By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn

In this interview, Philippe de Lespinay charts the history of slot cars, from the prototypes that ran on model train tracks up to the slot car crash of 1968. Along the way, he discusses such models as the Cox Chaparral 2E and the Tamiya Dodge Charger, as well as “thingies.” De Lespinay is the curator of the Los Angeles Slot Car Museum and wrote the widely read “Vintage Slot Cars”.

Growing up in postwar Europe, there wasn’t much money around, so you had to make your own amusements. I’d look at the toys in …

continue reading | 18 Comments

By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn

In this interview, Doug McCoy explains how the Coca-Cola bottle got its distinctive contour shape and charts the evolution of the brand’s packaging over its more than 100-year history. McCoy also offers tips on how to find old dumpsites that might contain Coca-Cola treasures, and explains the story of the rare 8-ounce bottle that sold in Lexington, North Carolina during the 1960s. To learn more about McCoy, visit his blog at cocacolabottleman.wordpress.com or check out his book, “The Coca-Cola Bottle”.

My grandfather got me started collecting bottles when I was about eight years old. …

continue reading | 322 Comments

By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2010)

In this interview, “Antiques Roadshow” jewelry appraiser Joyce Jonas offers a survey of turn-of-the-century jewelry styles. Looking at the defining aspects of Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, and Edwardian jewelry, Jonas explains the influence of Queen Alexandra and other prominent figures, as well as the impact of such materials as diamonds and platinum.

I bought my first piece of jewelry—a gold ring with a big lapis stone propped on prongs—when I was about 12 with money my grandfather gave me. Then, as a teenager, I worked in my aunt’s jewelry store …

continue reading | 1 Comment

By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2010)

In this interview, “Vintage Hats & Bonnets” author Sue Langley discusses hats from the Victorian era to the age of the flappers and beyond. Langley describes the differences between cloches, Gainsboroughs, bonnets, and boaters. She also delves into her collection of fashion plates, photos, and other hat-related ephemera. The second edition of Langley’s book, published by Collector Books in 2009, is available from Amazon.

When I was about eight years old, I went up into my grandma’s attic one day and found a little bonnet and a red plaid dress …

continue reading | 9 Comments

By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn

Ivor Abadi, founder of The Twisted Wheel, talks about the Manchester club’s role in the birth of the British mod culture and the northern soul music-and-dance movement during the 1960s. Memorabilia from the club and information about its history can be found at thetwistedwheel.com.

Northern soul is basically American soul music that became the popular soul music of Northern England. The Twisted Wheel opened in 1963 in Manchester, and what might be termed “soul music” probably started to come around about the same time. It wasn’t actually called northern soul in the early ’60s, …

continue reading | 8 Comments

By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2010)

In this interview, Kim Casamassima discusses the rockabilly fashions of the 1950s and explains how the vintage rockabilly look has been revived and adapted over the years. She also discusses the stylistic clichés and misperception that often stand in the way of an accurate understanding of the decade, a time when even tough guys wore penny loafers and pompadours were the exception rather than the rule. Read her vintage-clothing blog, The Girl Can’t Help It.

Jayne Mansfield is buried in my hometown. You could drive past the cemetery and see her …

continue reading | 12 Comments