WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES

WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES
magazine
Photo Source: 1stdibs.com
WORLDCLASSANTIQUES.COM
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
CONTENTS
3
5
8
1
COLLECTING ADRIAN PEARSALL FURNITURE
How to verify that Adrian Pearsall furniture is authentic
THE YEAR ROUND COLLECTIBLE – ELECTRIC TOY TRAINS
Learn about Lionel & Marklin vintage electric trains
TRIP PLANNER FOR ANTIQUES & MUSEUMS
Experience Canada’s largest year-round farmers’ market while
discovering amazing antiques!
9
11
13
14
ANTIQUE MEDICAL INSTRUMENT – SPRING LANCET FOR
GENERAL BLOODLETTING
15
17
COLLECTING ANTIQUE PAY PHONES
19
LOW SUPPLY, HIGH DEMAND OF RARE WHISKY DRIVING SURGE
IN VALUE
From the World Class Antiques Online Marketplace
SETTING RECORDS ON THE AUCTION BLOCK
Rainbows, Stars, and All The Glitters
WEBSITE BUZZ
Technical updates, announcements, and more
SHOWCASE YOUR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES WITH VIDEOS
Featured Videos
A window of opportunity for focused collectors to curate a fabulous
collection of antique phones
THE EARLY DAYS OF SPACE EXPLORATION
An exploration of space collectibles
Time to start collecting rare whiskeys
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
3
Collecting Adrian
Pearsall Furniture
9
Antique Medical
Instrument – Spring Lancet
for General Bloodletting
14
Antique Shops Directory
Map Improvement
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
2
COLLECTING ADRIAN
PEARSALL FURNITURE
BY WAYNE JORDAN
C
ollectors of Mid-Century Modern
furniture see it all the time: wellmade, clean Mid-Mod case goods and
upholstery with no manufacturer’s tags or
markings. In most cases, the buyer has only the
seller’s word that an item is authentic. Wouldn’t
it be nice to be able to call a manufacturer to
verify that a piece is authentic?
Case in point: I recently attended an auction
where a set of “Adrian Pearsall” chairs were
offered. Actually, the auctioneer stated: “Next
up lot XYZ, which appear to be a set of Adrian
Pearsall Craft Associates dining chairs.” Note
the auctioneer’s mis-direct: these “appeared
to be” Craft Associates chairs, but they
weren’t. At an auction, the operative phrase
is “buyer beware”; most auctioneers leave
authentication of an item to the bidders.
Judging by the way the bidding progressed, the
audience clearly thought that these were Craft
Associates chairs. I knew they weren’t; Craft
Associates never made chairs with composite
bases. These chairs were Pearsall designs,
manufactured by Lane.
3
Currently, vintage Mid-Century Modern
furniture is in demand, especially genuine
Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates pieces.
But, since authentic Mid-Mod styles were
only in production for about twenty-five
years (sixteen for Craft Associates) demand
for this furniture has out-stripped supply.
Mid-Mod reproductions have become big
sellers. There’s nothing wrong with that –
reproductions of popular furniture designs
have been around for centuries. Legitimate
dealers of new reproductions sell them as
such, and there is no fraud involved. But
authentic Mid-Mod furniture usually sells for
more money than reproductions, so some
unscrupulous vintage furniture dealers sell
new, reproduction Mid-Mod as vintage.
The family of designer Adrian Pearsall agrees
that there are too many Pearsall fakes being
sold as genuine, and they have taken steps
to curb the trend. If buyers or sellers send
photographs of an item in question, the family
will research the item and, if it is genuine, issue
a certificate of authenticity. The fee for the
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
service is $50; the contact address is http://
www.adrianpearsall.com/
Of course, the service offered by the family
is only for Pearsall furniture designs; most
manufacturers of Mid-Mod are long gone
and it’s not possible to contact them. That’s
too bad, because the “knock-off” problem is
ubiquitous in the furniture business, especially
in the United States. In the U.S., furniture
designs are not covered by intellectual
property laws. Some furniture elements
may be protected: trademarks, assembly
or hardware patents, and machinery; but
furniture that “looks like” other furniture
is impossible to protect. Author Beth
Macy points out in her best-selling book
Factory Man http://www.amazon.com/
Factory-Man-Furniture-OffshoringAmerican/dp/031623141X/ref=sr_1_1?
s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451233067&
sr=1-1&keywords=factory+man that one
of the most significant problems faced by
John Basset III in his fight against furniture
“off-shoring” was that Asian factories copied
his designs and undercut his prices. Since
the largest market for furniture – vintage or
otherwise – is in the United States, Asian and
Indonesian manufacturers take their design
cues from American manufacturers.
So how are collectors to recognize authentic
Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates furniture?
Short of paying an appraiser or the Pearsalls,
here are some tips for identifying genuine
Craft Associates furniture:
1. Ensure that the components are “natural”:
look for real woods, glass, or metal parts.
Composites – plastics made to look real – were
not used.
