Table of contents for September 1, 2023 in Kovels Antique Trader

from the editor I feel for Ken, the poor sap. It's not his fault. Not really. There are forces at work in the universe we are powerless against. I can speak with some authority on the subject – being a member of the male species my entire life – when I say that every man, plastic or otherwise, has made a fool of himself over a pretty face. And Barbie, Ken's longstanding girlfriend, is definitely a pretty face. She started life as a teenage fashion model, for crying out loud. Ken was doomed from the start. And it's only gotten worse. Today, Barbie is the world's most famous doll with the world's most popular movie. Imagine trying to keep up with that as a boyfriend. While it may be true…

Sales Reports Carnival Glass Shimmering with luminescent colors on crisply molded shapes, carnival glass dazzles. Pieces were initially made to be attractive, functional, and affordable when Fenton Art Glass introduced them in 1907. This new glassware became so popular that other American manufacturers soon developed competing lines to satisfy the enormous demand. Though carnival's “classic” period ended around 1925, it now holds a prominent place in the market for vintage glassware, and collectors can create a beautiful assortment that serves as a valuable and historic investment. Collectors got the chance to acquire investment pieces when Seeck Auctions offered 320 lots from the Sherry and Bob Cyza Collection at the International Carnival Glass Association Convention on July 8. According to Seeck, the Cyzas were known for acquiring iridescent pieces, and their collection…

Collectors can thank Josiah Wedgwood for forever changing the realm of ceramics, going from simple earthen clay crocks and jugs to a wide range of sophisticated pieces. Part of a family of potters, Wedgwood was self-taught and a brilliant entrepreneur who redefined the industry around 1776. With a career lasting more than 40 years, Wedgwood and his factory fundamentally achieved perfection and spurred the industrialization of stoneware manufacturing. From dinnerware almost too beautiful to use to elaborate vases that are works of art, Wedgwood offers something for every collector. Earlier this year, Freeman's Auctions brought the esteemed Wedgwood collection of Ellis and Suzanne Rubin to market and, on July 12, presented “All the Variety and Perfection: The Wedgwood Collection of Dr. Ellis F. Rubin & Suzanne Borow Rubin, Part II.”…

SHELBURNE, Vt. – “Pet Friendly: The Art of Stephen Huneck,” is on view at the Shelburne Museum through October 22, celebrating the diverse multimedia work of Stephen Huneck (1948–2010), one of New England's most celebrated artists. The exhibit features more than 40 pieces by Huneck, including works on paper, furniture, sculpture, a painting and a short video titled Dog Mountain: A Story of Love, Dogs & Art. The 13 woodcut prints and one prepatrory drawing in the exhibition are from the Shelburne Museum's collection. The remaining objects are on loan, courtesy of the Friends of Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, a nonprofit organization that maintains the 150-acre Dog Mountain property, the onetime home of the artist and his late wife, Gwen. It is also the site of his famed…

When the first settlers arrived in America in the 1600s, they brought little with them to furnish their new homes; ships simply couldn't accommodate much more than a chest or so of belongings per family. When they arrived, they were happy to find ample timber, which furniture makers transformed into the first pieces of early American furniture. Today, a myriad of American furniture styles exists. It's important to remember that different styles evolved, typically from what preceded them. Fortunately, furniture styles can be identified by careful study and remembering what design elements each one embraces. Below are examples of an array of popular periods of American furniture and the unique design elements that make them easier to identify and enjoy.…

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 Camelot Theater, 2300 E Baristo Rd, Palm Springs. For more info, visit palmspringsvintagemarket.com. Every second Sunday of the month, Pasadena. World's largest flea market at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena. More than over 2 million items offered for sale by more than 2,500 vendors. Shop for rare and unusual, vintage collectibles, antiques, new items, arts and crafts and second-hand items. SH: early birds, 5-9am; regular admission:…

Born in New York City in 1907, George E. Hughes grew up in the epicenter of twentieth century art and advertising. Not surprising then that his work would find a home with The Saturday Evening Post, a wildly popular magazine that defined the century of great illustrator art. In all, Hughes would complete 115 Post covers, second only to Norman Rockwell as the magazine's most prolific artist. Hughes’ oil-on-board painting for the Aug. 2, 1952, Post titled “Couples at the Beach,” recently sold for $103,700 at Case's Summer Auction, July 8-9. Presale estimate was $18,000-$22,000. The Post editorial said of the cover illustration: “In the winter, people buy sun lamps to get sun, and in the summer, they buy beach umbrellas to keep the sun off. But these are carefree…

Little could Ruth Handler have realized that her first foray into the world of dolls would help create an America icon, a touchstone of cultural politics and one of the most amazing success stories in the history of children's toys – all while laying the foundation for a hit movie—Barbie, naturally— starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, that just might save the cinematic universe (only a slight exaggeration). Not bad for a woman who was simply trying to give her daughter something fun to play with. With Handler as the catalyst, the first Barbie doll – named after Handler's daughter, Barbara – debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. The 11 1/2-inch, fresh-faced doll with a ponytail and a black-and-white striped swimsuit became an instant…

Q: I received as a gift from a friend 17 years ago, a beautiful Hobe Flower Photo Brooch dated 1966. I have not been able to find this brooch on the Internet. I'm interested to know what the value of this lovely Hobe brooch might be. Can you help me? A: Once you've started looking at the varied wares sold under the Hobé brand, a brand with French roots that thrived for more than 60 years, it's easy to understand why collectors are enamored with this vintage jewelry. The Hobé tagline used in advertising during the 1930s and ‘40s was “Jewels of Legendary Splendor.” That might seem rather haughty for costume jewelry if it weren't for the fact that Hobé did design some remarkably intricate and finely crafted designs during…

It's hard to argue that there has ever been another force in American culture as influential as the Disney Company, or another man more responsible for our collective reflection of our national self-hood than Walt Disney. From the time the Disney Brothers made their first cartoons in 1923, the march of Mickey Mouse to cultural supremacy has been as inevitable as it's been steady. So influential is Disney's reach that I would posit that America's identity, as tied into the alleged idealism and idylls of the 19th and 20th centuries as it is, is not remotely based on the truths of history, but rather on the rose-colored lens that Disney has cast it through for a century. Throughout 2023, the Walt Disney Company has been celebrating its 100th anniversary with…