Harvey Lieberman dreamed his large, inherited vase from his deceased parents was a rare Renaissance relic, something that might have graced the home of an Italian nobleman during Da Vinci’s lifetime. What he discovered was something completely different. Would the truth about his vase change everything? Lieberman shares a thoughtful story of one family’s understanding of the true value of the things we hold dear in the March issue of Kovels Antique Trader.
“What endures is not the dollar amount of an object,” Lieberman writes in the March cover story, “but the memories and meaning we attach to it. The vase might never belong in a museum, but it holds an unshakable place in our family story.”
What we decide what to hold on to and what we decide to let go of is a challenging yet important decision, especially as we get older. In the March issue of Kovels Antique Trader, Ellen Goodwin shares her professional strategies for decluttering and downsizing your home. Goodwin, the cofounder of Artifcts, an online community empowering people to capture and preserve the objects and stories of their lives in a new way, provides step-by-step advice on letting go. After all, decluttering your space not only allows you to get rid of unwanted items, but it can also have a positive impact on your mental and emotional well-being.
Considering your next move is always a good thing, especially for those who enjoy the timeless hobby of collecting chess sets. Chess has fascinated the minds and challenged the skills of strategic thinkers for centuries. As writer Kris Manty points out, the ancient game has also yielded ornamental sets that have fascinated collectors worldwide. Collectible chess sets range from under $50 to millions for luxury examples like the silver, ebony and ivory chess set and table from 1866 once belonging to Russian Tsar Alexander II, which sold for $2.5 million at Christie’s.
For five years, Pamela Wiggins Siegel has been writing about the vibrant world of costume jewelry. To commemorate dozens of articles filled with tidbits of research, precious memories and lots of fantastic jewelry, our longtime costume jewelry expert is looking back at favorite topics and styles to select the best of the best over the past five years. Her retrospective on “All That Glitters” is as brilliant as the subjects she holds so dear.
Along with Sales Reports covering the beautifully illustrated and designed Kelmscott books, Buddy L toys, and the spectacular collection of advertising and coin-operated toys from the famed collection of Rich and Sharon Penn, Dr. Anthony Cavo weighs in on readers’ questions regarding a Computing Scale Company scale and an old duck decoy.
Speaking of weighing in, Editor Paul Kennedy shares his thoughts on the love-hate relationship with Spring for many who live in the northern regions of our country. “Truth is, we move from Winter to Summer, with only the shortest of visits from Spring.,” Kennedy writes. “Spring is like a college-age daughter who shows up at home unexpectantly looking great in a light and airy dress, eats, borrows some money, and grabs your car keys, slipping out of town the next day with her seasonal pals Summer and Autumn, driving off to Florida for – you guessed it – Spring Break.”
And yet, for all his consternation about the unpredictability of the season, Kennedy still loves Spring – a passion we hope you’ll hold for the March issue of Kovels Antique Trader.