2. The overall styling of pieces is what’s called
“atomic”. In conjuring a vision of atomic-styled
furniture, ask yourself if the item would fit well
on the set of a 1950s “B” science fiction movie
like Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon, or perhaps
the AMC television series “Mad Men”. Pearsall’s
dining and occasional chairs will be recognized
by their high backs, angled arms, warm woods
(such as walnut), shaped-wood accents,
and neck pillows. Early dining chair models
featured wrought iron bases. Occasional
tables featured angular and curved wooden
bases and glass tops. Sofas employed broad,
sweeping shapes.
3. Remember that authentic Craft Associates
items are forty-seven to sixty-three years old,
and will have been used regularly for most
of that time. That means that wooden parts
may have dents and scratches, traces of
silicone furniture polish, or wax buildup. Areas
of body contact (chair arms especially) may
display worn finish, and finishes that were not
properly maintained may show hairline cracks.
Leg caps may be pitted. If the wood finish
looks brand-new, the item has either been
refinished or it’s a reproduction.
4. Original “modern” fabrics of the 1950s
and 1960s were brightly colored, and solids
prevailed over patterns. Upholstery is more
difficult than wood to analyze, because it
doesn’t wear as well and is re-done more
often. Fabrics fade,
seams rip, support
systems collapse, and filling
materials compress.
The best way to determine if a piece has
its original upholstery fabric is to remove
a section and look for staple holes in
the frame. Pieces that have been redone will have too many holes for the
number of staples used. It’s unlikely
that a seller will let you remove
upholstery, even if you know what
you’re doing and have the tools to
do the job. It’s fairly easy to unzip
a cushion and inspect the inside,
though. New padding (foam) of any
sort will look new; if it’s yellowed, it’s
old and likely original.
Of course, if you intend to use a vintage sofa in
your home and it’s worn and ugly you will want
to have it re-upholstered anyway. There are
firms that specialize in restoring Pearsall and
other Mid-Mod items; be sure that the firm
you use is experienced and uses original-style
fabric.
5. Compare the item you’re inspecting with
online photos of Pearsall designs. You have
to be careful here, though; often the catalogs
posted are internal to the seller and may
include knock-offs. In other words, the items
listed in retailer catalogs represent their
inventory of Pearsall designs rather than a
complete Pearsall catalog. Exercise caution
when making online comparisons; some
items listed may be reproductions.
Kudos to the Pearsall family for their
efforts to authenticate original Craft
Associates furniture (also, I believe,
other Pearsall design projects including
Davison-Pearsall, Comfort Designs,
and Lane). For buyers and sellers alike,
nothing supports value better than a
certificate of authenticity from a reliable
source.
Photo Source: 1stdibs.com
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
4
THE YEAR ROUND
COLLECTIBLE –
ELECTRIC TOY TRAINS
BY JIM TRAUTMAN
E
veryone loves trivia questions. Here are
two with answers that might shock you.
What was the first consumer product
manufactured at the conclusion of World War
II? Second what was the consumer product
that boys spent their Christmas money on in
the late 1940’s and into the early 1960’s?
Electric toy trains were the first consumer
product to begin to appear on store shelves
just in time for the first postwar Christmas in
1945. With metal rationed during World War
II the only trains that appeared on the market
from 1942-45 was a paper one manufactured
by the Lionel Company of Irvington, New Jersey.
During World War II the Lionel Company had
been involved in manufacturing night vision
goggles and other technical equipment for the
United States military. Prior to World War II the
companies’ main product line were electric
trains. The company began at the beginning
of the 20th Century in a 2nd story loft in New
York City. The company was founded by Joshua
Lionel Cowen, and would become world
famous for its electric train sets, chemistry sets
and starting in the 1960’s slot car sets.
That first postwar train set was in reality
made up of the last train set that had been
manufactured in 1941 prior to the start of the
United States entering World War II. In 1945
the company turned out one very crude flat
car and added it into the set. Lionel realized
that to get the train set into the various
department stores, hardware stores would
require a major effort. Publicity was needed
to let the public know that Lionel trains
were back and could be purchased for the
Christmas Season.
5
Lionel put on a major publicity campaign
which focused on delivering the first sets to
the various cities of the United States by DC-3
aircraft. When the DC-3 landed at the various
airports the sets would be off loaded into the
hands of the children that had been gathered
at the end of the loading ramp. At several
airports the first children to receive a brand
Lionel Train catalogue from the 1930s
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
new Lionel train set were in wheelchairs.
A marketing ploy to demonstrate that the
Lionel Company was a community company
interested in those less fortunate.
Pick up an issue of any magazine from this
period and it will be filled with ads for electric
train sets. Lionel was not the only company
involved in the marketing of trains. The other
two major American companies were the Marx
Company of New York City, and the A.C. Gilbert
Company of New Haven, Connecticut. The
Marx Company which was more famous for its
various plastic cars, trucks, doll houses, and
playsets did make train sets. The Marx sets
were tin litho and were colourful, but were
low end in quality and variety. Many collectors
started their collection by purchasing Marx
sets. I had one as a kid, but the only item still
remaining is its box. Louis Marx was always
concerned about costs and if one takes apart
some of the tin litho cars one would find that
something else was stamped on the other
side. If an item had been double stamped –
why throw it out was his philosophy just turn it
over and make a train car out of it.
