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Kovels’ March 2023 newsletter features doorstops, magicians’ props, Scandinavian design, vintage fashions, and Ohio bottles, all with photos and prices.
More than 50 vintage cast iron doorstops from a single owner’s collection were offered in a New Jersey auction and examples are featured in Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles March 2023 newsletter. They ranged from the whimsical and expensive—a sassy spotted dog that sold for $900—to the large and expensive—a 12-inch sleeping black cat that brought $1,080—to the rare and very expensive—a King Kong doorstop that went for more than $5,000. See these and other priced doorstops in Kovels’ March issue.
Bidders at a Chicago auction had no illusions that magic trick props are desirable collectibles. More than 500 lots of memorabilia from the world of magic were offered, and Kovels’ March newsletter focuses on some props that make the tricks happen. Imagine pulling feather flowers from a thin stand table, or tugging silk scarves from a water-filled copper vase. Find a pair of handcuffs owned by Harry Houdini himself, and learn what the high bidders paid for all of these items.
A Pennsylvania auction company hosted an online only auction of a collection of antique household wares made by Scandinavian settlers. Included were wooden tools, kitchen utensils, dough boards, cupboards, bowls, boxes and toys painted in their distinctive folk art style. Many pieces were dated and bore the initials of those who owned them. Collectors appreciated the unusual items and responded with hefty prices as you will see in the latest Kovels’ newsletter.
Collectors love all kinds of bottles and a recent Pennsylvania auction offered more than 300. Kovels’ latest issue pictures bottles related to their home state of Ohio. Pictured are bottles that were made by Ohio glassmakers or contained products made in Ohio—early bitters, medicines, mineral waters and an interesting historical flask, along with a desirable free-blown Zanesville covered sugar bowl that auctioned for a sweet $14,000.
And last, but not least, more than 200 lots of vintage fashions were sold at auction in Vermont and Kovels’ March issue pictures some pretty snazzy examples. From a slinky black sequined evening dress by Pierre Cardin to a loud plaid (and pricey!) 1930s zoot suit to a memorable 1960s paper dress with a psychedelic pattern, the offerings gave collectors a chance to buy pieces of history that were also pieces of art.
Kovels’ March newsletter includes a market update on vintage vinyl records. Read about a music poster that set a record price and a 1950 toy “atomic energy lab” that auctioned for thousands. The Dictionary of Marks lists marks with country names that can help date Asian pottery and porcelain. The Collector’s Gallery answers reader questions about an ornate silver-plated pitcher, a Jacobean style chair, a German porcelain powder box and bronze statue of a boy and his dog. And more than 70 antiques and collectibles are listed in the March Buyer’s Price Guide.