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This measures approximately 19.5 in. H x 8 in. W x 17 in. D.
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By Sara Jordan-Heintz
Through perseverance and hard work, Bill and Denny McConnell of 23rd Street Antique Mall in Oklahoma City celebrate 35 years in business.
Bill and Denny McConnell of 23rd Street Antique Mall in Oklahoma City.
OKLAHOMA CITY â 23rd Street Antique Mall in Oklahoma City boasts an 11,000-square-foot showroom spotlighting the wares of more than 70 high-quality vendors who donât sell anything more contemporary than the 1960s. Owners Bill and Denny McConnell, a dynamo husband and wife team, have 42 awards on display, touting their mall as the best place in town to shop for antiques. While their reputation draws buyers from all over the world, they donât take success for granted, noting that their 35-year-old business was built the old-fashioned way, with sweat equity.
Bill spent years working for Lee Way Motor Freight Inc. unloading trucks. âThe last few years I worked at Lee Way, we began to look around to see if there was something we could do to carve out some kind of financial future for ourselves,â Bill recalls. âLee Way was a good job in a lot of ways, but it wasnât something I could do all my life. It would break me down. So, we started buying some old rental properties and fixed them up, and began doing that, and thought that would be our key to future financial security.â
But in 1984, when the local real estate market went south, the couple lost it all. âWe went to work for ourselves,â Bill says. âWe called ourselves âThe Odd Job Couple.â We mowed lawns and painted houses and hung wallpaper and washed windows and hauled junk to the dump and struggled for about five years.â
Then fate intervened. The owner of May Antique Mall approached them about needing a manager. Would they be interested in coming aboard?
âIâve always loved antiques. I was kind of a strange kid, I guess. My parents and siblings couldnât have cared less about it, but I used to drag home all kinds of mostly junk,â Bill says. âAt the time, I had a Big Chief tablet with over 300 things written on I was looking for. Iâd ride my bicycle to our neighborsâ houses growing up in southern Oklahoma and show them my list and beg for things â actually got some pretty good things â but I never dreamed as a young person that Iâd wind up in the business.â
Denny said she didnât know much about antiques before she and Bill wed 50 years ago, but she learned quickly when it became their livelihood. âThe antique business was started in July 1989, but we purchased it in February 1992. We served as managers for the first two years,â Denny says. âWe decided to create an antique venue that reflected a love of antiques, history and the spirit of community.â
In 1997, they decided to relocate and rename the business, transforming the old Adairs Tropical Cafeteria building into 23rd Street Antique Mall, named for the street it’s on. With no startup and no credit history, they secured a small business loan.
âThe building was in terrible shape and had been vacant for over two years â broken windows and leaky roofs and transients living in the back, but our sons and friends and church members jumped in, and a lot of professionals too, some of our dealers, all kept us rehabbing,â Bill says.
Three months later, the store was up and running, with most of its dealers following them to the new place. Some are still with them today. Inventory spans the late 1700s through the 1950s, with everything from American Victorian furniture to vintage jewelry, Native American items, coins, antique guns, art glass, antique lighting, vintage toys, advertising signs, porcelain, pottery, and more.
One of the McConnellsâ favorites: a Wells Fargo
model Wooton desk crafted from American walnut.
Up until a few years ago, the duo ran the place, which was open six days a week. Now, they have some part-time help, allowing the couple to take some time off. Being hands-on, they say, helped them cultivate a âhometown merchantâ vibe where customers can also chat and enjoy a cup of coffee.
âAfter all these years, I still love going to work every day. I enjoy the antiques, enjoy the friends we make, and the people we meet. Itâs a win-win for me,â Bill says.
Their 1948 Ford panel truck is an unofficial mascot used for filming a paddy wagon scene in the 2024 film Reagan. âWe took the truck to Guthrie where they were shooting the movie to leave it for the week. They removed our 23rd Street logo and applied their âLos Angeles Police Departmentâ logo,â Denny recalls. âThe day they were to shoot that part of the movie there was going to be a police chase, roll some cars and arrest some guys.I knew our young grandson and granddaughter would be out of school that day and would love to watch.â
However, production came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
âSo, we had to go get our truck back, remove their police logo and re-apply our 23rd Street logo. They said they might restart shooting in the spring. About a year later, we were contacted, and they were ready to start again. So, we took our panel truck back, they removed our logo and applied their logo again. Bill and I did get to see the day they did the scene our truck was in and it was great fun.â
Alas, the truck was shown only briefly in the film. Even so, movie buffs can own a piece of film history when shopping at the antique mall. Props from the 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon are available. As Denny explains, one of their dealers provided items to the film crew that were purchased back once filming wrapped.
