Antique news

• Madame Zita Knows Your Future

  07-10-2026 18:38 via antiquetrader.com
  
  For one penny, Madame Zita would tell you your future.Drop a coin into the machine, and the elaborately dressed female automaton would turn her head to retrieve a fortune before turning again to drop it down a chute for the waiting customer. With her other hand, she pulled the lever that dispensed the fortune card.More than a century later, Madame Zita is still telling fortunes and working for her keep. The original Roover Brothers machine, Lot 2281 in Morphy Auctions’ Oct. 16–17 Coi
  
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• The Force Is Strong With Star Wars Collectibles

  07-10-2026 16:27 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Tom Jung’s original half-sheet key poster artwork for the 1977 film Star Wars. The artwork sold for $3.875 million at Heritage Auctions in December 2025. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions.On May 25, 1977, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 became household names.That’s the monumental day the first Star Wars movie was released; the film’s riveting plotline and fictitious, loveable characters — well, maybe not so much the in
  
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• Lost Baroque Sculpture Found at Salvage Yard

  07-10-2026 15:23 via antiquetrader.com
  
  A carved marble portrait of Pope Clement XII seated on a throne, newly attributed to Pietro Bracci, c.1736, as a maquette for a life-size bronze sculpture that was destroyed in 1798. The maquette measures 68 cm (about 26 3/4 in.) tall. Images courtesy: Woolley & Wallis.The heavy statue, just over two feet tall, was for sale at a salvage yard in Wiltshire, England, where, according to People magazine, it was a concrete garden figure. One customer, suspecting it was something more, bought it f
  
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• Dust off the Lederhosen and Dirndls

  07-10-2026 09:01 via antiquetrader.com
  
  The ceremonial Tapping of the Golden Keg officially opens Oktoberfest USA in La Crosse, Wisconsin. (Courtesy of Oktoberfest USA)Beer, bratwurst, brass bands, and lederhosen may be the hallmarks of Oktoberfest today, but the celebration began with a wedding. In 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, and Munich marked the occasion with days of festivities culminating in a horse race on October 17. The celebration proved so popular that it returned, ev
  
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• Relics & Roots: Telling Jewish History with Judaica

  06-10-2026 21:46 via antiquetrader.com
  
  1880 Torah finials from the Surami community on view at Identity, Culture, and Community. Courtesy of The Jewish Museum.How do you tell a community’s story through objects? Particularly one that spans centuries, lands, and languages?An attempt to answer this is found at The Jewish Museum in Manhattan in the permanent exhibition, Identity, Culture, and Community: Stories from the Collection of the Jewish Museum. On view are more than 200 items from the museum’s collection that signify
  
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• Collector’s Notebook: A Royal Dux Beauty Brings the Seaside Home

  06-10-2026 16:42 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Image courtesy of Morphy Auctions.When we reach the Autumn Equinox, summer is officially over. That doesn’t mean you have to put sunshine and vacation fun entirely out of your mind. Isn’t that what mementos and souvenirs are for? Take this shell-shaped porcelain vase, which sold for $2,460 in 2023 at Morphy Auctions. Even though it’s not a real shell, it can evoke beach trips and the serenity that comes with them. It was made by Royal Dux, the collector’s nickname for Dux
  
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• From the Editor: And Then I Was There

  05-10-2026 20:08 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Skeletal-faced Cihuateteo, deified women who died in childbirth, are among the monumental artifacts in the Mexica Hall of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, reflecting pre-Columbian beliefs surrounding death, fertility, and cosmic balance. Photo: Kele Johnson.I went to Mexico to visit my sister Tracie and brother-in-law, who have spent the past year on an adventure of their own in Mexico, settling for the last several months in San Miguel de Allende. It didn’t take long fo
  
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• America at 250: New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment

  02-10-2026 18:17 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. Erosion has sculpted the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in northwestern New Mexico into a striking landscape of badlands, hoodoos, and unusual rock formations. The approximately 45,000-acre wilderness preserves fossil-bearing formations dating to the Late Cretaceous. Courtesy of GeologyScience.com.New Mexico’s history spans thousands of years, shaped by people who adapted to one of North America’s most dramatic landscapes and left an extraordinary cultural leg
  
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• Popcorn Culture

  01-10-2026 22:58 via antiquetrader.com
  
  The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) popcorn bucket shaped like the head of supervillain Galactus set a record as the largest commercial popcorn container. One sold on eBay for $85. Courtesy ikingjesse on eBayPromotional popcorn containers have been part of movie merchandise for a long time, but they have taken on more elaborate designs in the last few years—and have become a hit with collectors. The most popular pieces are figural, often shaped like a character’s head, an importan
  
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• First Edition of To Kill A Mockingbird Found in Donation Box

  30-09-2026 16:41 via antiquetrader.com
  
  You never know what you will find in a box of donations. When staff at the Oxfam bookshop on Portobello Road in London were looking through a box of donated books, a worn copy of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird immediately stood out to Deputy Manager Gurpreet Karlcut. Research by shop manager Olivia Haysman-Walker determined it was a first US edition.In a press release published September 22, Haysman-Walker said, “It could so easily have been missed,” but “We rea
  
