The Auction Whisperer

Rampant

Going back as far as the Stone Age, the lioness has been viewed as the fiercest of hunters. Because of this, lions came to symbolize power and strength — they became the protectors of many ancient cultures and civilizations throughout the course of history, to include Egypt, India, Greece and Persia (now Iran). This symbolism continued into modern times and lions are still looked upon as “guardians” even today.

Their image appears on flags, coats of arms and emblems. This is especially true in the United Kingdom where Heraldic Lions can be found just about everywhere. There are eight types of Heraldic Lions, each depicting the lion in a different position. The positions are Rampant, Passant, Statant, Salient, Sejant, Sejant Erect, Couchant and Dormant. The Lion Rampant is the most powerful of the eight. It stands erect in profile with its front paws raised. The earliest use of Rampant was in Scotland in 1222.

Regardant

There are other descriptive terms that are used to further identify the “attitude” or position of a Heraldic Lion. For example, if a Lion Rampant has his head facing left toward the viewer, he is a Lion Rampant Guardant. If his head is positioned as to be looking over his shoulder, he is a Lion Rampant Regardant.

Technically there is a ninth heraldic position. It is a Lion Coward. It is any version of a Heraldic Lion with his tail appearing down and between his legs. All the other positions show the tail raised in one form or another.

My husband and I own a condo in a rather large historic building in St. Petersburg, Florida, and we live there full time. Our coat of arms is two Lions Rampant and they can be found in a number of locations throughout the building. The building is 86 years old and we are one street away from the bay. In all these years, not one crisis has befallen our lovely old building – no floods, no hurricanes, no break-ins. Is this a coincidence? I like to think that it is not. When I go to bed at night, I rest easy knowing that I am being protected by the best in the business.

02/21/2012 by Anne Benedetto

Early locomotives were powered by steam.

The large V-shaped grill on the front of the steam locomotive was called a cow catcher.

The first railroad line in America was built in 1829, by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company. It was used to haul coal and was only 16 miles long.

Pot bellied stoves were used to heat the passenger cars in the early days of the railroad.

In 1863, the first underground railroad began operation in London, England. This was the first subway.

The “Golden Age of Railroads,” was the era from 1900 to 1925.

The first Pullman car made its cross-country trip in 1859.

The Tom Thumb, designed by Peter Cooper in 1830,  was the first American built steam locomotive.

The first train robbery in the old west took place on November 5, 1870 in Nevada. Smiling Jack Davis stole $40,000 from the Central Pacific Railroad.

01/12/2012

Abigail Adams’ spirit has been sighted carrying a laundry basket around the White House. Mrs. Adams actually hung her laundry in one of the rooms when she was First Lady.

It’s said the ghost of a policeman haunts the Library of Congress.

A demon cat with glowing eyes has been sighted at the Capitol.

Calvin Coolidge is said to flick lights off and on and stop elevators at the Mayflower Hotel.

When Woodrow Wilson’s wife wanted to remove the rose garden from the White House grounds, she was confronted by the very angry spirit of Dolley Madison. The rose garden still blooms today.

Lincoln’s ghost was sighted most often during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

George Washington’s ghost reportedly paid a visit to the 20^th Main Regiment at Gettysburg.

The Octagon is the most haunted house in Washington.

The Eisenhower Executive Building is reported to be haunted.

Andrew Jackson’s bedroom was where the Red Room is now located. It’s said his loud laughter can be heard there.

Mrs. Calvin Coolidge was the first to report seeing the ghost of Abraham Lincoln at the White House. The sighting was in the Oval Office.

Sir Winston Churchill of Britain refused to sleep in Lincoln’s bedroom because he said he has seen the former President’s ghost lurking there.

In the 1940s, during the renovation of the White House, President Harry Truman complained of ghosts while living at Blair House.

The National Theater is said to be haunted by actor John McCullough who was sot and killed there by a fellow performer. The theater has experienced three fires and has been rebuilt several times.

Staff and guests of the Omni Shoreham Hotel have told stories of faint voices, cold breezes, and doors slamming open and shut, as well as  televisions and lights being turned on and off of their own accord.