The McConnells are big fans of Victorian-era furniture and dĂ©cor, including Wave Crest glass and opaque white glassware. âMy absolute favorite collection is our figural napkin rings, and theyâre getting kind of difficult to find these days,â Denny says.
But Bill points out that tastes and trends evolve. In the 1980s, there was demand for Victorian-era items, but over time, thereâs been less enthusiasm and lower asking prices. âFor glassware and furniture, interest has gone down,â Bill notes. âBut advertisements and signs keep getting stronger, as well as jewelry.â
The McConnells are always eager to see younger generations of shoppers come into the store. âThe last couple years, weâve had some young couples buying Victorian furniture who love the beauty and quality and durability and individualism â all those things. So thatâs encouraging to us,â Bill says.
One such interaction with a young antiques fan took Instagram by storm. A woman bought her 11-year-old daughter a secretary desk from the couple, and her glee was caught on camera. To date, the video has had 38 million views and counting.
When asked about the secret to their longevity, McConnells said that high-quality dealers and treating customers respectfully have paved the way. Would they encourage young entrepreneurs to follow in their footsteps?
This Polyphon music box from the late 1800s is the largest and
most beautiful table model the McConnells have handled in 35 years.
âIf theyâre wanting to really sell true antiques, itâs a tough market. There have been several really large malls open in Oklahoma City fairly recently. Still, theyâre all vintage and gift items, so if someoneâs really wanting to go into the antique business, I think itâd be tough,â Denny says. âWe feel like the Lord led us into it. And so weâre really praying that God will show us what weâre supposed to do in the future.â
23rd Street Antique Mall is located at 3023 NW 23rd St, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and may be reached at 405-947-3800 and antiques23@gmail.com.
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This measures approximately 12 in. H x 19 in. W x 8 in. D.
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By Kris Manty
Sometime around 1950, rebellious children began deconstructing their crate scooters by pulling the wooden crates off and leaving just the wheeled boards. Other kids improvised by taking wheels off roller skates and nailing them to the bottom of a wood plank.
1966 Batman Skateboard
Regardless of their methods, these enterprising kids created a new hands-free toy they could tool around on that promised more fun. Enter the first skateboards.
From its origin as a crude, handmade toy, the skateboard has given rise today to a dynamic culture of art and sport, and it is an object thatâs highly collectible. Whether vintage old-school examples or modern decks featuring paintings and drawings by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol, skateboards are being collected by a growing number of enthusiasts as nostalgic relics, decorative objects, and even pieces of art. Some are also highly valuable and can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
Discovered by Santa Barbara Surfing Museum Curator James OâMahoney at the Rose Bowl Flea Market 40 years ago,
the skate cart at right shows the ingenuity of skateboarders during the mid-20th century. The skate cart features
a single roller skate, a length of wood (as the footplate), and a wooden box and broom handle as the cab and
handlebar. It was common for kids to decorate the cab with bottle caps or paint; this one features a Jolly Roger and is named
âZippy.â It sold for $756 at Bonhams.Â
Though the first skateboards were somewhat primitive ad-hoc toys made by resourceful children, adults took notice and by the early 1960s, California manufacturers started producing upgraded models. One of the first standardized skateboard productions was by Val Surf, a surf shop in Hollywood, which hired the Chicago Roller Skate Company to produce sets of skate wheels that were attached to painted wooden boards.
These skateboards were particularly embraced by surfers, who used them for âsidewalk surfingâ between riding ocean waves.
From there, skateboards evolved in sizes, styles, and shapes. Those made from the 1950s through the 1970s were shaped more like surfboards and constructed of solid wood, plastic, and sometimes metal. These boards, generally only six to seven inches wide, had clay or metal wheels originally designed for roller skating.
Skateboards produced in the late 1970s had modern urethane wheels rather than clay or metal ones. Maple plywood was the most popular material used for these boards, but many also had decks made of fiberglass, polypropylene, or other modern materials.
Shapes have varied, including the egg, the fish, and the pig, before reaching the modern Popsicle Stick form, which began being produced in the mid-1990s.
Skateboarding remains popular today and was added as an Olympic event in 2020. Many who are involved in it, whether riders or spectators, collect vintage skateboards, which have a great aesthetic and are a lot of fun to display in your home.
