Comic-con International Opens Its Doors!

Comic-Con International opens its doors on July 23, 2008 for 5 days of comic books, movies, and television overload. This is biggest meeting of the comic book community in the United States every year.

Comic-Con started as a small meeting of local comics fans in San Diego in 1970. In 2007, over 125,000 comics fans were in attendance over the 5 days. This year crowds are expected to be even larger. Tickets have sold-out for Friday and Saturday with very few tickets left for Thursday and Sunday.

The original focus of Comic-Con was the comics community of collectors, artist, and dealers. Now the focus has widened too many aspects of pop culture. Television shows will show premiere episodes of new shows or existing shows will use Comic-Con to create word of mouth advertising between friends by having current stars show up at Comic-Con and be on panels. Movies will also show trailers for upcoming releases or even set up displays on the convention floor. For example, in 2007 Robert Downey and the cast for Iron Man were at the convention promoting the Iron Man movie.

Comic-Con has become a place to create a “buzz” for many aspects of pop culture. 104inc.com is another place that is creating a “buzz”. Want to find out more about your local comics shop? Go to 104comics.com. Or, if you want to find out more about entertainment then 104entertainment.com is for you.  So don’t miss out and join the buzz today for free and have fun.

Duncan-Miller Glass Swans

The History

In 1865, George Duncan bought the glass factory of Ripley and Company in Pittsburgh, where he had been employed by D. C. Ripley. He formed a partnership with his sons under the name George Duncan and Sons. Augustus Heisey, his son-in-law, was a partner also. Sand was brought in on the Monongahela River, only two blocks away.

The plant in Pittsburgh was destroyed by fire in 1892 at which time August Heisey broke away and started his own glass company in Newark, Ohio. Heisey glass is also a highly valued collectible. See the article on Heisey glass on this site. Meanwhile, the Duncan sons (their father, George, had died in 1877) decided to build their new glass factory in Washington, Pennsylvania. The justification for the choice was the availability of cheap natural gas to run the furnaces and railroads for bringing in the sand. John Ernest Miller had been hired in 1874, and it’s his designs that have become most valuable to collectors. When the new plant opened, the company was named the Duncan-Miller company and Miller became a stockholder along with the members of the family.

Reasons for Collecting

Why is Duncan-Miller glass so desired and so collectible? Actually, the method of making the glass was not very different from the other glass makers in that part of the country. However, the art is outstanding-the designs and the beautiful colors distinguish Duncan-Miller pieces from all others. At least ten persons handled each piece. Some required even more.

The factory closed in 1955 when the competition from machine-made glass and assembly-line production made cheap glass so much more affordable. The Duncans refused to compete in this new market because it required a departure from the artistry and care they had taken such pride in. They preferred to go out of business. The plant was sold in 1956 but before the new owners could get their business up and running, the building burned.

What to Collect

While there are many Duncan-Miller designs that are prized by collectors such as the lovely patterned glass baskets, what most people think of when they think of Duncan is the swan. Other companies were making swans, but the Duncan version stands out. The swans were made in various patterns, but the gracefully curved neck distinguishes these from all other glass swans. Not only do they come in various patterns, they can be found in a wide range of sizes and colors. There is a beautiful red one that was made in a very large centerpiece size. On the other hand, a valuable small one is in Vaseline glass. Less valuable identical ones to the Vaseline-glass one can be found in pink, blue, and clear.

Identifying Duncan-Miller Pieces

It’s important to have an expert confirm that a piece you are considering purchasing (such as on eBay) is, in fact, Duncan-Miller because many sellers either intentionally or because of lack of expertise sell as Duncan-Miller swans that were made by other companies. In fact, I made a valuable acquisition of a swan the seller called Duncan-Mailler made possibly by an artist in Murano in this way before I realized that I needed help identifying the Duncan-Miller pieces. However, it’s also possible to spend quite a bit of money and get one that is inferior.

There is a Duncan-Miller museum in Washington, Pennsylvania, where you can see examples of this very collectible glassware.

Meccano Set

Looking for that perfect model construction set that both you and your child can enjoy? Meccano sets are construction kits that use a variety of reusable materials, such as metal strips, wheels, axles and gears to build vehicles. Their kits are suitable for kids as young as two and for kids eight years old and up. Sold throughout the world, Meccano sets are classic kid’s toys that continue to be engaging for young minds. In the U.S., Meccano sets are known as Erector sets, while the rest of the world knows these famous toys under the Meccano name. Yet just like other popular toys that have been around for a long time, Meccano sets have a rich history that has led to their popularity.
In 1898, a man named Frank Hornby constructed sets for his children to play with using nuts and bolts. In 1907, the name Meccano became registered and the toys were sold under “Mechanics Made Easy”. Throughout the early to mid 1900’s, Meccano opened several factories that manufactured hundreds of thousands of sets per day. The popularity of these toys continued to rise, and during the 1970’s, General Mills acquired the company. In 1985, Meccano was sold however, and in 2000 it was picked up the Japanese company, Nikko.
During this time, Meccano began reaching out to its younger crowd, offering construction sets for kids 4 years old and up. These new pieces were made of brightly colored plastic. With these new pieces that were easy for small hands, Meccano then offered construction sets for preschool kids, ages 2 and up in 2006. And Meccano hasn’t slowed down since then. They have gone on to offer robots that can be built on your own and then controlled by a WIFI. These robots also have the ability to take pictures and videos with a built-in webcam.
The appeal to these innovative construction sets is that they combine the elements of building and constructing, and join them with technological advances, such as with the WIFI controlled SPYKEE robot that the whole family can enjoy. Using their creativity and fine motor skills, kids can build and construct a variety of vehicles, which get more complex for older children. The sets geared toward preschoolers offer large and brightly colored plastic pieces, where tots have the ability to build cars that they can play with afterward.
Meccano then goes on to offer construction sets that come in convenient reusable storage containers so kids can build over and over again. The choices become more plentiful with the older kid sets, such as with building a variety of vehicles, robots, complex model cars and even fine tuning cars. What sets these sets apart from the rest is that they offer bright and shiny steel parts so kids feel like they’re building with real parts! Best of all, once the vehicles are constructed, kids have new toys to play with that they have constructed on their very own! With plenty of room for new additions, as well as hours of endless play, Meccano is a name that will continue to live on in children.

