Once a collector, always a collector

     You've all heard it: "I'm through collecting." or "I never find anything any more." I thought both applied to my status. Besides, the shelves are full, the closet is full, and I have loads and loads of aluminum ready to sell.
  All resolutions flew out the windows, when I had an opportunity to buy this Wendell August torchiere. It has been said to be one of only three, and you can be sure it has joined a happy collector, although I did have to think a few weeks before delving deep into my piggy bank.

     Details of the beautiful waterlily motif shown above.
Now I should be perfectly content and go about my business of listing my sale pieces, right?

Floral motif

Well, not exactly! While checking prices from several sources (more about that later), I found this hammered aluminum cake cover and simply had to have it. It is a Hand Forged piece and is numbered 5...  Unfortunately the remaining numerals or hidden by the knob's screw.
 The leaves are are edged in an unusual manner.








A BIT OF NOSTALGIA....remembering the Hammered Aluminum Shows.

      Decisions were tough when it came to making one's purchases.
       Not everything was for sale. Some extremely rare pieces were for display only. Our pictures were usually an attempt to capture the overall variety in a booth.

      Most of the photos in my show file are courtesty of Doug and Ann Sutherland.  There is a group of tools and molds used in making the items, several photos of the Sheasley family, decendants of Armour and Rossi, and many who were involved in the manufacturing process.
      When the unusual and most sought after items became too difficult for the vendors to find in great enough numbers to make their set-up profitable,
the shows had to end.   We owe Ed Gangerwere many thanks for the opportunity to attend ten wonderful shows...many with special speakers and programs. He and his cousin, Mary Ann Felegy produced the first and Ed, alone continued until they ended.

PRICES:
      Pricing our sale items is always a problem. Many questions arrive here concerning value of an inherited piece or one that has just been purchased...was it a good deal, or not?
      I got quite a surprise last week when a question led me to my own 1993 book's price guide. The price range was still accurate! Then, as now, there was a wide range in prices. Then they varied shop by shop, location by location and still do. Prices jumped outrageously for a while, and began to drop down to ones more affordable and certainly more in line with the quality of the pieces.  If you have one of the books..Hamered Aluminum, Hand Wrought Collectibles, Book 2, check out some of the prices and tell us how they compare with those in your area.

Looking forward to hearing from you!
Dannie