The A.C. Gilbert Company was famous for
Erector Sets, but at the end of World War II
moved into the manufacture of wonderful
train sets. The company advertised in many
of the major publications of the day with full
page ads. “American Flyer – The World’s Most
Realistic Train Set. Real Smoke and Choo-Choo
sounds.” With advancements that had been
made during World War II in technology Lionel
and A.C. Gilbert began to put out new types
of train cars and accessories. The locomotives
made real smoke, there were cattle cars with
metal cows that moved up and down into the
cars. Ice cars that sent out small blocks of ice
cubes, a milk car where the worker picked
up and put on to the platform cans of milk.
There was a car where the cattle moved from
the box car into the pens to await shipment
to another destination. One rare fantastic car
that was manufactured by the A.C. Gilbert
Company is a baggage car. The baggage car
stops at the station and when the button is
pushed the doors open and an attendant
begins to unload the baggage onto the
platform.
Each company began to produce more
accessories to make a boy’s train layout more
realistic. Talking stations which announced
the coming and going of each train. In my
collection is a Lionel news stand with a man
behind the counter, magazines, newspapers
and a dog that runs around the fire hydrant.
Retro image of Lionel Trains on Christmas day
With each passing year the various companies
that manufactured electric toy trains
attempted to make their product more
representative of the “real world”.
With the launching of the first man made
satellite Sputnik in 1957 the companies moved
into the “Space Race”. The Lionel Company
made trains and cars that were meant to pop,
whiz, fly and even cars that exploded. The
company made cars that contained missiles,
satellites and one of the most valuable is the
astronaut car. The Mercury Capsule Launch
Car. A flat car contained a rocket which had
the famous Mercury Capsule on top. When a
remote control switch was pushed the rocket
launched off the car and flew into the air.
The Mercury Capsule then separates from
the rocket and continues skyward until a
parachute opens and returns it to the ground.
A second rocket was made that has the
astronaut being placed inside the rocket and
the hatch closed prior to blastoff.
In 1957 The Lionel Company manufactured
a pink train set for girls. It was an attempt to
bring girls into the world of electric toy trains.
The set did not sell very well and the marketing
attempt to bring girls into train collecting was
discontinued. The pink train set is valuable
worth several thousand dollars, but there is a
second set which is valuable as well. It seems
that when the pink trains were returned to
the Lionel Company many were repainted
blue and resold the next year as a new set.
If one finds one of these sets from 1958 and
scratches on the underside pink paint may
appear. It is not known how many of the
repainted sets were put back onto the market
and how many actually sold. If interested for
more information check out a website that
pictures and lists the type of locomotive and
cars that were included in the girls set.
Now, back to the answer of the second
question on how did boys usually spend their
Christmas money. It was on electric trains
or accessories. Unlike today where electric
trains are marketed the year round and train
magazines are filled with ads for stores that
specialize in electric trains, and accessories.
In the early Baby Boom years trains sets only
appeared around the Christmas season. When
Christmas was over stores would reduce the
prices on their train stock by 50% or more.
Department stores did not want warehouse
space taken up with product that would
not be put out for sale for a full ten months.
Christmas Box Car
SEE TRAINS NEXT PAGE
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
6
TRAINS
continued
In addition, the stores were not sure if by
the next Christmas the items would still be
popular. It was the perfect time for kids to
purchase “rolling stock” to add to their set.
Since I had a full attic to work with I only put a
very small part of my train collection around
the Christmas tree. In my attic was a full train
layout. My collection includes my father’s
Lionel set from the 1930’s, and several of
my own Lionel sets, and even one American
Flyer set. Many accessories including
Plasticville houses. The Bachmann Company
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, manufactured
Plasticville grocery stores, fire houses, police
stations, schools, churches, 5&19 cent stores,
post office, houses, airports, hospitals, tv
stations.
This article has not even scratched the surface
of the various electric toy train companies.
Others that collectors should search for are
the Ives Company, Hornby and the German
Company Marklin. The Marklin Company of the
1930’s train sets and accessories are some of
the most valuable. In my collection are several
of the company catalogues of the 1930’s. One
can chart the rise of the Nazi Government
through the drawings and photos that appear
in the marketing material over that period
shortly before the start of World War II. The
train catalogues take on a more propaganda
tone with Nazi symbols appearing on many
items.
Lionel Train catalogue
One area of collecting connected to electric
toy trains are the catalogues that were
printed each year by the many companies.
Each catalogue featured not just items from
pervious years, but the new trains, rolling
stock, accessories that would be on the
market that year. The catalogues from the
1930’s-1960’s had beautiful paintings of trains,
and scenes of the trains passing through the
Rocky Mountains, cities, passengers getting
on and off the train. The catalogues were tiny
travel posters. Older catalogues sell in the
range of several hundred dollars.
Electric train collecting is not limited to the
Christmas Season. It has become a year long
collecting opportunity and in my case I keep
my trains up all year. When I have enough time
I change some of the scenery to reflect the
season of the year.
The major source of information on products,
layouts, trains shows are the various train
magazines that are on the market.
Sit back and enjoy the ride.
7
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
1930s German Marklin trains
TRIP PLANNER FOR ANTIQUES & MUSEUMS
ST. JACOBS
D
iscover amazing antiques
while experiencing Canada’s
largest year-round farmers’
market!
Since St. Jacobs farmer’s
market is opened on Thursday
or Satursday, plan your next
antiquing outing accordingly.