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• A Look Inside the October 2026 Issue of Kovels Antique Trader

  30-09-2026 16:10 via antiquetrader.com
  
  October has arrived, and the latest issue of Kovels Antique Trader is getting into the spirit of the season with a little “Monster Mash.” From vintage Halloween decorations and classic movie monsters to Oktoberfest celebrations and the traditions of Día de los Muertos, this month’s stories explore the history behind some familiar autumn favorites.Our feature, “Monster Smash,” celebrates the unforgettable artwork of Basil Gogos, whose colorful portraits for Fa
  
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• Collector’s Notebook: Old-World Style Meets Contemporary Furniture

  29-09-2026 19:24 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Furniture can take unexpected forms, especially in contemporary design. From the late twentieth century onward, advances in technology created a wealth of new materials and construction techniques for designers to use, while social and cultural changes encouraged experimental approaches with new shapes and styles.Philippe Starck, born in Paris in 1949, is responsible for some of the most famous and creative furniture and industrial designs of the 1980s and 1990s, and he is still working today. O
  
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• “Rocky Horror Show” Bobbleheads Kickstarter Campaign Launched

  28-09-2026 19:09 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Image courtesy: National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.MILWAUKEE – Today, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum launched a Kickstarter Campaign to produce the first Rocky Horror Show Bobbleheads. The collection features seven bobbleheads based on the original version of the 1973 “Rocky Horror Show,” which inspired the cult classic musical comedy horror film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” A Kickstarter-exclusive Dr. Frank-N-Furter Bobblehead is only
  
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• American Thrift Store

  28-09-2026 18:56 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Many thrift shops are good, but it takes a very special store to be unforgettable. The American Thrift in Passaic, NJ definitely falls into the latter category, separating itself from the crowd with both its size, organization, and sheer quantity of goods.One day, while driving through New Jersey, after visiting kid #2 in NYC, I decided on a whim to look for thrift stores to stop at along the way, since we had some extra time. [Always time to thrift, right?]Google Maps showed me a promising one
  
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• America at 250: New Jersey: The Garden State

  25-09-2026 21:09 via antiquetrader.com
  
  New Jersey’s small size belies the enormous role it has played in American history. Indigenous peoples made their homes between the Delaware River and the Atlantic coast for thousands of years before European settlement. From battlefields that helped determine the course of the American Revolution to factories, potteries, laboratories, and communities that helped shape an industrial nation, the Garden State has repeatedly found itself at the crossroads of change.The New Jersey State Flag h
  
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• Princess Diana’s “Revenge Dress” Comes to Auction

  24-09-2026 18:39 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Black silk crepe dress with a criss-crossing pleated bodice and off-the-shoulder neckline, diagonally draped chiffon skirt with flowing swept side train, labeled for designer Christina Stambolian, worn by Princess Diana on June 29, 1994, offered by Sotheby’s on December 9, 2026.
  Nearly thirty years after her death, Princess Diana is still one of popular culture’s most fascinating figures. Described as “one of the most photographed women in the world” during her lifetime,
  
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• Artlistings.com

  24-09-2026 15:45 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Artlistings connects collectors and sellers to discover, showcase, and acquire exceptional fine art and antiques.www.artlistings.comMailto: [email protected]
  The post Artlistings.com appeared first on Antique Trader.
  
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• Pokémon Spam Goes From Grocery Shelves to eBay Sales

  23-09-2026 14:23 via antiquetrader.com
  
  A group of three Pokémon Spam gift sets, featuring characters (from left) Charmander, Snorlax, and Ditto, sold on eBay for $88 on September 11. Image: eBay seller: dokkaebi_tcg.        As Pokémon celebrates its 30th year, the collecting craze is stronger than ever. Classic cards keep selling for high prices, and commemorative collaborations with brands from Lego to Adidas produce new items for fans to collect. These new collectibles are hits
  
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• Collector’s Notebook: Identifying Loetz Austria Glass

  22-09-2026 20:19 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Loetz is one of the most famous European glassmakers of the late 19th to early 20th centuries. This vase is from its popular Phänomen line. Image: Rago Auctions.Identifying antique glass isn’t always easy. If you’re lucky, a piece may be marked, like this Phänomen vase, which is signed “Loetz Austria” on its pontil (the spot on the base where the blown molten glass was attached to a pontil for shaping). Proof of its maker, along with its complex shape and silver
  
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• $30 Estate Sale Find Could Fetch $250,000

  21-09-2026 20:08 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Lot 3 – Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) | Alderman Merriam’s Shells, 1951. Estimate: $150,000 – $250,000. Image courtesy of Freeman’s.A painting picked up for just $30 at a Michigan estate sale is headed to auction with an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000 after being identified as a work by Chicago Surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie.Alderman Merriam’s Shells, painted in 1951, had been out of public view for decades when it turned up this summer. The buyer, a
  
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• America at 250: New Hampshire: The Granite State

