By Ben Marks (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2009)

A.C. Dwyer, an avid coin collector, talked with us recently about the history of U.S. $20 double eagle gold coins, especially those struck during the California Gold Rush. Dwyer discusses the types of double eagles that were minted, the most interesting and rarest varieties, and why he’s so enthralled with coins that have been found at shipwreck sites. Dwyer can be contacted via his …

By Maribeth Keane and George Spencer (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2009)

Tony Hyman has been collecting cigar boxes since he was 12. By his 17th birthday, he had amassed a collection of some 2,300 boxes. Recently, we spoke to Hyman about his online National Cigar Museum, which is a great resource for collectors looking to date U.S., Canadian, and Cuban cigar boxes. We also discussed the legendary self-igniting cigar and the history …

By Maribeth Keane and Anne Galloway (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2009)

Tony Swicer is the president of the Palm Beach Coin Club, the vice president of Florida United Numismatists (FUN), and an avid collector of Kentucky bank notes. In this interview, he discusses the history of the regional banking system of the 19th and 20th centuries, the thrill of collecting his home-state notes, and the advantages of collecting currency over coins. Tony …

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis (Copyright 2009 The Collectors Weekly)

Jim Elyea co-runs History for Hire, a prop house in Hollywood, California, and has provided props for a variety of movies, television shows, and music videos. Recently, Jim spoke with us about the different types of props and the different eras that History for Hire covers, as well as the steps he takes to make sure an item or scene …

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis (Copyright 2009 The Collectors Weekly)

Scott Buckwald has been the prop master on a variety of popular movies and television programs, including Race to Witch Mountain and The Prestige. Recently, Buckwald spoke with us about his experiences as a prop master for AMC’s hit show Mad Men. He discussed what life was like in the early 1960s, when Mad Men takes place, and the lengths …

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I had the good fortune to speak with several curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. For a collectibles geek like myself, the experience was unparalleled, as I learned firsthand from the curators what they collect, why they collect, and what they hope to communicate to the floods of visitors who walk through their institution’s doors. In the coming months, …

By Maribeth Keane and Anne Galloway (Copyright Collectors Weekly 2009)

Rudy Franchi knows movie posters inside and out. That’s because he’s more than a poster dealer, more than an Antiques Roadshow appraiser, more even than a respected author on the subject. Franchi is also a film buff, as his years running the Bleecker Street Cinema in New York City attest. In this wide-ranging interview, Franchi talks about how he got his …

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis (Copyright 2009)

Dolph Gotelli is a professor emeritus of design at the University of California, Davis. Gotelli is well known in the Christmas community for his elaborate exhibits and seasonal displays, which feature items from his collections of ephemera, Santa Clauses, and Christmas-related toys. Recently, we spoke with Gotelli about Christmas in the Victorian era, which is his specialty and chief passion. A member of …

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2009)

Jerry and Darla Arnold know how to do Christmas right. With thousands of antique Christmas ornaments in their collection, it takes almost two-dozen trees just to showcase a fraction of their bounty every year. Recently, Jerry spoke with us and shared his deep knowledge of German Christmas ornaments in the United States and the variety of materials used to make …

By Kurt M. Semon

This article discusses household silver in the first half of the 18th century, noting its foreign influences in style (especially French) and silversmith Paul Lamerie, of whom the most information has been preserved over time. It originally appeared in the January 1946 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

Possession of silver articles has always been …

By Evangeline H. Bergstrom

This article talks about paperweights that were created using pinchbeck, or fake gold, noting their production processes and the materials used, and describing some specific examples. It originally appeared in the November 1945 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

An insurance broker picks up his telephone, and recognizes the voice of one of his clients, a …

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2009)

Sheila Pamfiloff is such a fan of Miriam Haskell jewelry that she co-authored (with Cathy Gordon) a book on the costume-jewelry legend and her company. For Pamfiloff, the Haskell story is not just about how Haskell almost single-handedly elevated tapestry beading to a fine art, or the fact that she was one of the biggest suppliers of fashion jewelry to …