Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles newsletter is available as a print subscription, or as a digital version that is included in the Kovels Knowledge and Kovels All Access memberships. Start your Kovels Knowledge Free Trial now or login.

Kovels’ July 2022 newsletter features folk art depictions of Uncle Sam, American dolls, Bakelite jewelry, Shaker boxes and 1950s and 1960s furniture, all with photos and prices and made in the U.S.A.

Folk art interpretations of Uncle Sam kick off a Fourth of July celebration in Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles July 2022 newsletter. Uncle Sam is a steadfast favorite of collectors of Americana and a North Carolina auction offered 10 unique depictions of Uncle Sam. Kovels’ newsletter pictures some whimsical examples made of wood and pottery with prices that ranged from $100 to $1,000.

Kovels’ July issue pictures an assortment of all-American dolls that auctioned in Ohio. Readers can get all dolled up and take a look at Ginny, Toni, Nancy Lee, Mary Hartline, Shirley Temple and other popular dolls from the 1930s to ’50s, and a more recent Stella doll, that are hits with collectors today. See what their admirers are paying!

Shaker containers — boxes, baskets, and buckets — were simply constructed, simply functional and simply beautiful. And collectors love them. A Connecticut auction offered a small number of Shaker carriers and containers that brought prices up to $3,000. See oval boxes with their distinctive lapped finger joints, a handled carrier, basket, bucket and tall cupboard, all made in Shaker communities, and learn their current prices in Kovels’ latest issue.

In the 1950s and ’60s, stylish, affordable works by high-end American designers were made to make midcentury design more accessible to middle class buyers. A recent auction in Pennsylvania offered more than 300 pieces of furniture by American midcentury furniture designers. Find examples by Vladimir Kagan, Harvey Probber, Paul McCobb and others in Kovels’ July newsletter and see what collectors paid to take them home.

And popular Bakelite jewelry sold at an Indianapolis auction, where many originally inexpensive pieces sold for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Did you know Bakelite itself was “born in America” (by accident!) more than 100 years ago? Kovels’ latest newsletter pictures bold and bright Bakelite pins and bracelets from that auction along with their prices.

The Kovels go “on the road” to Bentonville, Arkansas and share some unexpected pleasures and finds. Terry Kovel also shares her thoughts on her own Fourth of July celebrations and patriotic collectibles. July’s Dictionary of Marks lists American pottery companies that used patriotic symbols in their marks. The Collector’s Gallery questions and answers feature a Heywood-Wakefield breakfront, a Roseville pottery vase, a Dalpayrat vase, and an unusual sewing needle holder. And more than 70 antiques and collectibles are listed in the July Buyer’s Price Guide.

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles newsletter is available as a print subscription, or as a digital version that is included in the Kovels Knowledge and Kovels All Access memberships. Start your Kovels Knowledge Free Trial now or login.

Kovels’ December 2021 newsletter features rare Meissen porcelain, festive Christmas postcards, Bakelite jewelry, mechanical pictures, and antique cupboards, all with photos and prices.

A collection of 18th-century Meissen porcelain that smashed record prices at auction in New York City is featured in a sale report in Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles December 2021 newsletter. Every piece of Meissen was rare with a historic past, and the winning bids started at $5,000 and soared to $1.5 million. Read about this incredible collection’s complicated history and see pictures, descriptions and prices of many exceptional pieces.

Old Christmas postcards with brightly colored images of Santa Claus were sold at an Illinois auction. Kovels’ December newsletter pictures postcards from the early 1900s with images of Santa in a variety of wintery scenes from a snowy forest to the basket of a zeppelin, along with their prices. And learn a bit about dating old postcards by turning them over to see the “clues” on the backs.

A New Jersey auction included a small selection of mechanical pictures. Popular in the late 1880s and early 1900s, the framed scenes with 3D figures powered by clockwork mechanisms must have delighted children and adults alike. See the top-priced example, a turn-of-the-century vignette of family members gathered on Christmas that brought $5,000, and others that portrayed humorous scenes in Kovels’ December issue.

A few dozen antique cupboards sold at auction in Pennsylvania. Kovels’ latest newsletter pictures a corner cupboard, Dutch cupboard, hanging cupboard, jelly cupboard, milk cupboard, pie cupboard, and others, with prices. The solid materials, sturdy construction, and varied shapes and sizes make them practical and affordable additions to modern homes.

And last but not least, the Kovels found Bakelite jewelry back on auction block. The December newsletter pictures pins, bracelets, and dress clips in bright colors that recently sold for affordable prices in Toronto. Some were even iconic Bakelite shapes, like the pins with a dangling red heart, dangling cherries, and the swordfish with a Lucite fin.

In the December market report, find a collection of sleek and sculptural “everyday” items such as a blender, ice crusher, pitcher, ice bucket, and more, many by notable mid-20th century designers, that auctioned in Chicago. The illustrated December Collector’s Gallery answers readers’ questions about a silver epergne, a wicker table, an old cloth doll, and a Delft pitcher. The Dictionary of Marks lists doll makers whose marks can be identified by their shape. And more than 70 antiques and collectibles are listed in the December Buyer’s Price Guide.