Official 2009 poster

It is billed as the most exciting two minutes in sports. And it is for 3-year-olds only. We’re talking about the ultimate horse race known as the Kentucky Derby.

The race may just be two minutes, but the festival in Louisville, Ky., begins two weeks in advance. Over the past 50 years, it’s grown into the biggest event in Kentucky with parties, dinners, honors, discussions, events, warm-up horse races, golf, balloon races, fireworks, paddle boats, cruising, mint juleps and, of course, souvenirs. Collecting Derby memorabilia is the second largest pastime in Louisville, and it continues well after the hooves of the winner have fallen silent.

Let’s review just a few of the official ones.

The horse
The ultimate souvenir of any Kentucky Derby is the winner itself, a 3-year-old colt, gelding or filly. Exact figures of what it takes to breed a Kentucky Derby winner varies, but the value increases to the millions after the awarding of the blanket of 554 roses to the winner. This is one collectible that continues to appreciate once it is retired to pasture.

Photo signed by trainer of 1994 winner, Go for Gin

Churchill Downs 1947 spring meeting book

(If you would like more information about a pictured item, click on the image.)

The winning ticket
Ah, but the second biggest collectible is at the pay window. Taking home the winnings from the Kentucky Derby is the ultimate collectible, and it comes with free bragging rights. What a deal. Interesting, but I’ve never seen losing tickets auctioned online anywhere.

The mint-julep glass
All right, these are great collectibles for the rest of us. The mint julep is the favorite drink of the Kentucky Derby, so naturally there is a special glass made both for enjoying the drink and for collecting. Official Kentucky Derby mint julep glasses became instant collectibles when they were introduced in 1938.

1950 mint-julep glass

As with any collectible, there are variations each year. According to Horse-Races.Net, there were aluminum and Bakelite glasses during World War II. The 1950 and 1951 glasses are the rarest, but 1974 had the most variations from two different companies due to a printing error. Read Audra Blevins blog about the mint-julep glass and how to make what goes inside one.

1941 Bakelite Derby glass

World War II-era Bakelite glass

The official silk scarf
Silk scarves are a relatively new collectible for the Kentucky Derby. Chuck Starr of Collectors Gallery says the first officially sanctioned scarf was introduced by Churchill Downs about 1995. Only about 200 are made every year, which makes them very rare, indeed. The only place to find the officially sanctioned Kentucky Derby 2008 silk scarf is through the exclusive distributor sanctioned by Churchill Downs, Horse Art Gallery, at a cost of $365 each. Look for the twin-spires graphic on each corner of the scarf to know it is authentic.

The official Kentucky Derby Festival pin
Each year the Kentucky Derby Festival issues a decorative commemorative pin. Beginning in 1973 with a plastic Pegasus pin, there are now festival, corporate, chairman and balloon pins, too. There are so many pins that it is hard to get “pinned” down on just how many styles there are. Each pin is available individually or as part of sets from online auction sites. Visit the Kentucky Derby Festival store their store, and see a selection of 2009 pins.

1974 Pegasus pin

1978 Pegasus pin

The official Kentucky Derby Festival poster
Since 1981, when renowned artist Peter Max designed the first colorful festival poster, artists from around the country have competed to provide the right prerace excitement every year. For 2009, it was two for one when it came to artists. Twins Doreen and Janeen Barnhart, designed this year’s exciting poster. Their design is featured on tote bags, glasses, T-shirts, glasses, hats and other Derby collectibles. Visit the Kentucky Derby Festival store if you’re interested in purchasing 2009 items or ones from past years. All of the past Derby posters are still available by visiting their store and ordering your favorite.

C. W, Vittitow, print signed by the artist

Finally
There are other Derby collectibles beyond the officially sanctioned ones. There is an early travel poster such as the one issued by the C&O Railroad that advertised Kentucky as a travel destination rather than the Derby itself, plus old tickets, programs, newspapers featuring the winner, hats, balloons, key rings, T-shirts, Beanie horses, books, whiskey bottles, shot glasses, photos, DVDs, plates, software games, trivets and . . . who knows what else?

If you’re interested Kentucky Derby collectibles, don’t miss these informative videos, “Kentucky Derby Collectibles,” “Kentucky Derby Collectible Glasses” and “Kentucky Derby Museum.”

Coke bottle commemorating 1983 Kentucky Derby

Beanie Baby 123rd Derby horse

1945 shot glass

If the Kentucky Derby is the ultimate in horse racing, then it is also the ultimate in horse-racing collectibles, too. So, get them while you can. Ready? Aaaand, we’re off!

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The original Merry-Go-Round at the Lakeside Amusement Park was located outside. It would eventually be housed in three different buildings since the park opened in 1908.

Adjacent to Lake Rhode in Lakeside, Colo., gleams the Tower of Jewels, a 150-foot-tall wooden tower built in 1907 originally fitted with 5,000 lights. It is the centerpiece for the Lakeside Amusement Park, a family fun place that opened in 1908 and is still going strong more than 100 years later.

Today, the Lakeside Amusement Park features a total of 37 rides, including a large Ferris wheel, water rides, three roller coasters, a miniature railway, and the Merry-Go-Round—a carousel that has been with the amusement park since it opened in 1908.

“This carousel is in its third building and its second location,” says Rhoda Krasner, whose family has owned and operated the amusement park since 1935.

“It’s the most unusual carousel I’ve ever seen. Well, it’s really more like folk art,” says Barbara Charles, who has created a census of carousels in the United States.

The individual carvings on the Lakeside carousel quite unusual in that they are boxy, particularly the horses, and generally have little to no additional decoration as seen on other carousels of the era.

Charles is referring to the menagerie of horses, dogs, goats, monkeys, hippos, pigs and, perhaps, a panther created in the factory of C.W. Parker, a carousel maker in Kansas who usually specialized in only horses. I say perhaps, because each of the individual carvings are quite unusual in that they are boxy, particularly the horses, and generally have little to no additional decoration similar to other carousels of the era, except for a carved face in a saddle or the growl of a dog or two. These are the kind of embellishments not usually associated with the carousel carvings of master craftsmen, but they have a gentle folk art beauty nevertheless.

“Parker makes his first carousel in 1901; he’s been repairing other ones before that,” Charles says. “This ride is 1908. It’s really in what I call the first generation of Parker’s where he’s trying to find his style. And this ride is really the biggest one he ever made. And so it’s really his showpiece, you might say, for that first generation of rides for him.” In fact, of the 1,000 or so carousels built by C.W. Parker, only 16 are known to be in operation today and Lakeside’s is the only menagerie left.

For years no one thought that the little animals came from the Parker factory at all, but Charles found evidence that they did in her collection of Parker company early photographs. His factory first operated in Abilene, Kansas, then moved to Leavenworth in 1911, where he continued producing more colorful and decorative carousels until his death in 1935.

