Home/Luxury/Kovels Antique Trader/September 15, 2021/In This Issue
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021Schroeder Toy & Bank II Hits Bertoia’sVINELAND, N.J. – Bertoia’s will add yet another chapter to the legacy of one of America’s greatest antique toy and bank collections as they auction Part II of the Aaron and Abby Schroeder Collection, September 10-11. In total, 896 lots will be offered. Considered by many to be in a league of its own, this vast and storied collection contains some of the rarest and most prized toys ever to reach auction. The collection was lovingly assembled over several decades by the late songwriter/ record producer Aaron Schroeder (1926-2009) and his wife and business partner of 49 years, Abby Schroeder. The collection’s holdings include an extraordinary selection of late-19th to early 20th-century American cast iron, including premier mechanical and still banks; ultra-desirable horse-drawn and bell toys, and early American tin…2 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021Are NFTs the art of our time OR a confounding and unsustainable digital fad driven by crazy money? UM ... YES?Since NFTs (Nonfungible Tokens) burst into the mainstream last March with the $69 million sale of Everydays – The First 5000 Days by the artist Beeple, there isn’t a day that has passed that I have pondered: What exactly is an NFT? How could an NFT be worth so many millions of dollars, and who on earth has enough cash to throw at something so … so… intangible? Furthermore, why on earth would they do it? Putting my endless pothering, head-scratching and divining-of-motives aside, looking at NFTs through the lens of the past 50 years of trends in collectibles that have gained and lost value – some rising to the stratosphere (Comics? Baseball cards?) and some into obscurity (Beanie Babies?) – the questions that keep coming up for me are…6 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021Grand SlamThe red hot sports card collecting hobby continues to redefine itself, as evidenced by yet another record sale, this time a T206 Honus Wagner baseball card that sold for $6.6 million at Robert Edward Auctions in August. While high-end Wagner cards have been selling for seven figures for more than a decade, the new record price reflects a remarkable boom in the card market over the last 18 months. Recent notable sales include two cards for NBA players – a one-of-a-kind Luka Doncic rookie card ($4.6 million in March) and an autographed LeBron James rookie card ($5.2 million, April) – and hockey player Wayne Gretzky’s rookie card ($3.75 million, May). Another T206 Honus Wagner sold for $3.75 million in May. What’s more, at least a dozen sports cards have sold…1 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021A Market on FireVintage comic books may deal in fantasy worlds, but here in the real one, they are serious business. The hobby right now is burning hotter than Ghost Rider’s flaming skull on the cover of his debut, Marvel Spotlight #5 — a comic from 1972 that originally cost 20 cents and recently sold at auction for $264,000. For the past year especially, comic books have been making headlines fast and furiously for record-breaking sales. Just when collectors think prices can’t go up further, along comes another comic to shatter the previous highest one. Last December, the finest known near-mint issue of Batman #1 from 1940 claimed the distinction of being the most expensive Dark Knight comic ever sold when it reached a world-record bid of $1,530,000 — a full week before…11 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021TAKEN FOR A RIDELet’s talk cars. But not about the cars we use to get to work, or the supermarket, or dentist appointments. Instead, let’s talk about the greatest cars ever made – the one you drove when you just got your license. That turn-up-the-radio, arm-out-the-window beauty that drove almost all your teenage memories…now THAT was a car. But first, there’s something important you need to understand. There are two kinds of kids in the world: Those who had a car and those who didn’t. I did not. My dad had a simple rule about using the family car: Don’t ask. In all fairness to Dad, I was the last of five drivers in the family. The road to rejection was paved by the dings and dents of my siblings. Fortunately, I was…4 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021MONETWhat do you think of when you hear the name Monet in reference to jewelry? As a fan of vintage accessories, for the longest time I thought most of the company’s jewelry was, in a word, boring. That changed when I discovered pieces from the late 1960s and early ’70s at an estate sale a couple of decades ago. Then, about eight years ago, I ran across a necklace that thoroughly perplexed me. The piece in question looked like a Victorian revival festoon necklace dating the 1960s. But as I examined it closer, I noted really fine enameling that looked much older, as did the filigree elements on the necklace centerpiece. It also held very nice colored machine-cut rhinestones that had held up beautifully over time. The mark was “Monet…5 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021NFT RESOURCESThe subject of NFTs is simply too big to fully cover in a single article. Each answer begs numerous questions: How do I buy an NFT? Where do I buy and NFT? How do I sell an NFT once I have one? Can I make NFTs on my own? Can I sell them? Do I need digital currency to do so? How do I get that? What rights do NFTs give me concerning an image? Here are a few resources that can get you started: 1. Andreessen Horowitz (known as “a16z”) offers a wonderful clearinghouse for a variety of articles, many looking at NFTs from a collecting angle. Go to www.a16z.com, search NFT Canon. 