We Started As Collectors

Before we opened Hourglass Antiques & Collectibles, we were collectors. Bill was learning decoy carving and got interested in knives (folding pocket). That led to straight razors, and then, shaving mugs and barber bottles. As a boy, he collected comic books and rocks & minerals.

I started with Steiff animals, mostly teddy bears. Eventually I sold my other species and concentrated on bears. That led to children's storybooks about bears, post cards of teddy bears, and miniature creamers of every type to display with the bears. As a youngster, I had several nice dolls and a collection of dog figurines.

As any collector knows, this can become addictive. On occasion, you'll see something in a magazine, at a yard sale, or in an antique shop that will call out to you. Generally speaking, if it's within your budget and you have plenty of room for it, our motto is, "Do you take VISA?"

Calling All Fine Artists

I'm a member of IAntiqueOnline, a community for learning about, how to buy, how to sell, and sharing stories about your antiques and collectibles. With 6500 members and growing, they are now branching out to include fine art. Here's a quote from the editor, C. Dianne Zweig:

"Wanted: More Artists To Join Our Community And Share Their Paintings, Drawings, Assemblage ETC.

If you are an artist or know other artists, please tell them that IAO is a great place for them to promote their artwork. We welcome artists to come aboard and start more groups about art. We also will feature original artwork on our main page slide show. So if you know any artists out there...tell them that now is the time to build a Profile Page on our site and to share their artwork with others. We will help them promote their art."

The site is completely free, so fine artists - give it a try!

Evie,
Hourglass Antiques

My eCrater Store

Autographed 1930’s Sports Pen & Ink Drawings For Sale

In the early 1930’s a timid young sign painter and would-be commercial artist in New York City became enamored with all types of sports figures who were popular during this period. After a day’s work and on weekends, he would retire to his room in his parent’s home and go to work at his drawing board. He would render the players’ action poses in charcoal and pen & ink and then label the drawings by hand with the player’s position and team name. Living in New York was the perfect opportunity for the young man to eventually come in contact with his heroes. When a team would come to town he would take his drawing to the game and seek out the subject, sometimes in the dugout, at other times in the locker room. His goal was to acquire the signature, but more importantly, he wanted to meet the player and perhaps, just perhaps, have a short chat with him about the ‘game’, whether it be baseball or boxing. Many times he would take his artwork to a game or match simply to go home with nothing. But over the space of two years, he was able to successfully connect with a hundred or so of his idols.



This shy young artist was my father. As a child growing up in Miami, Fla., it was thrilling to hear the stories he would tell about his successes meeting his favorite players, but it was also fascinating to hear about the times when he struck out. Just once, in 1935, he trusted a friend to take a drawing to a locker room in order to have it signed by Joe Louis. “I’m going that way anyway” his friend said. “Let me take it for you.” This drawing was unique because it was the first (and only) one my dad had done in color. He never saw the drawing again. Another story involved a hockey team. My dad had done several drawings of team individuals from the Chicago Blackhawks. He was standing outside the locker room, when a player came out to look at what my dad had brought. The man was amazed. And why, for goodness sake, have each player come to the door to see their image? My dad was invited into the inner sanctum of the locker room. About 45 minutes later, he left. The guys had all marveled at my father’s artistic ability and then invited him to stay awhile to shoot the breeze.

One of the drawings is of Honus Wagner when he was the coach of the NY Yankees. My dad was in the stands, just beside the dugout, asking for Wagner. Instead, a player offered to pass the drawing to his coach. Wagner autographed it with a black ink pen, then noticed he had signed in the wrong place, and partly on top of his black jacket. (My dad would leave a white space or make a ‘box’ for the player’s signature.) And so the old man did the right thing – he signed it again!

My father passed away in 1999 at the age of eighty-seven. Yes, he did eventually become a commercial artist, working as a sign designer for the Electro Neon Sign Company in Miami for thirty years. His sports drawings were willed to his daughters. Now 24 of them are being offered for sale at Hourglass Antiques & Collectibles at eCrater. My husband and I were part of TIAS (The Internet Antique Shop) for 10 years. We have been antiques dealers for 20 years altogether. As always, your purchase may be returned (in it’s original condition) for any reason for a full refund.