“It’s hard to tell you how unbelievable it was when I first saw this carousel. I didn’t know what it was. It was just so wild, with these figures! I’d never seen anything like it. It’s truly one of the great carousels of America and you just have to treasure it. For Parker, it’s a star. It’s a gem,” says Charles.

The current Merry-Go-Round house at Lakeside Amusement Park.

The Krasner has preserved a slice of Americana in the heart of the city. And you can help preserve all our national carousel treasures, too, through the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum website.

To watch a video showing the Lakeside Merry-Go-Round, click here: Colorado’s Historic Carousels – Lakeside Merry-Go-Round

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

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The original carousel house at Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver Colo.

It’s an unbelievable place where you can sit and ride and dream and dream.”

It was one of the most popular rides at the original Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colo. It goes up and down and round and round, but it isn’t the Boomerang, the Half Pipe or the Twister roller coaster. It is simply known as the Carousel.

For more than 80 years, the Elitch Gardens carousel, with its hand-sculpted and hand-painted horses in grand colors and wonderfully expressive features, has entertained generations of children and adults alike. Still operating in what was the original Elitch Gardens amusement park from 1890 to 1994, the carousel was bought by Mary Elitch in 1928 from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, maker of elaborate mechanical carousels.

“They got this magical world,” said Barbara Charles, nationally known expert on historic carousels. “Every surface is covered, the lights, the mirrors, even inside the trappings of the outside scenery, it’s an unbelievable place where you can sit and ride and dream and dream.

“The chariots on this carousel are particularly interesting,” added Charles. “Probably carved as many as eight or 10 years earlier, at the height of World War I, the patriotism is reflected in ‘Miss Columbia’ and the flags and the overall motif of them.”

Carver John Zalar, who worked for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, honed his skill creating religious works for churches in Austria, created each of the two horses on both chariots. While no one knows who carved the elaborate Roman-style chariots, they are still what most people come to see.

All of the horses on the Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel #51, as the Elitch Gardens carousel is known, were hand-carved by master Old World craftsmen. The “PTC” initials are visible on the horse’s shoulder.

All of the horses in PTC Carousel #51, as the Elitch Gardens carousel is known, were hand-carved by master Old World craftsmen such as Frank Caretta from Italy. As head carver for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Caretta, a former furniture maker, created the patterns for the horses on the Elitch Gardens carousel. He used bold colors, fanciful expressions with gold and aluminum leaf, particularly on the armored lead horse that bears the company’s initials “PTC.”

From 1904 to 1934, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, based in Hatfield, Pa., manufactured the Cadillac of hand-carved elaborate carousels, like #51. While they also manufactured wooden roller coasters, the coaster cars and even skee ball machines, it is the beautiful carousels that made them famous. Today, only 28 of the elaborate, hand-carved carousels are left. At least nine were destroyed by fire, and others, particularly the elaborate ones, may have been split up and sold. Still, may PTC carousels are still operating across the United States and in Australia, a tribute to their impressive craftsmanship of their master carvers and mechanical engineers.

The current carousel house at Elitch Gardens, where the merry-go-round has been in service for more than 80 years.

So, next time you ride a carousel, think of carousel carvers John Zalar, Frank Caretta and others like them. Could they possibly have known how much pleasure their work would bring? Just how much pleasure could that be? A billion miles and smile, or more? Enough distance to travel from here to the moon? The answer isn’t in numbers. It is in the eyes of a child on the back of his chosen steed. That’s the pleasure a carousel brings.

To view a video on the Elitch Gardens Carousel, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

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Cribbage is a game that is more than four centuries old. It’s a card game, but most recognize it by the board used to keep score, known as the cribbage board. Thom Pattie, vice president and Chief Worthologist for WorthPoint.com, recognizes the cribbage board and card set as more than just a fun pastime, it also is an antique and collectible.

There are cribbage boards, and there are cribbage boards. As an example, Pattie demonstrates the difference in value between a plain cribbage board and one that is mahogany inset with a brass panel he has in his collection.

“It’s just a simple cribbage board,” Pattie says. “But when it’s turned over there is a door and some fittings and beneath the door there is storage for two decks of cards and the pins for marking the cribbage. In storing the decks, there are presses built in to keep the cards flat to keep them straight. It’s like having an upgraded system in your house,” Pattie continues. “It also has a book of rules which was published in 1891. It’s always nice to have these extra add-ons.”

In pursuing WorthPoint’s Worthopedia of past auction values, there are any number of cribbage boards made of the most unlikely materials such as scrimshaw, walrus tusk, soap stone, ivory, leather, even one made from an antler. There are also boards made of wood, plastic, inlay, brass, ones with feet and others with colorful decoration. Apparently, there is no material than cannot be made into a simple cribbage board.

Because cribbage boards do come in all sizes, shapes and materials, the values received at auction vary as well. From $5 for a simple board with no add-ons, to complete sets of boards, rules, pegs and other add-ons auctioned for more than $100. The carved ivory and scrimshaw models can sell for about $100 and higher.

Pattie concludes that, “Everything that you add to an item increases its value. Just as you purchase a car and add on upgrades such as a sound system, antiques that have upgrades are worth more than one’s that don’t.”

Just so you know, while the game of cribbage is essentially a card game, you score the points on a board with 120 holes, called streets, usually set in a horseshoe pattern. You move your peg, also known as a spilikin, along the holes, called pegging, based on the points of your cards. Each player “discards” a card calling out the cumulative value of all previous cards played, until the cumulative total reaches 31. Play continues until all cards are played. The player with the first to accumulate a total value of 61 or 121 for their particular discard pile wins.

It is a game that is played rather fast as intended by English poet Sir John Suckling, who is credited for the invention of cribbage in the early 17th century. Curiously enough, cribbage is a favorite game of Navy submariners. There is a tradition in the Navy that the oldest submarine still in service is presented with the personal cribbage board of famed Medal of Honor winner, Rear Admiral Richard O’Kane. Who knew!

Walrus tusk cribbage board: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/scrimshaw-walrus-tusk-cribbage-game-signed
Antler cribbage board: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antler-cribbage-board-branching-antler
Set of cribbage boards/cards: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/collection-cribbage-boards-and-playing-cards

To watch a video of Thom Pattie discussing cribbage, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

EDITOR’S NOTE: Brimfield, Mass., is a small New England town with a population of about 5,000 or so. Settled in 1706, it shows its traditional New England quaintness rather well. It has its large, steepled church, and with the leaves of autumn or the snow of winter, looks the part in any Norman Rockwell painting. And then for one week every spring, fall, and summer, the population doubles with 5,000 antique dealers converging on Brimfield to create the “Antique Capital of the United States.”

Dan Borsey travels through Brimfield for WorthPoint to see what is new and what fascinates the dealers and collectors. Surprisingly, Dan met Matt Wylie and Zeb Koch, owners of Back Door Antiques. The surprising part is that both Matt and Zeb are close friends and college students.

