The evolution of child’s play is never more striking than what we find today with skateboarding. From its crude but liberating handmade toy origins in the 1950s to today’s dynamic culture that mixes sport and art, everything about skateboarding screams excitement and collectability.
Whether vintage old-school boards or modern decks featuring paintings and drawings by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol, skateboards are collected by a growing number of enthusiasts to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. You’ll read all about it as contributing editor Kris Manty takes you on a fast-paced ride into one of the hottest collecting areas in the November issue of Kovels Antique Trader.
Bill and Denny McConnell have been on a much different ride for more than three decades. The Oklahoma City couple are the owners of 23rd Street Antique Mall, which is celebrating 35 years in business this year. And while the McConnells could point to the 42 awards their mall has received for being the best place in town to shop for antiques, they’re too busy to brag. Writer Sara Jordan-Heintz shares a remarkable story about a couple who, through perseverance and hard work, not only have survived but thrived. “After all these years,” Bill tells us, “I still love going to work every day.”
During WWII, the U.S. spent $288 billion dollars on airplanes, ammunition, soldiers’ pay and other areas of critical importance to the war effort. But at the end of the war, some of the things that money bought were still around: military bases, buildings, trucks, food, and even surplus B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Which begs the question: what did Uncle Sam do with all that stuff? Hosted the biggest yard sale in U.S. military history, of course. Find out more in the November issue of Kovels Antique Trader.
In 1963, photographer Jim Marshall captured a young Bob Dylan kicking a tire down a New York City sidewalk, a now iconic image of the youthful energy and rebellious spirit of the burgeoning folk singer. In a thoughtful piece, Nigel Russell, director of photographs at Heritage Auctions, explains how the timeless image encapsulates the essence of Dylan early in his career.
Among the many auction highlights found throughout the November issue, our Sales Reports experts gamble on a Potter & Potter coin-op event featuring slot machines. Then we watch as toy airplanes take flight at a Milestone Auctions event before taking a deep dive into history at Nation Attic’s annual spectacular featuring vintage diving helmets and other historic diving gear and memorabilia.
All of this and more can be found in the November issue of Kovels Antique Trader.
