Pennsylvania, Painted, & Pine!
Christmas is now in the rear-view mirror. New Year’s Day is approaching faster than my dog from the end of the yard when I say the word treat. Not to mention the Pook and Pook January catalog auction is just…
Deirdre Magarelli
About Deirdre Magarelli
Posts by Deirdre Magarelli:
All the Bells and Whistles
I am giving advance notice that our upcoming January Americana and International auction on January 11th and 12th in Downingtown, Pennsylvania is an exceptional sale! There are several estates and collections featured including those of Kenneth and Elizabeth Johnson of…
Spinning, Churning, Twirling
This week I wanted to choose one of the amazing steam toy accessories set to cross the auction block on Saturday, December 8th, 2018. I am trying to picture in my mind the grandiose layout with several large steam power…
On The Nice List
I once again am lacking promptness on my picks of the week. As the basement at Pook and Pook Auctions was being swamped in guns, toys, and antiques I found it nearly impossible to find time to address some of…
Is That a Doune Under That Kilt?
As someone who knows little to nothing about firearms, but knows plenty of the history of Scotland, my favorite lot of the November 17th Firearms, Sporting and Militaria sale is the exceptional matched pair of 18th c. Scottish flintlock pistols.…
School Teacher by Day…
When I sat down with the Flacks to look over the catalog before it went off to the printer, Paul remarked that his favorite fraktur artist was Andreas Kolb. I too find Kolb’s work superior and I’ve laid out my…
After Houdon
So here we are gearing up for the Americana & International sale, which is right around the corner on September 14th and 15th. For my last pick I went out on a limb with a non-Pennsylvania piece, one that I…
The Lucky Chosen One
Once again, I am sitting here on the floor in the balcony surrounded by toys. There are trucks, buses, cabs, dolls, board games, models, and a plethora of play things all around me. There is tin, cast iron, spelter, wood,…
S’more Toys
This week I head back into the toy box. As I dig around I found a great selection of pressed steel including Tonka, Chein and Structo toys, a lot of which were not left outside in the dirt pile like…
A Tale of Two Franklins
As our country prepares to celebrate another birthday this month, this week’s pick is an object steeped in American history and achievement, spotlighting a few famous Philadelphians and featuring two Philadelphia landmarks. My pick is lot 401 from our October…
Pick of the Week…or Month?
I know I have been delinquent in my pick of the week and I apologize. I have been very busy gathering, sorting, and cataloging future material that very well could be an upcoming pick of the week. I am silently…
Hello, Dolly!
6/9/18 – As the summer approaches, things are slowing down at Pook & Pook. However, our office continues to swell with antiques as we prepare for our June 13th and 14th Online Only Auction. Over the two day sale,…
Boardwalk Empire
Some collectors cherish antiques for the stories they can tell us. We get joy out of imagining the past life of a simple object, dreaming of all the events it has “witnessed”. Such is the case with this week’s pick…
Paroled Prisoner of the Army of Northern Virginia
5/7/18 – There is a change of pace this week as we finished up another successful Americana sale. Hopefully everyone who wanted to buy something was successful and for our sake I hope you paid too much! As we move…
My Cinderella’s Slipper
4/30/18 – Before cataloging this ring, I knew I had to try it on. For me, trying on new jewelry is akin to slipping into a new identity, if only for a moment. Just my luck – the 5 ¾…