Start with the Spring Street
Antique Market in the village.
Continue to St. Jacobs Antiques
Market in Waterloo and finish
your antiques trip at Market
Road Antiques in Woolwich.
Once done, make sure you visit
the farmers’ market.
Around St. Jacobs
•Spring Street Antique Market
•St. Jacobs Antiques Market
•Market Road Antiques
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
8
ANTIQUE MEDICAL
INSTRUMENT – SPRING LANCET
FOR GENERAL BLOODLETTING
VIEW ITEM IN MARKETPLACE
O
ffered for sale today is an antique single bladed spring-loaded lancet in excellent condition. It was made sometimes during
1800s to 1860s, and was used for general bloodletting – the opening of an artery, or more commonly a vein. The case is made
of brass and the blade is steel. The spring works like it’s new. It takes a bit of effort to cock the instrument, and when triggered,
the blade hits very strong. We did try it on a piece of meat and it really works very well even if the blade lost its sharpness by now.
However, we strongly recommend you don’t sharpen or polish such antiques as you will most likely damage its value. The instrument
comes in a custom-made old box but not original to the instrument.
A great medical antique that can be yours today.
9
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
10
SETTING RECORDS ON THE AUCTION BLOCK
RAINBOWS, STARS,
AND ALL THE GLITTERS
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
If you love classic movies, then you’ll love
Treasures from the Dream Factory,
hosted by Bonhams, NYC that took place
on November 23rd. Collectors gather every
year for this entertainment auction and
expectations are always high. The highlight
of this star-studded memorabilia show was
a Judy Garland dress – the famous blue-andwhite checkered dress from the Wizard of Oz. It
sold for almost $2.1M.
Among the other star-studded items was
Herbie the Love Bug – a VW Beetle, circa 1966
from the movie. It fetched about $115,000
under the hammer. If you’re a film history
buff or a student of this medium, then you’ll
appreciate how significant this next item
is – the original sled Rosebud from Citizen
Kane. It sold for almost $200,000. Also under
the hammer was memorabilia from Marilyn
Monroe (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), Steve
McQueen (Le Mans), and the Natalie Wood
estate.
figure of Sean Connery, and the famous
golden gun signed by Christopher Lee.
WISH UPON A RINGO STARR
SHAKEN NOT STIRRED
Still on the movie set, but this time across
the pond to Pinewood Studios – James
Bond memorabilia made an appearance
on November 25th at Vectis Auctions in
Stockton-on-Tees, UK. Auction items
included a bunch of fun stuff from all of the
classic James Bond flicks like Dr. No, From
Russia with Love, The Man with the Golden Gun,
and even On Her Majesty’s Service starring
George Lazenby. Featured items included a
cardboard cutout of Timothy Dalton, a ceramic
If you have an extra $60,000 to spend on
a Beatles album, then you’ll want to tune
into the Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach
Estate auction at Julien’s in Beverly Hills
on December 3rd. It is rumoured that each
member of The Beatles owns a copy of the
first four editions the White Album off the
production line, but it’s No. 0000001 (said to
have once belonged to John Lennon) that has
collectors twitching. Until now, this precious
copy has been securely tucked away in a
London bank vault.
This auction also features a number of items
once owned by the famous couple, including
a Damien Hearst, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith
Haring, as well as some beautiful fine jewellery,
and Ringo Starr memorabilia.
THE EXQUISITE $60M LIBRARY
Known for collecting rare and exquisite
objects, Pierre Bergé and his late partner, the
famous fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent,
amassed quite an enviable collection during
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WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
their life together. Now 84, Bergé is ready
to part with the last of his treasures, an
extraordinarily rare collection of books and
manuscripts featuring works from Cervantes,
Joyce, Bronte, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and many
more. This rare library boasts such antiquities
as Dante’s Divine Comedy from 1487, and the
works of Shakespeare with a printing date of
1664.
is often on the lookout for rare finds online.
Earlier this year, he happened upon a scraggy
looking scrap of paper going for $99 that he
believed to be significant.
One of Bergé’s most treasured manuscripts is
The Sentimental Education by Flaubert, valued
at $840,000. His copy of Madame Bovary
features a handwritten note to Victor Hugo
from the author himself, and the first edition
of Treasure Island was a gift from Robert Louis
Stevenson to his friend responsible for Long
John Silver.
After contacting the owner, Smith has
analyzed the fragment of paper and
discovered it is a 1,700-year-old fragment of
papyrus from the original Greek manuscript
of the Book of John I, 50-51. It was just one of
many ancient texts from the private collection
of Harold R. Willoughby, also a scholar of
Christianity, and a relative of the current
owner. Smith has advised the owner to donate
this ancient relic to a research library, despite
the many astronomical offers he has received
for it.
THE MYSTERIOUS ALLURE
OF BAT GIRL
And finally…some treasures lie hidden
underground, others are packed away
and forgotten, while some unwittingly find
themselves in the quaint surroundings of your
local Salvation Army. With a price tag of $1, this
next lucky find is an Art Deco beauty that goes
by the name of Bat Girl by Vienna artist Josef
Lorenzl for Goldscheider.
