ANTIQUES VS. COLLECTIBLES; SENTIMENTAL VALUE MAKES NEWER ITEMS MORE ATTRACTIVE, BUT PURISTS SCOFF AT TREND TOWARD LOWBROW TASTES : BY POPULAR DEMAND.Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer A quarter-century ago, antiques shops were filled with Early American and European furniture, expensive jewelry, pricey china and other heirlooms prized by older, well-heeled collectors. But anyone who has wandered into an antiques store lately can tell you that among the mahogany armoires and fine porcelain are now Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, ``Star Wars'' figures, Bart Simpson banks, Avon perfume bottles and other pop-culture items loosely termed ``collectibles.'' Produced as recently as the 1980s, the ``new antiques'' that have younger collectors all revved up are as far from true antiques as apples are from alligators. Still, some collectors believe virtually everything will be valuable one day and are squirreling away everyday items, said Terry Kovel, who with her husband, Ralph, has written more than 70 books (including price list ``bibles'' used by antiques dealers nationwide) on antiques for their Ohio-based publishing company. The Kovels also write an antiques column that appears Saturdays in the Daily News. ``Collectors are now going for stuff from the '80s; you can't get much more recent than that,'' Kovel said. ``There are people collecting cereal boxes right off the shelf.'' While many antiques dealers are changing their inventory to reflect younger collectors' wants, others are resisting the trend. ``I try to keep the stuff in my store old because I'm an antiques store,'' said Pat Needham, owner of Now & Then Antiques in Canoga Park. ``There's enough of those stores that carry cutesy cute·sy adj. cute·si·er, cute·si·est Informal Deliberately or affectedly cute; precious: a cutesy boutique for children's fashions. and collectible stuff. I deal only in antique and vintage stuff, 50 years or older.'' Jerry Wodarz, who with his wife, Claudia, runs Claudia's Antiques and Collectibles in Canoga Park, said the shop stocks a few unusual collectibles, along with many antiques, because customers increasingly are demanding newer, less expensive items. But he wishes younger customers realized the value of antiques. ``We all get scarred as we get older,'' Wodarz said. ``Younger collectors are thinking that this (antique) stuff should look new. But it doesn't. The old stuff has character; it was made by better craftsmen, of solid wood. You can't get it at Macy's. You might pay a little more than for new, but you get something worth something.'' Other antiques dealers say they, too, prize antiques, but they can't afford to be snobs. They must provide what their customers want. In the July edition of Collector magazine, a free publication available at antiques shops throughout the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area, publisher Frank Donadee said he's only recently realized that most Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, collectors are more interested in Popeye glasses than Stickley tables. ``There are virtually no antiques in the Southern California antique business,'' Donadee wrote. ``If this industry had to support itself from actual antiques, we'd be out of business within the hour.'' What is an antique, anyway? According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the U.S. Customs Service, it's any item of value, beauty or cultural significance that is 100 years old or older. Travelers who return from trips overseas with antique silver, glass, furniture or other old items don't have to pay federal import taxes on their finds as long as they can prove (usually by showing a sales receipt that lists the age) that they're 100 years old or older. Most antiques dealers generally stick to the 100-year-old rule, too, but many are becoming less rigid, considering anything produced from 1900 to 1910 or 1915 an antique. Other dealers divide items into three categories: antique, 100-plus years old; vintage, 50 to 100 years old; and collectibles, which can be as recent as the 1980s or even later. Antiques shops' customers are very different from the antiques collectors of a generation ago, dealers say. ``Younger people have money and are doing the collecting today,'' said Janice Johnson, who with her husband, Rick, owns the Sherman Oaks Antique Mall in Encino, an oasis of pop-culture collectibles. ``And they want things that remind them of what they had as they were growing up. Every day, I hear somebody say, `Oh, I had one of those, and my mother threw that out.' '' The outer child ``You've got people getting into collecting who were born in the 1970s,'' said Rick Johnson Rick Johnson may refer to:
