My husband and I recently attended the “preview night” of the show put on by the Depression Era Glass Society of Wisconsin (DEGS.) While we have seen a lot of ‘depression glass’ (and collect Cobalt Moderntone) through the years, this show had a lot we’d never even heard of! Absolutely gorgeous glassware, by well-respected glass companies from long ago. Dealers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and North Carolina were in attendance.
Our first view was of a long row of colorful glass – pinks, yellows (or amber as many are called), greens and clear. The pieces were so nicely displayed, all sparkling and clean and we did not find any items with those two ‘dreaded’ words ‘as is.’ These were primo pieces!

We got a chance to spend some time with Jack Peacock of Carolina Antiques, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Don’t try to find him on the internet, he does not sell there. But he does set up at some 44+ shows per year, all over the country. He has some absolutely marvelous glassware and really knows his stuff! He was very informative and knowledgeable, and very patient with those of us who are not ‘glass pros.’ This was a great opportunity for us to gain knowledge from an experienced and enthusiastic dealer.
We admired this fantastic set in blue glass; we’d never seen anything like them! He told us they were made by Cambridge, but only for one year, 1926-27. The larger one is called a “samovar” a wonderful way to serve tea. The other is a matching decanter. Because of their delicacy and the fact that they were very expensive, even back then, they did not sell well and very few were made. It was very difficult to walk out without purchasing this set!

Another grouping we really appreciated was this ‘lot’ of black satin glass by Tiffin. We have seen some examples of their work, but quite limited. When we mentioned that, he said that Tiffin, at one time, had 18 ‘pots’ which gave them incredible manufacturing capacity. They were up to one-half million stems per week at one point.

We also found this wonderful planter by Tiffin in their “Sky Blue” pattern irresistible! The glass just glowed and was so 3-dimensional, lovely subject matter too!

He had quite a lot of glassware by Fostoria, including many by artisan George Sakier. This is called their Ivy pattern and although he had made numerous Ivy pieces, we were told that George did not get credit for this one. Hard to believe, it appeared to be the exact same pattern.

Jack had a lot of glass by Paden City as well and we just adored this Pelican. We love ‘sea creatures’ and the pelican, sea horses, dolphins and others were just a delight!

Both hubby and I love ART DECO and when we saw this vase by Fostoria called “the Tut” we just had to have it. We took it home and just know we will enjoy it. We thanked Jack for his time and for sharing his knowledge, and wished him well on his many upcoming glass shows.

For your information, his next shows are right around the corner – he’ll be in Tiffin, Ohio on September 1^st and 2^nd at the Homekid Reunion, and in Atlanta, Georgia for the Scott Antique Market on September 7, 8, and 9^th. Check out his incredible glass!
Another booth we went into had these gorgeous green glasses. The unique part is that they had ‘golf balls’ for stems. We thought they would be a wonderful addition to any barware collection and especially if golf was ‘your thing.’

It started to get rather crowded, a lot of folks coming in, so it became difficult to ‘corner’ any other dealers. We did spend a few minutes with Tom of Thomas K. Smith Antiques, of Carmel, Indiana. He is on ebay at fmfdaman and his email is tksfenton@aol.com. He specializes in Victorian Glass, Fenton Glass, Aladdin Lamps, etc. Turns out he has a booth at one of our top 10 favorite antique malls, Southport Antiques, 2028 E. Southport Rd. Indianapolis IN, phone 317-786-8246.

He shared the names and locations of a few other places to stop when we’re in Indiana. Very kind of him! We admired his wonderful glassware and exchanged business cards. When seeing the “No Egrets Antiques”, he stopped and said “I know that name!” I suggested that we may have left a card at the mall, or perhaps he had noticed it on a check when we paid. But he said that was definitely not where he’d seen it. About 15 minutes later, as we were leaving, Tom came up to my husband and said “Now I remember! I purchased an item from you on ebay!” Boy, ain’t it a small world!
If you have a favorite Antique shop or mall in your town or one you found along your journey, share it with us in your “comment”.
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The Mythbusters aired their Superhero Special last night, which means all the comic nerds and the tech geeks sat down at the same time to once and for all end debates.

Advance word was that in this episode the “Marvel comic maestros” would be put to the test, but oddly enough, there was but one mention of any specific Marvel character (and that after Adam said “Nocturnal Echo-Locating Flying Mammal Man” and Jamie replied, “Uh, Batman.”) However, it was pretty easy for fans of super hero comic books and films (including me, who would likely not pass this part of the pop culture exam) to guess the caped crusader by the gadgets and myths tested.