During the â80s, skateboards were known for their creative artwork, and many top skateboarders owned their own companies or collaborated with others on board designs. Many of these were created by the sportâs earliest pros, like Stacy Peralta, who sold his board designs under the Powell Peralta brand name. These high-end boards can be hard to find, as they were produced in small quantities, but they are among the most popular with collectors because of their individual styles.
Raymond Pettibon came to prominence in the early â80s in the Southern California
punk rock scene, designing posters and album covers. His 2003 skateboard art,
âNo Title (The Bright Flatness),â sold for $5,670 at LAMA.
Some of the most sought-after and valuable vintage skateboards pursued by collectors are those made by Variflex in the late â70s and early â80s for pros like Stuart Singer and the decks made in the â80s by Santa Cruz and Powell Peralta for renowned skateboarders, including Tony Hawk and Mike McGill, who invented the âMcTwistâ trick, an inverted 540-degree mute grab aerial.
Collectors consider a deckâs style, rarity, and condition to determine desirability. The most prized vintage skateboards are those that are still usable, though most collectors use them as decorative objects rather than ride them, as the wheel designs on old-school decks are harder to control than those on modern boards.
Many high-end boards made for famous skaters have recently been selling on eBay between $1,000 and $6,500, though others can be found in the $300 to $500 range. Other vintage skateboards have been selling for between $10 and $2,000, depending on the condition and whether they still have their original wheels.
Skateboards began their ascent to collectible design objects in 2000 after skateboard and streetwear brand Supreme commissioned American artist Ryan McGinness to do a deck and launched its Artists Series. Supreme continues to dominate the field, as does The Skateroom, an artist-designed skateboard manufacturer that has collaborated with some of the worldâs most influential artists on skate art collections, including Jeff Koons and Yoshitomo Nara.
Artist Ryan McGinness, known for his original and extensive vocabulary of graphic drawings,
grew up in the surf and skate culture of Virginia Beach, Va. His work is included in many public
collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A set of McGinnessâ âSupreme Color
Formula Guideâ skateboard decks with Pantone color schemes sold for $12,500 at Christieâs. (Photos: Christie’s)
The undersides of skateboards have been adorned since the 1970s to mark a skater’s individuality and brand identity. Still, McGinnessâ piece was the first time a deck was designed by an artist who came from the realm of contemporary art museums and galleries rather than the skateboarding culture. Titled âSupreme Color Formula Guide,â the artwork is a supersized Pantone color scheme with vibes of Pop Art and makes full use of the deckâs oblong shape.
McGinnessâs work was a departure from the dominant trends in skateboard deck art at the time, which were more cartoonish but still had elements of humor and youthfulness. A set of McGinnessâ Supreme decks (at left) sold at Christieâs in 2020 for $12,500.
Since 2000, artist-designed skateboard decks have continued to straddle their origins as a countercultural sport and their growing status as a luxury good.
Today, The Skateroom creates two different collectible skate editions: single skateboards and triptychs. Triptychs are images printed over several decks, the final arrangement of which is like a modern altarpiece that references the devotional paintings of the Renaissance. The company sells single decks beginning at around $130 and triptychs at $435. However, these pieces can sell on the secondary market for thousands.
Each deck has the eight holes used to set skateboard wheels, so while theyâre technically skateable, they are instead meant to hang on the wall, like a painting or a print. According to the company, most triptychs remain on the wall, while a third of the solo decks are used for skating.
Though skaters have mixed opinions on treating skateboards like paintings, for decades, this has been a fun way for people to collect art and engage with the sport. But as with any design object, the choice to use modern boards or vintage pieces is up to the collector.
Powell Peraltaâs 1980s decks are incredibly valuable, especially ones made for pros
like Tony Hawk. This Hawk deck, c. 1988-89, sold for $3,900 in July 2024 on eBay
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French Jep tin windup âF.260â seaplane, goose lithograph, 19 in., $4,440.
Though toy airplanes are less commonly collected than other transportation toys, bidders worldwide were so enthusiastic about the two dozen offered at Milestone Auctionâs Premier Schuco Toy Sale & More on Aug. 24 that they helped them soar thousands above their estimates.
The pre-World War II toy planes were part of the phenomenal legacy collection of lifelong toy enthusiast Winton âWintâ Johnson (1937-2022) of Minnesota. The 639 lots offered featured rare and desirable toys from around the world and one of the most complete German Schuco collections to come to market in years. In addition to airplanes, Johnsonâs collection also included boats, cars, duck decoys, plush figures, prototypes, and more.
French tin-windup Hispano-Suiza â900â seaplane, all original, 19 in., $9,225.