Some of the mall's best sellers are Howdy Doody Howdy Doody was a children's television program (with a decidedly frontier/western theme, although other themes also colored the show) that aired on NBC in the United States from 1947 until 1960. or Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy is a cowboy-hero, created in 1904 by Clarence E. Mulford and appearing in a series of popular stories and novels. lunch boxes, tin and character toys, ``Star Wars'' mugs and figures, and Matchbox and Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Johnny Lightning and Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco. cars, said part-time manager Greg Buccella. ``Every day, grown men come in looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. toys they used to play with,'' he said. It's understandable that young people would head for antiques stores looking for items to collect, said Hugh Burton, owner of Courtyard Antiques in Canoga Park. ``When you have these kids in their 20s looking at something from the '60s, to them, that's an antique,'' Burton said. An interest in items that don't pass the 100-year-old test isn't new, said Kovel. Since the 1940s and '50s, some collectors have sought out Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse Famous character of Walt Disney's animated cartoons. He was introduced in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first animated cartoon with sound. Mickey was created by Disney, who also provided his high-pitched voice, and was usually drawn by the studio's head animator, , Betty Boop, Little Orphan Annie Little Orphan Annie teenage heroine who has not aged since strip started (1938). [Comics: “Little Orphan Annie” in Horn, 459] See : Agelessness Little Orphan Annie red, curly hair. and other character figures and memorabilia. ``But now, the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of auction houses have discovered that you can sell a collection of robots and make a lot of money,'' she said. James Bennett
James Bennett or Jim Bennett may refer to:
``I collect records from the 1950s, the '60s, the '70s, 'cause that's the stuff I remember my brother playing when I was growing up,'' Bennett said while poking through the Sherman Oaks Antique Mall. ``I have about 100 CDs and about 2,000 records. I had to move into a bigger house just to have a place to store my records.'' He said he can often find records priced at $1 or $2, although a rare, mint-condition album can go for as much as $200. Bicentennial bi·cen·ten·ni·al adj. 1. Happening once every 200 years. 2. Lasting for 200 years. 3. Relating to a 200th anniversary. n. A 200th anniversary or its celebration. Also called bicentenary. boost Bennett's been collecting for a dozen years, since he was a teen-ager. But the new wave of interest in collectibles dates back to the mid-1970s, possibly fueled by newly manufactured commemorative items and reproductions of Early American antiques produced for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. bicentennial celebration in 1976, dealers theorize the·o·rize v. the·o·rized, the·o·riz·ing, the·o·riz·es v.intr. To formulate theories or a theory; speculate. v.tr. To propose a theory about. . Younger people soon discovered that most collectibles are cheaper than antiques, even though they may not be as durable, said Shirley Ippolito who, with Jeanette Berg, owns Sadie's Antiques in Canoga Park. And ``going antiquing'' became recreation. ``Collecting stuff is a fun thing,'' Ippolito said. ``People do this when they have a little extra time, a little extra money. The stuff they collect may really not be worth a lot. After all, just about everything made in the last 50 years is plastic. But collectors collect what they like, whatever it's worth.'' The object of collectors' desires run the gamut. Some seek out more expensive items, like large pieces of 1940s or '50s furniture or costume jewelry costume jewelry n. Jewelry made from inexpensive metals and imitation or semiprecious stones. ; others want things that remind them of the movies or TV shows they watched when they were children. Still others develop a liking for animal figures, doorknobs, hatpins, books, china or other specific items. In the 1970s, ``a lot of people were into collecting frogs or owls or cows or bears,'' said Needham. ``They just wanted frogs or owls or cows or bears, no matter how old or new they were. But there aren't as many collectors collecting cutesy stuff anymore. Collectors who come in here seem to be looking for Lalique (crystal) or Doulton (china) - more expensive stuff.'' Collectors accustomed to paying low prices for what only a few years ago were little-sought-after items soon may be suffering from sticker shock Sticker shock is a United States term for the feeling of surprise experienced by consumers upon finding unexpectedly high prices on the price tags (stickers) of products they are considering purchasing. , because tourists who prize anything American are driving up the prices of collectibles, Johnson said. At the Antique Mall, a group of Japanese tourists recently paid $800 for a collection of plastic shampoo bottles featuring Bullwinkle J. Moose Bullwinkle J. Moose is a fictional character in the 1959–1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show (often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle), produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott. , $45 each for plastic Snoopy Snoopy world’s most famous beagle. