Large two-piece porcelain enameled sign that reads "PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY / OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS / AUTOMATIC DISTRIBUTION CENTER."  Sign is overall 12′ 9" by 28 inches high; made in two pieces that bolt together.

Public Service Company of Northern Illinois was a gas and electric company created in 1950 by the merger of Western United Gas & Electric Company and Illinois Northern Utilities Company.  In 1953, the company merged with Commonwealth Edison (a predecessor of Exelon Corporation), so this sign was created in the 1950-53 period.  It is not clear what was automatic about a distribution center, but perhaps this had to do with a switchyard and some automatic distribution feature of its operation.

Sign is in two sections, the left is 5′ 2" and right is 7′ 8" with the two overlapping one inch when joined.  Both sections have steel angle iron bracketing around the edges, making this a heavy item.  Surface has the usual chipping of the porcelain as easily seen  in the photos below, but little of this affects the lettering.  Please ignore the glare on the sign in some of the photos below. 

Delivery options: (1) pickup in Naperville, Illinois (about 35 miles due west of Chicago), (2) free local delivery in Naperville, (3) local Naperville area delivery at low cost – inquire before purchase, or (4) arrange your own shipping.

A great sign for the electric power industry collector or for the antique firm who rents props to the movie industry.  Priced low at $199.99

In brief, here’s how it works:  Bring in your clock and pay a modest fee for a expert repair evaluation of your clock or watch.  The fee is applied to the repair cost if you elect to accept the repair.  You will be contacted before any repair work with an estimate for your approval.  The clock or watch is expertly repaired and, if appropriate, delivered to you and set up in your house.  If completely overhauled, it will have a year guarantee on labor costs of any repairs. 

Clocks we repair include:

• American-made mantle clocks
• American -made wall clocks
• French or German clocks
• Grandfather/grandmother clocks
• Pocket watches
• Wrist watches

Clocks we DO NOT repair

• 400-day or anniversary clocks
• Cuckoo clocks
• Quartz clocks
• Korean , Chinese or Japanese clocks (we do replace movements with quartz if desired)
• Electric clocks  (we do replace movements with quartz if desired)

Bring in your clock for repair evaluation with its pendulum removed.  Bring any keys, loose parts and paperwork if they exist.  For grandfather/grandmother clocks, contact us to arrange for pickup. 

We are a one owner general antique shop selling a wide variety of old and antique home furnishings, collectibles, jewelry, vintage clothing, and paper collectibles.

Some of the things we buy and sell are:

• · Designer Costume & Fine Jewelry
• · Pottery, Glass and China
• · Lighting—Lamps, Chandeliers
• · World’s Fair Collectibles
• · Black Americana
• · Cloisonné, Meiji, and Early Chinese 
• · Postcards—over 20,000 sorted by state and topics
• · Paper Ephemera—all sorts of unusual items
• · Celluloid and Tin Litho pinbacks
• · Vintage Clothing and Accessories
• · Sterling Silver and Sterling Souvenir Spoons
• · and Conversation Pieces.

Weiss costume jewelry, made from 1942 into the 1970s, is known for its innovative designs and

often colorful rhinestones. Considering the relatively modest price it commands, Weiss jewelry is usually of high quality and thus is popular with both collectors and those simply desiring a great piece to wear.

Formally named Albert Weiss & Co., Inc., and located in New York City, the company was an early design leader in the niche of Christmas jewelry. One of Weiss’ Christmas tree pin designs is still very popular with collectors. It came in various sizes, with either three, five or six candles. The six-candle pin (left) is valued at around $150.

While the tree pins are the most popular Christmas jewelry, sleds, wreaths, ornaments, stockings and poinsettias were also well crafted, colorful and stylish.

Weiss & Co. also produced necklaces, bracelets, pins, earrings, tiaras, pendants and brooches. Mixtures of various sizes and shapes of rhinestones plus interesting shapes characterized much Weiss jewelry and were a welcome relief from previous generally circular shaped designs. For example, the illustrated brooch combines rectangular-, circular- and pear-shaped rhinestones into a five-pointed star (value $75).

Weiss jewelry often combined several elements popular in 1950s jewelry – fruit, animal or other nature themes, enameling and a black japanned finish. Other designs were more classic, such as the bracelet illustrated here featuring clear and blue rhinestones and valued at $150).