Before we get into specifics, I ask that all fans who do not want their suspended belief disturbed in any way to please stop reading now. I mean it. Stop now. I can’t bear the burden of possibly ruining any of your comic book fantasies with such realities.

Still here?

If so, I hope it’s because you, like I, believe that even if reality should prove to ground your superhero, you’ll still enojoy the info — or, like so many MythBuster fans, you’ll debate the outcomes anyway.

Can a superhero’s ring leave an impression on the bad guy’s head? (Or, most likely, can a super villain’s ring leave an impression on a head — ala Punisher’s skull ring.) The MythBusters tried several times, but this was left as Busted as the skull they used.

My verdict: Pigskin over a skull misses the meaty parts, such as a spongier live skin and blood vessels. I’d say you can get a temporary impression (but not a scar). I call for a do-over. (It’s still Plausible for me.)

Can a superhero create a grappling gun that will embed a grapple pin directly into concrete? Can a superhero create an ascending unit to lift him up a grappling rope? And can they be small enough to fit on a superhero’s belt or wrist? (This would bring to mind Batman and a bajillion-dy-two other comic book guys.)

Jamie proved that a rig could be created, one that fit on his arm (not his belt) and while it took him up, they forgot about repelling back down. Adam made a gadget to blast into concrete, but it didn’t remain secure and was rather large. Busted seems to be the call.

My verdict: I’ll concur.

Can a superhero do a quick-change in a phone booth fast enough to save the innocent victim? (The phone booth is a tip-off that we’re talkin’ Superman here, but most of them need to dress and undress again quickly.) Tory, Grant and Kari took on this bit of silliness.

Kari was the fastest with just over 30 seconds (including a sexy hair-flip) to become Mythgirl. Grant was about twice as long, but Grantman did get stuck in the booth… Can’t say that’s a good thing for a superhero. Tory took the longest to create the Spasm (a superhero which will forever remain dear to my heart). Not sure if it was all the accessories or if the Spasm has, well, Spasms which slowed him down…

My verdict: It can’t really be done — but we knew it that. This was for fun (and everyone wants to see the team, especially Kari, in lycra). Busted — but why not do it again anyway? *wink*

Can a superhero’s car traveling at high speed make a 90 degree turn with the help of a grappling hook? (If you’ve never seen this scene in the first Batman movie — or don’t think about things like that to remember them, let alone question them — don’t worry, the replica Batmobile made it pretty clear who it was! *wink*) The team Busted this too, but as you’ll see few of the fans are satisfied with the outcome.

My verdict: Um, err, it sure looked like it wouldn’t work — but here my (lacking) knowledge of materials shows. I’ll stick with the team on this and say Busted.

Should you want to explore more comic book myths, check out Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed (which really is for the comic nerds, not the tech geeks).

Throughout my own collecting adventures, I’ve picked up more games than I can count - card games, board games, dice games, puzzle games, strategy games - and almost all of them have gone the way of the eBay after an intense period of collecting, usually after passively trying to find that extra-rare Princess Leia piece, or a Mana-Whatever from Magic : The Gathering.

I’ve always been fascinated by the sheer quantity and variety of games available for play beyond what you see on the retail store shelves. I was also curious why these games were so unenduring for me when they had so much long-term appeal for other passionate gamers. This brought be around to Eric, an internet acquaintance of mine from many a year back. He’d always deliver a wealth of information and excitement about whatever game he was playing in both conversation and blog form, and when someone shows that kind of dedicated and interested passion, I’m usually pretty easily infected.

——————–
Collin : So, I guess this is where I officially pick your brains!

Eric : That shouldn’t take long.

Collin : You’re an active gamer. Would you consider yourself a game collector as well?

Eric : Yes - I consider the playing primary, but I won’t deny that there is a thrill in buying a new game that’s more than just the “I’m gonna get to play this” thrill. It’s doubled or tripled when I get an obscure or difficult-to-find game.

Collin : So it’s absolutely more about exploring new game dynamics than just having a game, right? Experiencing new rules and regulations and twists among the general game structure. The mental challenges!

Eric : Definitely. Learning how to play a new one is yet another thrill. Especially if learning something in one game improves your play in another. A game is a social event - it’s not just a collection of cardboard and plastic.

Collin : Let me clarify that when I say ‘games’, we’re talking about things along the lines of complex strategy games, correct? Is that your preferred type of game? Or does it go beyond that?

