Table of contents for March 15, 2023 in Kovels Antique Trader

A steel railroad spike clad in gold and silver, used in the ceremonial completion of the transcontinental railroad, sold for $2.22 million at Christie's, smashing its pre-sale estimate of $300,000-$500,000. A little more than five inches long, the Arizona Spike was the headliner of Christie's “The Exceptional Sale,” featuring singular works of historic importance, as well as iconic objects of popular culture. Belonging to the Museum of the City of New York, the piece was sold to benefit the museum's collection. The spike was crafted to commemorate the completion of the world's first transcontinental railroad in 1869, joining the eastern and western halves of the United States and connecting California with the industrial centers of the east. In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Central Pacific and the Union…

Out of all of Jacqueline Kennedy's famous fashions, none have left such a profoundly indelible mark on the American psyche as the pink suit she was wearing when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, November 22, 1963. About two hours after JFK was shot, Mrs. Kennedy was still wearing the suit, stained with his blood, when Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president on Air Force One on the way back to Washington D.C. Though urged her to change, Mrs. Kennedy refused, saying, “Let them see what they've done.” Nearly 60 years since, almost no one has seen one of the most famous artifacts of clothing ever worn. Now preserved by the National Archives in a climatecontrolled vault outside of Washington, Mrs. Kennedy's pink suit, will not…

Mexican Generalissimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, of The Alamo fame, although never a baseball player, swung a big bat. In a round-aboutway, he is responsible for the building of the Chicago Cubs franchise—the National League baseball team that Chicagoans cheer for today. Wrigley Field, so named in 1926 for William Wrigley Jr., the head of the chewing gum empire. In 1893, Wrigley introduced Juicy Fruit Gum, which was followed by Spearmint Gum. Behind aggressive direct marketing and large-scale advertising campaigns, Wrigley Gum was soon recognized the world over. All this success, not to mention baseball, might never have been if not for Santa Anna. The story of chewing gum has a colorful history. It is full of intrigue and reads like an action novel. There was the backdrop of…

Among collectors of American antiques, Charles Santore was a revered expert and enthusiast of the Windsor chair. Santore, a well-known illustrator of children's books, was sought by collectors, dealers, and curators to assess antique furniture. He wrote and illustrated the definitive book on the subject, The Windsor Style in America. About 70 antique Windsor chairs from the collection of Santore and his wife, Olenka, faithfully acquired over half a century, were auctioned by Sotheby's in late January. Santore, who died in 2019 just months after Olenka passed, was taken by an exceptional, reddish brown-painted, scroll-carved, comb-back knuckled Windsor armchair. The chair, circa 1775, sold for $378,000 at Sotheby's. Below, from his book, Santore explains the importance of the chair and his appreciation for its unknown maker. “I believe it should…

If you were a kid of a certain age, there was no cooler bike than a Schwinn Sting-Ray. Schwinn introduced the original Sting-Ray in 1963 after the company realized kids in California had been customizing their bikes to look like motorcycles. In 1968, Schwinn introduced the hottest Sting-Ray line of them all: The Schwinn Krate. And young minds were blown! The original Krates consisted of three models: The Orange Krate; The Lemon Peeler; and The Apple Krate. The Krate was to the Sting-Ray what dragsters were to automobiles. In fact, the Krate name was borrowed from a popular California dragster of the time. What really made the bike stand out was the unique five-speed “Stik-Shift” mounted on the top tube, right between the seat and the handlebars. The bike featured…

Few names resonate as strongly as Princess Diana's, and even fewer biographies are revisited with the same frequency. Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of King Charles III and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. She advocated for important causes such as homelessness, cancer and AIDS awareness and prevention. While each account of her life has a unique focus and tone, one element is constant: Princess Diana was, and remains, a fashion icon. Diana's dazzling style influenced everyday fashion decisions in Britain and beyond. Fashion designer Elizabeth Emanuel, who designed clothing for the Princess of Wales, once said, “Everybody wanted to look like Princess Diana. She would wear a pair of tights which had a bow on the back and suddenly that was everywhere, everybody wanted…

For this issue of Antique Trader, I'm straying from the usual travel trailer road trip to take readers on a trip of a different kind: bicycling on Ocean Drive to tour Miami Beach's Architectural Historic District (more commonly known as the Art Deco District). This road trip happened on Valentine's Day last year and was a surprise to my wife, Bonnie, who had no clue I had hidden our bicycles in the back of our truck. We started our day with a slow drive through heavy traffic down to Miami Beach for a picnic lunch beneath the sea grapes and palm trees, followed by a tour of the Art Deco Museum and Welcome Center run by the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL). Although the history of the MDPL dates back…

Though she served only a short time as First Lady — from January 1961 until the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, in November 1963 — Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis remains deeply rooted in American culture. A large part of this stems from her timeless style that made her one of the biggest fashion icons of the last century. Legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head called her the greatest single fashion influence in history. Almost thirty years after her death (May 19 marks the 29th anniversary of her death from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 64), she continues to influence fashion. Famous for her big-buttoned suits, pillbox hats, and bouffant hair, Jackie's ladylike couture style in the 1960s was minimal and modern, and she adorned herself with simple accessories, including…

I walked into a thrift store on Manhattan's East Side and my eyes immediately fell on a wooden box pocketbook. A rooster, filled with colorful pink, orange and yellow flowers and a twinkling turquoise jeweled eye, decorated the front. It was whimsical and intriguing. I had never seen anything quite like it. It made me happy, and I fell in love. On the left bottom corner were the words “Early Bird.” On the right bottom corner was “ec©”. I left the store and thought about the bag throughout the day - and night. I went back early the next day and “Early Bird” was still there. I bought it. I didn't know anything about the bag. Inside, it said, “Enid Collins Original Box Bag” and had a logo of a…

ARIZONA May 26-27,2023, Prescott Valley. Prescott Antique Show & Vintage Market, Findlay Toyota Center, 3201 Main St., Prescott Valley, AZ. Fine antiques and collectibles, vintage, western, architectural, repurposed all displayed in a 33,000 square-foot, air-condition building with easy access to free parking. SH: 2pm-6pm Friday early bird; 9am-4pm Saturday. ADM: $5 general; $15 early bird. For more info contact Arlene Bright, 928-443-1862 or visit prescottantiqueshow.com CALIFORNIA Every first Sunday of the month, Alameda. Alameda Point Antiques Faire, 3900 Maine St., Alameda, CA. The Alameda Point Antiques Faire is the largest antiques show in Northern California, boasting 800 dealer booths. All items 20 years old or older. For more info, visit alamedapointantiquesfaire.com Every first Sunday of the month through May, Palm Springs. Palm Springs Vintage Market, PS Cultural Center at the…