Antiques That Go "Boom"

Since we like old "Boy Toys" and that extends to sharp, shiny objects and some things that have gone "boom" at some point in their ancient lives, we at Antiqueswest have come across some pretty interesting old junk - er, antiques in our time.

There was the rat in the old howitzer tube, the World War II ammo for a Japanese Arisaka and the Mills Bomb on the bedside table. But never, ever have we found a box full of live fragmentation grenades.

Authorities at an Iowa appraisal event called the fire department and they, in turn, called the boys down at the bomb squad after someone came in carrying a box of - live - WWII-era "pineapples."

The box of Second War memorabilia included two of the grenades with the pins still in them. The owner had no idea what they had brought in and watched in stunned amazement as authorities carried the box away for destruction.

Antiqueswest Fan Mail: Another Friend Made

Sounds kinda corny but we don't care.

Our customers frequently become friends and Antiqueswest "Regulars" and that's precisely what we're shooting for here.

Got this note today from the proud new owner of a Lionel Hellgate bridge:

"Hello, J.D.
The Lionel #300 Hellgate Bridge has arrived!
Wow! It looks awesome! Thank you for packing it up so well. I really appreciate that. It made the trip in perfect condition.
It was a pleasure to do business with you, and I can't thank you enough for making this little gem available.
Sincerely, Marty"

Now that's what we want to hear! Thank you, Marty!

My Mom Threw Away All My Comic Books...

AntiquesWest was big on reading back in its formative years - latching onto comic books for about a month before moving on to Melville and sea stories. Mom threw away all our comics and don't think that didn't make us wince when we learned that a cherry edition of Action Comics No. 1 - the pinnacle of comic collecting - sold yesterday for a cool $1 million.

That's $1 million - for a comic.

The 1938 copy, the first depicting Superman in action, was sold by a private seller to a private buyer. Everyone wants to remain anonymous. And, oh, the issue appears to have kept pace with inflation nicely, thank you, as we remind you that it first sold to some appreciative youngster for the princely sum of 10 cents.

Tavern On The Green Auctions Off The Tiffany Glass

"No Wonder Grandma Was Always So Happy... And Hungry"

Antiqueswest has found some interesting things in old things that have come our way, including gold coins and an Imperial Russian jetton in an old desk; a very active rat in an old cannon tube, and some Confederate documents behind an old picture.

But this was an interesting find...

Hey, it happens. What are you gonna do?

Dumb and Dumber Destroy Fifteen Antique Vehicles

You hear about this from time to time, a couple of miscreants get together and pool what limited mental resources they have and set out to destroy something nice.

In Mountainboro, AL, two kids ages 11 and 13 admitted to setting a fire at a local storage facility that gutted fifteen antique cars and motorcycles.

The "children" told an investigator they smashed windows on all the vehicles and set one on fire. The flames gutted the building and the vehicles that included cars, a truck and a motorcycle.

Each boy was also charged with criminal mischief and burglary.

No motive was given, but criminal stupidity comes to mind. We harken back several years ago when a couple of real low-life graffiti scribblers jumped the fences of a storage yard in San Francisco and proceeded to deface some antique and historic railcars. Damage: $100,000. Penalty: Slap on the wrist.

These stories hurt in several ways, but mainly because we love these things and don't like to see them destroyed or damaged.

"Let Them Eat (Urp)... Cake"

Those who know us know we have had a longstanding love affair with things British for many years - the architecture, the people, the antiques.

And every so often an item ends up on a dealer's table or under the auctioneer's hammer that makes us smile and say: "That's just so... so British."

Take the case of the royal wedding cake. A piece of one, that is... from the 1871 wedding of Queen Victoria's fourth daughter, Princess Louise, to the Marquis of Lorne.

Not the decoration, an actual piece of very old cake. Asking price: 145 pounds, or $215US. Would you shell out your hard-earned pound notes for this slightly crumbly tidbit?

We'll find out - it goes up for sale today in Birmingham.

The slice, which is one-inch thick and protected by parchment, is a tiny portion of the towering 5-foot (1.5 meter) cake served at Princess Louise's wedding. The entire cake originally weighed over 225 pounds (102 kilograms) and took three months to create.

The wedding caused an uproar when Princess Louise angered the Prince of Wales by becoming the first British princess to marry a commoner. She was determined not to be burdened by the ritual of marrying another royal.

The cake slice is still wrapped in its original parchment, and it was kept for generations in a gentlemen's "cabinet of curiosity" where men kept treasures to show off, such as fossils and pieces of Egyptian art.

"Pocket Time Capsule" Opened, Lincoln's Watchsmith Was Grateful

For nearly 150 years, a story has circulated about a hidden Civil War message engraved inside one of Abraham Lincoln's pocket watches.

On Tuesday at the National Museum of American History, a watchmaker opened the case and found watchmaker Jonathan Dillon's thoughts scratched neatly inside:


The first line says: "April 13 - 1861. Fort (sic) Sumpter was attacked by the rebels on the above date. J. Dillon." A second line reads, in part: "Thank God we have a government."

The story circulated around Dillon's family and friends, eventually reaching a New York Times reporter. In a 1906 article in the paper, Dillon said he was moved to engrave a message after the first shots of the Civil War were fired in South Carolina.

One hundred and fifty years later, his reaction again saw the light of day.

Strange Estate Sites I Have Seen... Part I

Definitely quieter out there these last two weeks as folks appear to be waiting for someone to write a more optimistic headline about the economy. I've had a few strange estate calls in recent weeks, with people feeling the effects of this meltdown and civility in short supply.

It's always dicey, going into someone's home to look at their things. We try to do it with respect, returning things they may have overlooked and of no obvious value but to their family, but sometimes there's just no pleasing people.

We were at one of the so-called "gated" communities in our area recently, to look at "some really good silver" and other "antiques" the lady of the house had called about. We've been to this development before, but this one stood out for some reason, not for the "his and her" Range Rover and Lexus (Lexi, plural?) in the driveway, but for the hubris exhibited by the owner.

Now, the house was probably $1.7 million by last year's realtor's listing and was certainly built to impress, as was the lady of the house. She motioned me inside, cell phone plastered to one ear, and made me take my shoes off - which was fine, as the whole house was white as a snowstorm.

But then I noticed something else.

"Sorry about the mess," she said. "The kids have been playing." I took a good look and saw that the walls bore an unfamiliar scrawl - crayon. The floors were marble but uncomfortably - tacky - from some spilled substance. There was a hole next to the mega-TV that looked like someone, probably upset over the Super Bowl results, put there with a fist.

"Uh..." I started.

"The silver's in here," Mrs. Maven says, waving me into the kitchen. There's more granite in there than in Half Dome, the refrigerater big as some morgues. Her kids, mercifully, blow past my ankles on their way outside to torture the family dog.

"Uh..."

"This was my mother's," she starts. "We've had it all looked at and we know what it's worth. We're not looking for lowball offers...and we'll only take cash."

It was all plate, nothing older than the kitten back at our house. Not only that but it was in abysmal condition. If it was indeed her mother's, the poor woman must have had a palsy because she dropped everything she owned.

"Is there anything else you want me to look at?" asks I. Her face falls.

"You don't want to make a bid for the silver?"

"It's not for me," I say. "Anything else?"

She couldn't have gotten me out of there any faster, pausing to lecture me at the door: "You could have let us know before we made the appointment that you're not serious."

"Sorry," I says. And sometimes that's all that's left to say to some people.