And now a few words about the drawings themselves. Having been done in the 1930’s, most of them have an Art Deco feel. They were done on heavy weight drawing paper, and may have been sprayed with a fixatif. They are signed and dated by my dad. Some of the sports figures available in this offering are: Howie Morenz, Chuck Klein, Honus Wagner, Mel Ott, ‘Gabby’ Hartnett, Jack Dempsey, Jimmie Foxx, Sam Rice, Lorne Chabot, Pie Traynor, Waite Hoyt, Bill Dickey and Freddie Spencer.

Unlike sports cards or photographs, these are unique and one-of-a-kind! Even so, we are pricing them as if they were an autographed 8 x 10 photo, since my dad was an unknown artist. All have been hand-signed by the subject within 12 to 18 months of their completion.

Collecting Candlestands

In the 1850's the humble candlestand could be found nearly everywhere in the American home. They were eventually used to hold everything from wine glasses to teapots, in addition to candlesticks. Their small scale design and light weight made moving them from room to room an easy task.

In the 17th century (1600's), early models were made of wood or wrought iron. France is credited with inventing the candlestand and they were sometimes referred to as Torcheres. At first the tops of candlestands were stationary, but as they grew in popularity they were made with tilting tops. This made them easier to fit closely against the wall when not in use.

The 18th century models typically stood three to four feet tall, and had a flat, round top on a three-legged base. At first, there was room for only one or two candllesticks. Gradually more elaborate models came into use. By 1750, examples with deep shell carving, five-claw feet, and gilding (the application of gold leaf) were made. The legendary cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale felt that candlestands, like picture frames, should showcase the skill of carving and not the cabinetmaking.



In 1760, the book The Society of Upholster's Household Furniture in Genteel Taste, is said to have inspired craftsmen in Williamsburg, Va., who later provided candlestands for the George Washington home in Mount Vernon. From the 1770's into the early 1800's, striking candlestands were made in the upper Connecticut River Valley. These stands were often made of cherry and tiger maple. One such stand from the 1790's was crafted with a cherry hexagonal-shaped top crested by an inlaid compass of walnut.

By 1820, several versions of the tilt-top candlestand were being made in New England, New York, Philadelphia, and the Carolinas. Tops were seen in oval, rectangular, and octagonal shapes in addition to the traditional round shape. Some stands had double-ended drawers which were accessible from two sides. These drawers were just the right size for candle storage. Cherry and mahogany were the most popular choices of wood at this time, but candlestands could be had in maple, pine, and other regionally available woods.

By the 1830's, the Shaker communities accepted the 'worldly' candlestand as worthy for use in their households, and they gradually modified the Federal style to suit their simpler tastes. Whether Federal, Chippendale, or Shaker, there are antique candlestands to suit every taste available on the market today. Those with smaller budgets can acquire an early 20th century reproduction - at that time still made with skill and great attention to detail. You may check out our early 20th century candlestands here.

~ Evelyn

OT: A few days ago I found out my friend Bob Swanson had died at the age of 52. Bob was a co-founder of Genentec and was responsible for making lives better for perhaps millions of people.
The synthesis of human insulin, human growth hormone, and a drug that restores blood flow after heart attacks were just a few of the many successes for which his company was responsible. He was named one of the 1000 important figures of the millennium, as the "entrepreneur who launched the biotechnology revolution." *

I met Bob at Miami Springs Junior High. We were in the same mechanical drawing class. He was one of the "brains" of the ninth grade Class of '61. But more than that, he was a warm and gentle, soft spoken guy. If you looked up the word 'nice' in the dictionary, Bob's picture would be there.

In high school we drifted apart as he pursued science and I pursued art, but we were able to come together as members of the German Honor Society. He came to my home for the annual party in 1965. After that, we spoke after school several times while I waited for the bus. He was friendly and caring, always.

Three years later, Bob was home for the summer from MIT and he gave me a call. That was the last I heard from my friend. At the age of 27 he had his now-historic meeting with Dr. Herbert Boyer, his future business partner. At the same age, I had a life-altering experience, too. I saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time and my eyes were opened by the majesty of it all. I wanted to paint and photograph, which I considered noble, and Bob wanted to take genetic engineering to the marketplace and help millions of people. I think Bob won the toss on that one.

Eight years ago, my friend succumbed to brain cancer. He had changed the lives of countless numbers of people for the better, and the irony that he was unable to help himself is overwhelming.

~ Evelyn

* Book, 1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ranking the Men and Women Who Shaped the Millennium, authors Agnes Hooper Gottlieb, Henry Gottlieb, Barbara Bowers and Brent Bowers.