“My family is a real close family business. My dad is a big antique dealer and he’s been here 20, 30 years,” Matt says. “I met Zeb a couple of years ago,” Matt starts, but Zeb finishes, “from soccer and just started hanging out and turns out he only lives right down the street from me and just started hanging out with him going to flea markets with him on the weekends. He asked me to go to bigger shows and this is the best one we ever had.”

The main item that attracted Dan to Matt and Zeb collection was an unusually multi-colored beer “pong” table. “It came from a frat house at the University of Maine,” says Zeb. “The use the big drinking horns to drink beer and they take the little ones and do shots with them.” The horns Zeb is referring are hollowed out antlers. There is a version of beer pong played similar to ping pong, although without the paddle and involves drinking beer from a cup where the ball lands. The winner, if there is one, is the one with most of their cups still full of beer. You might guess that this sport is important to the college and professional tailgaters.

Another interesting piece the guys had came from the top of a building in India, probably circa 1860, Matt says. “We had it in our garden for awhile, but I was afraid it was going to deteriorate, so we brought in the hope somebody would make us offer for it,” Matt says, looking at Dan expectantly. No, no sale there.

“Well, you look around these fields and its always a certain age class of people, and it was such a breath of fresh air to see Matt and his buddy peddling antiques with the best of the rest of them,” Dan says to Matt’s father, Bruce.

“Yeah, its’ true. It is such a good thing to see. I love seeing it myself,” Bruce Wylie answers.

To watch a video of Dan Borsey’s visit with Matt and Zeb, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

EDITOR’S NOTE: Brimfield, Mass., is a small New England town with a population of about 5,000 or so. Settled in 1706, it shows its traditional New England quaintness rather well. It has its large, steepled church, and with the leaves of autumn or the snow of winter, looks the part in any Norman Rockwell painting. And then for one week every spring, fall, and summer, the population doubles with 5,000 antique dealers converging on Brimfield to create the “Antique Capital of the United States.”

I had the most unique opportunity to go antique hunting with Will Seippel, CEO and founder of WorthPoint.com to learn about furniture and other things that caught his eye. Will is quite the collector himself and he finds the most fascinating items.

We wandered to the original show that started it all back in 1959; J&J Promotions. There are 20 different shows now at Brimfield, and Will was glad to be back to the place where he himself was a dealer about 20 years ago.

The first stop was the RCA, Edison Electric booth. We were greeted by an oversized Nipper, the original RCA Victor logo and mascot—you remember, the perplexed black and white dog looking into the new fangled Victrola that played the original 78 rpm records. Will found quite a stack of original Edison wax cylinders used for the original phonograph or gramophone. “The thing you have to be careful for is that they don’t end up with a mold on them. When that happens, no more sound.” Will says. These cylinders are very plentiful and the WorthPoint Worthopedia has many auctions where similar cylinders sold on average of $3 to $5 each.

Interestingly, Will walked into a trailer displaying early phonograph cabinets and noticed one from the Sonora Phonograph Company of New York, N.Y.

“It actually belonged to my great-grandfather and that was his record company,” Will says. The company produced phonographs from about 1907 and later also distributed radios until the company closed in 1930. Will tells the story of his grandfather locking the plant after a union strike which bankrupted the firm, all while his father, the true owner of the company, was on vacation. Still, a well preserved Sonora phonograph has been sold at auction for $200 to $300.

I pulled a surprise on Will that day. As the Worthologist recruiter for WorthPoint then, I passed a box full of old license plates and informed Will that we just brought on our own Worthologist for license plates, a very collectible item these days. We found plates for Massachusetts 1966, California 1974, New Hampshire, Kentucky 1970, and Michigan 1976 still in its wrappers.

“I always like to see the ones from Washington, D.C. with ‘No Taxation Without Representation,’” Will says. To get a good idea as to the value of any early license plates visit WorthPoint’s Worthologist Andy Bernstein. Some very early license plates have values into the thousands if you know what to look for.

As always, antiquing with Will Seippel is a great educational experience. Will’s stories, knowledge and the practiced eye made me a better collector. Everyone should go antiquing with Will at least once. It was a great treat.

To watch a video of Will Seippel’s tour of Brimfield, click here.

To see an example of an Editon gramaphone, click here.

To see an example of an Sonora phonograph, click here.

To visit Andy Bernstein’s Worthologist home page, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

EDITOR’S NOTE: Brimfield, Mass., is a small New England town with a population of about 5,000 or so. Settled in 1706, it shows its traditional New England quaintness rather well. It has its large, steepled church, and with the leaves of autumn or the snow of winter, looks the part in any Norman Rockwell painting. And then for one week every spring, fall, and summer, the population doubles with 5,000 antique dealers converging on Brimfield to create the “Antique Capital of the United States.”

I had the most unique opportunity to go antique hunting with Will Seippel, CEO and founder of WorthPoint.com to learn about furniture and other things that caught his eye. Will is quite the collector himself and the things he sees is often nothing like what I see at all.

It’s a small table he notices first. “What we have here is a beautiful New England work table dating from about 1820, in what they call the Sheraton style,” Seippel says.

Now to me, it was just a small table, but Will notices the brass knob on the front of the small drawer and the birch top. The legs, though, draw his particular attention.

“Generally in New England, you can tell the difference from the southern tables, because the legs were much thinner, which was really more the Puritan ethic to save material. The southern tables would have large legs which they would flaunt how much material they would use, kind of the opposite,” Seippel says. “A very, very nice table.”

We keep moving down the line until he notices an entire table of furniture accessories, such as Victorian hand carved walnut drawer pulls for cottage furniture, door knobs, and even claw feet for a table. “Fred Taylor, our Worthologist for all things Victorian to 1920s to 1950s Grand Rapids furniture, can tell you more than I can, but these are hard to find and they are great to use on your furniture,” Seippel says.

Lastly, we came across a rather large wooden bed. “Here is a nice bed here that’s made out of walnut. It’s a little bit higher end of Victorian furniture. These are very functional beds, and is a great piece to recycle and use. Very comfortable, and saves cutting down a tree to make a new bed. Something like this I would really recommend,” Seippel says. He particularly notices the hand-carved fruit decoration on the headboard and at the foot of the bed itself. “It’s a very nice piece of furniture,” Seippel concludes.

WorthPoint’s Worthopedia auction prices put the door knob at only a few dollars within a large lot, the Victorian bed frame sold at auction from $110 to about $200, while similar small Sheraton work tables were auctioned from $50 to more than $1,200 for an 1830’s walnut southern Sheraton-style work table.

Just to be able to walk alongside Will as he points out the kinds of important antiques and collectibles that would just pass me by is a lesson in itself. After “antiquing” with Will Seippel, I now understand more fully how he was able to pay his way through higher education through the buying and selling of antiques. I certainly will not be able to look at furniture legs quite the same way again.

