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The horror film entered my life when I was a teenager, as it does for most people. It was all about late nights at the local Blockbuster, browsing the videocassettes for whatever looked like it would mess us up the most, and staying up all night only marginally creeped out by whatever we saw on screen. To think that dude played an adorable Ewok.

And like most kids born in the early 80s, the difficult, meandering, frustrating Friday the 13th Nintendo game held a lot more interactive creep factor than the film ever did – even if it was more about fighting zombies and saving invisible campers and finding sweaters than about anything even remotely related to the film. It still creeped me out. Over the years, I’ve amassed a small collection of horror and bizarre cinema – admittedly with the ultimate intention of getting girls to cuddle. I mean, isn’t that why horror movies were created?

To coincide with the release of the Friday the 13th cinematic relaunch this year, Paramount rereleased the first three F13 films on DVD as deluxe editions – and they’re definitely essential components to any essential horror collection. Alongside Freddy, Mike Myers and Leatherface, there’s no more iconic figure of terror. Don’t even get me started on that Saw puppet thing. Much to my delight, all three of these DVD releases have lenticular covers.

Part One is billed as ‘uncut’, though it includes only ten seconds of previously unreleased footage, divided throughout the film among a few quick, graphic death scenes that were originally cut for ratings purposes. For F13 devotees, that’s the equivalent of the lost Star Wars sandstorm scene – though purists might feel that the ‘implied’ deaths are more cinematically effective than actually watching someone get their throat cut open. It’s the difference between watching the knife go in, and the blood hitting the floor, or the dying body and the dead body. I’m not really a purist.

The film is presented in its full, grainy entirety, and it includes an always welcomed commentary track that features the director, cast and crew. Other features include some well-assembled mini-documentaries : one about the director, and a filmed convention panel that reunites many of the people involved in the film. The 12-year old kid who originally played Jason, now obviously not 12, plays a prominent role in the whole thing.

Notably, this release of these DVDs include a series of recent short films called ‘Lost Tales from Camp Blood’, which are basically succinctly filmed kill scenes. Setup, kill, blood, the end. That’s why you’re watching anyhow. It’s certainly not for the goofy teenagers feelin’ each other up or Kevin Bacon’s shark face.

Part 2’s special features include a couple more mini-documentaries about the horror convention scene, and another panel comprised of a handful of people who have played Jason – all of whom have some interesting recollections about filming. There’s also the second chapter of ‘Lost Tales’, and an interview conducted with the author of ‘Crystal Lake Memories’ – although the guy conducting the interview would give Jason a serious challenge in a creep-out contest.

Part 3 is probably my favorite. Despite having no special features at all, it’s presented in two versions : regular and 3-D. Now, I’ve never experienced a 3-D film before, and I’m almost 30. I’ve always maintained that my eyes were either too messed up to be able to properly observe 3-D (since I can never get those damned Magic Eye pictures to work), or that I was just too smart to be swayed by the questionable magic of red/blue 3-D.

I was giggling like a schoolgirl within a few moments, after a few completely gratuitous ‘pointing things at the screen’ scenes. I do believe that I’d like to start a collection of 3-D DVDs now, because Friday the 13th Part 3 has completely earned my adoration. Two pairs of cardboard glasses are included in the DVD – again, perfect for cuddlin’. Plus, everyone looks awesome in those glasses.

Paramount plans on releasing the next three F13 films, which will include more ‘Lost Tales’ shorts, but the date has not yet been determined, the the first season of the Friday the 13th tv series was released this past September. Even if you’re not a big horror fan, the series of films is referenced in just about everything. You’re not watching because it’s comparable to Casablanca, but you’re watching because in some twisted way, it’s just as culturally relevant.

One of my favorite things about selling antiques and collectibles is sending items back where they belong. For example, at a flea market many years ago, a gent purchased a graduation announcement from us. It was from 1923, a Milwaukee high school. It cost him $5.00 and he walked away, absolutely jubilant. Was that because it would make him rich someday by purchasing this valuable ephemera? Nope. It was the fact that his father was one of the graduates named inside!

Another time I sold a 1930s post card to a lady who grew up in the very town pictured on the front. It was a small village in Illinois and she swore to us that Main Street still looked the same today.

Hubby purchased a nifty art deco advertising mirror with thermometer from Ruby Farms (near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.) I listed it on ebay and it sold to a lady whose family still owns that farm. She was very happy to win it and said she would be glad to display it in her home.

I came across a neat paperweight a while back. Glass with a picture underneath. It featured a church located in a town in Ohio. We had several paperweight collectors bidding but it turns out the winner had another motive for the buy. He had actually recently purchased that very building and was in the process of renovating it as his home. He was, to say the least, thrilled for this bit of the past.

