Antiques and Collectables – The Collectors Blog

Grace Collins Hodges of Coastal Living writes this report about a woman who started collecting vintage outdoor furniture to decorate her California home, only to start her own business and return to the Gulf Coast:

The memory of an old porch glider inspired the decor of Nicki Huggins’ home—and helped launch Retropatio, her alluring line of vintage outdoor furniture. Balancing a bicoastal life between residences in Los Angeles and on the Florida Panhandle, the designer guides a business born of necessity and nostalgia.

In 1997, Nicki and fiancé Scott Sternberg trucked an airplane hangar from North Dakota to California to create the core of their modern house.

Wayne Engle of The Madison Courier writes this report about three sisters who decided to open an antiques and collectibles store:

Three sisters who are dedicated to saving what they treasure as “a valuable part of America’s history” have opened a store named a sister’s attic at 113 E. Main St.

Kay Blackwood, Linda Wenning and Monica Steidinger opened their store last weekend, offering “quality antiques and collectibles,” according to their Web site; and reclaimed items still retaining significant value. A brisk trade of new-store shoppers kept them busy and animated all day.

Jon Chavez of the Toledo Blade reports about a man who collects guns now owns a gun company that has been open since the 1880s:

Growing up in northwest Ohio, Craig Marshall received a tiny piece of firearms history at age 12.

Three months ago, the 44-year-old Upper Sandusky resident acquired a bigger chunk of history. Mr. Marshall, a businessman and gun enthusiast, purchased financially ailing Ithaca Guns USA LLC, which began in 1880. He moved it from Auburn, N.Y., to Upper Sandusky.

Ed Welch writes in this article for The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles that the more an antique dealer knows, the more money he or she will make:

The antique trade is so complicated that no one dealer can know everything about everything. The secret to success is to know everything about those items that you normally buy and sell. In order to do this, a dealer must buy an education and develop research skills.

It is acceptable for a dealer to look at an item and ask, “what is it and how much is it worth?” It is also acceptable for the dealer to purchase such an item. However, it is not acceptable for the dealer to sell that item until he or she knows exactly what it is and exactly how much it is worth.

Christina Kaufman of the York Dispatch writes about a former Dover area school board member who now sells wares with an inspired theme:

If he had known that there would be a market for collectibles, former Dover Area School Board member Jeff Brown said there are some things he would have done differently.

The online blog “Panda’s Thumb” has begun marketing various goods promoting the Kitzmiller et al v. Dover Area School District et al trial from its Web site.