RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1420

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2014

Antiques and Collectibles Bucket List

On Friday, April 11, 2014, I stood outside the TCL [Grauman’s] Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, waiting to attend the United States Postal Service’s First Day of Issue ceremony for the Charlton Heston forever stamp.  Although I had driven past the TCL Chinese Theater on previous Hollywood visits, I did not stop nor make a point to see a movie there, two items on my bucket list.

Sid Grauman, whose Grauman’s Egyptian Theater opened in 1922, headed a partnership that built Grauman’s Chinese Theater.  After 18 months of construction, the theater opened on May 18, 1927, with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The King of Kings.”  Best known for its location on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the concrete blocks in its forecourt that contain footprints, handprints, and signatures of famous movie personalities, collectors remember the TCL Chinese Theater as the home of three Academy Award ceremonies and location for the premiere of “Star Wars: Episode IV.”  In January 2013, the TCL Corporation secured the naming rights.  [See:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCL_Chinese_Theatre]

As a member of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, I had a front row seat for the First Day of Issue ceremony.  Ben Mankiewicz was the Master of Ceremony.  One of the highlights was remembrances of Charlton Heston by filmmaker Fraser C. Heston, his son.

[Trivia Quiz:  In what film and role did Fraser Heston make his movie premiere?]

The First Day of Issue ceremony was followed by a screening of the restored director’s cut of Orson Welles’ “Touch of Evil.”  The star-studded cast included Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Marlene Dietrich, and Joseph Callela.  Although I have seen dozens of IMAX movies, it was the first time I saw a black and white movie on the big screen.  Nine foot tall actors boggle the mind.  “Touch of Evil” will not be the last black and white movie I will see on the big screen.  I am hooked.  I want to see more.

The First Day of Issue ceremony took place during the TCM Film Festival, another event on my bucket list.  My half day at the TCL Chinese Theater moved attending the full week of a future TCM Film Festival to a Top Five priority on my “once Linda retires” bucket list.

The movies have been responsible for adding thousands of phrases and words to the English language.  The popularization of “bucket list” is a result of the 2007 film “The Bucket List” starring Morgan Freedman and Jack Nicholson.  Its recent origins can be traced back to early computer jargon, a 1993 National Labor Relations Board report, and a sentence in Patrick M. Carlisle’s “Unfair & Unbalanced: The Lunatic Magniloquence of Henry E. Panky,”  [See: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/11/09/bucket_list_ what_s_the_origin_of_the_term_.html]  Historically, the phrase “kick the bucket” has been around since the late eighteenth century.

“Things I want to do” lists preceded bucket lists.  I cannot remember a time when I did not have one – places to visit, goals I wished to achieve, projects to be completed.  “Things I want to do” lists became an essential part of who I am.  Many were professionally related, part of a development plan to provide me with the skills I needed to succeed.

During my undergraduate studies, I had a “to do” list of museums, historic sites, and historic properties that I wanted to visit.  I have fond memories of my father accompanying me on a drive to locate Andalusia, the Nicholas Biddle Estate located along the Delaware River in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  My father nearly had a heart attack when I ignored the “No Trespassing” signs and drove up the driveway.  Before we reached Andalusia, we were stopped by a gentleman driving a jeep.  I explained I was a history student at Lehigh University, was fascinated by the architecture of Benjamin Latrobe and Thomas Ustick Walter, and wanted to see Andalusia “up close and in person” (even then I knew inanimate objects had a personality) rather than study it in photographs.  Fate continually played a role in my life.  The driver of the jeep was the current Mr. Biddle.  I quickly accepted his offer to not only see the house but tour it as well.  My father was in shock.  The events of that day encouraged a boldness on my part to ask rather than to assume “no” was the automatic answer to any request I might make, be a cautious renegade when it came to following rules, and think big when there was something I wanted to do, know, or achieve.