Identifying marks include "Albert Weiss" first used in 1951, "Weiss" in script lettering, and "WEISS" in all capital block letters in an oval. Some Weiss jewelry is unsigned and may be recognized by the design being the same as signed jewelry. Collectors generally are interested only in the signed pieces, so those have far greater value.

Signed or unsigned, Weiss provides a true value in costume jewelry for the serious or casual collector. And it looks great, too!

Printed with permission. West Suburban Living magazine January/February 2007.

All articles, images and information contained here are copyright and reprinted with permission. Any unauthorized reproduction of content or format is a violation of US Copyright and punishable under applicable law.

Chicago was been the site of a World’s Fairs in 1893 and again in 1933-34, and both were spectacular events providing many collectible souvenirs.

The first of these fairs, the World’s Columbian Exposition was held in 1893, was held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492. Like most world’s fairs, this was a showcase of current invention, technology and culture. The fair also signaled to the world that Chicago had recovered from the devastating fire of 1871. The fair was held a year late but that did not diminish its success. It is still considered among the greatest of all world’s fairs.

The main buildings of the fair- all painted chalky white – were made to be temporary and indeed, little of them remains. The souvenirs provide tangible records of the "White City" and so they are avidly collected, especially in the Chicago area. The paperweight illustrated here (value $125) shows one of that Fair’s many splendid buildings, Machinery Hall.

The Ferris Wheel was one of the many innovations introduced at the fair, and perhaps the most exciting. It is depicted on the match safe (a holder for stick matches – value $250) . Other introductions at the fair included Cracker Jacks, Aunt Jemima syrup, Cream of Wheat, Shredded Wheat, Pabst Beer, Juicy Fruit gum and diet carbonated soda. It also marked the introduction of the hamburger to the U.S. and our first commemorative postage stamps.

The sterling silver spoon by Gorham (value $75) shows embossed images of Columbus at the top of the handle and one of his caravels, the Santa Maria, in the bowl. There are about 300 different spoons to collect – these alone could provide a lifetime collecting challenge.

The 1893 exposition set a new standard for the entertainment and cultural value of a world’s fair, one which many believe has never been equaled.

Next month: Collecting the Chicago 1933 – 1934 Century of Progress World’s Fair

Printed with permission. West Suburban Living magazine May/June 2007

All articles, images and information contained here are copyright and reprinted with permission. Any unauthorized reproduction of content or format is a violation of US Copyright and punishable under applicable law.

Eisenberg Manufacturing Company, a Chicago firm, is considered by collectors to be one of the premier makers of costume jewelry. It is noted for the fine quality of its designs and their large, brilliant Swarovski Austrian crystal rhinestones.

The firm started in 1914 as a maker of dresses. To help sell the dresses, it attached costume jewelry broaches or clips. Production of the jewelry was contracted to other firms. The jewelry was of such high quality and desirability that it was often removed from garments on store racks.

By 1930, Eisenberg responded to this situation by focusing on its own production of costume jewelry. These first pieces of jewelry were identified on the back as simply "STERLING" without any indication of the maker.

Later items were marked in various ways including "EISENBERG" like the necklace ($300) and broach in its original box ($250) above, "Eisenberg Original," a capital script "E", a capital block "E" and "EISENBERG ICE" like the earrings ($200 shown here at left. Jewelry marked with the manufacturer name is considered by collectors to be "signed" and is usually more valuable. Some Eisenberg jewelry from1975 and later was not signed and instead had a removable hanging tag.

Eisenberg has produced a great variety of clips, rings, pins/broaches, bracelets, necklaces and earrings, plus Christmas tree pins since the 1950s.

The Eisenberg firm continues today, still headquartered in Chicago, under the third generation of the family since its founding. Its jewelry has been sold in various upscale store venues, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago.

Whether you buy old or new, Eisenberg costume jewelry is a joy to own and can be a valuable collectible.

Printed with permission. West Suburban Living magazine November/December 2006

All articles, images and information contained here are copyright and reprinted with permission. Any unauthorized reproduction of content or format is a violation of US Copyright and punishable under applicable law.

Here are some of the techniques used by dealers and collectors for successful buying. Some are obvious; others are not. Add these to your own methods.