01/12/2012 by Anne Benedetto

Billy the Kid’s real name was Henry McCarty but he also went by the name William H. Bonney. He was born in 1859 in New York City. Billy claimed to have shot many men and he did, but only four of them actually died. He was killed by his friend, Sheriff Pat Garrett, or was he? Years later a man named Brush Bill Roberts said he was “The Kid,” and that Pat Garrett had killed the wrong man. A 130-year-old photo, billed as the only authenticated picture of the legendary outlaw sold for $2.3 million at a Denver auction in June 2011. The Kid reportedly paid 25 cents to have the photo taken in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

In 1876, a wagon train of prostitutes pulled into the town of Deadwood, South Dakota. By the end of the year, 90% of the women living in Deadwood were prostitutes. They more or less took over the town.

Bat Masterson was a jack-of-all-trades. He worked as a buffalo hunter, sheriff, US Marshall and Army Scout. He was also the sports editor for the New York Morning Telegraph. He was frequently the guest of President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House. He was born Bartholomew Masterson and was also known as William Barclay Masterson.  He did in fact carry a cane, after an injury left him with a permanent limp.

Pearl Hart was a wild woman of history. She was an excellent stagecoach driver and was the only woman ever known to rob a stage. She accompanied a man named Joe Boot who robbed a stagecoach in Arizona.

Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois in 1848 and he died in 1929 in Los Angeles. He stood 6 feet tall and had 4 brothers, two of whom were almost as famous as he was. They were James, Virgil, Morgan and Warren.  Wyatt and his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, along with Wyatt’s friend, Doc Holliday, shot there way into history at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881 at three o’clock in the afternoon. Prior to the notoriety he achieved at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, he was considered a mediocre lawman at best, and some of his behavior over the years was far from lawful.

Wild Bill Hickok, born James Butler Hickok, in 1837 was well known for his skills as a gunfighter, a scout and a lawman. However, it is believed that many of his exploits were somewhat exaggerated. His fame came more from how he died than how he lived. Anytime Hicock played poker, he always sat with his back to the wall. However, on August 2, 1876, he sat in the only seat available at the table. This placed him with his back to the door. He asked the others at the table to change seats with him but they all refused.

While Wild Bill was looking at his poker hand, a buffalo hunter named Jack McCall entered the Number 10 Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota, and shot Hickok in the back of the head. He died instantly. At the time he was shot, he was holding two black aces and two black eights. Forever more, this became known as the Deadman’s Hand. To this day, it is considered very bad luck to draw this hand.

Annie Oakley, considered by many to be the greatest shot that ever lived, was born Phoebe Ann Moses in Ohio. She died on November 3, 1926. Her husband of 50 years, Frank Butler, was inconsolable. He claimed that he could not go on without her. He refused to eat and died 20 days after Annie. They are buried together in Brock, Ohio. Oakley was quite generous with her money. Due to her own difficult childhood, Annie adopted and educated many orphan children. She also secretly supported many poor families. Will Rogers said of her “…she was a greater character than she was a rifle shot.”

For a number of years, she was the star attraction in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. It is estimated that she fired over 2 million shots in her career and she still has a number of records that remain unbroken 86 years after her death. Oakley was nicknamed “Little Sure Shot” by Sitting Bull. “Sure Shot” because she never missed and “Little” because she only stood 5 feet tall. The Broadway musical, “Annie Get Your Gun,” is loosely based on her life. German Kaiser Wilhelm II, having complete faith in her aim, asked her to shoot the ashes off his cigarette. She did. After the breakout of World War I, Oakley sent a letter to Wilhelm requesting a do over. He did not reply.

01/09/2012 by Anne Benedetto

What do you mean you have never owned one? And you’ve never worn one, either? Well stop procrastinating. If you want to enjoy a classic “manly man” experience, don’t hesitate to get your own kilt. Not everyone can wear one (women, for instance), but you’ll never know how much fun it might be unless you give it a try.