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 542] See : Dogs Snoopy imaginative dog. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 542–543] See : Illusion items and $600 for a collection of Elvis Presley whiskey decanters. But even as prices rise, collecting will continue to grow more popular, predicted Kovel. ``The people with the interest have the right amount of money,'' she said. ``And they're willing to spend it to get what they want.'' Those `priceless' childhood treasures What are today's modern-day ``antiques'' worth? The price of collectibles popular during baby boomers' childhoods varies according to age, condition and demand - just as antiques do - say dealers. Items often show a resurgence in popularity after a new movie or TV show comes out. Here are some going prices for a few goodies found recently in antiques shops in Encino and Canoga Park: Yogi Bear Yogi Bear character with insatiable appetite; always stealing picnic baskets from visitors to Jellystone Park. [Am. Comics: Misc.; TV: Terrace, II, 448–449] See : Gluttony chenille che·nille n. 1. A soft tufted cord of silk, cotton, or worsted used in embroidery or for fringing. 2. Fabric made of this cord, commonly used for bedspreads or rugs. bedspread, $125. Donny and Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959 in Ogden, Utah) is an American actress, singer, and a member of the show business family, The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's band, she gained success as a country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s. lunch box, $67.50. Barbie Halloween costume and mask, $250. 1960 Buddy metal toy dump truck, $135. 1959 Tonka hook and ladder Hook and ladder can refer to:
Original Ken doll in box, $165. Aunt Jemima cookie jar, $45. Brooke Shields doll, $45. Fall Guy lunch box, $48. A&W Root Beer mugs, $25 apiece. Older collectibles can rival antiques in price, too, according to antiques experts Terry and Ralph Kovel. Here are some windfall items you just might find in a box in your attic - or Grandma's: Ponytail Barbie No. 2, brunet, $5,625. Shirley Temple doll from the 1930s, $5,880. Dagwood Dagwood comic strip character exasperated over Blondie’s sale purchases. [Comics: “Blondie” in Horn, 118–119] See : Exasperation Dagwood relieves tensions by making and eating gargantuan sandwiches. and Blondie's Jalopy from the 1940s, $1,820. Raggedy Ann doll, 1938-44, $1,900. G.I. Joe Japanese Imperial Fighter, $625. Daisy Air Rifle, Model 11, Red Ryder Carbine carbine Light, short-barreled rifle. The first carbines, from the muzzle-loading muskets of the 18th century to the lever-action repeaters of the 19th, were chiefly cavalry weapons or saddle firearms for mounted frontiersmen. , $275. Lost in Space ray gun, $475. 1934 Schwinn Aerocycle bike, $10,350. Porky Pig windup toy, $650. Amos 'n' Andy Amos ‘n’ Andy early radio buffoons who distorted language: “I’se regusted!” [Radio: Buxton, 13–14] See : Diction, Faulty Fresh Air Taxi, $2,090. Miss Piggy teapot, $165. Darth Vader telephone, $150. Lionel electric train, O gauge, Orange Stripe, $990. Wilma Flintstone on tricycle, windup, tin, $300. Pez candy dispensers, $450-$2,000. Beanie Babies Humphrey the camel, $250. For a free sample copy of the Kovels' monthly newsletter, send a postcard with your name and address to: Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles, P.O. Box 420349, Palm Coast, Fla. 32142-9655. If you'd like to find out whether an item from your attic has value, Butterfield & Butterfield Auctioneers and Appraisers, 7601 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, offers free appraisals of up to five items at clinics held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of each month. For more information, call (213) 850-7500. CAPTION(S): 8 Photos Photo: (1--Cover--Color) The New Antiques (2) ``Star Wars'' action figures loom large in collecting circles. (3) Tonka trucks are still tough. (4) Many collectors seek out items depicting favorite characters from the entertainment world. Phil McCarten/Daily News (5) Snoopy and Raggedy Ann. David R. Crane/Daily News (6) Bubble-bath containers that many threw away are now prized by collectors. Phil McCarten/Daily News (7) `You've got people getting into collecting who were born in the 1970s. A piece of Victorian furniture means nothing to them. But they love a KISS doll.' Rick Johnson Sherman Oaks Antique Mall (8) `The stuff they collect may really not be worth a lot. After all, just about everything made in the last 50 years is plastic. But collectors collect what they like, whatever it's worth.' Shirley Ippolito Sadie's Antiques |
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