My Generation’s Collection: Collecting Concert Posters

July 24, 2013 in Uncategorized by hdavis

The summer concert season is in high gear just now, but that highly polished, prepackaged, choreographed lip syncing doesn’t generally appeal to me.  Somehow, I just don’t think that in two or three decades, people will be meeting up and asking if anyone saw Clay Aiken in Cleveland in 2006!  I love to look through the concert posters from the 1960s and 70s in the database, wondering what it would have been like to be at Woodstock or to be at the Fillmore in 1968 for Big Brother and the Holding Company – with Santana AND Chicago!  Just do a keyword search for concert poster to see what I mean….

These concerts defined a generation and created a style of fonts and artwork that has become inextricably linked with the time period.  Commemorating an event is a great reason to collect concert posters, but these posters also have amazing and colorful art that stretched the capabilities of color printing!  Flying eyeballs, roaring lions, giant mushrooms – images based in fantasy and myth and pure imagination.  But, of course, my personal favorite is the Led Zeppelin avocado poster.  That would have matched our old fridge perfectly!

Scraping Together a Collection: Figural Boot Scrapers

July 22, 2013 in Kitchen & Household, Uncategorized by hdavis

A cast iron boot scraper, unattributed, in the form of a cat with [long tail and] traces of black paint.Historically, boot scrapers are unassuming little things.  They were usually mounted out of the way, covered in mud and muck, and not objects to which one probably gave much thought.  But, the boot scraper’s day has come!  Lifted, quite literally, out of the mire, they are interesting enough to stand as artful silhouettes, like Shadow the cat, pictured here, but common enough that they’re quite affordable. You’ll find cocker spaniels and dachshunds, horses and doves, and animals much more suited to the damp and the mud, like frogs and ducks.  There are also “action” scenes like men sawing logs, with the serrated teeth of the saw serving as a perfect means of scraping shoes clean, and objects like a lyre with a form that also lends itself to the purpose.  And, as always, there are more fanciful options like boot scrapers with sphinxes or griffins!  These objects make a great collection, and because they are small, heavy and often appear rough or uncared for, deals aren’t hard to find!

The Hull Nine Yards: Collecting Hull Pottery

July 17, 2013 in Pottery & Porcelain, Uncategorized by hdavis

Hull pottery Little Red Riding Hood cookie jarHull Pottery might be best known for the cheerful and utilitarian Little Red Riding Hood design pictured here, which comes in so many forms, from teapots to shaker sets.  Prices for Red Riding Hood can be steep, but collectors have so much more to choose from, thanks to the prolific nature of the company kilns!

In reality, Red Riding Hood didn’t come along until Hull had already achieved success from meeting the commercial supply and demand of florists for vases.  Early products, inspired simply by a wide variety of blossoms, are still popular today, and with pattern choices like Calla Lily, Dogwood, Magnolia, Orchid and Poppy in soft retro pastels, collectors can create their own gardens or simply devote themselves to one favorite design.  Still, it’s worth noting that after a flood destroyed all the kilns of the Ohio-based pottery, the Hull Pottery took advantage of a fresh start to give a more modern look to their product lines, introducing theme-inspired designs like Ebb Tide, Serenade, Fantasy and Woodland.  With Hull’s trend for dramatic forms and affordable prices, whether you own one piece or a hundred, you’re certain to have a colorful addition to your collection!

The Allure of Lures: Collecting Fishing Tackle

July 10, 2013 in Sports, Uncategorized by hdavis

A birch bark fishing creel, possibly Montagnais/ NaskapiSummer’s all about fishing, although I have to confess that I’m a wretched fisherperson.  Within about thirty minutes, my brother would usually be grumbling something like, “If you’re going to throw rocks, at least go downstream!”  Still, a well-stocked, well-organized tackle box is a thing of beauty – at least until I start stirring around in it!

Of course, fishing wasn’t always about glittery rubber worms or shiny metal discs, and it’s easy to identify collectibles by searching the database.  You’ll find lures to mimic all sorts of small aquatic life, from minnows to frogs.  I’m fond of the “Fly Rod Runtie,” partly because of the name and partly because he looks about as panic-strickened as you’d expect bait to look!  (He only has a slight edge over the “Luny Frog.”)  We’ve also got all sorts of antique reels, from modest ones to hot collectibles like this Morgan James reel that sold for over $9,000!  Folk art collectors love the hand-carved fishing decoys that mimic everything from trout to turtles, as well as the beautifully crafted creels, like the Native American birch bark example pictured here.  And, at the end of the day, if you’ve still not had a nibble, you can always haul home a taxidermy mount like this 44″ pike to claim as your own!

I Want You – To Start Collecting: Uncle Sam Memorabilia

July 8, 2013 in Ephemera, Holiday & Patriotic, Uncategorized by hdavis

Uncle Sam World War I recruiting poster by James Montgomery FlaggFor the Fourth of July, Uncle Sam puts in an appearance right along with parades and fireworks.  There was a time when he was far more ubiquitous, and many people are unaware of his remarkable journey from government contractor to American icon!  When the U.S. was entrenched in the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson, a small-town meat-packing magnate from Troy, New York, obtained a government contract to supply troops in the northern parts of the country.  Barrels of salt beef marked “U.S.” were shipped to the troops, who began to joke that the initials really stood for “Uncle Sam.”  Of course, many military-issued supplies were marked in this manner, and before long, soldiers were joking about getting presents from Uncle Sam when each shipment arrived.Uncle Sam may have gotten his name in 1812, but it took forty years for someone to bring him to life in an illustration; this illustration must have captured the imagination of thousands of Americans, as Sam soon began to appear everywhere!  Folk artists were among the first to pick up Uncle Sam’s image, but the familiar bearded visage has also been used to market everything from tobacco to candy (whilst inexplicably riding a rabbit) to paint.  My personal favorite is this cutout of Uncle Sam, who seems to have abandoned his coat and tails in order to shill for OshKosh overalls.

Fortunately, he was dressed up again and at his gravest by the time he “posed” for his iconic 1917 World War I poster depiction (pictured above) by artist James Montgomery Flagg.(For more on Flagg, click here to read our reference note.)

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