It will be no surprise to the reader that I am an excavator of American artifacts, particularly 78rpm records, pre-WW2 books, clothing, and other utilitarian things.  I am not a dust collector, necessarily; I just love the aesthetic appeal and the earth-friendliness of antique things for use, and have the tendency to buy things when I like them.  Actually, I have a low, low tolerance for clutter!  And so it is that selling things has become one of my regular habits as well.

If you have seen American Pickers on the History Channel, you know what a ‘picker’ is.  I have been a picker for years, but to be honest, I first heard the term only recently myself.  To me, it has just been a way of enjoying the things I like without being encumbered by piles of stuff.  To assure that I would be able to get rid of an item when I was tired of it, I had to make sure to know its value and to purchase it well below that.  And, I don’t like the feeling of owning a depreciating asset; rather it owning me.  So, curiosity and my nearly 15 years of traveling and perusing every antique mall, junk shop, and dust bin along the highway has filled my brain with fragmented bits of knowledge of the most random antiques—not fine antiques so much, but simple, time-worn articles whose mysterious history provokes contemplation of their long-forgotten makers and owners.  {Predictably, History Detectives on PBS is another of my favorite shows}.  In general, I can tell you the approximate age, some bit of history, and a fair retail value of just about any old item.

Recently, I found myself in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee and stretching my legs along the junk-piled isles of a store called ‘Grand Ole Heirlooms’.  It would be a quick bout of sifting; the store was not that big—and honestly, I didn’t have much money to spend, were I to find some rare article.  But I could not, not stop and take a look.  Immediately, I was greeted by its proprietor Bobby Cummings.  He was an interesting character to say the least!  Now and then, you run across a shop owner like this—like a kid in his own candy store.  He could not have been more enthusiastic about the junk business.  He noticed that I was wearing an old L&N Railroad cap and began to pull out every piece of train memorabilia that he owned.  Here was a real horse-trader; and someone who rather be doing nothing else.  I became enveloped in his zeal, and we chatted for the better part of an hour regarding pieces in his shop.

“Okay picker”, he chided me playfully, “what do you make of this”?  He held out two engraved silver napkin holders, one and the other with the words Maddam and Monsieur.  I gave him my assessment that they were French.  Ha!  But also that they were very early Art Deco {1920’s} as the inscription would suggest.  I couldn’t tell you the maker though.  I must have missed that episode of Antiques Road Show.  “What price would you put on this” he asked, pulling out a very small porcelain elephant from among a blur of other smalls.  I thought it looked to be from India, and hand-painted, but these kinds of things are a dime-a-dozen. I tried, “twenty five bucks”? “Nope”, he retorted with a grin “Try four-hundred.  That’s what this business is all about….knowing what you’re looking at”.  It’s true.  I would have lost my ass on that one!  I needed to pick Bobby’s brain some more.

I found that Mr. Cummings was multi-faceted.  Not only had he been in the business of antiques for several decades, but he had also been a country music songwriter all that time.  He even had a cut on a Loretta Lynn album in the 1960’s called “God Gave Me a Heart to Forgive” on the Decca Label.  I found that his knowledge of music history was just as rich as his knowledge of antiques!  We chatted on about early country music and the beginnings of the Grand Old Opry and Nashville recording, and Ralph Peer—the man famous for recording the first blues record, Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues” and discovering Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.  At the time I happened to be holding a 78rmp record in my hand that had caught my eye earlier.  It was Vernon Dalhart—Guitar with Violin Accompaniment—with a ‘Silvertone’ label.  Bobby pointed to it and stated matter-of-factly “Vernon Dalhart was first recorded by Ralph Peer”.  I didn’t think that was true, but made no argument.  Later on, with a little research I found that Dalhart first recorded in 1916, and Peer wasn’t in the business until the 20’s.  I guess Bobby wasn’t right about everything.  Maybe he was jiving me about the little elephant…?   Regardless, he gave me a fine price on the Dalhart record….$3.  I’ll probably hang onto that one for a while.