By Robert Reed    Starting with George Washington and later with Abraham Lincoln, the memorabilia of presidents has provided a significant source of collecting. It doesn’t hurt either that President’s Day honoring them all is an annual holiday.    For the traditionalists it should be noted that the federal Office of Personnel Management still calls the third Monday in February simply Washington’s […]

By Anne Gilbert    Hard to believe, the Currier and Ives lithographs that come to shops and auctions, sometimes costing thousands of dollars, once could be had for a few cents. They were affordable to just about everyone. The January 30 auction held by The Old Print shop offered some early examples ranging in price from $250 to over $9,000.    When […]

By Robert Reed   If you love me as I love you, Then you will be my sweetheart true. – verse from fancy, heart- shaped 19th century Valentine.    Giving valentines to those dear to us has been a practice for centuries but it was the Victorians that made them so wonderfully fancy.    During the 17th century both men and women […]

By Anne Gilbert    The hunt for important autographs is ongoing. After all it is collecting history. Important people, places and events and related signatures cover every category imaginable from presidential documents, space travel to inventions and movie personalities. Surprisingly documents signed by President George Washington still turn up at auctions, far from their origins. A few months ago a document […]