Discovered by collector, Bobby Garnett, one
morning in 1978 on a chance visit to a nearby
Salvation Army, its current value is unknown,
but some of the Goldscheider figurines have
sold for $9,000. For Bobby, his Bat Girl is
priceless and will stay in the family long after
he’s gone.
POTS OF GOLD
This magnificent collection will hit the auction
block on December 11, 2015, at Sothebys,
Paris.
LUCKY FINDS
Something magical about the number 1,700
years ago, as it turns out. First a sacred and
ancient text, and then coins from the Roman
Empire.
HOLY RELICS
Antique lovers are always hoping they’ll
uncover the next big thing, and eBay is
usually a good place to start looking. That’s
what happened for one religious scholar by
the name of Geoffrey Smith. He specializes
in Christianity at the University of Texas and
Meanwhile in the north of Switzerland, a
farmer unearths a stash of coins (4,166 in total)
from the Roman Empire. The most notable are
those dated 270 AD with the head of the 44th
Emperor of the Roman Empire, Aurelian, and
those dated 294 AD with the head of the 52nd
Emperor of the Roman Empire, Maximian. You
can see this 1,700-year-old coin collection at
the Vindonissa de Brugg Museum in Aargau.
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
12
WEBSITE BUZZ
Technical updates, announcements about new product and services,
additions to our help center and more!
ANTIQUE SHOPS DIRECTORY MAP IMPROVEMENT
Our popular Global Directory of Antique Shops now features interactive “clustering” whereby shop and destination markers appear in clusters
together (with a number to show the total), then in greater detail when you zoom in. Why? This streamlines the maps and vastly improves
the load time of the page, as well as how fast the map reacts to show you the vendors and shops you are looking for. All in all, a faster, better
experience for you.
A similar improvement occurred over at our Antiques Road Trip Planner, where you can now view and add museums to your antiques road trip
itinerary! Just one more reason to try out this unique tool.
We are constantly improving our site features and tools for our members and the antiques community. Check back often to see what’s new!
13
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
FEATURED VIDEOS – ANTIQUE SHOPS
DIRECTORY MAP IMPROVEMENT
Did you know that we regularly upload
great free content to World Class
Antiques as well as to our YouTube
Channel?
Click to play this video!
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
14
COLLECTING ANTIQUE
PAY PHONES
BY WAYNE JORDAN
W
hen I was an adolescent in the early
1960’s, my mother wouldn’t let me
leave the neighborhood without
a dime in my pocket (in case I had to make
an emergency phone call). Consider for a
moment the infrastructure that had to be in
place in order for me to use that emergency
dime: there had to be a pay phone nearby,
with a phone book attached (emergency 911
didn’t exist nationally until 1967). Providing
those basics required a well-funded phone
company, thousands of miles of cabling, plus
maintenance and administrative personnel.
Back then, I didn’t give a moment’s thought as
to how pay phones happened to be at almost
every grocery store, drug store, gas station,
shopping center, or bus station. They were just
there; I took them for granted.
Contrast that to the experience of William Gray,
a Hartford, Connecticut machinist, about one
hundred years earlier: Gray’s wife had become
seriously ill, and he needed to phone a doctor.
In 1888 public telephones were non-existent,
and the closest private phone was in a nearby
factory. It took much persuasion before the
foreman allowed Gray to use their only phone.
Because of that incident, Gray was inspired
to use his mechanical skills to invent a public
pay telephone. In 1889 Gray installed the first
pay-station telephone in a bank in Hartford,
Connecticut. It was a “post-pay” phone, in
which coins were deposited into a single slot
after a call was made (upon the instructions of
the operator). The coins would sort according
to size on the interior of the phone. A problem
with Gray’s first coin-drop phone was that an
operator had no idea when a call was actually
fully paid for; they couldn’t hear the coins
drop. A subsequent coin-drop mechanism
was invented by Gray which rang a bell for
each coin inserted. Based on his 1891 patent
for this new device, Gray formed the Gray
Telephone Pay Station Company. Gray phone
boxes were set up on street posts, interior
cabinets (similar to a floor clock) and as desk
models. “Pre-pay” telephones debuted in
Chicago in 1898. The Gray Company also
pioneered the three-coin-slot pay phones that
became standard in the second half of the
20th Century.
15
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
Outdoor Gray pay station
Interior Gray pay station advert
Original Gray payphone
are subject to supply, demand, and condition.
As of this writing there are ten antique pay
phones listed for sale on eBay alone, with
asking prices ranging from $150 USD to $1,499
USD. eBay sales of antique payphones in the
last thirty days show twenty-six “phone only”
sales ranging from $85 USD to $590 USD
and two phones-plus-wooden-booth sales of
around $1200 USD each.
It’s not known how many antique
telephone collectors exist, but the largest
collector’s club, the Antique Telephone
Collectors Association (ATCA) http://
www.atcaonline.com/ boasts over 1,000
members. There is also an Australian club
http://www.telephonecollecting.org/,
and an international club http://www.
telephonecollectors.org/ that has a Yahoo
discussion group named “Singing Wires” that
has a registered membership of 1,054. None
of these groups issue specific guidelines on
how to begin collecting antique pay phones
but their forum discussions offer the following
tips:
Gray single slot coin sorter mechanism
By 1902, there were 81,000 pay phones in the
United States. By 1960, the Bell system had
installed one million public pay phones. By
1998, there were over 2.6 million pay phones
in use in the U.S. In the late 1980s cell phones
began to penetrate the North American
market. Within a decade, cell phones were
owned by a majority of the adult population.