The classic Scottish kilt is of course a knee-high skirt that is worn by men. It is not to pass below the knee because the kilt is never supposed to touch the ground when one bends down. Legend has it that it was invented way back in 1725 by the English manufacturer Thomas Rawlinson after he worried that his Scottish employees might get injured wearing the heavy plaids that were common at the time. He simply shortened the plaid and tailored the remaining folds into the peculiar garment. And it wasn’t made with the popular checked pattern we all associate with the kilt today (that probably didn’t come about for another hundred years).

The patterns were at first specific to individual families, although the oldest tartans have actually been attributed to particular areas in Scotland, and not to clans. And although it is usually assumed that the wearing of a tartan is only permitted for members of the clan it corresponds to, there are no laws to support this. However, the fact that it is not illegal does not mean that it is not frowned upon. So if you don’t mind a few frowns, you can pick any pattern your want for your own kilt without fear of retribution.

The kilt is usually worn on special festive occasions and they are available in various types of materials, ranging from the lightweight “casual” types for everyday wear to the so-called “full weight” kilts for official events. You will have to have nearly eight meters of material in order to make a traditional kilt. Cheaper kilts are available which use about half of that, but the exact amount of material needed depends upon one’s size and the width of the check involved.

We must never forget that in addition to being worn at parades and weddings, they are also worn at solemn occasions such as funerals. It is quite common to see bagpipers in kilts and tunics playing at the funerals of fallen police officers and fallen firefighters. This tradition goes back roughly 150 years. The sound of bagpipes is both haunting and mournful. It is difficult to keep a tear from one’s eye when listening to Amazing Grace being played on the bagpipes.

In addition to Scottish kilts, with which we are most familiar, there are also Irish kilts. Irish kilts are usually a single color while the Scottish kilts are plaid.

Should you decide to get a kilt, whether or not you choose to wear underwear below yours is entirely up to you. There are no traditional rules governing this. And even if there were, who would enforce them?

Written by Anne Benedetto 01/08/2012

Price Guide Values

Did you know that the book values listed for all antiques and collectibles represent the highest prices realized for those antiques and collectibles at auction?  See how important auctions are?

 Advertising an Automobile

Did you know you should never say, for example, “Car has 50,000 miles on it?” Chances are you don’t know this for a fact. At some point during the life of the car, someone could have tampered with the odometer and changed the mileage. To protect yourself, always say, “Odometer reads 50,000 miles.” All you are doing is stating what the odometer says, you are not guaranteeing that the car only has 50,000 miles.

Barabara Millicent Roberts

Did you know that Barbara Millicent Roberts is probably the most famous woman in the world and has been since 1959? You know her better as Barbie. Did you know that Barbie was named after a real little girl? Ruth Handler came up with the idea for Barbie and presented it to her husband who was a co-founder of the Mattel Toy Company. Her idea of an adult doll for little girls instead of the standard baby doll was rejected at first. Mattel didn’t think it had any marketing appeal. How wrong can you get?

Obviously they changed their minds. That was over 50 years ago. Today she is a cultural icon and it is estimated that three Barbie dolls are sold every second. Yikes. Barbie is named after Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara. Ken Carson, Barbie’s significant other and famous in his own right, was named after Ruth’s son.

If you own an original Barbie from 1959 and you need a new car, you already have a pretty good down payment.

Military Metals

Many people collect different military metals from different branches of the United States Armed Forces, as well as those from other countries. They are all fair game when it comes to buying and selling except for one. It is against the law to buy or sell the Congressional Medal of Honor. Punishment includes up to one year in jail, a fine or both.

Any member of the military wearing the Medal of Honor is saluted first and then returns the salute. Rank is irrelevant. Even a four star general has to salute a private if that private is wearing the MOH. It looks as though it is the soldier who is being saluted when in fact it is actually the metal.

There are many members of the military who do not necessarily know what every single medal or ribbon they see actually means, except one. The Medal of Honor. That one they need to know – a light blue ribbon with white stars. If they see it, they better salute it.

Wine Auctions

Never wear perfume or cologne to a wine auction. It will interfere with the smells of the various wines being offered for sale.