While you may have seen some of their designs on coins in your collection, did you ever stop to consider the story of the artists who created the Buffalo Nickel, the Oregon Trail Half Dollar, the 1922 Grant Gold Dollar, or the 1921 Alabama Half Dollar? Laura Gardin Fraser and James Earle Fraser were an […]
Long Story
Childhood Revisited – on an Hourly Wage [Specialist Spotlight]
Young children love to dream of their future careers. Back (okay, WAY back) in my day, most kids I knew wanted to be cowboys, airline hostesses, firemen, or even President of the United States. As for me, I loved watching cartoons on TV and reading comic books. I absorbed all the cartoons I could find […]
Why is the GSA Hoarding Morgan Dollar Coins?
Over the years, various hoards of coins have captured the attention of the collecting community and the public alike. The idea of finding a large cache of old coins can be intriguing to many, but the GSA hoard of Morgan Dollars may be the most famous of all. Buy, Value or Appraise Your US Coins […]
A Lifetime of Collecting: George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn
Piecing together an elite collection in any category requires extensive time and energy, both in acquisition of materials and in studying of the subject of choice. Such is the case with Glen Swanson, around whose collection Heritage Auctions built its June “Legends of the West” auction. Growing up in Mandan, N.D., Swanson had an uncle […]
Artifacts from Custer’s Last Stand for Sale at Auction
For Garryowen and Glory! Those were the prophetic closing words of the regimental song of George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry. Buy, Value or Appraise Your Historical and Americana Memorabilia Bid or buy historical and Americana memorabilia for sale, value your item, or request a free appraisal to sell your collection. As a boy growing up in […]
Bryan Money and the Fight for Free Silver
Bryan dollars were struck during the 1896 and 1900 presidential campaigns by eastern silversmiths to promote the “free silver” agenda of Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan. Today, each piece tells the story of the socio-economic climate of the last quarter of the 19th century in America. At the heart of these two fiercely-fought campaigns was […]
Stadium Stories My Father Told Me
My father died on Valentine’s Day, just a few weeks ago. He was 87 years old, in failing health, and no words of sympathy are necessary. Infirmity had shrunk his world to a size so unworthy of him that when the heart attack took him in his sleep it felt like a release from a […]
When Marvelous Mechanics Make Music
Before iPods, before gramophones, before player pianos were the rage, there were parlor music players. Designed for domestic entertainment, a well-appointed home in 1910 likely had one of these. While earlier mechanical players were large, temperamental and expensive (best suited for public spaces), music boxes like this Mira player changed the American parlor and harmonized […]
