Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles Vol. 49 No. 9 – May 2023

1970s Italian Modern Furniture … Toy Airplanes … Clarice Cliff Pottery …  Circus Posters … Wooden Americana …  Market Report on Legos …  Identify Pressed Glass Patterns …  Collector’s Gallery … Prices    

We Love the ’70s!

A recent design sale in Italy featured furniture, lighting and objects from the 1970s. Though many of the pieces sold were designer prototypes, the sale at Incanto auction house displayed a flair that was unmistakably 1970s. A low natural wood table with two sliding panels on top that each open to an interior compartment, designed […]

What’s In and What’s Out in 2023

Dear Lee, As we welcome the new year, collectors love to reassess what’s “in” and what is “out.” The past year has seen a welcome return of flea markets and antiques shows. We have loved being able to go to shows and, of course, indulge our passion for collecting. The No. 1 rule of collecting […]

High-Style Design, Mid-Style Price 

Furnishing a home has always been a daunting, but exciting, task. Modern furniture from the middle of the 20th century included unique pieces with clean lines and subtle curves that added emotion and interest to a room. America was a leader in midcentury design. A recent sale at Barton’s Auction in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, featured more […]

Robert Whitley Modern Furniture Discovered by Collectors

Studio furniture designer and craftsman Robert C. Whitley (1924–2020) is not as well-known as some of his contemporary furniture designers, but his designs with unique shapes, attention to detail and high-quality finishes are getting noticed by collectors. A recent Modern Design auction at Rago in Lambertville, New Jersey, had Robert Whitley furniture. Most of the […]

Twentieth-Century Modern Tables

Twentieth century furniture designers experimented with new shapes, textures, colors and materials. A recent sale by Hindman of Chicago included tables by modernist designers Gae Aulenti, Milo Baughman, J. Wade Beam, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Angelo Mangiarotti, Isamu Noguchi and Gio Ponti.     Mangiarotti was an Italian architect and industrial designer.  His M1 […]

Modern 1945 — Present

American designers in the 1930s also began to interpret other European styles, and new “streamlined” furniture in light woods by designers like Russel Wright (1904–1976) and Gilbert Rohde (1894–1944) began to appear. The late 1930s saw increased interest in more modern styles for the average home. American designs included ornament-free sofas, streamlined forms, and blond […]