Monday, February 27, 2012

IS THERE ANYTHING SEXIER THAN THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE NEW CENTURY COLLECTOR?


This girl seems to know what she's doing, isn't that the new March issue of the NEW CENTURY COLLECTOR she's holding in her hand.   Definitely my kind of gal. 

Don't worry, you can spice up your life without getting pinned up in someones locker.  Just follow the link below, and you'll get this month issue in a brown paper wrapper.  It's not even in shops yet, now that's sexy.

 

IS THIS ANY WAY TO SPEND A FRIDAY NIGHT? OH YEAH.....

This past Friday, Lyn & I dropped by Nancy Blaney's  Sugarhouse shop, Expressive Bungalow, for one of Nancy's evening Events.  Billed as, EXPRESSIVE BUNGALOWS GALLERY NIGHT, Come and visit with local artists, Photography - Wire and stone creations - Ceramics - - -Refreshments - Music - Friends, we knew it wouldn't disappoint.  It didn't take long to figure out we weren't the only ones who had been to one of Nancy's shindigs, the place was packed. 


Who could resist.  Local artists, Live music, a taste of the grape, and what could best be described as 5 course refreshments.  Who would want to?


So, we ate & drank, checked out the local art, and browsed around Nancy's shop for a bit. Finding some musicians in the next room,  we decided to sit around and listened to what turned out to be some very good jazz guitar.  We almost wished we hadn't made dinner reservations. But alas,  I took one more look through the shop, and It was time to stop by to thank Nancy, and say goodnight.  Lyn wasn't far behind, showing up at the counter with yet another religious artifact. 

What can I say. Eats, drinks, art, and a step closer to nirvana; does this girl know how to host a party or what.  Thanks Nancy.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

ACORNS SHOW STOPPER

This past weekend, Lyn and I stopped by the Weber County Fairgrounds to drop off a stack of New Century Collectors, and check out the Acorns show.  As usual, promoter Heidi Wilcox put on a show that didn't disappoint.  As we walked around the show, I talked and took a few photos, and Lyn of course,  shopped.  

Overall, the show was terrific.  Every booth seemed to have a little something to catch your eye.  But, one booth just jumped up and said helloooo.  A dealer who had come down from Montana had filled his space with the most fabulous collection of 1940's - 50's Formica top table and chair sets I've ever seen.  Even better, the tables, which along with the original chairs had been meticulously restored, each sported an assortment of vintage lamps and nicknacks.  It was simply dazzling.


If you didn't make it to the show,
you missed a real eye popper

The show was also a success for Lyn, who walked out of the building with an antique copper bucket and an Art Deco lamp to add to her growing collection of religious objects.  Two steps closer to Nirvana.  One month farther from retirement.  Que sera.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

HEY? THATS JUST LIKE THE LUNCH BOX I NEVER HAD.

ANTIQUES
& COLLECTIBLES SHOPS:
market place for memories

 
There they were. The light reflecting from the glistening stainless steel had caught my eye, …… cool, I remember those. My mind immediately flashed to the clatter and pungent aroma of the school lunch rooms we hung around as kids. As I re-actively stretched my hand out to take a closer look at these battered, scratched, and dented pieces of my childhood puzzle, a voice echoed from behind. “You’ve got to be kidding”. My wife’s reminder that every object associated with my childhood wasn’t quite as interesting as I seemed to think, and, that although the sign on the front of the building said antiques & collectibles, you can’t believe everything you read. Still, who’s to say that old school lunch trays won’t someday find a place in the pantheon of Americana? I gave my wife that “but they’re so retro” look, but quickly retreated. We both knew they would only join a growing menagerie of childhood memories deposited in our storage unit. Still ……


 ORIGINAL 1954 SUPERMAN
LUNCH BOX WITH THERMOUSE

We’ve all heard the phrase “buying back our childhood”, and as we get older, for many collectors, our primal obsession is the drive to recapture our past. We scour shops, yard sales and flea markets, hoping to find toys, sports memorabilia, music and other accoutrements of our youth, paying homage to our childhood with prominent displays in our homes and offices. But, if you’re thinking you want to join in the fun, you’d better check your bank balance first. It turns out that many of us are really more interested in collecting the childhood we wish we had. We’re not looking for that brown craft lunch bag we toddled off to school with, we want the lithographed Superman lunch box with matching thermos that the kid sitting next to us had. Sort of a memory upgrade if you will. And, that upgraded childhood can cost plenty. A quick look at collectibles reflecting the popular culture of the 1950’s and 60’s turned up a 1954 Adco Superman Lunchbox for $550, a set of 1964 Beatles bobble head nodders for $490, a 1950’s Marx Fort Apache for $330, a Mattel Fanner 50 cap gun set for $225, and a 1959 #1 Barbie for a mere $2,250. You get the idea. But don’t despair, there are lots of less iconic memories out there, that can be picked up without breaking the bank. You can still buy a 1960’s Batman or Twiggy lunch box for under $50.00, and there are lots of dolls, matchbox cars, Tonka trucks and myriad memories that can be bought for just a few dollars. And if all els fails, don’t worry, you can always think about those intriguing lunch trays.

Looking back is not just an old mans game. It seems to be generation-ally contagious. Dozens of trendy resale shops beckon 20 & 30 something’s with signs touting “vintage or retro”, and shelves filled with merchandise from 70’s, 80’s & 90’s. They better get started while they can still afford it. ‘goo-goo-ga-joob’.


Is never better than late? Naw. Not if's its a chance to get a look at this month New Century Collector!

We'll here it is in all of its resplendent glory.  The February issue of the New Century Collector.  You may already be the last one on your block to get a look, but as they say, better late than never.

 

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Under the tree with Rip Van Winkle

I woke up this morning, and realized that with the holiday's, a long visit from my kids in Alaska, and some well deserved R&R in San Diego,  I haven't made an entry here in a bloggers age.


Anyway,  I'm back among the living, and hopefully from time to time I'll post a thing or two of interest to the antiquing, vintage and retro community.