To watch a video of Will Seippel’s tour of Brimfield, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

EDITOR’S NOTE: Brimfield, Mass., is a small New England town with a population of about 5,000 or so. Settled in 1706, it shows its traditional New England quaintness rather well. It has its large, steepled church, and with the leaves of autumn or the snow of winter, looks the part in any Norman Rockwell painting. And then for one week every spring, fall, and summer, the population doubles with 5,000 antique dealers converging on Brimfield to create the “Antique Capital of the United States.”

I had the most unique opportunity to go antique hunting with Will Seippel, CEO and founder of WorthPoint.com, and to learn about furniture and other things that caught his eye. Will is quite the collector himself, and he finds the most fascinating items.

That is certainly true today as I accompanied Will on his antique rounds at Brimfield. We came across dealer John Eagle, who specializes in a most unusual collectible—the face jug.

“These particular face jugs are all done by a gentleman called Bill Flowers from North Carolina,” Eagle says. “The slaves used the devil motif for their grave markers because the Africans believed that that would scare the evil spirits away.”

Will mentions that the origin of the face jug goes back to the early slaves in the southern United States, particularly in the Carolinas. “The makers are generally known of the old face jugs and can go up in value to tens of thousands of dollars,” Will says.

The ferocious and exaggerated faces on a face mug may easily drive the evil spirits away, but while I found them fascinating, I was ready to move on myself. That’s when Will came across something just as unusual and just as collectible—the early condom tin.

“When you come to Brimfield, you never know what you’re going to find,” Will says.

The condom tins of the early 19th century particularly are sought after primarily for their high-quality artwork. “These are extremely collectible. I have seen condom tins go up to $4,000,” Will says. Because the use of condoms in the early 20th century was strongly discouraged, even unlawful in places, the manufacturers needed to create artful names and colorful packaging to promote their product through the 1920’s. Now, of course, they are highly collectible ranging in value from less than $100 to several thousands.

And speaking of marketing, Will came across an unusual pair of advertising signage not normally seen in the United States—the male and female oil drips used as logos for Esso.

Esso was used as a brand for the Eastern States Standard Oil company after the breakup of the Standard Oil company under John J. Rockefeller in 1911. The Esso brand itself began its use in 1941 in the Eastern States, but because of litigation, was replaced by the current Exxon brand in 1973. Today, the Esso brand is primarily used only overseas. One oil drip logo sign featured in the Worthopedia sold at auction for $110 in 2006.

Walking with Will Seippel at the fields in Brimfield has allowed me to see all manner of antiques and collectibles through the eyes of a consummate collector. I’ll certainly look at condoms differently, that’s for sure.

To watch a video of Will Seippel’s tour of Brimfield, click here.

To see an example of n Esso sign with oil drip logo from Worthopedia, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

EDITOR’S NOTE: Visiting the small New England town of Brimfield, Mass., is usually a normal, everyday occurrence, as you roll right through Route 10 on the way out of town. It is a sleepy little burg, except when it becomes the “Antiques Capital of the United States.” For one week every spring, summer and fall, the small town of about 5,000 doubles as about 5,000 antique dealers take up residence in tents erected about a half mile on either side of Route 10, the main drag in and out of town.

I had the opportunity to explore the offerings of many dealers at the summer 2008 session of Brimfield, and found Paul Norton of Hartco Trunks from West Hartford, Conn. set up in one of those tents. He had an assortment of some rather amazing small and large antiques, but one item particularly caught my attention.

“The Indenture is from 1799 and is English,” Norton says. “I acquired it at an estate sale down in Connecticut and I was attracted to it because of all the hand work, the calligraphy and so forth. I priced it to sell at what I thought was a reasonable price, but its decorative value is probably much higher than the $250 that I have on it,” Norton explains.

An indenture is a contract between two parties, most commonly assumed to be for labor or an apprenticeship. While it was certainly issued for that, known as indentured servitude, the indenture was also used to purchase land or buildings and even to contract for military officers as far back as the 14th century.

What I point out to Paul is that each indenture is “escalloped,” that is the rounded edges at the top are actually cut from a larger piece of parchment, or vellum. The part cut from the indenture is, in fact, a duplicate made specifically for the other party under contract or deposited in the requisite land office or local court as an official copy. If there were more than one party to the contract, an additional copy was made and given to the other party as well.

“What’s really important, though, is the stamp. Anything that was written or official had to have a stamp as a tax. As part of the tax, the stamp had to be included on the document or it wasn’t legal. The piece of silver, it is pure silver, shows that the document is legal,” I told him. “Without that piece it is not a legal document.” This tax stamp is English, but an earlier tax stamp from the American colonial era, particularly around the 1760s, has a particularly high value and is coveted by collectors.

At times there are usually red wax impressions at the bottom of the document. “It is just a wax stamp, that generally didn’t belong to anyone in particular. It is an 18th century version of the “X,” a generic stamp,” I continued.

There are large indentures, small ones, even double-page ones that I have owned over the years. As an early collectible, they are fun, interesting, and usually within $25 to $250 and were issued even until the early 19th century. Each one is unique, distinctive and is particularly decorative for any room. History can be fun after all.

To watch a video of Tom Carriers’ discussion of indenture with Paul Norton, click here.

To see an example of indenture from Worthopedia, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

EDITOR’S NOTE: Brimfield, Mass., is a small New England town with a population of about 5,000 or so. Settled in 1706, it shows its traditional New England quaintness rather well. It has its large, steepled church, and with the leaves of autumn or the snow of winter, looks the part in any Norman Rockwell painting. And then for one week every spring, fall, and summer, the population doubles with 5,000 antique dealers converging on Brimfield to create the “Antique Capital of the United States.”

I am WorthPoint’s Worthologist for vexillology, or flags. Naturally, I was drawn to the booth of Rae McCarthy of R&R Collectibles from East Hampton, Mass. Her specialty is the American flag as a collectible, so I wondered if the American flag was still in demand.

“At the point of 9/11, we did a show 10 days after and we actually sold out of flags, all in one show. For two years we sold a lot of flags, and it’s kind of dwindled off, but we’re coming back to people… wanting the older flags, and of course those are hard to find,” McCarthy says.

Rae refers to the historic U.S. national flags as being bestsellers and usually that means flags with less than 50 stars, which has been official since only 1960. The 48-star U.S. flag was official from 1912 through 1959, when the 49-star flag became official when Alaska became a state. But that only lasted until Hawaii joined the Union in 1960. Traditionally, when a new state joins the Union, regardless of the date, the new star on the flag is made official on the July 4th following admission.

“A lot of people buy for condition, too. They don’t necessarily think they want wool flags because of their age. They may think they like the blue on that one better,” McCarthy continues. That is also true of other flags that may look better within a home décor.