I recently listed a brochure from a dairy located near Green Bay. The winner was a man in Colorado. I learned that he had worked there for several summers in the 1960s. He told me it brought a smile to his face and a deposit in his memory bank.

There are times when I sell items to folks with ’similar names.’ For example, I’ve sold a number of breweriana items to a gent with the last name of “Blatz”, a recent grouping of beer labels to a lady named “Miller”, and items from the Schroeder Hotel to a buyer named “Schroeder.” I do not know for certain if they are distant relatives, but it makes sense and is fun to believe they are.

My latest ‘history connection’ is by far the best! Hubby and I attended an auction at a closing of a Masonic Lodge a few years back. We purchased a ‘lot’ of booklets called “100 Years of Masonry in Wisconsin.” Late last year I listed one of these booklets and in my description, I mentioned some of the past members. One was especially important, not only to the Masons, but to Milwaukee’s history: Byron Kilbourn. Mr. Kilbourn worked in Ohio as a surveyor and state engineer. He visited Wisconsin in 1834, then deemed the area near the Milwaukee River to be a promising location for commerce, purchasing land there. In 1837 he founded Kilbourntown (presently Westown.) Two other men who were significant in Milwaukee’s history, Solomon Juneau and George Walker, joined ranks and their three ‘properties’ formed the city of Milwaukee. Kilbourn went on to serve as an alderman and two non-consecutive terms as mayor, in 1848 and 1854. He was also instrumental in the local railroad industry, then started a new railroad from Milwaukee to La Crosse, on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. He passed away in 1870, at the age of 69.

After I listed this booklet, I received an email from Lauren, who resides in Los Angeles. She was interested in more copies of the booklet and any additional Kilbourn-related items we might have. It turns out her husband, Charles, is a relative of Mr. Kilbourn. I told her we had also purchased a large, nicely framed picture of Byron Kilbourn and had planned to take it into our antique booth, but for some reason I had not done it. We emailed back and forth, and I sent her some pictures. In early January, Lauren contacted me to say they planned a vacation to Wisconsin in February. She was hopeful we could meet and they wanted to see the picture ‘in person.’

We were able to make those arrangements last week, and met with the two of them. They were very excited about the picture and commented on the family resemblance! The end result is that this marvelous picture is returning to its rightful owners. They purchased it from us and vowed to display it proudly for all to see. Now I understand my reluctance to sell it just as a ‘historical picture’ in our booth – it was simply meant to be returned home!

Vincent Price

While we all remember Vincent Price for his ghoulish yet flamboyant film personae, Price wasn’t a B-film guy in the 60’s — he was a real Hollywood film star. And Price had real clout as an art collector too.

Price had been a student at the Courtauld Institute of Art intending to become an art historian when the stage came calling, and while he became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars he was also known world-wide as a passionate art collector, a former art gallery owner, and, having spent a dozen years studying art at Yale and the University of London, an art lecturer.

This is why George Struthers, Sears’s vice president of merchandising, hired Vincent Price to head a retail art sales program for Sears.

Price lent more than star-power cache to Sears & the art sold wasn’t cheap reproductions — in fact, they weren’t reproductions at all, but original works of art.

The Vincent Price Collection

Price searched throughout the world for fine art for Sears and had the authority to acquire any works he considered worthy, buying single works, whole collections, and commissioning artists, like Salvador Dali, to create works specifically for The Vincent Price Collection at Sears. The collection had works by artists like Rembrandt, Chagall, Whistler, Picasso and Reginald Pollack, but not all were the big names in Art with a capital ‘A’ as they are today.

And that’s sort of the point of all of this.

Sears-Roebuck had already established a history in selling art; they’d been selling art as early as 1895. But as America entered the 1960’s, the do-it-yourself hobby mentality clashed with this new-fangled art movement called Modern Art. Of the art buying public (i.e. older folks with money to invest), few understood Modern Art; some never accepted it. But most all were intimidated by it… What would be a good investment or at least not be an embarrassing purchase?

1963 Picasso Art Sale Page In Sears Catalog

Americans who were interested in art had several problems: Knowing what to buy, knowing who to trust to buy it from, and access to purchasing it.

Vincent Price’s role was that of popular art expert; and Sears was the trusted retail outlet you could trust, who brought art to locations throughout America — and at prices folks could afford.

Did it work? You bet!

According to Sears, artworks ranged in price from $10 to $3,000 (and customers could also purchase items on an installment plan for as little as $5 down and $5 a month), and that between 1962 when the collection began and its end in 1971, Sears & Price moved over 50,000 pieces of fine art through about a dozen physical locations and Sears catalogs.

