NASCAR Model Cars, from AMT to Revell

Les Smirle talks about building and collecting model cars, especially NASCAR models and other racecars. He talks about the history of model cars, the various materials they are made from, and the types of cars popular among modelers, from hand-built European cars to Dinky Toys…. (continue reading)

The Beauty of Brass Model Trains

Dan Glasure talks about imported brass model trains, focusing on the history and types of brass trains, and the evolution of the collecting hobby. Dan wrote The Brass Train Guide Book and can be contacted via his website, Brass Trains.

We’ve been operating Dan’s Train Depot, which is the parent company of BrassTrains.com, for about 11 years now. We bought out a very large brass dealer about five to six years ago who owned the site … (continue reading)

Christie Romero on Differences Between Fine and Costume Jewelry Over the Decades

Christie Romero was the founder of the Center for Jewelry Studies and appeared on Antiques Roadshow as a jewelry appraiser. In this interview, published in March of 2009, she talked about collecting fine and costume jewelry, specifically focusing on the various styles, eras, materials, designers, and manufacturers. Christie wrote three books on jewelry. Her last was Warman’s Jewelry, 3rd Edition.

I started out with general antiques and collectibles… I was a dealer for a while and … (continue reading)

Now Batting, National Baseball Hall of Fame Curator Tom Shieber

Tom Shieber, Senior Curator at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, discusses baseball memorabilia, the history of baseball, the evolution of bats and balls, and selected items in the Hall of Fame’s museum. Based in Cooperstown, New York, Tom can be reached via the Baseball Hall of Fame website, which is a member of our Collectors Weekly Hall of Fame…. (continue reading)

Train Talk with the National Model Railroad Association’s Brent Lambert

Brent Lambert talks about the history of model railroading and describes current trends in the hobby. Since 2003, Brent has been the Director of the National Model Railroad Association’s A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He can be contacted via the library’s website at NMRA.org.

The NMRA library’s original purpose was … (continue reading)

Psych Out: The Trippy Side of Vintage Vinyl

Patrick Lundborg talks about vinyl psych and garage records, including the popular artists, the best places to find records from obscure underground bands, and the differences between the psych and garage genres. Patrick can be contacted via his website, http://www.lysergia.com.

I’ve been interested in psych records for about 25 years now. It started with just 1960s music, the Beatles and stuff like that, and then I kept on checking out new things and finding new … (continue reading)

When Superheroes Took Over Comic Books

Jamie Coville talks about comic book collecting, and the evolution of comics from the earliest 10 cent books up through the golden and silver superhero ages and the adult-oriented comics of today. Based in Canada, Jamie can be reached via his website, TheComicBooks.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I’ve been interested in comic books … (continue reading)

Loetz Glass Collector Eddy Scheepers on the Pride of Bohemia

Eddy Scheepers talks about the history of Loetz art glass, how iridescent art glass became popular in the 1880s, and the various designs Loetz produced up through 1940. Based in Belgium, Eddy founded Loetz.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Loetz was a Bohemian company. It was a factory; and the region’s biggest and best glass manufacturer. There were other contemporaries like Kralik, Rindskopf, and Pallme-Konig that produced glass in the … (continue reading)

The Colors of Fiesta

Heidi Kellner discusses the history, colors and styles of vintage Fiesta dinnerware and other Homer Laughlin Company lines such as Harlequin and Riviera. Heidi can be contacted via her website, Art of the Table: Fiesta Pottery, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I started as a collector and I’m a … (continue reading)

Walker Evans, Preeminent Photographer and Passionate Postcard Collector

Jeff L. Rosenheim, curator of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Photographs, talks about “Walker Evans and the Picture Postcard,” an exhibit opening in February 2009 featuring 9,000 postcards from Evans’ personal collection. Evans collected postcards his whole life, a pursuit which heavily influenced his artistic style as a photographer. Rosenheim has been a curator at The Met for 21 years and has published two books on Walker Evans: “Walker Evans: Unclassified” and “Walker Evans … (continue reading)

Spinning at 78 RPM with Record Collector Gary Herzenstiel

Gary Herzenstiel talks about 78 rpm records, the major 78rpm manufacturers, their technology, and the history of the record industry in general. Based in Detroit, Michigan, Gary can be contacted through his site, 78rpmrecord.com.

I have about 20,000 records in my collection at my house and another 7,000 at another house. I keep them in a room in the basement that has to be humidity controlled with very little humidity at all because mold will grow … (continue reading)

Rita Smith on the Story of Children’s Books

Rita Smith talks about children’s literature, specifically the history of children’s books, the various collectible genres, the development of cover designs, and some of the classics. Rita is curator of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature in Florida, whose website is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I started working as the curator of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature in 1994, but I’d worked with the materials in the collection since 1989. … (continue reading)

Silver Bookmarks Made By Gorham, Kirk, and Fabergé

In this interview, Howie Schecter talks about silver bookmarks, specifically the major manufacturers, designs, and the materials used to make them. Based in Los Angeles, Howie can be reached via his website, Silver Bookmarks, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I’m a packrat, so in 1995, I was itching to collect something. I went around to local flea markets here because they’ve got the Rose Bowl Flea Market and the one in Long … (continue reading)

The Disappearing Art of Porcelain Signs

Michael Bruner talks about collecting vintage 20th Century porcelain advertising signs, including country store and automobile-related examples. Mike’s latest book, Signs of Our Past: Porcelain Enamel Advertising in America, is now available from Schiffer Publishing.

I liked to collect things even as a child. Things that didn’t cost anything, like different colors … (continue reading)

The Iridescent Charms of Carnival Glass

Glen and Steve Thistlewood share their lifelong research on Carnival Glass, its manufacturers, social history, and varying shapes, patterns, and colors. Based in England, Glen and Steve have recently completed a new book, Carnival Glass: The Magic and the Mystery, for Schiffer Publishing. They can be contacted via their website, Carnival Glass Worldwide…. (continue reading)