Eric : Not necessarily - games don’t need to be complex to be fun. For me, they DO need to rely more on strategy than luck, however. A good example is “No Thanks!” - it’s a very simple game, but it’s provided me with hours of entertainment.

Collin : In your social experimenting with games, do you have a consistent group of fellow gamers that you play with?

Eric : Yes. I’ve got a regular group that has met every Wednesday for almost five years. It’s not the same group as it was five years ago, but we’ve got a good group of regulars. (By “the same group,” I mean “we have different people, now.”)

Collin : I can appreciate the social aspect. I’ve actually made some good friends and whiled away many dorm room hours playing Heroclix - and years later, I still collect them hoping that I’ll find a similar group of people to my college buddies again.
You’ve played longer than five years though - how long have you been actively collecting games to play?

Eric : Good question - I’ve been playing games since I was a small child. I used to play Monopoly and Aggravation a lot as a kid. When I was in junior high, I received “Axis and Allies” for Christmas. I still played mostly American-style games until about 2001, however. In ‘01, I encountered several games that hooked me.

Collin : Define ‘American Style’, and the contrast to other games - if it can be done

Eric : There’s a division among the hardcore boardgaming community right now. The folks on Boardgamegeek call it “Ameritrash vs. Eurogames.” The division really isn’t that severe, and many AT players like EG and vice versa. AT games (like Monopoly, Risk, Axis and Allies, and Twilight Imperium) tend to involve a high “gee, whiz!” factor with lots of dice and minimal strategic decision-making. Eurogames (like Settlers of Catan, Ra, and Puerto Rico) tend to have a higher degree of (non-adversarial) player interaction and simpler components.

Collin : So, as a collector-slash-gamer, what’s the current focus of your collection, if there is one?

Eric : I don’t really have one - I enjoy both American-style games and European games. I have a Euro preference, but it’s not strongly pronounced.

Collin : Is there a certain theme that you gravitate towards, like ‘war games’ or ‘dice games’ or ‘card games’?

Eric : Not really - my primary focus when looking for new games is number of players and length of time to play. Ideally, it’ll hold 3-6 and can be played in 30-90 minutes.

Collin : So it all comes back to the social aspect!

Eric : Absolutely. All of my best friends are gamers of one stripe or another.

Collin : Do you have a favorite game to play with your group?

Eric : I have a few favorites, depending on what we’re in the mood for. “Mall of Horror” is a great game with the right group. My group is also quite fond of Heroscape.

Collin : If at all quantifiable, how many different games do you think you’ve accumulated?

Eric : Let me preface this just a bit : I think of my collection as being sizeable. So do most of my friends, but my collection is barely a fifth of many of those on BoardGameGeek. I have about 400 different games.

Collin : Since these are collected because of their social desirability, what percentage of those do you have the time to use at least once a year?

Eric : A fair number of them, actually. One of my new year’s resolutions for 2007 was to try to track the games I’ve played. I try to make sure my collection and my active games are pretty close. There are games that are longer that don’t get as much play because of the time commitment.

Collin : Is there a particular game that you’re especially glad to have because of its rarity?

Eric : Yes. Avalon Hill’s Dune game. And the expansions. The expansions aren’t very good, but they’re extremely rare. I received them as a gift from a friend whose wedding I was in. The base game is quite good.

Collin : What’s the most, if you’re comfortable saying. that you’re personally spent on a game?

Eric : I honestly haven’t paid over cover price for most of my collection. I DID pay $80 or so for Empires in Arms after it was out of print

Collin : Is there a ‘holy grail’ of games that you’re still searching for or saving for?

Eric : Holy Grail Game? Yes. “Broadsides and Boarding Parties.” Intact. It was part of the Milton Bradley GameMaster series (which included Axis and Allies, Fortress America, and Shogun). It had these plastic pirate ships with masts that were so fragile. I only played it once when I was younger, but it was a lot of fun. A lot of the “Grail Games” are being reprinted. “Talisman” is back in print. Again. “Die Macher” is back (in fact, Valley Games is ALSO reprinting “Republic of Rome” which WAS my Grail Game). “Acquire” is rumored to be coming back out again. “Titan: The Arena” is coming back. Fantasy Flight Games got the reprints to the old Eon games, so “Cosmic Encounter” is due back, as is “Dune” (although Dune doesn’t have the actual Dune LICENSE, so it’ll have to be tweaked and re-themed).

Collin : I spent many hours playing Talisman in my youth, but I never found the expansions. That was pre-internet days, though.

