolls, Americana, arcade machines, movie memorabilia, vintage advertising and myriad “blasts from the past.” Read More +
Only known Mickey Mouse double-figure Slate Dancer toy offered in Dec. 8-10
The rarest toy in Morphy Auction’s Dec. 8-10 toy and advertising sale is the German tinplate Slate Dancer variation featuring two Mickey Mouse figures on a single platform. “This is the only double Slate Dancer we’ve ever seen,” Morphy said. “We asked around to see what others thought, and everyone told us this was the only one they knew of.” Read More +
Garage sale shopper selling trove of dozens of diverse antiques collections spanning 70 years
Lois Travis of Storm Lake, Iowa, began her illustrious collecting journey with Christmas seals at the age of 10. Now, after spending more than 70 years amassing collection after collection, 91-year-old Lois has decided it’s time to scale down and … Read More +
Rare Watts & Co. coffin phone may headline wide-ranging collector auction
DENVER, Pa. – A large percentage of the world’s population has never even seen a dial-face telephone, but that certainly wasn’t the case with the late Bill Daniels. The massive collection of antique and vintage phones that filled his home comprised a chronological archive of Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 invention and contained models ranging from primitive turn of the 20th century curiosities to ultra-cool mid-century designs. Read More +
Comedian Whoopi Goldberg’s collection full of serious Mid-century style
More than 70 pieces from Oscar-winning actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg’s cherished collection of pottery, porcelain, art deco and of whimsical pieces she has gathered over the years will highlight a Sept. 27, 2011 sale in Dallas. While Goldberg has enjoyed her superstar status as hostess to some of the most interesting minds and unique characters in the world today she has also quietly and intelligently scoured auctions, antique shows and flea markets over the years to assemble her impressive assortment of tableware and accessories. Read More +