Gerry Fortin Explains the Many Varieties of Liberty Seated Dimes

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 major design groups and varieties.

Like everybody else, I started collecting coins when I was … (continue reading)

Cheryl Ganz of the National Postal Museum on Inverted Jennys and Burning Zeppelins

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 author—her latest book is “The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair: A Century of Progress.” For … (continue reading)

‘Antiques Roadshow’ Producer Shares What Goes On Behind the Scenes

Marsha Bemko has been with PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow” for more than 10 years, the last six or so as its executive producer (see our separate Roadshow coverage). Though not a collector herself, her close work with some of the most knowledgeable appraisers in the country has given her a discerning eye for important pieces and a keen ear for a good story. Her latest book, “Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes: An Insider’s … (continue reading)

From Ruby Slippers to Kermit the Frog: Pop Culture Artifacts at the Smithsonian

Dwight Blocker Bowers has one of the best jobs in the country. As curator of the Entertainment History Collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, he gets to oversee the institution’s fabled collections of entertainment artifacts, from the ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz” to a Kermit the Frog puppet from “Sesame Street.” Recently we spoke with Bowers about his role at the Smithsonian, the struggles to compete for … (continue reading)

The Secrets of Collecting Baseball, From Cards to Signed Bats and Balls

Mike Gutierrez is a Consignment Director at Heritage Auction Galleries and an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow. As a sports autograph authenticator, Gutierrez is probably best known for his initial appraisal of Mark McGwire’s 70th-home-run ball, which sold at auction for $3 million. In this interview, Gutierrez talks about how he got into the sports-memorabilia field, how the field has changed, and the challenges of authenticating an autograph…. (continue reading)

The History of American Quiltmaking: An Interview with Merikay Waldvogel, Part One

In part one of our interview with her, Merikay Waldvogel talks about the history of American quiltmaking (see also part two on Collecting American Quilts). Waldvogel is an internationally known quilt historian, lecturer, and author. Among her books are “Quilts of Tennessee: Images of Domestic Life Prior to 1930” and “Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression,” which is regarded as the key work on mid-20th century … (continue reading)

Collecting American Quilts: An Interview With Merikay Waldvogel, Part Two

In part two of our interview with her, Merikay Waldvogel discusses how she got into quilts and offers advice for collectors (see also part one, on The History of American Quiltmaking). Waldvogel is an internationally known quilt historian, lecturer, and author. Among her books are “Quilts of Tennessee: Images of Domestic Life Prior to 1930” and “Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression,” which is regarded as the key work … (continue reading)

John Hotchner Exposes Philatelic Errors, Freaks, and Oddities

John Hotchner is a writer, editor, researcher, and lecturer on stamps. He has served on numerous boards, including the American Philatelic Society, the United States Stamp Society, and the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, and is currently a member of the Postmaster General’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee and the Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists. Hotchner collects stamps from 20 countries, but his chief passion is U.S. errors, freaks, and oddities, or EFOs…. (continue reading)

Youngbloods Guitarist Banana Talks Vintage Banjos and the Late Earl Scruggs

Vintage banjo collector Lowell Levinger is perhaps best known to 1960s music fans as “Banana,” the bushy-haired guitarist and keyboards player for The Youngbloods. Today, Levinger is the proprietor of Players Vintage Instruments, where he buys and sells vintage guitars, mandolins, banjos, and other musical instruments. He also performs bluegrass and folk music for families under the name Grandpa Banana. Recently we spoke with Levinger about vintage banjos and the evolution … (continue reading)

To Catch A Thief: A Rare Book Expert on His Literary Obsessions

Ken Sanders has been buying and selling books almost his entire life. A fan of illustrated books and books about the American West, Sanders is an appraiser for Antiques Roadshow, a publisher (dreamgarden.com), and a seller of rare and used books from his store in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is also well known for the role he played in catching an infamous book thief, which is the subject of a book by Allison … (continue reading)

U.S. Gold Coins: Holding the California Gold Rush in the Palm of Your Hand

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 website, acdwyer.com.

The double eagle is really a result of the California Gold … (continue reading)

Cigar Memorabilia Is Still Smoking

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 of cigar manufacturing in New York City. Hyman can be reached via his museum’s … (continue reading)

Tony Swicer Explains How He Started Collecting Kentucky Bank Notes

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 can be reached via FUN.

I started collecting when I was about 10 years … (continue reading)

Authentic Vintage Props, the Silent Stars of ‘Titanic’ and Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Aviator’

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 setting is historically correct. Jim can be contacted via the History for Hire … (continue reading)

‘Mad Men’ Prop Master Scott Buckwald Explains How He Re-Creates the ’60s

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 he had to go to to source and create authentic period props for the show.

I … (continue reading)