A wool Vice Commodore flag used by a yacht club is another example of a flag that would work in a nautical décor. It’s small size—about one foot by two feet, with red field and sewn cotton stars and anchor—means it can easily be framed and displayed. A similar sized wool flag of Bermuda, with its silk-screened coat-of-arms and Union Jack on red, I found, also makes for a nice display, too, even without a frame. The values were each less than $100.

A different dealer featured a rather large U.S. national flag that was probably once a U.S. Navy standard wool ship flag. It still showed its halyard, or rope, attached to the heading, but with no markings to determine its origin. It was very large, probably about the standard length of about 10 feet by 16 feet, and in deteriorating condition that it impossible to unfold just to verify the number of stars. However, we can determine its age through the hand stitching of the stars and the hand sewn grommets, which places it near 1850 or so. Its value could be $800 to $1,500, it’s value held down because of its size and generally poor condition. A similar small flag that can be framed and displayed, even in the same condition, could have the same value if not more.

Besides wool, flags were also made from cotton, linen, and even muslin, which was used through the early 20th century.

“Small flags are more in demand. Big flags are hard to display, so we go through a lot of small flags,” McCarthy says of her inventory. Good advice for collectors or patriots.

To watch a video of Tom Carriers’ discussion of flags with Rae McCarthy, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or flags.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Brimfield, Mass., is your traditional small New England town of about 5,000, with picturesque churches, a main street that is no more than two stoplights long, and independent, warm folks happy to help when they can. This quaintness changes for one week each in the spring, summer and the fall. Then, Brimfield becomes the “Antiques Capital of the United States” when 5,000 antique dealers set up tents about a half mile on either side of Route 10, right in the center of the town. With lots to see, there is much to be found.

I visited Brimfield in the heat of summer 2008 and came away with a fascination with what fascinates others. For example, this one pair of gentleman walked away with something unique—a religious icon within an ornate carved frame along with an item that was, well, more utilitarian.

“I bought a religious frame, and being Polish, it was very interesting. It’s written in Polish, I don’t know what it means, but I’ll put it in the house as a religious icon,” he says. The second item was quite curious, though, his best buy of the day, he says. “This is a drawer for a wooden trunk. Well, I got a wooden trunk at home without a drawer.” And how much did he pay for it? “This came out of the rubbish. Somebody threw it away and we took it.” Ok, then, bargains really are everywhere. What else did we find?

How about a classic car? “We have a beautiful 1966 classic Mustang that we’re raffling off. The New Town Lions Club in New Town, Conn., does this every year, always a Mustang. The proceeds for this raffle are used for a variety of charities,” he says. Imagine getting a classic car for a ten spot.

As we walked along the main street of Brimfield, Scott, the cameraman and myself, came across a guy with vintage newspapers. “I’ve been collecting hurricane stuff for quite a number of years and I haven’t been able to find any newspapers,” he says happily. He is a school teacher who delights in teaching with authentic items, like newspapers.

And then we saw an alien. A see-through wire being waiting for a hot dog. I just had to ask. “I’ve been looking for one of these for four years and I finally found one at Brimfield,” said the alien’s handler. “It’s a metal dress form,” she says. Ah, of course. Now it makes sense. They are a family of artists that incorporates items like this in their sculptures. Somehow, I liked the alien idea better.

How about a good luck charm in the form of head board? “These are a couple of four hand-carved Chinese panels of oak. The gentleman who sold them told us explained that this is the plum blossom, and because they’re all connected together it suggests longevity and prosperity,” he says. They weren’t antiques necessarily, only from about the 1950’s. “When we come to Brimfield we kind of have a theme or certain ideas that we try to fulfill here and this is one of them,” he says.

I was so quite fascinated with the items, I failed to ask what they paid for them all. But it is guaranteed that you will something of value at Brimfield, especially if it’s free.

To watch a video of Tom Carriers’ tour through Brimfield, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

This McKinley-Hobart campaign umbrella, printed cotton with black portraits and text, is marked on interior “The Sprague Umbrella Co. Norwalk, Ohio.” It has six panels with paired jugate portraits divided by panels of red & blue, with a long with turned wood handle and dowel, original finish and red, white and blue streamers attached at top. This umbrella sold at auction in 2005 for $460.

It is amazing sometimes in the world of collectibles that a relatively mundane item becomes an important historical artifact simply because it lasted 100 years. Prior to 1896, hats, ribbons, clothing buttons, parade torches, lanterns and other innocuous everyday items were produced not only as functional items, but also doubled as an advertisement for a favorite candidate.

And so why not an umbrella? During the late 19th century, the umbrella was functional, but also served as a walking advertisement for presidential campaigns, too. “Campaign items such as umbrellas were most likely produced by vendors, not the campaigns themselves. These are very delicate items,” says John Olsen, an exhibitor at the American Presidential Experience in Denver, Colo., during the Democratic National Convention of 2008.

Umbrellas themselves have a very ancient history. First used in ancient Greece, it was intended to shield a person from the hot rays of the sun. In fact, the word “parasol” means to block the sun (the word “umbra” is Latin for shade or shadow). The earliest mention of a collapsible umbrella, according to a Wikipedia entry, was in China in the year 21 A.D., for use on a ceremonial four-wheeled carriage. Over time, the umbrella was used to shield a person from the rain, in photography and even as a fashion statement.

And so, in the late 19th century, the umbrella was a rather perfect way to advertise your preference for president. It wasn’t unusual to find images and names of both the presidential and vice presidential candidates added to an umbrella, along with full color national flags, slogans, and all manner of patriotic motifs.

This small umbrella was probably a political campaign souvenir. Red, white and blue stripes and stars with beaded tassels and a bamboo shaft. It sold at auction in 2005 for $381.88.

It is also normal to find an inordinate amount of wear and tear. Such items were not expected to last beyond the presidential campaign itself and they generally show it. Olsen showed a McKinley/Roosevelt 1900 campaign umbrella with the candidate’s images, names, and two Great Star pattern national flags in full red, white, and blue with 38 stars on a wooden staff that collapses. It also showed a few holes, general wear, fading, and obvious water spots. “Something in this condition would be valued at $350. If it was in mint condition it would be close to $1,000,” Olsen says.

WorthPoint’s Worthpodia features another McKinley/Roosevelt umbrella in slightly better condition auctioned by Heritage Auction Galleries in 2007 for $717. An earlier McKinley/Hobart campaign umbrella featuring the portraits of William McKinley and Garrett Hobart in panels of red and blue from his first 1896 campaign sold by Cowan’s Auction in 2005 for $460.

During the same 1896 political campaign, a simple button of celluloid over paper attached to a round metal plate or button with a pin attached was first introduced by the McKinley campaign. They have been manufactured virtually the same way ever since as a cheaper alternative to fancy and costly items such as the umbrella. The buttons also were easier to transport and had a wider distribution. But the 19th century umbrella, like the hat and the ribbon, can still tell a great colorful story as long as you keep them indoors.