Eric : The expansions are REALLY hard to find.

Collin : Were you, at any time, a D&D nerd?

Eric : Why make that past tense? I still am. I’ve played since I was ten, and have almost as many RPG’s as I do board games.

Collin : I was just giving you a way to plead the 5th.

Eric : I’m a big believer in Geek Pride. Gaming is what I’m passionate about - in nearly all of its forms.

——————–

… but Eric just got back from the notorious and significant GenCon gaming convention in Indianapolis also! I bug him about that in Saturday’s section, and force him to compare it to the sweaty unpleasantness of the general nerd conventions. Special thanks to Eric for providing the helpful game links above, also. Stay tuned.

——————–

Gotta Collect? Then You Gotta Connect - Join our Collectors’ Community

We recently had the opportunity to sit down for an interesting evening with friends Bob and Bonnie who are true baseball fans, with Bob pushing past enthusiast and reaching toward fanatic.

What really helps to add the “atic” to “fan” is an encyclopedic mind and a focused desire. Bob knows names, dates and places for all his sports collectibles. Who did what and when and where, with the teams and positions they played.

Traveling together, they visit major league baseball stadiums around the country, their total is now at thirty, with some cities visited twice because of rebuilds such as Miller Park replacing the old County Stadium. They currently have seven more stadiums asking for their presence.

We conducted our interview in their living room, partly decorated with Bonnie’s Depression Cobalt Blue glassware and other antiques and some of Bob’s collectibles.

As the interview progressed, we were invited into their office where the “holy grail” items are displayed

and lastly to the storage area were most of his signed bats, gloves and paper goods are displayed or stored.

I asked Bob: “What was your first collection?”

“When I was a kid, I collected TOPPS Baseball cards. From my years of 3^rd thru 7^th grade, I collected them, then as a new season started, I’d discard the last year’s cards.”

Of course, he regrets it today! (I remind him, that many people did throw out or wreck the cards, and that makes the surviving ones more valuable.)

He also collected Elvis Presley cards, old automobile cards, some showing construction equipment, Civil War cards and also All American football players. “All were ‘packets’ you’d buy.”

After 7^th or 8^th grade, he stopped and it was not until about 1975 that he had renewed interest.

“That came about when my mother gave me a scrap book she’d been saving. In it were birthday cards, clippings from newspapers, Life Magazine articles, etc.”

“In that scrapbook I found two old baseball cards. One was from Jim Rivera – White Sox, and Bud Prodbelia from the Redlegs.”

He remembers you could not call them the Reds because of the Communism scares back then, but only the REDLEGS.

“Bob, What helped to restart the collecting again?”

“I got back into the collecting mode, mostly with baseball cards. I had a long time ‘love affair’ with the Milwaukee Braves before they left for Atlanta in 1965. Trying to relive that past, restarted my interest. I have a number of their items in my collection.

“Overall, I have about 450 pieces I’d guess, some are other sports, but the majority is baseball and football.”

Today his main focus is collecting items and signatures of National Baseball Hall of Famers.

He has numerous autographed balls, bats, gloves and cards of Hall of Fame Players.

“What are some of your most-prized items?” -“An autographed ball signed by Sandy Koufax of the L.A. Dodgers. He was my all-time favorite pitcher.” “My absolute favorite and likely the most valuable is my Hall of Fame bat, signed by numerous inductees including Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, George Brett, Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers and several others.”

He also showed us an Eddie Matthews baseball cap that has been worn by Eddie. He has several Hartland figures of baseball players and one that is a Gartland porcelain statue.

“Bob any items you regret passing up.” - “About 25 years ago I had a chance to buy a Babe Ruth and a Lou Gehrig card, two for $100. I just did not have the extra cash – they’d be worth between $3,000-4,000 today!”

He also had a chance to get an autograph signed by Burleigh Grimes, Old Stubblebeard, back in the 1980s. But he did not pursue it, sorry to this day.

“Regret selling or losing any items” – “All of my old cards now in a landfill.”

“What was the furthest you ever traveled for an item or autograph?” - “I went to Washington, D.C., to an organized signing with George Brett. I wanted to add a signature of George Brett to a poster showing George, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Jim Gantner It was the only one I was missing.”

“Bob, where do you find items today?” -”In Land Fills,” He kidded.

“Mostly at shows – but they are getting pricey and it’s hard to find things.”

He has belonged to the Milwaukee Braves Historic Association and has made some valuable contacts and found some special items.

