Space Toys Rocket to Record

A Mars Explorer space car helped send a Milestone Auctions event out of this world with nearly $1.3 million in sales during the 723-lot offering of antique and vintage toys in January. The toy sale was a record for the Willoughby, Ohio, auction house. The all-original and complete Exelo (Japan) battery-operated Mars Explorer space car […]

Kovels Antique Trader Debut Issue – August 2023

Thrifty Threads…Archival Fashion…Lamps and Lighting…Catalin Radios…’70s and ’80s Toys…Magic Memorabilia…John Dillinger & Gangster Memorabilia…Fruit Salad Jewelry…Thrift Shop Tourism…Ceramics Marks…Collector’s Gallery      

It’s Terry Kovel’s Birthday! Let’s Celebrate!

Terry Kovel, our own “Grand Dame of Antiques,” is turning 94. Happy Birthday from all your faithful fans and staff! Here is Terry with the mustache cup that started it all, purchased when she was only 9 years old! What did Terry like each decade?  See her picks below.     1920s Terry was only […]

Top Five Toy / Children’s Collectibles That Bring Big Bucks (Hint: One Comic Book is $375,000)

Toys are all fun and games … and can be pricey, especially when it comes to collecting. Nostalgia buying is always big as collectors try to recreate (or enjoy!) their childhood with adult money. Certain toys are more valuable than others. Higher prices often relate to several factors: rarity, condition, popularity and movies. We’ve seen […]

Vintage Gifts Perfect This Year! 

Dear Lee, It is the time of year to consider what we want to get for friends and families as gifts for the holidays. But this year, it might be more challenging to buy items big and small. I have a friend who decided in the spring to update her living room furniture. She got […]

Vintage Popeye Toys: Biceps on Display

Comic book, movie and cartoon star Popeye, the good-natured, sailor with bulging biceps and a love of spinach, turned 91 this year. A recent Rich Penn auction in Iowa brought high prices for mechanical Popeye toys, many with price-adding original boxes. A rare mechanical steel and tin toy of Popeye sitting in a boat, holding […]

List of Toy Makers

This is a list of toy manufacturers with location, dates of operations, and other useful information to help date and value your vintage toy. Manufacturer Location Dates of Operation Toys Made and Other Company Information American Flyer Chicago, Illinois 1910–1966 Trains, airplanes, accessories American National Company Toledo, Ohio 1894–1941 Pedal cars, pressed steel trucks, bicycles, […]

Erector Set

The Erector Set, invented by A.C. Gilbert in 1913, was a collection of steel strips with evenly spaced holes that could be connected with nuts and bolts. Children built models of ferris wheels, bridges, skyscrapers, railways, robots, and more. The sets included gears, wheels, pulleys, motors, and other accessories, and in 1924 parts that would […]