ON THE COVER -
November Issue 2005
Thanksgiving Greeting Cards.....by Robert Reed
Neatly folded greetings cards have been extending warm messages of Thanksgiving thoughts since the 1880s in the America. For a time early in the 20th century they were overshadowed by the holiday postcard, but they regained the country's affection decades later and enjoyed a 'golden era' of design and exchange from the 1920s through the 1940s.

Inkwells - A Signature of the Past.....by Judy Penz Sheluk
On an out-of-town visit, even when there's only an hour or two to spare, those of us who love "antiquing" usually manage to find a way to seek out a mall or a show!  Accompanying our grandson to a weekend hockey tournament in Maitland, Florida offered such an opportunity. We visited the Orange Tree Antiques Mall there. It was apparent right away that the couple of hours we could fit between games wasn't going to be enough to do this place justice, but we gave it a good try.

Q. I have an very dark set of pine family room furniture that came from a very expensive furniture store back in the late 1970's. I am tired of this dark look and want to refinish the set lighter. Is there any thing special I need to do with this set or do you think the dark color will come out when I strip the old finish off the set?

THE ANTIQUE DETECTIVE
Penguins and Other Animal Folk Art March to Collectors

There is nothing like a Museum Exhibit to spark interest in a collecting or potential fashion category. Such can be the result of the on-going exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York entitled “Cameo Appearances”. More and more often cameo jewelry is coming to auction at still reasonable prices. $150/200 for example. If they are considered miniature sculptures, it doesn’t matter if they are in fashion to be worn as jewelry. Many are mounted as a collection.

Van Briggle Art Pottery....by Ann Brandt
Artus Van Briggle lived only 35 years, but he left behind an artistic legacy. Van Briggle has been called a genius, an artist and a potter. He was all those things, working with intensity, fueled in the last five years of his life by the knowledge of impending death from tuberculosis.

Armistice Day....by Roy Nuhn
November 11th marks the anniversary of the end of World War I and the beginning of what is now known as Veterans Day. It honors the men who fought - especially those who died - in the great war which began in the earliest days of the new 20th century. It has also become a day to pay homage equally to all men and women who have fought in America's wars and conflicts since then.

Q. I purchased this chair at a garage sale. The seller said it was English and since she used it as a nanny in England it was an English Nanny’s Chair. If so what would be a reasonable price to ask when selling it?

THE ANTIQUE DETECTIVE
Old Chinese Export China Still Being Made

You’ve seen it hundreds of times at antique shows and shops, and may even collect it. But, perhaps what you don’t know is that blue and white, and other colors of Chinese export porcelain has never stopped being reproduced, since it was first made in the 16th century. By the late 18th century to around 1835 huge dinner services were literally mass produced. Of course, over the years, many pieces were broken. Now, when even a simple blue and white platter, labeled “19th century” comes to auction it can sell for $2,000 or more.