Collecting Cowboy Kitsch

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Honestly? My idea of cowboys is definitely what I have seen on movies and television. The television series "Wild, Wild West," John Wayne movie "High Noon" and the ad for a popular cigarette brand said it all for me when it comes to cowboys.

Hollywood depicted cowboys as a bunch of men who were gun toting, skillful horse riders, bar room brawlers and usually were the ladies objects of affection. But in reality, they were laborers, who were overworked, underpaid and very much under appreciated, who spent more time with their horses than with the ladies.

The history of cowboys dated back after the Civil War ended. The ranch owners hired these homeless soldiers for some ranch work in the west, thus the beginning of the way of the cowboys.

Their main tasks were herding the cattle from one watering place to the next, guard against predators, watch out for straying cattle and stampedes at night. Once they reached the central location, they branded newborn calves, castrated and de-horned older cattle and chose cattle to be taken to the market.

Much of the cowboy’s equipments, attire and skills for cattle ranching were very much influence by the vaqueros of Mexico, who originally got their influence from Old Spain dating as far back as the 1500’s.

The need for cowboys or ranch hands declined when the barbed wire was invented (meaning the cattle were fenced in with private landholdings) and the growth of railroads (which is a faster option for transporting the cattle).

About 3.5 million cattle were driven in herds from Southern Texas to towns in Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming. This event is considered the first gold to come from the west not from the Gold rush.

The era of the old-fashioned cowboy was brief but incredible, spanning only about thirty years but the central folklore, the true grit, admirable character and free spirit of the cowboy still lives on.

Today, rodeo shows and events are held every year for the ranching industry and cowboys at heart. The events showcase the cattle handling skills of these ranchmen, such as lasso and roping, tying steers and bull riding.

Approximately forty thousand people flock to these events annually to participate in rodeo and go shopping for cowboy and ranching related items such as saddles, Stetson hats, Rocketbuster boots, sterling in laid spurs and silver, gold carved belt buckles. Not to mention the attendance of cowboy auction shows. The cowboy industry definitely is bucking for revenues.

Western art has now become a prestigious sector of the American Art. Some western oil paintings fetched in up to seven figures in sales. Then there’s western music industry, which is a multi-million dollar business today.

I’m sure you have your own personal favorite country singers Anything related to famous cowboys whether true-to-life or not like Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy etc. would indeed be collectible.

The cowboy lifestyle is more than just the wide brimming hat, the levi’s jeans, the chuck wagon, the gun slinging etc. Despite the intrigue and notoriety, the cowboy is an icon. He represents hard work, trust and standing up for what’s right.

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Collecting Duck Decoys

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For over hundreds of years both professional and amateur duck hunters used duck decoys to lure ducks to land on field or water within shotgun range. Archeologists discovered antiquated duck decoys believed to be first made and used by the native Americans.

Aside from its original purpose, duck decoys have also an art appeal. In fact, duck decoys are considered the consummate American art form.

There are different kinds of duck decoys such as flying decoys, they simulate ducks joining the main flock, half-body feeder decoys they simulate a duck tipping to feed, motion decoys such as swimmers and shakers.

They have a battery –powered motor. Swimmers move in circles and shakers make ripples. Another kind is the sleeper decoys, they are set on shore or mixed with other floating decoys to send a message to ducks flying that everything’s normal. Confidence decoys, they mimic herons and other waterfowls seen around with other duck decoys to give the spread a real impression.

The full-body floating decoys which are weighted so they won’t keel over and they have anchor and strings so they won’t float too far. Field decoys come in full body, shell and silhouette models.

Duck decoys come in standard size measures 15 inches to 16 inches and magnum size measures 18 to 20 inches. There are companies who manufactures super magnums which measure 21 inches or longer. Some decoys are made of wood, cork, molded plastic and foam.

Decoys must be set in the right spread where ducks can see them. With skillful duck calls hunters can be sure their hunt would be fruitful. Just make sure the decoys aren’t too glossy with frost, they have to be in their natural color just like real ducks.

When it comes to collecting, the age old question of authenticity always comes up. Flawless duck decoys make buyers suspicious but decoys that have too many chips and scratches won’t make them attractive enough either.

It’s always a healthy balance of condition and rarity that make duck decoys collectible. Or any other collectibles for that matter.

To collect duck decoys really depends on your budget and tastes. If appearance or aesthetics is important to you or a certain duck species or decoys made by known carvers like Elmer Crowell and Charles Perdue then by all means collect them. The most important factor is you collect thematically.

The highest price paid for a single duck decoy is approximately $800,000 plus at a certain auction.

Always check out Duck decoy catalogs or Ebay to constantly keep abreast of the prices, sales and items.

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African Americana / Black Memorabilia Collecting

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African Americana or what is popularly known as Black memorabilia is a huge slice in a collecting community pie.

There had been a notable upsurge in the demand and market for these collectibles in the later part of the seventies. "Roots" the popular book and television series written by Alex Haley made people especially African Americans curious about their heritage. And collecting black ephemera is a crucial format to learn about their culture and history.

The scope of African American History is very wide. It dated back when the first voyage of the human cargo shipped the first batch of slaves from Africa to America.

There are many artifacts remnant of the slavery period. Among these are slave tags, slave chains , braided whips, shackles, neck collars, plantation ledgers, branding irons, certificates of freedom, bills of sale, slave auction papers etc. These relics command prices of stratospheric level.

There was one pottery item made by a slave and signed "x" (the "x" signature means it was made by a slave) created during the 1800’s and were sold for a whooping $30,000.