• Campaign umbrella: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/small-umbrella-probably-political-campaign
• McKinley/Hobart umbrella: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/mckinley-hobart-jugate-campaign-umbrella
• Images of McKinley/Roosevelt umbrella: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/mckinleyroosevelt-campaign-umbrella-0

To watch a video of John Olsen discussing political umbrellas, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

In the middle of a hot summer, I toured the cool cash at the 36th annual Whitman Coin & Currency Convention in Baltimore, Md. What I found, besides about 500 dealers specializing in currency, coins, gold, and platinum, was the Kid’s Korner.

Pat Finner, vice president of the American Numismatic Association, was managing the Kid’s Korner, a special program where kids are treated to free coins, books, pamphlets and special programs.

“We encourage families to come to our show, because we believe that coin collecting is one of the few collecting opportunities that a family can enjoy,” Finner said. “Everyone can have a coin collection and pass it down to their children, their grandchildren and their great grandchildren. They not only have the advantage of having something of value, they have the sentimental value also.”

Coins are sometimes given as gifts to a child from an uncle, aunt, grandma for their birthday, first communion or other holiday, and Finner suggests that each child keep a diary to remember where the coin came from. “So, their coin collection is truly personal. It’s theirs and theirs alone.”

For 10 years, Finner has been working the Kid’s Korner at the show. “Many children are just bored out of their minds,” she said. “So, we find that by having programs and classes and mini-seminars that are very interactive, the children stay interested.”

I was fascinated by the grab bag ay the Kid’s Korner. Here, a very large bucket of all types of old, collectible coins was set out and each child was able to reach in with one hand and grab as many of these coins as they could. All the coins were put into a plastic bag and the bag was given to the child to take home. All for free. Where did all the coins come from, I asked Finner? “We have a very supportive dealer community here at the Baltimore show. The dealers donate all the coins in our grab bag.”

“A lot of our material comes from the Bureau of Printing and Engraving and the U.S. Mint. There’s tons of free stuff out there if you know how to get it. It’s a wonderful opportunity for teachers and parents to come to the show and we’ll tell them how to get everything free to help their children collect.”

It’s true. Here, coin booklets from Whitman Publishing were given to each child, and they were to fill a booklet of collectable pennies as fast as they can. At the end of 30 minutes, they took home what they completed.

The Bureau of Printing and Engraving and the U.S. Mint not only provided materials, but also a small bag of actual shredded currency, guaranteed to be worth $25—if you can paste it back together. A bureau engraver was also on hand to demonstrate how a $5 or $10 bill is painstakingly engraved.

“It’s very exciting for me, and I love the look on the (children’s) face when you give them the free stuff. It helps them collect. I’m privileged to do it,” Finner concluded with a smile.

A video on the Kid’s Korner at the Whitman Coin & Currency Convention can be viewed here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

“Hey, I got 10, now, can I get 20. Bid a little more, it’s only money. I got 20, am lookin’ for 30. Thirty and a half, could I get 40. Borrow a ten from your friend Jordy.” That’s the chant of auctioneer Walt Kolenda of Walt Kolenda Auctions, located in New England, who is popularly known as Auction Wally.

Curious as to what is involved with a Yankee auction, WorthPoint spent a day visiting with Auction Wally to preview the items being offered in the Duncklee Dairy Farm auction. All of the items belong to the household of the Duncklee family, dairy farmers in Chelford, Mass., for several generations. They include utilitarian items such as buckboards, milk cans, a Victorian sleigh and farm equipment, but more personal items such as a Victorian piano chair and the family dining room table, too. There are even unusual items such as several large, oversized enameled advertising signs for Cape Cod cookies and Toasterette crackers found in the barn.

Having several generations worth of personal items auctioned off to perfect strangers would be traumatic for the family, you would think. Not necessarily. “Many times family members look upon the proceedings with delight as they witness a fresh enthusiasm for the things they grew up with,” Kolenda says. He would hear family members say things like, “I used to push my sister around in that wheelbarrow. I’m so glad someone else is going to enjoy it.” “I love that,” Kolenda says.

“As an auctioneer, I think of estate auctions as a new chapter in that family’s story. Done right, with respect, a well built auction pays reverence to the family through its accumulated property,” says Kolenda.

Auctions have a long history of its own, dating back to at least 500 B.C. in Babylon, when woman of marriageable age were auctioned annually. To raise capital for some venture or other by the wealthy early on, an auction was usually held. The largest auction on record may be the one held in 193 A.D. When the Emperor Pertinax was assassinated, his Praetorian Guard put the entire Roman Empire up for auction. The winner was Didius Julianus, sort of. Septimius Severus had him beheaded two months later in a “no bid” auction, otherwise known today as a coup.

While a “no bid” auction is rare, the Duncklee Farm auction is considered an “English” auction, the most common type of auction. Bids are accepted for an item in ascending order, in other words, from lower to higher, until the bidding stops. The last bid wins. Other typical auction types are: the “Dutch” auction, where a base price is announced by the auctioneer and lowered until someone accepts the final bid; “Sealed First Price” auction, in which sealed bids are submitted without the participants aware of each other’s bid. The lowest bid, in the case of government contracts, or the highest sealed bid wins, like mining contracts; “Vickery” auctions, in which the winner pays the second highest bid, not their own; “Silent” auctions, bids are written and collected at a certain pre-arranged time. The winner is the last bid.

The Duncklee Farm auction was held on Oct. 4, 2008 in pretty good weather. The buckboard wagons sold for $600 and $825 each, the Victorian sleigh went for $770. The great ceramic advertising signs, 16 of them altogether, sold for $75 and $360, depending on condition. All-in-all, a great Yankee auction. Visit all of Kolanda’s past auctions and educational information at http://www.auctionwally.com anytime.

Watch a video featuring items from the Duncklee Farm auction here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

WorthPoint is getting to be a regular fixture at Brimfield, the thrice-yearly outdoor antique fair along Route 1 in Brimfield, Mass. With about 5,000 dealers set up in tents about a half a mile on either side of this otherwise rural country road, there is much to see. Dan Borsey, “The Man in the WorthPoint Van,” provides another glimpse at the treasures offered by one of the dealers, Sunnybrook Antiques, located at The Meadows, one of the dozen or so independent “shows” at Brimfield.

Jim and Jill Elias, proprietors of Sunnybrook Antiques of Swedesboro, N.J., are experienced auctioneers and appraisers who have been setting up in Brimfield since 1974. “We like to invite people in to see our merchandise; it’s like inviting them into our home. We meet a lot of wonderful people who become our repeat customers,” Jill says.

As auctioneers and appraisers for the past 30 years, the Elias’ have seen quite a number of great items come and go through their auction gallery. At Brimfield, Jim featured a series of hand-painted “Gone with the Wind”-style electric lamps. “The lamps are from the 1940’s. They are electrified copies of the oil lamps of the 1800s that were made to look like the oil burners. To me, they are just beautiful decorations for the home.” These hand-painted electric lamps have had an auction value from $75 to $200, depending on condition and style as found in WorthPoint’s Worthopedia.