In 2001, Bell South announced that it would
stop pursuing the pay phone business due to
competition from cell phones. Other regional
phone companies soon followed suit. Today
there are fewer than 100,000 pay phones in
the U.S., about the 1906 level.
Consequently, there are a lot of abandoned
pay phones around, and collectors can choose
from a wide variety at reasonably low prices.
Technology has been upgraded repeatedly
over the last 125 years, and the older a
technology the more desirable it is to collect.
Like all other antiques and collectibles, prices
1 Study online catalogs, museum displays,
and books to learn about the various
manufacturers and their production and
technology timelines. Recommended books
include “100 Years of Bell Telephones” by
Richard Mountjoy and “Telephones: Antique to
Modern” by Kate Dooner.
2 Focus on one brand or style. A good
collection has a consistent theme; otherwise,
it’s just an accumulation of phones.
3 Join a collector’s group. Group members
are usually very helpful to newcomers.
As you begin your search for phones, keep the
following questions in mind:
•
Does it work? "Working condition" is
important to some collectors, and not very
important to others. A consistent theme in
the forums is that authentic parts should
be used to restore phones. Authentically
restored phones are worth more than
phones restored using more modern
parts.
•
•
•
•
Is it genuine? Reproductions abound;
antique phone styles are popular
additions to interior decor.
Is it complete? If there are obviously
missing parts (receiver, cord, coin box,
etc.) don't buy the phone unless you know
you can get original replacement parts
(unless there is demand for the phone's
remaining parts). Public pay phones were
sometimes abused and required frequent
maintenance. It was not unusual for
phones that were in use for many years
to have had parts replaced to keep them
in service. Even if a phone is authentic, it
may have replacement parts that were not
used in the original phone.
What condition is it in? Is the color sunbleached or faded? Is the Bakelite, plastic,
or wooden case cracked or chipped? Is
the paint scraped? Cosmetic damage can
reduce the value of an old phone by up to
90%.
How rare is it? Check an auction-price
aggregator such as WorthPoint.com
to determine how many phones of a
particular model have been offered for
sale in the past few years. Also, check
the above mentioned forums to see if
there is demand for a particular phone.
Authenticity, rarity, condition and
completeness combine to maximize the
value of an antique pay phone.
Communications technology is moving
along at such a rapid pace that soon all 20th
Century telephone technology will be obsolete
(and therefore collectible). Wires, insulators,
switchboards, parts, repair manuals,
advertising, and "everything telephone" will
be desirable collectibles in the 21st Century.
There is now a window of opportunity for
focused collectors to curate a fabulous
collection.
ALL PHOTOS: American Telephone Journal Jan-June
1908
https://books.google.com/books/about/
The_American_Telephone_ Journal.
html?id=OKgvAAAAYAAJ
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
16
THE EARLY DAYS OF
SPACE EXPLORATION
BY JIM TRAUTMAN
S
ince the beginning of time, mankind has
been fascinated with space exploration
and reaching up to the stars. In the
1800’s, Jules Verne wrote “From the Earth to
the Moon” about the first explorers to take
a rocket to the moon. One of the first silent
movies was entitled “The Man in the Moon.” In
the 1920’s and 30’s, the cheap pulp magazines
were filled with space titles and stories of
exploration.
In the late 1920’s the movement to reach outer
space picked up momentum. American Robert
Goddard of Massachusetts was annoying
his neighbours with his early rockets. In July,
1929, Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled
rocket. On the advice of Charles Lindbergh,
the Guggenheim Foundation agreed to fund
Goddard’s rocket research and moved him to
Roswell, New Mexico. This site would become
and is still famous for a widely reported crash
of a UFO and the death of its space travellers
in 1946.
Germany and the USSR had their own teams
working on rocket projects, and the Germans
turned their program into the first missile
program aimed at civilian targets. The famous
V-1 and V-2 were employed as weapons of
death. At the conclusion of World War II, many
of the rocket scientists were recruited under
a secret program called Operation Paperclip.
Surviving V-2 rockets were shipped to the
United States, and rocket testing for satellite
launches began at the White Sands, New
Mexico proving grounds.
Key German scientists Dr. Werner von Braun,
Willy Ley, and Dr. Heinz Haber began to
appear in magazines and eventually on early
television shows. Some of the first early space
collectibles are the Colliers magazines from
the early 1950’s and the 1952 book “Across
the Space Frontier” published by Viking Press,
New York City. The magazines and book
featured the art work of Chesley Bonestell,
the famous astronomical painter who became
even better known for his art work on early
space subjects. A single issue of the Colliers
magazine sells for at least $100 or more when
found in good condition. The book is difficult
to find, but can be worth several hundred
dollars. The magazines and books laid out
17
how the exploration of space was possible and
the type of rockets that could be employed.
Another classic is Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘The
Exploration of Space.” In a paperback it sold
for 25 cents. The book envisioned how space
stations would be constructed, and a base on
the moon and eventually the exploration of
Mars, and included drawings.
