I remember life before the antiques malls, let alone the Internet. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that eBay’s impact would rise and fall within a fifteen year span. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

One thing is certain. Whatever happens will occur online. I have a fair idea of what is needed, but not who will develop it. The field badly needs a general online antiques and collectibles auction site, albeit one focused only on antiques and collectibles. The site has to resist the temptation to serve a broader sector.

The functional area of a house we refer to today as the ‘dining room’
began to become popular around the 17th century. This was a room separate
from others in the house in which a family would gather at mealtimes and
guests were fed and entertained at the table. Being able to maintain a
special room in which to do little more than eat was of course a luxury
reserved for the genteel in the 1600’s. Most people of that time kept a

I sell information about the antiques and collectibles trade, not the objects themselves. I am a collector, not a dealer. In my role as a “neutral” observer within the trade, I am in constant communication with participants from all facets of the trade, especially sellers (dealers). Here are my observations from several recent conversations.

Even if not in the business of buying or selling antiques and collectibles many people in the world at large are aware that Sevres is the name of an important maker and decorator of porcelain in France. What they may not know, however, is how widely faked and copied Sevres has been throughout the centuries.

A Brief History

The addition of the Porcelain and Pottery lanes on Ruby Lane has caused some of us shop owners to scratch our heads on how to categorize our ceramic or clay based items. We want to follow the guidelines given us, but we also do not want to lose sales from items that are lost in a search. For instance, flow blue china may be porcelain, semi-porcelain, or stoneware and it is especially difficult to differentiate soft-paste porcelain from pottery.

In 1962, I was a student at the University of Mainz at Gonsenheim., West Germany. I studied Western civilization. The German philosophers, American history (from a perspective not available here in the U.S.) and a business course called “Money.”

The course on money was, by far, he most interesting. The information I acquired has been financially rewarding. The course looked at the social, emotional and psychological aspects of spending money.

Notes from the Lane received an email from a reader, Patricia Lynch of Chicago, IL, asking for assistance in helping her locate several antique items that were stolen from her establishment.  If you have any information please contact Patricia directly. Her contact information is listed below. Editors - Notes from the Lane

To escape religious persecution in 1774 Mother Ann Lee, an Englishwoman,
brought a small group of her followers to America. She and her
congregation were members of the United Society of Believer’s in Christ’s
Second Appearing, known as the ‘Shaking Quakers’ or ‘Shakers’. They soon
established a quiet religious community near Albany, New York.

Shaker beliefs were based on divine order. All members dedicated

The antiques and collectibles trade in 2008 is very different than it was in 1993. The changes have been earth shattering. Change is inevitable. This may be life’s only truth; everything else is speculation. What follows is my speculation about where we are and where we need to go. Whether you agree or disagree is not important; that you think about it is.

The doll is a canvas. If you have a doll from the early 1900's era, dressing her in clothes of that era, or at least in clothes made from fabric of that era is a must. It is wonderful to find a doll in her original clothes, but I discovered, dressing a doll in the clothes I find is much more fun. Sometimes it has taken years for me to find just the right look for one of my dolls.