You can — and should! — watch this kitsch-tacular instructional film from the 1960s, in which Vincent Price guides Sears Roebuck employees through the art he’s selected for sale in this collection.

Vincent Price’s personal art collection was donated to East Los Angeles College’s Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM).

Sure, there were plenty of toy heroes at Toy Fair, but if I had to pick my personal heroes, it would be The Maestrosities.

See, every year, Toy Fair has the very unique distinction of having a band of sorts march around the main entrance hall of the Javits Center during opening day. As big a toy nerd as I am, the quirky marching band (usually comprised of monsters and / or figures from varying degrees of fantasy) is something I look forward to seeing a lot more than the 75th iteration of Luke Skywalker as an action figure. Oh look, this one has a raised eyebrow, as he appeared in that one deleted scene for a second! (Meanwhile, I’d be the first in line for the Darth Vader from the Scene Where He Had That Bit Of Lint On His Cape.)

This Toy Fair band, unfortunately, is usually wildly out of place, ducking and weaving between the men in business suits who are there to buy buy buy or sell sell sell. Said band is usually casually ignored by all but the most self-assured businessfolk, and it’s a strange site. I, however, am delighted like a 5 year old. Every year.

This year’s band was a group of haunted-looking musicians, carrying heavy tubas and accordions and other improbable instruments. I watched them move around the floor for a while, but the real act of heroism came later.

My pal Brian and I were eating lunch at a balcony full of tables when we heard the theme from 2001 cresting an escalator. As it came closer, we could see the Toy Fair band moving in slow motion, giving the pace of the escalator the importance of a rising sun, and again, exciting me as if I were a puppy. We applauded and hooted from our perch, and the band noticed us. What came next was perhaps the most perfect moment of all of my collected Toy Fairs. While I ate my overpriced sushi, the band stopped at the foot of the escalator and began to serenade us with one of my favorite songs – the Star Wars Cantina Song. Just for us.

We later encountered the band on the floor of the show and thanked them for the barrage of awesomeness, and despite sore feet and the pressure of keeping appointments and getting clear photos, I was reminded why I got into this job in the first place.

I did it for the accordions.

That anecdote aside, the proximity of New York Comic Con to Toy Fair meant that most major producers of superhero toys had already shown off most of their new stuff just a week previous – leaving few surprises for the geek media. I venture that it’s also worth noting that 80% of all major toy companies have dropped all toy concepts that don’t immediately link in with a film or TV show.

While Hasbro could be building on the immense popularity of the long-running and encyclopedic Marvel Legends 6” action figure line, they’ve opted to drop it almost completely and focus on a brand new line of 3 3/4” figures. In our economy, I have to question the effects of asking collectors to start a new collection instead of helping them complete an ongoing one. I think that the powerful collector’s urge to finish a set of something almost trumps the need to save a few bucks, whereas I don’t think we’re quite as compelled to start a new collection without a really good head start. Hasbro, give me a dozen of your new 3 3/4” figures and I’ll be compelled to go and buy a hundred more – but I’m just not really in a position to collect another Wolverine in yet another scale.

To that end, Hasbro premiered a few new 3 3/4” figures from a subset of the new line titled ‘Secret Wars‘. For the uninitiated, ‘Secret Wars’ was a comic event created by Marvel in the 80s, arguably for the purpose of selling action figures and playsets. The ‘Secret Wars’ subset seeks to recreate all of the original Secret Wars figures and characters in this GI Joe-friendly scale, and all in classic, fan-friendly costumes.

Also premiering were figures tied to the X-Men Origins : Wolverine film, the Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon, and the Iron Man Animated Series. I admit that I’m quite ready for any new interpretations of Iron Man, after being hit in the brains with Hasbro’s repaint after repaint of the same two Iron Man figures and calling them different things. Marvel has such a rich and diverse range that can be culled from! It’s a disappointment that it’s not more financially feasible to create a greater depth of product, but I understand where they’re coming from.

DC Direct’s reveals weren’t many after last week, but each new product was exciting. Most importantly, they’re continuing their Museum Quality line of statues with a gigantic Hal Jordan Green Lantern, who joins Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The base of this sculpted-and-fabric figure also includes a removable Ch’ip figure – the squirrel-creature of the Green Lantern Corps. It’s a clever in-joke from the geeks at DC, and it’s nice.

DC Direct’s 1/6th scale figures are some of my favorites, as it’s obvious that they’re given the royal treatment. For $75 or more, they’d better. Last week, Wonder Woman was shown off for the first time. At Toy Fair, DC showed off Zatanna, everyone’s favorite backwards-talkin’ magician – fishnets and all. She’ll come with a rabbit-in-a-hat accessory, among other things. She’s another great, classic character choice from DC Direct – I can’t wait to see who’s coming up next. Can I wish for an Alan Scott Green Lantern? Go, Justice Society!