When I assumed the editorship of “Warman’s Antiques and Their Prices” in 1981, taking at least one photograph of an object from every collecting category that appeared in the book at least once a year topped my “things I want to do list.”  It provided an ideal method to learn the history and type of objects found in the trade.  Many older auctioneers, collectors, and dealers remember me with my white and blue bed sheets for background taking dozens of pictures objects on display.

In today’s specialized collecting environment, it is easy to acquire a narrow rather than broad view of the global collecting market.  Developing a series of antiques and collectibles bucket lists challenges that perspective.

The first bucket list focuses on the collecting category.  The first item on this list is a visit to the town(s) or city(cities) in which the factory(ies) where the product was manufactured is located.  My visits include the Ertl factory in Dyersville, Iowa, Fenton in Williamstown, West Virginia, and Wedgwood near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England.  If the factory still is in production, take a tour.  Second, identify those museums and/or historic sites that contain major exhibits of objects from the collecting category.  Do not forget to inquire if the museum or site has a study collection or open storage area that is accessible to visitors.  Finally, make a point to identify major collectors, engage them, and hope that friendships lead to invitations to view their collections.

The second bucket list is actually several lists—a list of auctions, flea markets, malls, and shows that a person should attend at least once during his/her collecting career.  Ideally, these lists are never completed.  Each time one item is crossed off, one or two more are added.  Repeat visits also are essential.  Every auction, flea market, mall, and show changes over time.  The change can be positive or negative.  The key is to know.

I have attended auctions at Butterfield and Butterfield, Christie’s, Hindman’s, and Sotheby’s as well as hundreds of regional and local houses.  Heritage Galleries remains on my bucket list.  Following an auction online is not the same as attending in person.  Further, the real fun is handling the objects during the auction preview.

Collectors wear “I was there for opening day” as a badge of honor when discussing America’s flea markets.  Brimfield (MA), Kane County (IL), Long Beach (CA), Portland Expo, Renninger’s Extravaganza (Mt. Dora, FL and Kutztown, PA), Rose Bowl in Pasadena (CA), and Springfield (OH) are just a few of the many that I have crossed off my bucket list.  When I moved to Kentwood, Michigan, I visited Ann Arbor (a major disappointment), Allegan, and Randolph Street (Chicago).  There is no need to go to Pamplona, Spain, to witness the running of the bulls.  Just stand by the main entrance gate at Renninger’s Spring Extravaganza in Kutztown to witness the running of the women whose goal is to secure a spot on the field prior to their spouse’s driving into the field with the car or van.

I do not visit antiques and collectibles malls with the same frequency as I did in previous years, something I need to correct.  In the past, I focused on mega malls, such as the Heart of Ohio Antique Center in Springfield, OH.  It has been over 10 years since I visited the malls in the Brass Armadillo chain.  They are back on my bucket list.  Webb’s (now Centerville Antique Mall) just west of Richmond used to be a favorite, only because it was a Mecca of the latest reproductions, copycats, and fantasy items.  Hopefully, the new owners cleaned it up.

The Armory and other January shows in New York, HADA (Houston Antique Dealers Association Show), Hillsborough (CA), Miami Beach, Navy Pier (Chicago), and Philadelphia Antiques Show should be on any person’s high-end antiques show bucket list.  Many collecting categories feature specialized shows such as the Allentown (PA) Toy Show, Gaithersburg (MD) Doll Show, and Indy (IN) Antique Advertising Show.   Even if interest is only peripheral, attending specialized shows broadens one’s horizons.

Finally, an antiques and collectibles bucket list that is limited only to United States venues is too narrow.  Collecting is global.  I have been to auction houses, flea markets, malls, and shows in Australia, England, France, and Germany.  The country list is too narrow.  I need to work on expanding it.

What antiques and collectibles locations are on your bucket list?  Email your thoughts to harrylrinker@aol.com.

Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet.  Check out www.harryrinker.com.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time.  If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live and is archived on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

SELL, KEEP OR TOSS?  HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group, $17.99), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via www.harryrinker.com.