ON THE COVER -
August Issue 2006
Twenty-Six Miles Across The Sea.....by Maureen Timm
In 1958,
musical artists known as The Four Preps, wrote the song
"Twenty-six Miles Across the Sea, Santa Catalina is a-waitin
for me," which became one of the top hits of the fifties.
Today, Santa Catalina welcomes visitors with a picturesque
coastline, ample anchorages, clear water, and fresh air.
The Beauty of Bakelite Jewelry....by
Robert Reed
After all these
years the beauty of Bakelite jewelry with its smooth and sleek contours and its
flowing colors of autumn remain as charming as it was decades ago.
Ironically one of
the world's first true plastics, invented almost by accident, rose to glory as
perhaps the most endearing type of costume jewelry of the 20th century.
Bakelite was more
or less born during the summer of 1907 as Dr. Leo Hendrick Baekeland was
searching in New York state for a synthetic shellac. Instead of a substitute for
shellac, Dr. Baekeland ended up with a remarkable plastic.
Q. I have seen several pieces of antique furniture in shops and at shows that were made by the Mahogany Association. I saw a table in a shop recently that had a Mahogany Association tag but no further information. I am now confused. Is the Mahogany Association a company that makes solid mahogany furniture? Are they still in business? Are their products actually antiques? Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.
Excite Your Mind With Antiques.....by Marc
Washicheck
In this day and age where everything
is made in China, and even customer service of many companies takes place in
India, we want to see something warm and familiar. Nothing is more familiar than
an antique dresser from your grandfather, a quilt from your mother, or a cross
stitched pillow from your grandmother. These quality American antiques, which
were made from 1700’s to early 1900’s add warmth and love to a home China could
never match.
Art Noveau
Posters: 19th Century Images Rock On....by Judy Penz Sheluk
It began in
1866 with the vision of Jules Cheret, who began to produce lithographic
posters in Paris from his own press. Considered the father of the Art
Nouveau poster movement, Cheret's images of women in trembling
petticoats inspired a generation of late 19th century artists, including
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha and Theophile-Alexandre
Steinlen.
THE ANTIQUE DETECTIVE
Collectors Gamble On Vintage Slot
Machines
Born in the U.S.A. more than 100
years ago, the slot machine and even more recent coin operated
gaming devices are fascinating even the Nintendo generation.
For the most part, names like Charles Fey and the “Liberty
Bell” or the Berger “Oom-Paul” are familiar only to serious,
monied collectors and historians. Slots have been late comers
to the collecting scene.
THE ANTIQUE DETECTIVE
Kitchen Helpers Still Affordable, Available
I can remember way back in the
l980s when people trashed egg beaters and other kitchen utensils and gadgets
from the 1930s, 40s. Flash forward to the 1990s when a new generation of
collectors started paying serious money for old waffle irons, juice
squeezers and apple corers.