What You Need to Do to Learn About Coin Appraisal

If you are a coin collector, then coin appraisal is important because you will want to find out the value of your collections. The first process in this coin appraisal is to learn about your collections and the history behind each collection. Purchasing a coin appraisal magazine is a good way to start learning about your collections.

When you have a basic idea about your coin collections, then it is time to find a coin appraisal dealer. It is essential to spend some time in this process because you want to find a dealer who is professional, honest, and does not have any intention to cheat you. You need to feel comfortable in doing business with the dealer because it is likely that you will cooperate with the dealer for a long period of time.

After you find a suitable coin dealer, you still need to learn and improve your knowledge in coin collecting. By learning, you will get valuable information and knowledge so you can be more comfortable when dealing with coin appraisal process. Understanding the grading system is very useful when you want to improve your coin appraisal knowledge.

Coin grading system

When you understand this coin grading system, you will have knowledge to evaluate and determine the value of a coin. Obviously a collector who can spot a rare coin that is in a good condition will have essential advantage in coin collecting. There are some coin grading systems developed to determine the condition of coins and one of the most common ones is the letter grading system.

The grading system classifies the condition of the coins using English words and letters. The lowest grade is Poor (PO) or Basal, which means that the coin is barely recognizable. Most coin collectors do not want to collect poor graded coins unless they are extremely rare or have a sentimental value. The next grade is Fair (Fr) where the coin has a slightly better condition, although it still looks worn. The higher grade after Fr is AG or Almost Good and this is followed by G or Good and VG or Very Good.

Other high grades are Fine (F), Very Fine (VF), and Extremely Fine (EF or XF). Usually this is the grade that a circulated coin can get. For uncirculated coins, there are higher grades called Almost Uncirculated (AU), Uncirculated (Unc), and Beautiful Uncirculated (BU).

Even if you have been a coin collector for a long period of time, coin grading can still be a complicated task. Asking advice from professionals is still a good idea when you want to find out the grade of a certain coin. There are some well known companies that provide coin grading system services, such as Professional Coin Grading Services (PCGS), American Numismatic Association Certification Service (ANACS), and Independent Coin Grading Company (ICG).

Will Barack Obama Memorabilia Be A Great Investment?

Millions of Americans enjoyed watching the inauguration of Barack Obama on television. Millions more saved copies of their local newspaper on inauguration day hoping to one day making a killing selling the collectibles for a small fortune.

They’ll be waiting a long time.

The value of political memorabilia is tied more to the scarcity of the item than to the popularity of a President. Considering today’s daily newspapers often have circulations averaging well over half a million copies scarcity is certainly not an attribute that will drive values up on these items in the years to come.

Does that mean collectors and enthusiasts should toss out their inaugural souvenirs? Absolutely not. Perhaps most important, is that collectors should buy what they like and appreciate and not necessarily count on the item increasing in value in the years to come.

If you’re intent on saving items from the campaign or inauguration of President Obama, consider these few simple rules to help increase the chances that your items will appreciate in value.

1. The more exclusive or unique the item the greater the chances that it will increase in value. For instance, tickets to select inaugural VIP events will generally appreciate faster than tickets available to the general public.
2. Condition is always important to collectors. Keep your items away from sunlight and in a cool and dry place.
3. As gruesome as it might sound, dead presidents are worth more than live presidents. The interest in presidential collectibles typically increases right after the death of a President. So expect to keep your items for many years before you consider selling them.
4. “Official” items tend to be worth more than unofficial items. For instance, official inaugural medals and invitations almost always have a higher value than unofficial items.
5. Avoid the euphoria immediately after events like inaugurations. A week after the inauguration collectors were purchasing copies of the New York Times and Los Angeles Times for $95 or more. Four weeks later the same papers were being sold for under $5.

1. Collecting political memorabilia can be both enjoyable and profitable for those who select wisely and have the patience to wait for the collectibles to “mature” with age.   

Visit www.loriferber.com for informatoin on Barack Obama campaign and inauguration memorabilia. As experienced and knowledgeable dealers in political memorabilia, Lori and Steve Ferber have been providing helping collectors acquire and preserve unique and interesting political memorabilia items for over 35 years.