First, and it is a big one, know your subject. Buy only in areas in which you feel comfortable due to a solid knowledge of those types of antiques. Most categories of collectibles have specialized buyers guides like the one for vintage purses shown in the photo. Don’t just buy books, read them. And keep up with dealer asking prices and prices realized at auctions.

Second, be aware of reproductions and fantasy items. Reproductions can be easy to spot if you are thoroughly familiar with the originals. A fantasy item is a modern creation meant to look old but which never existed as an old item.

Third, carefully examine what you are buying to ensure its condition is fully known to you. This sounds obvious, but when an item appears to be a great bargain, the tendency is to casually examine it and close the deal fast, often missing important damage.

Fourth, negotiate price. Sellers of antiques and collectibles have come to expect a certain amount of price negotiation and buyers should not be hesitant to ask for the seller’s best price. Discounts from asking prices vary but are often 10% and can approach 40 to 50%. Low value items, those under $20, are usually not discounted but it can’t hurt asking!

Fifth, shop around for commodity items. Most antiques and collectibles are not unique and therefore many sellers may be offering essentially the same item. Prices can vary widely. Use that to your advantage.

Sixth, and probably most important, buy from those you can trust. An honest, reputable dealer wants your repeat business and knows his success depends upon your repeated successful buying. Find these dealers and stick with them.

Printed with permission. West Suburban Living magazine September/October 2006

All articles, images and information contained here are copyright and reprinted with permission. Any unauthorized reproduction of content or format is a violation of US Copyright and punishable under applicable law.

This is the second in a two-part series on postcard collecting. Laet issue covered history, photo, art, comic and novelty cards.

Postcards sold new today are what collectors call "chrome" cards, the glossy-finished multi-colore creations. They first appeared in 1939.

Chromes were preceded by "linen" finish cards, which were generally available from 1930 to 1945. Their surface finish had a woven appearance to the paper, hence the name.

Earlier cards, from World War I through 1930, were generally printed with a white border to save ink. These cards, often inferior in quality to later and earlier cards, are less collected than those from other eras.

The years from 1907 through 1917 are considered a golden era for postcards, known as the “divided back” era – cards printed right to the edge with the back divided in half for both correspondence and address. Before 1907 postcards had an “undivided back” on which only the address could be placed – messages had to be on the front.

The early gems of postcards from before World War I are most numerous due to the great age of letter writing stimulated by well-printed cards, fast mail transport, and one-cent postcard postage.

With so much subject variety, historical significance, good availability, and low cost, postcards present the right combination to make a popular collectible.

Printed with permission. West Suburban Living magazine July/August 2006

All articles, images and information contained here are copyright and reprinted with permission. Any unauthorized reproduction of content or format is a violation of US Copyright and punishable under applicable law.

That coins, stamps and baseball cards are the most popular collectibles is not surprising, but few would guess the next most in-demand item – postcards.

In fact, in the average antique store, more people browse the postcard displays than those of any other collectible. The postcard’s seeming universal appeal is probably due to a combination of factors – the diversity of subjects they capture, the convenient size and generally low cost.

What else can you buy that is often as much as 100 or so years old, has an interesting image or graphics, is usually dated by a postmark attesting to its age, and costs only a few dollars?

The collecting of postcards even has its own name – “deltiology” – derived from the Greek word for “writing tablet.”

Postcards are most often collected by subject. "View cards" – those showing images of cities, towns and geographical features, are among the most popular. They provide a record of streets, buildings and scenes that probably do not look the same today. Many collect views of their home town.

Historical cards show events current at the time, such as World’s Fairs, state and local fairs, people at work, parades and political events.

Real photo postcards hold a special attraction because they generally capture images in higher detail than view cards and offer more true-to-life accuracy. An exception is the real photo postcards containing exaggerations as in the accompanying illustration – they capture the spirit of humor in American life.

Art cards, the craft work of skilled artists who signed their work, are highly sought after and often collected by artist name. Comic cards, most of which are hand-drawn, are capsules of humor while novelty cards are often mechanical in nature – hold-to-light or made of unusual material such as leather or wood.

Printed with permission. West Suburban Living magazine May/June 2006.

All articles, images and information contained here are copyright and reprinted with permission. Any unauthorized reproduction of content or format is a violation of US Copyright and punishable under applicable law.