Non PD - Hobby Horse redux

[Paul Lauer <PHL1037@xxxxxxx>]

Dear List: About a year or so ago when pigs were still flying all over the
list, someone started a thread about hobbies and people began to post about
theirs. I was probably even less tolerant of non-pd posts then than I am now
but I couldn't resist joining in with my own avocation which is collecting
Wedgwood ceramics. Others expressed some interest in Wedgwood (Barb, Will,
Nita, Camilla) and I was able to answer a few questions before someone
complained that the list was being put to improper use. Today of course, that
complainer would be invited to go soak his/her head but in the 'old' days
there seemed to be more sensitivity to that kind of complaint (except of
course with regard to pigs which trumped any complaint). At least I felt some
sensitivity and was constrained to stop posting about Wedgwood after the
first complaint. Today's more permissive attitude prompts me to reawaken the
hobby/avocation thread with two items. First, I am open to questions about
Wedgwood and ceramics in general. For that matter, I have a general knowledge
of many things antique (paintings, furniture, lamps) and because of what I
will tell you about my second item, a smattering of knowledge and the ability
to research almost anything antique from swords to tin soldiers to toy
trains.

I work part time as a stringer for a website which reports antique auction
results on the site for commercial purposes; that is, in order to fully
utilize the site's resources, one would have to pay a relatively modest sum
for a subscription. Many collectors, appraisers, auction gallery catalogers
and antique dealers do just that. When they do, they gain access to
approximately 30,000 auction records in almost 1000 categories with the
number f posted records growing each day. HOWEVER... it is not necessary to
spend ANY money to get a shallow (as opposed to in depth) look through the
site. Merely by registering as a 'visitor' (no financial data or credit card
info required to register) one can look at 5 records in any (or all) if
you're so inclined, of the categories. So if you are a pottery and porcelain
person, put your favorite in the search window and see what's sold at auction
recently. If you like arts and crafts furniture put in 'stickley' or
'limbert' or 'lifetime'; if lamps, try 'handel', 'tiffany', or 'bradley and
hubbard'; if art try 'sloan' , ''wiggins', 'roesen'; or scroll down the list
of available subjects and when you find one or more which piques your
interest, call up the auction records. And keep in mind that on this shallow
5 result level, it's free.
Go to WWW.pricesforantiques.com (alternative www.p4a.com). I write this not
just for the collectors on the list but for those on the list for whom
auction going may no longer be an option.

Paul H. Lauer