Sometimes finding unusual items in the homes is not so unusual at all. However, where you find them sometimes is. Take these complete ladies dresser sets—in green silk and mother of pearl frame around a circular mirror—for example. “It has the original frames, the picture frames, the comb, right down to the earrings,” Jim says. “They had eight of these stacked under the eaves of the house.” They were all found in their original 1940’s era boxes, completely unused. Each of them are still in their original bright, vibrant color that includes the brush, comb, nail clippers, perfume bottles, powder jars, and atomizers, a complete 14-piece beauty set packaged in an art Deco style. WorthPoint’s Worthopedia shows a similar version selling at auction for $176 in 2004.

Another interesting find is an early 20th century mantel clock by Winterhauer of Germany, known for its quality movements. Manufactured during a 35-year period, the company produced the wind up clock in wood as a decorative piece in the traditional low-swept style common for a clock featured on a fireplace mantel. The first traditional mantel clock was developed in France in the middle of the 18th century and were characterized by the lack of a carrying handle. The mechanism of this particular clock is in complete working order. “They typically bring from $400 to $4,000 on the internet,” Elias says.

The couple also has a very large collection of late 19th to the early 20th century glassware, china, porcelain, books and reverse painted picture frames available at their outside booth at The Meadows during the antique season at Brimfield, Massachusetts. So visit them when you can.

Watch a video featuring Jim and Jill Elias at Bromfield here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Throughout the 19th century, supporters for American presidential candidates were able to advertise their loyalty by buying some rather unusual items, or at least considered unusual in the era of bumper stickers and pinback buttons. Prior to the 1896 election, the torch light parade through town in honor of your candidate was commonplace. But you were also able to tip a hat, wear a ribbon, hold an umbrella, wear a vest, or drink from a mug to advertise your support, too.

Christopher Kent, a WorthPoint Worthologist, was fascinated by another typical political item that played a large role in elections in the late 19th century, the tin tray. He talked with Mark Evans of Collector’s Archives at the American Presidential Experience in Denver, Colo., during the Democratic National Convention in late summer 2008 about the significance and the collectability of these historic presidential items.

During the presidential campaign of 1896 between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan, individual companies would produce these large, oval tin trays featuring the likenesses of both candidates for resale to gift shops and stores. “Supporters would just buy them as a souvenir of the election or to show their support,” Evans says.

These tin trays were intended to be used every day, both as a piece of decoration for the wall and also as a serving tray. Condition, therefore, plays a rather significant role in assessing value after scarcity. A 1900 tin tray featuring William Jennings Bryan and Adlai Stevenson is a rare piece, for example, but there is a lot of normal crazing and rust pits throughout bringing down its value. “Much of this can be repaired, and when you have a quality piece, it’s worth the investment,” Evans says. He paid $400 to $500 for the tin tray, but in mint condition, it would be worth 3 to 4 times that value. A tin tray featuring McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt from the 1900 presidential campaign sold at auction for about $1,100 in 2004, for example, according to WorthPoint’s Worthopedia.

For many of these trays, a blank space was deliberately added along the top and bottom borders and on the sides, according to Evans. “I’ve seen these for various businesses with the name printed in black and then these businesses would distribute them to their better customers, who would then hang them on the wall, which would give them advertising. The ones with advertising tend to have more value because they’re limited to one business in one city and it adds interest,” Evans says. This could be considered a double investment because the tray is scarce, but the addition of an advertising company is even rarer.

By 1896, the acetate political button with a pin attached to the back became the most common way for individuals to show their support for their candidates. They were easier to manufacture at a much lower cost and the distribution was more universal. Items such as the tin tray, the umbrella, the top hat, and other more flamboyant displays of support began to become less important during the presidential campaigns. Of course, that just makes them even more valuable as collectibles.

Watch a video about the presidential campaign tin trays here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

The 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, will be celebrated on Feb. 12, 2009.

For his steadfastness in keeping the United States from breaking apart during the Civil War, Lincoln is immortalized in memorials across the country, most prominently the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and on Mount Rushmore. His image graces postage stamps, coins and currency and numerous towns, cities, counties and the capital of Nebraska is named in his honor. Navy vessels and submarines have been named for him, and one naval vessel was named for his mother, the Liberty Ship SS Nancy Hanks.

To celebrate his 200th birthday, Congress established the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission in 2000, with a goal to “celebrate the life and legacy of Lincoln while reinvigorating his thoughts, ideals and spirit throughout America and around the world.”

As part of that national celebration, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill., launched “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made In America” Bicentennial Tour, a mobile museum exhibit. “The exhibition examines Lincoln’s life from his poor beginnings to his ascension to the presidency and his assassination. Highlights include a visual recreation of Lincoln’s 1861 Farewell Address from a train car in Springfield as he left for the White House, and the award-winning ‘The Civil War in Four Minutes’ video presentation,” according to the exhibit’s website.

“What we got in here,” Lloyd Bunch, of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, says, “is a condensed version of the life of Abraham Lincoln. We start at the very first, talking about his childhood, being born in Kentucky, and his move with his family to Indiana and eventually to Illinois, where he became a self-taught lawyer, got elected to the House of Representatives and all the way to the presidency of the United States.”

From the very beginning, as you enter the double-wide trailer, is a hologram of Abraham Lincoln saying farewell to the citizens of Springfield after being elected president of the United States in 1860. A music box sits on a fireplace mantel that can be opened to hear the same music the Lincoln family heard at home, a replica of the clock that was used in Lincoln’s law office, a key to the law office, and numerous examples of the major and minor events of Lincoln’s life before and after the presidency.

“We have the Civil War in four minutes, an award-winning video that everyone needs to see. It really puts the facts of the Civil War in perspective,” says Bunch. On a screen a map of the United States continues to show the major and minor battles, the casualties for each with a running tally until the Civil War ends in 1865. “It’s a really touching video,” Bunch adds. And it is.

The exhibit ends with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 15, 1865.

The travelling exhibit will continue across the country until 2010 and will be featured at major sporting events, elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and other venues. It is free to everyone. Visit the exhibit website for specific times and places.

Now, Abraham Lincoln belongs to the ages and all of us.

Watch a video about the “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made In America” Bicentennial Tour here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

Giving away gold to help others is a very special act of generosity. When it is done at Christmas, well, that is a miracle.

But, that’s exactly what happened to the Salvation Army in Denver, Colo., during the 2007 Christmas season. Over a period of six days, six historic $20 gold pieces with dates from 1883 to 1906 showed up in the Salvation Army’s traditional red buckets, but anonymously. To this day, nobody knows who the Secret Santa is that provided such a valuable contribution.