Planes flew high at the sale, snagging five of the top 10 lots sold, including the top three, and consistently smashed pre-sale estimates. The auction star was a French tin windup Hispano-Suiza â900â seaplane that sold for $9,225 against an estimate of $400 to $600. All original, the plane is finished in red, yellow, and French blue and has lithographed windowpanes.
Early toy aircraft appeared in the 1900s and were made of frail tinplateâsheet steel laminated with tin, soldered together, and painted. Others had wire frame wings covered with cloth. Innovative toy makers eventually began attaching tinplate components with tabs and slots, and lithographed printing replaced hand painting.
Unusual tin bi-wing friction seaplane with 16 in. wingspan, $4,674.
Though toy makers used artistic license to make their products appealing to consumers, even fanciful toy airplanes mirrored reality. The earliest examples were based on famous prototypes, like those of American aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright and French aviator Louis Blériot.
Scarce, all-original Fleischmann tin windup pontoon seaplane, 17 1/2 in., $7,072.
Designs changed with the times. Some aircraft in the 1920s were clunky, but the cast iron and pressed steel replicas from that decade were elegant and simple; 1930s models were streamlined.
New pre-war tin airplanes and other toys appeared on the market from Germany and Japan. Two German planes rounded out the top three lots: a scarce, all-original tin windup pontoon seaplane by Fleischmann landed at $7,072 (against a presale estimate of $2,000-$3,000), and a tin windup flapping wing seaplane with professionally added pontoons brought $6,600 ($300-$500 estimate).
Tin windup flapping wing seaplane with professionally added pontoons, 13 in., $6,600.
By the 1930s, toy companies produced a variety of planes in all sizes. Nearly all of them were equipped with key-wound spring motors that let them travel on a smooth surface or in a circle when suspended from the ceiling. Some examples featured battery-operated navigation lights.
Some of the companies that produced tin toy planes popular with collectors were Alps Shoji, Arnold, Bandai, Gunthermann, Joustra, Lehmann, Marklin, Marx, Masudaya, Mettoy, Momoya, Rico, Schuco, Tipp Co, and Yonezawa.
Japanese tin windup Zero seaplane, original condition, with a photocopy of original Japanese-language box art, 13 in., $3,698.
Other top sellers were an unusual Japanese tin bi-wing friction seaplane with the distinctive green and red shades typical of Japanese toys of the 1930s, which commanded $4,674 ($300-$500 estimate); an all-original cream, red, and black Gunthermann lithographed tin windup â1212â airplane with a set of added float pontoons that fetched $2,952 ($600- $800 estimate); and another Japanese rarity: a tin windup Zero seaplane in all-original condition and accompanied by a photocopy of the toyâs original Japanese-language box art that sold for $3,698âmore than seven times the high estimate.
Original Gunthermann lithographed tin windup â1212â airplane, 20 in., $2,952
For more auction results, visit the Milestone Auctions website.
All photos are courtesy of Milestone Auctions.
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This measures approximately 24âł in length.
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Of all the topics Iâve covered in this column, Iâve never focused solely on Trifari. Iâve included some of the companyâs jewelry in roundups of collector favorites a few times, but when it comes to covering Trifari as a whole, the topic always seems too daunting to tackle in a compact space. The company was, after all, one of the giants in the American costume jewelry industry based in Providence, R.I., and they sold millions of pieces of jewelry over many decades in business.
To remedy this, hereâs an overview about what makes jewelry produced by this notable firm so popular with collectors and dating jewelry looking at the marks used over the companyâs long history. And, of course, Iâll highlight several of the âall-starâ jewelry categories avidly sought by Trifari fans.
This might seem like a no-brainer when you look at these amazing jewelry pieces, but Trifari remains at the top of the heap among collectors for several reasons. First, the jewelry is high quality regardless of the era or the price point. From 1930s Art Deco piecesâmany of which were designed and crafted by individuals who moved over from the fine jewelry industryâto mod jewelry made decades later, the metals have held up nicely. This includes the brandâs proprietary âTrifaniumâ gold and platinum simulants introduced in 1947. Additionally, Trifariâs components rarely break when pieces have been stored and handled properly.
Another factor driving Trifari’s popularity is that itâs one of the companies that patented many pieces in the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s. Alfred Philippe, the companyâs head designer who previously worked for Cartier, filed many of those patents, but he was just one of many on staff who came up with Trifariâs famed designs. Trifari also advertised in many magazines during the 1950s and â60s. These resources make Trifari much easier to research regarding production dates and line names compared to other companies.