Tonner and Mattel, also holders of DC licenses, didn’t have a large increase in new products from the week before. Tonner was showing off their re-designed Wonder Woman figure, now with a bustier, more ‘heroic’ body type. Mattel had the usual DC Universe Classics, Dark Knight and Justice League Unlimited figures on display, as well as a few interesting figures from the animated Brave and the Bold line, which include a scary looking Joker and a very nice Gentleman Ghost. Who’s Gentleman Ghost, you ask? A guy with a few action figures this year, that’s who.

This year’s Toy Fair felt like a personal demonstration of how my tastes are changing from the complicated, exciting world of superheroism towards a deeper affection for the tranquil domesticity of Lego and Playmobil. Maybe this shift is subconsciously motivated by a combination of finances and space, but I’m starting to be okay with limiting myself to all of the new Batmen, while developing a hankerin’ for Lego Space Police.

More fun, as always, to come.

If you have been reading my past few blogs, you’ll know that I recently had the great pleasure of viewing the Artistic Luxury Exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Featuring Faberge, Lalique and Tiffany, it was a rare opportunity for anyone into antiques, glassware or artistic finery. I covered Faberge and Lalique and now turn to other masterpieces, those of the “two Tiffanys.”

Stained glass lamps and windows have been associated with the artisans of Tiffany for as long as we can remember. Pieces such as this absolutely fantastic Autumn Leaf Globe Lamp is just one example! I am sure many people think of Tiffany & Co. as a ’solitary’ company. Not so. Tiffany & Co. was actually the creation of Charles Lewis Tiffany, while his son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, owned Tiffany Glass & Decorating Co. Although they were run separately, Louis Comfort often did design work for Tiffany & Co. Both companies displayed their wares at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris to rave reviews. The Shah of Persia appointed Tiffany & Co. to be “Gold and Silversmiths to His Imperial Majesty.” There were, however, critics of their “showy displays”, one reviewer saying “every piece has only one meaning: to appear as concentrated money.” Well, duh! These were incredible works of art, appealing to many; afforded by only a few.

Tiffany & Co. employed craftsmen skilled in metalsmithing and the lapidary arts. Necklaces, tiaras, brooches, corsage ornaments, just about anything that could be adorned with precious jewels, was produced. The firm was known for its stock of rare yellow diamonds, often procured by their gemologist, George Frederick Kunz. He became a celebrity explorer of his day, procuring rare mineral specimens and gemstones for Tiffany & Co. and private and institutional collectors. He actually has a mineral named after him, kunzite, which was used in some of his pieces of jewelry. This ring is in a gold filigree setting, paired with emeralds and designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

One of the most audacious examples of Tiffany & Co.’s jewelry is this fabulous diamond necklace made for Ellen Garretson Wade. Not being familiar with the name “Wade” is only because I am not a history buff, nor from Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs. Wade’s husband was Jeptha Homer Wade II, named for a grandfather who had founded the Western Union Telegraph Co. in 1856. They were knowledgeable and sophisticated collectors who traveled extensively, often engaging Tiffany to mount the gems they purchased along the way. They were also clients of Louis Tiffany’s firm, Tiffany Studios, and commissioned two mosaic walls and an important stained glass window for the burial vault of Mr. Wade’s grandfather. The Wade family history is a fascinating story in itself, one you might want to check out.

This coffee set was made by Paulding Farnham, who collaborated with Louis Comfort Tiffany in presenting a series of scent bottles at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Farnham was well known for his designs in exotic motifs. This set, was in the Moorish taste of silver gilt, enhanced with elaborate enameling and cabochon amethysts. Amazingly enough, the set survived in its original case with a calling card, revealing it was sold from the Paris Showroom of Tiffany & Co. to a client in Monte Carlo! How would you like to serve your best guests with this set?

Anyone who watched the Oscars this year can tell that we are in a time of ‘understated elegance.’ The ladies wore long, classic gowns and often little, or at least not noteworthy, jewelry. It is understandable in these times of economic strife, but I am sure if I had a piece of jewelry by Tiffany, I’d have a difficult time keeping it in a box or bank vault. Their pieces were meant to sparkle and shine!

Thank you once again to the staff of the Cleveland Museum of Art! They made our visit very pleasurable and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. (The Artistic Luxury Exhibition is currently at the San Francisco Fine Arts Museum Legion of Honor, until May 31^st. If you get the chance, be sure to visit!)