“I also have a friend who is very active in sports collecting in the Milwaukee area.”

Bob has a subscription to the Sports Collectors Digest, and gets papers from Mounted Memories which lists upcoming shows and signings. He brings along a collected item, picture, bat, glove, ball or collector card for the prized signature.

“Do you have a tale of a favorite sale?” – “I sold a Spud Chandler Cap, a former Yankee pitcher, and a Yankee vs. Dodgers 1955 Pennant.”

“A good return on my investment”

“Bob, can you share your greatest moment or memory in conjunction with your collection?”

A professional acquaintance and her husband are good friends, with a childhood friend of Henry Aaron. She knows Bob’s love of baseball.

“For my ??? birthday, Bonnie and I were invited to a dinner that turned out to include Hank and his lovely wife. It was an incredible surprise. We spent the evening together and Hank’s wife even sang “happy birthday” to me.

“Henry Aaron is a ‘class act’ and it was an experience of a life time, we will never forget.”

Bob also had a surprise birthday party held for him at Friday’s Front Row Restaurant at Miller Park

He and his wife Bonnie recently went on a bus trip with Jay Buckley Tours of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Incredible experience and great fun. They met and traveled with some super fans.

In addition to his love of the baseball team, the Milwaukee Braves, he is a true Green Bay Packer fan too. One picture shows the famous quarterback sneak by Bart Starr, he got this signed at the Vince Lombardi Classic, golf outing, when Bart was participating.

He has a binder filled with post card sized Hall of Famers, picture cards, about 50 were signed.

These stadium chairs are also signed, one by Paul Molitor.#4 and another by Warren Spahn #21. Purchased when the old Milwaukee County Stadium was torn down and the Miller Park Stadium replaced it.

(Would you cart these around to a signing?, i.e. Fanatic)

Another photo is of Yount’s 3000^th hit – autographed. Some of his treasures were presents from his wife or daughters.

“Is your collection complete?” - “No, I definitely have done more specialization but I’m always looking for the next treasure.”

Good Luck with your Quest, Bob and Bonnie

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More than 40% of U.S. households have collectors in them — but what happens when you live in an apartment? Does that make for a household with more than the house can hold?

Well, maybe not literally, but living in an apartment can make for more challenging collecting.

Apartment dwelling collectors likely need to be more creative with storing and displaying their goodies, fitting their growing collections in a smaller space. They must have a sense of humor about articles which tell them to keep those horizontal surfaces clean to create the illusion of larger space too.

And the folks at Apartments.com are counting on it.

With their first-ever Possession Obsession Contest, Apartments.com is not only asking folks who live in a rental apartment to show off what they’ve got (allowing the rest of us to rubber-neck and enjoy the videos), but they’re going to give away large sums of money to the folks who show off their smaller abodes loaded with collectibles.

Just how much money? Well, one lucky Grand Prize winner will receive $20,000 in cash and the two runner-up finalists will each receive a cash prize of $500.

To enter, each contestant should send in a one-to two-minute video that shows their “Possession Obsession.” Each entry should include how their collection began, reveal ways the collection has come to life in their apartment, and illustrate the funniest situations brought about by the collection.

Your video:

* May not include footage of any person other than you;

* Must include footage of you;

* Must include a statement within the first 20 seconds stating that the video is being submitted for the Apartments.com Possession Obsession Contest;

* May not include unsuitable or offensive content;

* May not contain content that is in violation of or infringes third party intellectual property rights including, but not limited to copyrights, including music copyrights, trademarks, and rights of publicity; and

* May not contain content to which you do not own all right, title and interest.

Collectors can submit videos online through September 10 on the contest Web site.

Then a team of judges selected by and including experts from Apartments.com will select three potential finalists based on the originality of expression based on the following criteria:

(10%) how your obsession began
(30%) how your possessions/collection are taking over your apartment
(30%) how extreme your obsession is
and (30%) the funniest experiences you’ve had because of your possession obsession.

Between September 17 and October 19, the finalists will be posted to the contest Web site where the general public can view the submissions and vote for who they think should win the Grand Prize.

The finalists will also have the opportunity to be featured here at CQ — so it’s really fame & fortune that awaits you. But you’ve got to enter to win. So, if you live in a rental apartment, what are you waiting for? Cash, our admiration, and a few shared giggles await!

To enter the contest or for more information and statistics about America’s possession obsessions, as well as the official contest rules and guidelines, visit www.apartments.com/possessionobsession.

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