Willy Ley’s book “Rockets, Missiles, and Space
Travel” by Viking Press, appeared in the same
period and was updated after the launch
of Sputnik in 1957. Ley had been one of the
original founders of the German Rocket
Society and arranged for the first major North
American Space Symposium at the Hayden
Planetarium in New York City on Columbus
Day, 1951.
In the early 1950’s, space fever was raging.
After all, it was not only the time of discussions
about satellites, but also the time of UFOs. The
public was anxious to see satellites in orbit.
In 1954 the Space Flight Committee of the
American Rocket Society drew up a proposal
which outlined how to put a satellite in space
and submitted it to the U.S. Government.
At the same time the Walt Disney television
program “Man in Space” narrated and
designed by Dr. Wernher von Braun drew an
audience of 42 million viewers. Disneyland
opened in 1955 and one of the major
theme areas was Tomorrowland. Souvenirs
connected to Tomorrowland offer collectors
a wide range of early space items. It seemed
every corner store’s magazine racks were filled
each week with new publications focused on
some aspect of space exploration. Popular
Mechanics, National Geographic and aviation
magazines were filled with articles on space
travel and comic books.
The market for space collectibles began
to expand rapidly. Model kit companies
competed against each other to put out
rocket, and space ship kits. Snark, Redstone,
Jupiter C, Vanguard, Thor, Atlas. The rockets
that had been featured in the “Man In Space”
show were produced by the Lindbergh
model company. Other early rockets were
marketed as kits by Revell, Renwall, Aurora
and Monogram. Willy Ley had an exclusive
contract to design and advertise Monogram
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
Volume 1 on the History of Space Exploration. Pictured
is the US Vanguard rocket exploding on the launch pad.
space kits. One entitled “The Space Taxi”
features astronauts building a space station.
In mint condition with the box – $450. Several
of his kits feature space vehicles that bear
a strong resemblance to the future Space
Shuttle. There was box art on each kit, some
of it provided by Chesley Bonestell and other
emerging space artists and it was futuristic
and, in a word beautiful. Many of the early
plastic kits sell for hundreds of dollars.
The Centuri Company of Arizona and Estes
of Colorado and other companies jumped on
the bandwagon and began to produce safe
miniature rocket motors for the budding space
scientist to make his own rockets. My cousin
and I built our own launch pad, and made the
rocket body out of a cardboard tube, the fins
of balsa wood, and the nose cone of wood.
A small parachute made from a plastic bag
deployed to bring the rocket back to earth.
After the motor’s fuel was used up the rocket
glided until a small explosive charge blew out a
wad of paper that pushed out the nose cone.
Mid 1950’s catalogues of the two companies
are collector items and sell for $25 each.
Both companies are still in business and even produce a rocket with a
miniature camera.
The U.S. and the USSR were involved in a Space Race to successfully
launch the first satellite into earth orbit during the IGY. On October 4,
1957, the world awoke to an announcement from Radio Moscow that the
first satellite was in orbit and called Sputnik. The radio broadcast played
the sound of signals from the satellite to the earth. The newspapers
printed the time when Sputnik would pass over and each night the
streets were filled with eyes looking upward, searching for a tiny speck
of light the size of a star, but moving across the sky. On November 3rd,
Sputnik 2 weighing 1,118 pounds (508.3 kilograms) was placed into orbit.
It carried a dog named Laika. This was extremely controversial since a
recovery system had not been developed to bring Laika back to earth.
Almost overnight, the next item to reach record sales was the telescope.
Companies such as Edmund Scientific could not meet the demand for
inexpensive telescopes. That was the item that I had waiting for me
under my Christmas tree that year. It cost $19.95 including shipping and
handling, and I still use it on cold, clear winter nights or nice summer
evenings.
Hammond the famous map company produced
a Guide to Space Exploration in the late 1950’s.
The famous book
pictured became the blue
print for the Walt Disney
“Man in Space” show on
ABC.
America’s first attempt to launch a satellite in early December, 1957 was
a failure. The Vanguard rocket lifted several feet off the launch pad at
Cape Canaveral, fell back down and was destroyed in a ball of fire and
flames.
Finally, on January 31, 1958 Dr. Wernher von Braun’s team was able was
able to place the first U.S. satellite in orbit. It was carried on a Jupiter
C rocket and was called Explorer 1. The November 18, 1957 issue of
Life magazine featured him on the cover “The Seer of Space.” Shortly
thereafter President Dwight Eisenhower announced the formation of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The goal of NASA
was to place the first American astronaut in orbit around the earth.
Since the early 1950’s, material, souvenirs, and memorabilia of all types
has been issued to commemorate some aspect of the exploration of the
stars. In 1958 the Toops Gum Company of Brooklyn, New York issued a
88 picture card set entitled Space Cards. #1 “Sputnik,” #2 “Dog in Space,”
#3 Launching a U.S. Satellite,” #13 Space Suit.” The Marx Toy Company
released an IGY Satellite Base playset and in 1959 a Cape Canaveral
Satellite Base. If you find the IGY set in near mint condition, expect to
pay $1,200. Other items include a “ Man Into Space” game from the
television show of the late 1950’s, and a realistic looking space helmet.