2. For a nice, in-brief overview of what NFTs are and how the market works, go…1 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021Once upon a time in HOLLYWOODBarbie would have quite a LinkedIn profile. Since entering the workforce in 1959, the world’s most famous doll has been a teen fashion model, a tennis pro, astronaut, rock star, paleontologist, surgeon and U.S. Air Force pilot, just to name a few of her more than 200 careers. Now Mattels’ fashion-forward job hopper is about to leap into her biggest role yet: movie star. Mattel has announced plans to feature Barbie in a live-action adventure film starring Margot Robbie (“Wolf of Wall Street,” “I, Tonya,” “Suicide Squad”) and directed by the Oscar-nominated Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”). Robbie, who is also one of the producers, described the big-budget film in a The New York Times article as being “for both the fans and the skeptics,” a theatrical endeavor that will be…3 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021Stoneware jar smashes art pottery recordSPARKS, MD — A 25-gallon stoneware jar crafted by an enslaved potter in 1858 has set a new record for American pottery after selling for $1.56 million. The four-handled jar by Dave Drake recently sold at Crocker Farm’s summer sale and the final price, which includes premium, nearly doubles the previous American pottery auction record set by a John Bartlam teapot that sold for $800,000 in 2018. Interest in Drake’s work is at an all-time high, and this is the fourth artist auction record established for the potter since May 2020. It beat the last high result for the artist, set by Brunk in November at $369,000. An American museum was the winning bidder, according to Crocker Farm. Crocker Farm said that this record speaks to where the American stoneware…2 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 202110 Top Pokémon Cards Valued Under $100$100 - Pulled from the Pokémon First Edition Unlimited Base Set, this “Ivysaur” No. 30 card, (Wizards of the Coast, 1999), can be worth a pretty penny. This Pokémon is the evolved form of the grass-type starter Pokémon Bulbusaur. $100 - From the Pokémon Unlimited Fossil Set, the “Kabutops” No. 9 rare hologram card, (Wizards of the Coast, 1999), completes a collector’s set for a crisp C-note, but make sure this little fella is in mint condition! $89 - Pokémon “Caterpie” No. 45 Unlimited Base Set Trading Card, (Wizards of the Coast, 1999), was the ›rst “pocket monster” trainer character Ash Ketchum caught in the fan-favorite Indigo television series. $84 – The Pokémon Fighting Energy No. 97 card shows that not all of the most valuable Pokémon cards are creatures.…2 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021an incredible JOURNEYTwo 20-somethings who grew up in the flea market business are on a mission to educate fellow Millennials about mid-century furniture, objets d’art and interior design. Pennsylvania natives Bryce Detweiler, 26, and Chad For-man, 24, have been taking their van dubbed the “Dust Shuttle” — a mobile antiques store — on an inaugural trip around the U.S. this summer for a two-month journey buying, selling and educating. Their trek has included stops in Bismarck, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; and New York City. The pair met while students at West Chester University, later entering (and winning) a film contest and performing music together. On the final leg of their trip, they sat down with Antique Trader via Zoom from Sioux City, Iowa. Detweiler entered the…5 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021This Smells Like... Hot Stuff !As the great teen philosopher Ferris Bueller so aptly noted in the classic 1986 film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” No doubt. Of course, the same is true in the Antiques and Collectibles World, which is moving at supersonic speed these days. So, much like man’s best friend, we’ve decided to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. In the following pages, you’ll see stories on NFTs (Nonfungible Tokens), video games, Pokémon and other hot collecting areas capturing the attention of the world. Some you’ll know. Some you won’t. And some – hello, NFTs! – may seem downright confounding. All of which promises to make our walk together that much more…1 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021A New High ScoreIn April 2020, a company called Rally bought a 1985 Super Mario Bros. video game for $140,000. A lot of money, it would seem, but only if you haven’t been paying attention to the vintage video game market, which Rally most definitely had been. Rally buys video games and other collectibles (think comic books, baseball cards, cars, basketball shoes) and turns them into properties people can purchase shares in, as an investment. If someone makes an offer to buy the collectible, the investors vote on whether to sell or hold out for something better. Last year, investors shot down an offer of $300,000 for the Super Mario Bros. video game. Turns out, it was a very, very smart decision. In August, Rally sold the sealed Super Mario Bros. video game…4 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 2021BARBIE Fun Facts1 Jack Ryan, a former Pentagon engineer, helped design the first Barbie. Mattel hired Ryan for his space-age savvy and knowledge of materials – meaning he’d be able to make high-quality, well-functioning toys. 2 Barbie was first introduced at New York’s American International Toy Fair in 1959. Show buyers were not impressed. They were wrong. 3 Barbie was named after Ruth and Elliot Handler’s daughter, Barbara. 4 Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend, was introduced in 1961. And yes, he was named after the Handlers’ son. 5 Barbie never married, she just likes to wear wedding dresses. Lots of wedding dresses. 6 What glass ceiling? Sure, Barbie started out a teenage fashion model but through the years she’s been an astronaut, surgeon, tennis pro, rock star, ballerina, chef, UNICEF ambassador, paleontologist, presidential candidate…1 min
Kovels Antique Trader|September 15, 20215 Most Valuable Pokémon Cards1 $360,000 – A Commissioned presentation Galaxy Star hologram Pokémon “Blastoise” No. 009/165R, (Wizards of the Coast, 1998), is One of two copies produced. In mid-1998 Wizards of the Coast commissioned Cartamundi to print two of these cards to be used as “presentation” pieces to seek Nintendo’s approval to begin printing Pokémon cards in English. Guess what: The second card has yet to be discovered (hope for us all!). 2 $300,000 – My son says the 1999 First Edition Base Set “Charizard” is the most popular card – EVER! It’s arguably the hottest card in the entire hobby and worth what you’d pay for a house if you can ›nd one in mint condition. “Charizard” is the ›nal evolved form of “Charmander.” 3 $224,250 - A Nintendo Pokémon “Pikachu Illustrator”…2 min
