OK… I’m biting the bullet. After 7 years of loyal monthly attendance at the Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Fair, the event that inspired and fed my interest in all things antique and vintage, I’m going public with my addiction – who’s with me?

Located on the abandoned runways of the former Alameda Naval Air Station, just outside …

By Maribeth Keane and Ben Marks (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2010)

Jonathan Walford is the author of “The Seductive Shoe” and several other fashion titles. A curator and a collector, Walford owns about 700 pairs of shoes dating from the 17th century to the present, with a focus on women’s shoes from the 1920s to the 1970s. To learn more about Walford, visit www.kickshawproductions.com.

I moved to Toronto in the early 1980s …

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

As the publisher and editor-in-chief of “Adornment, The Magazine of Jewelry and Related Arts” Elyse Karlin gets to spend most of her time looking at, researching, and thinking about jewelry. In this wide-ranging interview, Karlin places the U.S. branch of Arts and Crafts in context with contemporary jewelry of the time in Europe, discussing the prominent role of women in …

By Maribeth Keane and Ben Marks (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2010)

For 24 years, Richard Doty has been entrusted with the keys to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s legendary coin vault, which houses some of the most important coins in the world. Doty’s “America’s Money, America’s Story” is one of the most respected books on the subject of U.S. coins and currency, and his next book with Whitman Publishing, …

There are two ways to attend a taping of “Antiques Roadshow.” The first is to enter a random drawing for free tickets to any of the PBS program’s six summer stops—cities and dates for 2010 are San Diego on June 12, Billings on June 26, Miami Beach on July 10, Biloxi on July 24, Des Moines on …

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

In this interview, Don Levison explains how wristwatches evolved from pocket watches and ladies’ bracelet watches, weighs in on the advantages of collecting vintage Hamiltons, and shares his unabashed enthusiasm for Patek Philippe, Cartier, and other classic brands. You can reach Levison via his website at www.antiquehorology.com.

I got interested in pocket watches from working on mechanical things. I had …

As anyone who follows vintage Barbie dolls on eBay knows, rare examples in good condition from 1959 or 1960 regularly go for $1,000 or more.

But that may be small change compared to the special Basic Barbies benefit auction eBay is holding this week, …

By Ben Marks (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2010)

Matthew Haley is a books and manuscripts specialist at Bonhams & Butterfields in New York. A recent arrival to the United States from the United Kingdom, Haley is not just in the book business, he’s an avid fan of books—from their physicality and design to the literature and poetry between their covers. Recently we spoke to Haley about first editions, the difference between …

One of the best things about being a collector is the opportunity to learn more about your stuff, as well as, of course, to add to your collection. Sure you can do both online, but nothing replaces the excitement of being in a room full of vintage model trains, rare postage stamps, or antique bottles, along with …

This year I got a Kindle for Christmas. Released by online bookseller Amazon in 2007 and upgraded in 2009, the Kindle is an electronic book that is perceived in many quarters as the death knell of the printed word, as much of a threat to physical paper books as Amazon was to brick-and-mortar bookstores.

Like a lot of people, I didn’t know …

By Maribeth Keane and Ben Marks (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2009)

Gerry Fortin almost wrote the book on Liberty Seated dimes. Instead, in 2004, he launched a website called “The Definitive Resource for Liberty Seated Dime Variety Collectors” at seateddimevarieties.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame. The basis for Fortin’s deep knowledge of Liberty Seated dimes is his personal collection of some 1,500 coins in all the …

By Maribeth Keane and Ben Marks (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2009)

Cheryl Ganz is chief curator of philately at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, which is open every day of the year except Christmas; admission is free. On November 4, 2009, we spoke with her by telephone to talk about zeppelin stamps and the burnt mail that survived the Hindenburg disaster. Ganz is an expert on these topics. She is also an …