The famous map company Hammond issued a “Guide to the Exploration
of Space.” This was a large wall hanging map that features beautiful
scenes of early space exploration., issued in 1957. In the early days of
NASA if one wrote with any type of idea for a space rocket or project one
would receive a nice letter and an envelope filled with booklets on the
early space program. I sent in many ideas and received many letters and
booklets which are in my personal collection.
With the announcement of the first seven astronauts by NASA even
more material appeared on the market. When John Glenn became the
first American in space collector spoons with the image of Friendship
7 Mercury capsule were marketed. There were souvenir glasses with
historic space images. There was even a globe with the Friendship 7 on
a wire circling around it. For the stamp collector, first day covers and
stamps of the various space programs have been issued. The National
Geographic of March, 1964 features almost an entire issue on “How We
Plan to Put Men on the Moon.”
Prior to the Mercury capsule, the first space ship designed was the
Dyna-Soar. It was more aircraft than space capsule. It was put on display
at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair complete with a mannequin in
a space suit. About 15 years ago a small item appeared in a magazine
that the Dyna-Soar was still in storage and any individual that wanted
it could come and cart it away. My wife refused to let me retrieve it, but
I often wonder if it is still there waiting for someone to transport it to a
new home. It would have looked great on my front lawn with the space
traveller standing next to it reaching for the stars.
Willy Ley’s famous
book on early Space
Exploration. It was
updated in a new volume
after the 1957 successful
launch of Sputnik by the
Soviet Union.
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
18
LOW SUPPLY, HIGH DEMAND
OF RARE WHISKY DRIVING SURGE
IN VALUE
WHISKY OR WHISKEY?
It’s rumored the Irish added the ‘e’
to distinguish their product from the
poorer-quality Scotch whisky being
exported in the late 1800s. The general
rule now is that countries that don’t
have an ‘e’ in their name (like Canada,
Scotland and Japan) spell it with no
‘e.’ Those that do, such as the US and
Ireland, include the ‘e.’
Sources: BT and The Telegraph
Karuizawa bottles, whose distillery stopped
producing in 2000, were higher than last year,
and a 1960 bottle of Karuizawa set a new
record for a Japanese whisky sold an auction
when it was bought for 918,750 Hong Kong
dollars this month.
Whether the popularity of overseas brands is
here to stay or not, Simpson has some tips for
those considering investing in whisky:
•
•
Stick to well-known brands
•
Closed distilleries are a great source as
they can’t produce any more whisky for
the market
•
Black Bowmore 1964
W
•
ith the days getting chillier in the
Northern hemisphere, it’s the perfect
time to curl up with a warming glass
of whisky. And with global supplies of fine
bottles dwindling, it’s also the perfect time to
start collecting.
Whisky investing is young compared to art
and wine. As it grows, auctions are attracting
larger followings, as increasing competition
combined with low supply is pushing prices
up. Single malts and discontinued brands
being in particularly high demand.
Demand for rare whisky is “accelerating at an
extraordinary rate” according to Rare Whisky
101, a broker that recently revealed that the
number of bottles sold at auction in the first
half of 2015 hit a new record.
“The dearth of truly collectable releases over
recent years has only fuelled demand for
older and discontinued past releases where
quality and rarity are powerful motivations for
purchase,” says Andy Simpson, co-founder of
Rare Whisky 101.
More than 20,000 bottles of single malt Scotch
whisky were sold on the open market in the
first six months of 2015, up by more than a
third over last year – with the value up by 33%.
19
Even the thriving collectible Scotch single
malt market pales next to the rapid growth in
demand for Japanese whiskies. The value of
WORLD CLASS ANTIQUES.COM MAGAZINE
Buy new bottles immediately upon release
or buy older, previously released bottles
Bottles which are measured in fluid
ounces rather than centiliters are more
sought after by collectors and investors
Look out for rare bottles and special
editions. Go for cask-strength bottles
and single cask with a vintage
When buying, especially online, stay alert
for forgeries – oddly low prices, poor label
printing, and no duty stamp are all revealing
signs.
Keep bottles at their best at room
temperature in an upright position. Unlike
wine, you’ll want to avoid contact between
cork and whisky. If you keep it at home, you’ll
want to insure it as well.
Finally, remember that whisky doesn’t really
“go off” – it will be still be delicious done the
road if you decide to drink it rather than keep
or sell it!
FEATURED EVENTS –
ELORA VINTAGE & ANTIQUE SHOW
https://worldclassantiques.com/eventdetail.aspx?eid=201
25th Annual Show The April
vintage and antique show
and sale at Elora is an annual
highlight for collectors from
Toronto to Windsor and all
points in between. With top
dealers selling in-demand
specialties, Elora is the
premier vintage/antique
event in Western Ontario.
Well worth the drive! See a
great vintage/antique show,
visit local antique malls within
20 minutes of the show, enjoy excellent cafes around the corner, all this located in some of
Ontario’s most scenic landscape. Mark your calendar for a special Spring weekend in Elora.
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 4 | FEBRUARY 2016
20
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CONTACT US
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WORLDCLASSANTIQUES.COM
Publisher: World Class Antiques
Place of publication: Toronto, ON, Canada
Numbering: Vol.1 No.4
Frequency: Bimonthly
ISSN 2369-4017