Do you own any Aloha shirts (commonly known as Hawaiian shirts)? Although they are sometimes seen as a tourist symbol, these items of clothing have an interesting history and reasoning behind their unique style. Honolulu was originally a very conservative area in regards to fashion. In the 1920s and ’30s immigrants from Japan, the Philippines […]
The ‘Coasting Bank’ Makes Bank
Posted on January 14th, 2014 by Joe G
Known as ‘Baby on a Sled’ or ‘Coasting Bank,’ this contraption looks more like a toy than a place to store coins. The mechanical bank has been an object of myth among collectors since a dealer in 1955 found it featured in an 1884 ad. The ad displayed the manufacturer as J. & E. Stevens, […]
Lost and Found
Posted on January 9th, 2014 by Joe G
A Stradivarius violin made in 1696 was sold at auction for $2,263,275. This particular violin comes with a unique story, as it was stolen three years ago from internationally-known violinist Min-Jin Kym in a cafe and found this past summer at a home in England. The violin was made at the Cremona, Italy workshop of Antonio […]
Legally Counterfeiting Diamonds
Posted on January 7th, 2014 by Joe G
Counterfeiting diamonds for a living? Sounds like something a white collar criminal from a movie would do. But John Hatleberg is no criminal; he is a gem cutting expert commissioned to create replicas of world-famous diamonds in order to protect them. People want his replicas to protect their diamonds for insurance, display, education reasons and […]
Rockwell Painting Sells For More Than Double its Estimated Price
Posted on January 2nd, 2014 by Joe G
A Norman Rockwell painting from 1951 set the record for the highest price paid at auction for an American painting early in December. “Saying Grace,” depicting a boy and his grandmother praying at a table in a restaurant, sold in a Sotheby’s auction Dec. 4 to an unnamed buyer for $46 million, more than double […]