And, of course, you have the eye-catching collections that stand out as some of the companyâs all-star designs. There are many more, of course, but these are a few lines and styles that continually take the spotlight.
Trifari Clair de Lune necklace and earrings set, 1950, $800-$1,000.
Clair de Luneâthe French term for moonlightâwas a collection patented by Trifari in 1949 and advertised in Harperâs Bazaar in 1950. It beautifully features simulated moonstone crescents and cabochons combined with rhinestones in clear and gemstone colors, including sapphire blue and ruby red set in gold-toned metalwork. This wasnât the only Trifari collection incorporating faux moonstones, but these are some of the most desirable. A suite containing a necklace, hinged bangle bracelet, and matching earrings can easily sell in the $1,500-$2,000 range.
Trifari Jelly Belly frog brooch, 1940s, $650-$850.
Trifariâs jelly belly jewelry remains popular with collectors, and prices are rising. Jelly Belly is a collectorâs nickname for this type of jewelry; Trifari more generically called it the Lucite Group. These clever brooches were made with segments of flawed Lucite unsuitable for use as airplane windows during World War II, as former Trifari Vice President Irving Wolf shared during a collectorâs convention I attended in 2005. Given the era, most of the settings holding these polished Lucite cabochons are made of sterling silver. Small examples like flies can sell for around $250-$300, while rare ones like parrots, elephants, and flowers can bring several thousand each.
Trifari Clip-Mates fruit salad brooch, mid-1930s, $500-$700.
No mention of Trifariâs most popular designs would be complete without including their âfruit saladâ offerings. These little molded glass fruits and leaves mimic Cartierâs Tutti Frutti styles introduced in the 1930s. Trifari made all the popular styles of the day, including pairs of dress clips and wide bracelets set with fruit salad stones. In the 1950s and â60s, the company revived the use of these stones in updated styles and colors. The most elaborate Art Deco designs easily sell in the thousands, and even the newer pieces are increasingly more challenging to find at reasonable prices.
Trifari Something Wild dragon bracelet, 1960, $600-$800.
When it comes to my personal wish list of Trifari pieces, my preferences always seem to gravitate toward the 1960s. For instance, I adore the âSomething Wildâ designs dating to 1960, including a hinged dragon bracelet. There are many others from this decade that I havenât had the pleasure of owning yet, however.
Another line other collectors covet as much as I do is Garden of Eden. The pieces shown in an ad dating to 1968 feature coiled serpents with emerald green enameling and coordinating glass drops dangling from their mouths. They were made in other jewel tones as well, including red, blue, and topaz. These pieces sell in the thousands now, so unless I get extremely lucky, theyâll remain among my dream finds. Of course, there are many other interesting Trifari figurals that run the gamut in price, so Iâll plan on expounding on that theme the next time I write about Trifari jewelry.
A lacy patterned filigree circular pin of sterling silver
turquoise center with matching earrings from Trifari. Getty Images
Now that you know about some of the fan favorites made by this costume jewelry giant, you should learn how to date Trifari using marks. Many pieces can be researched through patent resources and vintage advertising, but not all of them. The company was founded in 1910 by Gustavo Trifari with his uncle as Trifari & Trifari. After Leo Krussman and Carl Fishel came aboard, the name changed to Trifari, Krussman, and Fishel in 1925. This information is important because the earlier pieces of highly collectible jewelry made by Trifari in the 1930s are marked TKF (with a larger T in the center of K and F). By the mid-to late-1930s, the mark changed to Trifari with a crown over the T. Pieces made after 1955 can have a copyright symbol as part of the mark. In the 1970s, the crown over the T was dropped. TM for trademark was added to Trifari in the 1980s.
Trying to differentiate old and new, online marketers tend to call everything âCrown Trifariâ these days. Should you call all jewelry made from the late 1930s to the early 1970s Crown Trifari? In my opinion, no. The name of the company is Trifari, period. With that said, focusing on Trifariâs unique designs in all their glory is more importantâand way more funâthan quibbling over semantics.
Photos by Jay Siegel
PAMELA WIGGINS SIEGEL has been buying, selling, and collecting costume jewelry for over 30 years. She is the author of Warmanâs Costume Jewelry and the co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Intâl, an organization dedicated to hosting events and providing educational resources for collectors. Visit her online at Chic Antiques by Pamela and Costume Jewelry Collectors International.
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Like Father, Like Son: Remembering Gene and Ron Verri of Gem-Craft Costume Jewelry Fame
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This measures approximately 20″ in length.
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