Article Archives: What’s in the Attic?

Collectible Ashtrays

January 26, 2017 | by Linda Hamer Kennett

NO SMOKING! We see the signs everywhere prohibiting the once acceptable, but now taboo, habit of lighting up. In 1965 Congress passed a bill requiring all cigarettes to carry a health warning issued by the Surgeon General. America took the warning seriously, as did our legislators, and by 1995 we … Read More

The Auction Experience

January 19, 2017 | by Linda Hamer Kennett

Whether it be fine art or appliances, vintage clothing or patio furniture, Victorian jewelry or a riding mower, if you need it or want it…. you can most likely find it at an auction. Auction houses across the country are experiencing record numbers in attendance as the Millennials are discovering … Read More

Speculative Buying — Let the Adventure Begin

January 12, 2017 | by Linda Hamer Kennett

Not so long ago the business of buying for resale was a world left to those of us who are professional dealers and shop owners. Daily we would scour the flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores in search of overlooked, under priced treasures, haul them home to be cleaned … Read More

Star Wars Figures

January 5, 2017 | by Linda Hamer Kennett

When the Kenner Toy Company bought the rights to produce action figures based on George Lucas’ upcoming space saga Star Wars early in 1977, they were less than enthusiastic about the transaction. After all, the leading manufacturer of action figures at the time, The Mego Corporation, had passed on the … Read More

From the Mind of a Child

December 22, 2016 | by Linda Hamer Kennett

Even though we may only realize it in retrospect, children often display behavior very early in life that points to their destiny. In the early 1890s, 7-year-old Joshua Lionel Cowen whittled a miniature locomotive from a scrap of wood and attempted to fit it with a tiny engine — and … Read More