  18-09-2026 09:01 via antiquetrader.com
  
  The New Hampshire state flag, adopted in 1909 and modified in 1931, features the state seal surrounded by a laurel wreath with nine stars against a blue field. Image: Wikimedia Commons.New Hampshire’s identity has been shaped by both its rugged landscape and its independent streak. Indigenous peoples made their homes among its mountains, forests, rivers, and coast for thousands of years before European settlement. From early acts of resistance against British rule to generations of farmers
  
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• Vintage Treasures of the Sea

  17-09-2026 17:26 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Coro double clip Duette brooch, 1940s, $200–$250. All images courtesy of Jay B. Siegel.Current fashion trends don’t usually drive my jewelry purchasing decisions; I buy and wear what I like, bottom line. But every now and then, today’s designers revive a style that I personally deem timeless. Over the past couple of years, it’s been a bevy of jewelry inspired by the ocean and all the natural wonders beached by the tide. As a cruise lover, this is a trend I can get behind.
  
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• Bob Ross Paintings Bought on Craigslist Before the Boom Sell at Auction

  16-09-2026 16:07 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Wooded Landscape with Stream, Bob Ross, wet-on-wet technique on canvas, signed, framed, inscribed to the canvas verso, 1987, 35 x 29 in., framed, sold for $65,000 at Caza Sikes.When a Bob Ross painting comes to auction, it’s an event. So when Caza Sikes, a gallery and auction house in Cincinnati, Ohio, acquired two, Wooded Landscape with Stream and Mountain Landscape, they knew they had something special. The results of the Estates + Collections auction on September 15 proved them right wh
  
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• A First-Edition Library

  15-09-2026 19:34 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Rare books and related ephemera at auction can be easy selling, or shall we say easy reading, for auction houses (see pages 16–21 for the latest sales). But rare and/or collectible paper goods aren’t only found up for bid. There are many manuscripts and related ephemera ranging from rare to highly prized to affordable that are sold by retailers and dealers in brick-and-mortar locations and online.Are you ready to fill your library? Here is where you can buy antiquarian books and rela
  
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• Beyond the Block: Chrysanthemum Bowl

  14-09-2026 19:26 via antiquetrader.com
  
  The interior of the bowl has more flowers, leaves, and butterflies.
  A close look shows the vertical ridges that create the chrysanthemum shape.
  Images courtesy LiveAuctioneers/Leland Little.Botanically, fall is associated with foliage (or food plants) more than flowers, but bold blossoms haven’t faded away just yet. Chrysanthemums bloom in vibrant shades of yellow, orange, purple, red, and pink throughout the season, making them a popular symbol of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. They a
  
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• America at 250: Nevada: The Silver State

  11-09-2026 22:01 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Nevada has made a habit of reinventing itself. Long before silver transformed Virginia City or neon transformed Las Vegas, Indigenous peoples made their lives across the Great Basin. Later generations came seeking mineral wealth, land, work, entertainment, and sometimes a fresh start, repeatedly reshaping the place that became the Silver State.A Brief History of the Silver StatePeople have lived in the Great Basin for thousands of years, adapting to mountains, deserts, lakes, and broad valleys.
  
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• Milk Glass Is on the Move

  10-09-2026 22:34 via antiquetrader.com
  
  For years, milk glass has been easy to overlook. Once a fixture in china cabinets and on dressing tables, the opaque glassware became so plentiful on the secondary market that even attractive vintage pieces could often be picked up for little more than pocket change.That may be precisely what makes milk glass worth watching now.Today’s interiors are moving away from stark minimalism and toward rooms that look layered, personal, and collected over time. Grandmacore and cottagecore have embr
  
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• Freddie Mercury’s Final Performance Jacket Sells for $150,000

  09-09-2026 15:54 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Mercury, right, wearing the leather jacket during his performance. Image: Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd.Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the band Queen and one of rock music’s greatest stars, would have turned 80 on September 5, 2026.British auction house Henry Aldridge & Son held an “Iconic Memorabilia, Collectors Items and Jewellery” auction the same day, which, fittingly, included a few pieces of Mercury’s fantastic fashion. The highlight of these lots was a stage-wo
  
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• The Declaration Rediscovered

  08-09-2026 19:13 via antiquetrader.com
  
  One of only 11 known Exeter broadsides of the Declaration of Independence, this example realized $5.687 million at Christie’s in January 2026. Printed by Robert Luist Fowle in Exeter, New Hampshire, the Exeter broadside is among the rarest surviving editions of the Declaration. Image courtesy of Christie’sFew printed documents are more closely associated with the birth of the United States than the Exeter broadside of the Declaration of Independence. Printed by Robert Luist Fowle in
  
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• America at 250: Nebraska: The Cornhusker State

  04-09-2026 18:56 via antiquetrader.com
  
  Sitting at the heart of the North American region known as the Great Plains, Nebraska’s frontiers and farmland are home to the long history of the many people who have lived in or traveled through the region and who continue to shape it today.A Brief History of “Where the West Begins”People have lived in Nebraska for at least ten thousand years. The region’s Paleoindians were nomadic hunters following large game across the plains. The artifacts they left behind, including
  
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