The gold coins are the Liberty $20 gold pieces issued by the U.S. Treasury from 1849 to 1907. The obverse, or “heads” side, features a bust of Lady Liberty facing to the left surrounded by 13 six-pointed stars and the date under Lady Liberty. On the reverse, or tails, is a stylized Great Seal eagle with a glory of 13 six-pointed stars surrounded by sun-rays and the legend, “United States of America” and the denomination “Twenty Dollars.”

“We went to see if we could get them valued after Christmas and WorthPoint stepped forward to help,” said Major Neal Hogan, director of social services for the Salvation Army. “They really have shown a spirit of caring for the community. They have taken a lot of steps to help by connecting us up with people that are in the process of making these move forward into a real gift that can help.”

In the meantime, WorthPoint sponsored a “Cool Kids” art contest. Kids visiting the WorthPoint booth at the American Presidential Experience in Denver during the Democratic National Convention were asked to draw, paint, or color a thank you to the Secret Santa for their generous contribution. Later, all the artwork was judged with prizes for the winner.

All of the coins were to be auctioned off Oct. 24, 2008 to raise money for Salvation Army programs for the coming year. “We’ll start off next Christmas with a pot of money with what was given [this year],” Major Hogan says.

The Salvation Army, as it is known now, started and continues on an unconventional approach to spreading hope among the destitute, the poor, the needy and others on the margins of society. Instead of churches and pulpits, they have help centers and gather contributions through each Christmas season with bell ringers and the well-known red kettles. Begun in 1852 by William Booth in England, it was first known as the Christian Mission. By 1878, with nearly 1,000 volunteers, his movement was described as a volunteer army. Instead, Booth changed it to Salvation Army, with soldiers of Christ, known as Salvationists. The Salvation Army now operates its international headquarters in London, England where it all began.

So, to the Secret Santa, thank you. You know who you are and in our hearts we know you are one of us. Merry Christmas to you, and to all a good night.

NOTE: An auction was held in late 2008 by Freeman’s Auction Company and the six gold coins were auctioned off for a total of $4,700 or about $783 each, well within the range of estimate of $750 to $800 each.

Watch a video about the gifts of gold to the Salvation Army here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

Common or scarce? Political buttons were created for campaigns, for issues, even for special events—or sometimes just because. With so many different kinds of political campaign buttons available since they were first created in 1896, and more than 3,000 for the Obama campaign alone, how can you know which ones to collect? I spoke with Mark Evans of Collectors Archive of Avon, New York, a long time political collectibles dealer, about the tried and true method of determining what is collectible.

“An awful lot of it is supply and demand and the graphic appeal of the item,” Evans says. “There is a wonderful button of Teddy Roosevelt with draped flags in his Rough Rider hat when he ran for Governor in 1898, but it’s very common. There were thousands and thousands of them made.” But, because of Teddy’s outsized personality, collector’s demand for this particular button has pushed the value for this relatively common button higher.

A more recent example of this phenomenon is the “In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right” campaign button of the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign of 1964. The satirical buttons of this campaign, such as “In Your Guts, You Know He’s Nuts” or “In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right – Far Right” also have values much higher than the supply.

With 3,000 buttons for the Obama campaign alone, how do we determine what is valuable as a collectible? Look for buttons that were used for a one day event, Evans says. Buttons of this sort were made in much more limited quantities, usually by local clubs or commercial companies and so their value remains high. Also, look to a candidate’s initial runs for political office. A Joe Biden campaign button for president in 1988, for example, now sells for $20 to $50 when just recently it was only about $2.

Matched pairs are also collectible. This is a commercially produced button series where both the president and vice president candidates are each produced on a separate button. Collectors go out of their way to find the mates, producing an instant collectible.

“Another factor,” Evans says, “is how well a button is made.” Evans shows a 1980 campaign button for Ronald Reagan where the graphic, while interesting and unusual, was poorly made. Spots, or foxing, started appearing on the paper reducing its value considerably. On the other hand, an interesting or unusual illustration, where the colors are bright and the quality is good, will only increase in value as a collectible over time.

So, to find value in political buttons, it is more than supply and demand. An unusual or catchy campaign slogan, buttons used for one-day events, early campaign buttons of elected presidents and vice presidents, matched pairs of candidates produced commercially, and unusual buttons that are well made. These are all factors in finding continued value in political button collectibles.

Still, there is one last thing to remember when collecting political buttons that tends to make all the difference. “As a collector, you should collect what you like,” Evans counsels. Hard to do in politics, but this is really the last word in collectible political buttons.

Watch a video with Tom Carrier talking to Mark Evans about political buttons here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

Talk about life imitating art, or art imitating work, Dan Borsey was able to talk with film director and screenwriter Chris McCallion about his newest feature film, ‘Mothballs,’ depicting the glamorous and wondrous dealings of antique and collectibles dealers at Brimfield, Mass..

“I wanted to make an independent film, so I thought a great way of making the money to finance an independent film was to buy and sell antiques. So, I started buying and selling antiques and I said, hey, wait a minute, this could be a film in itself,” McCallion remembers. “I made this independent film about these two guys who decide to go into the antique business and they go to Brimfield. I shot multiple days here (in Brimfield) with my full cast. Then I also shot on my property. I set up 18 tents to make it look like Brimfield,” McCallion says.

There are quite a few characters in this full-length comedy that all antique dealers must deal with at one time or another. You know, the highly charged and fussy customer who is particularly looking for a bargain below the normal bargain and is willing to put the dealer through the ringer to get it. “I’m waiting,” he says with a singsong sigh and an expectant look, not being particularly subtle about it.

Another character may sound familiar, too, but he is the dealer who is rather succinct on how he prices items at his booth, “Always look at their shoes,” the character says. “That’ll tell you what the people are and what they’re going to buy. If they have nice leather shoes on I put the price up a bit, but if they got a poor set of shoes on, then I don’t charge them quite as much, but I sell them a whole lot of dollar stuff.” There is also a roving magic kangaroo that either you see or you don’t, and the odyssey of how one antique item changes hands many times throughout the film.

Sometimes, people come from all over to Brimfield, sometimes it’s from around the world and sometimes from outer space, or sometimes even from over the rainbow, according to a podcast done with McCallion.

The film premiered in January 2008 at the Southern Fried Flicks in Augusta, Georgia, where it took second place, and at the Trail Dance film festival in Oklahoma, where it won best featured comedy. The film has also been featured in Toronto, San Francisco and other film festivals across the country. In 2009, the film will return to Brimfield for its 50th Anniversary celebration for the dealers and the collectors to see it again.

While this comedy is a work of fiction, I can’t help thinking that it hits pretty close to home. I also can’t help but wonder if I can recognize anyone in it. I’ll see you at the movies when “Mothballs” comes to Brimfield. You bring the popcorn and I’ll bring other movie memorabilia to sell or trade.

Watch a video with Dan Borsey talking to Chris McCallion about “Mothballs” here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.