Another collectibles are from pre-civil rights era, the Harlem renaissance, the Jim Crow era. Collectibles like Mammy, Sambo , Aunt Jemima, Uncle Moses dolls or figurines, salt and pepper shakers or anything that feature Black characters which has caricatured characteristics like oversized lips, wide eyes etc.

The collectibles in this particular era stereotyped African Americans in a derogatory way.

Segregation signs like "Whites Only," KKK robes and hoods, KKK membership pass cards are also popular. Sheet music of Gospel songs, travel guides that listed "colored only" hotels, resorts and restaurants and anything related to popular African American figures like letters and programs of speaking engagements of Dr. Martin Luther King are very much in demand. If you have a literary bent and interests books by Maya Angelou and James Baldwin are also desirable.

Some collectors of Black memorabilia likes to collect to appreciate and value and preserve history, some collectors buy these items to destroy them and some collect to profit from their collections.

How you associate the Black memorabilia items, is the important factor in buying them. If the objects makes you feel uncomfortable and sensitive then don’t collect these items.

If the objects make you feel good, because they remind you of the hardships of your ancestors but survive all the atrocities of prejudice and made sure it will never happen again by all means accumulate these collectibles.

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Collecting Antique Maps

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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you come across a two hundred year old map of the exact town you were born or a city you now live in? That’s the unequal pleasure and enchantment that antique maps hold.

To collect antique maps all really depends on where your interests lie. If you are fascinated by the maps which great explorers like Ferdinand Magellan, Captain James Cook, Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortes got their hands on then all the better. These kinds of maps command astronomical prices but they can surely be profitable investments.

You may want to collect antique maps because of your geographical interests or for some related global events or industries. Some have fascinations for maps of smaller islands that are top vacation destinations like the West Indies, Bermuda and Malta. Some follow the works of a certain cartographer, among the famous ones are Ortelius,
Blaeu, Bowen, Tallis and Homann.

Some like world maps which make them highly decorative for they are larger than usual and colored which make it favorable for framing, and maps that have some certain mistakes in it like the known California as an island map. Deciding on which maps to collect really depends on the individual tastes and budget.

You shouldn’t have to worry about fakes in antique maps for they are very expensive to make but one should be wary of photo reproductions of old maps. Run your fingers on the paper and feel the texture, if it’s smooth then its not genuine.

Check if there are no evident plate marks around the perimeter, if the margins are trimmed not wide, if there are legends or notations on the borders with dates and the names of printing houses .

Use a high powered magnifying glass called loop and zoom in, if you see matrix of small dots arranged geometrically that make up an image well that’s a true blue reproduction.

These are just the tell tale signs of a photo reproduction of a map. If you want expert opinion you can consult reputable antique map dealers they will always be happy to serve you.

Factors in maps like creases or folds, staining, molds and soils, browning of the whole paper, if the map is glued or pasted on cardboard or pressboard, tears and rips, if the margins are wide or trimmed, if the color is faded, if the map have highly interesting features like cartouches, sea monsters and ships etc. All these factors have an effect on the value of the map.

It when comes to color of the maps, some maps were issued colorless. Sophisticated and knowledgeable collectors avoid colored maps because the coloring only obscures the beauty of any engraved map that’s one of their profound beliefs.

Storage of these wonderful historic prints are to be taken much into consideration. Like any other works of historic art, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

The use of UV filtering glass or Plexiglas is highly recommended to avoid fading. The storage place should have ideal temperature of preferably 70 degrees F and humidity about 50% and should be kept constant, major fluctuations is a big no no.

Although pre 17th paper are not acid free, we should preserve it in an acid free surroundings like rematting or reframing of maps to aid these artworks for longevity. There is this new product that comes in various forms that absorb and de-sorb moisture to protect the artwork.

Are you ready to buy one or two maps that you find interesting? Here’s a tip, road and subway maps maybe the collectibles for the future.

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Collecting Space Memorabilia

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"That’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind." Those are the immortal words spoken by Neil Armstrong as he stepped into the sea of moon sand for the time in history on July 20, !969 exactly four days after Apollo 11 took off from Kennedy Space Center and landed safely on the moon.

Ever since that historic moon walk, anything related to that event is collectible. There is a huge appetite for those items that it had become a commodity what with all the increasing value put on those space flown artifacts.

Posters, medallions, stamps, covers, photographs, space art paintings, emblems, flags, space suits, helmets, gloves, charts, maps, logbooks ,astronaut autographs, patches and actual space flown hardware such as parts of the spacecraft itself and most of all the moon dust, pebbles, sand and rocks.

Every collector opts to specialize in one item only. Like building a mission patch collection or astronauts autographs etc. Purchase items from reputable dealers. It is recommended that the item sold should have proper documentation. To guarantee that the item is properly released and authenticated.

Without the documentation, the item sold or bought, is by default property of U.S. government. It is illegal to own these collectibles without the papers.

Among the popular space collectibles are from the Soviet manned missions, Mercury, Gemini and Apollo eras, specifically Apollo11, the first landing and Apollo 8 the first manned orbit of the moon. And due to the popular Hollywood blockbuster movie Apollo 13 related items are quite collectible too.

Owning these items meant it’s the closest you ever get to the moon. Not to mention you own a piece of American space history. Baby boomers are among the largest group to collect these collectibles because they grew up in the 1960’s space race and feel quite nostalgic about the bygone years and it’s a popular notion that they have a lot of cash to burn as well.

A black and white lunar chart created by NASA in 1970 and signed by a member of each Apollo mission that landed on the moon-Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, Dave Scott, Charles Duke and Gene Cernan was sold for a whooping 16,000 U.S. dollars back in the late nineties.

When people look back let’s say three hundred years from now, the defining moment of the twentieth century will be the moon walks.

There hasn’t been a manned launch to the moon since 1972.

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