Jan 25, 2012
02:44 PM
In with the old
A few weeks ago, “Antiques Roadshow” premiered its Tulsa-shot episodes, complete with a first (autographed) edition of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the most highly valued items ever to appear on the show, a set of Chinese carved cups.
Now, Tulsans have an opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of the antiques and collectibles world when author Maureen Stanton visits Philbrook Museum of Art for a Jan. 31 BookSmart Tulsa event.
I have been a fan of antiques and collectibles shows and flea markets since I was a child. I have many memories of traveling with my mom to the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds for the monthly Buchanan Antiques and Collectibles Market, as well as annual pilgrimages to the First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas. I was fascinated by the seemingly ancient items that surrounded me at these shows. Everything from beautiful Depression-era glass to retro-style furniture to enough books and records to fill a warehouse. Personally, I was on the lookout for antique toys — in particular, anything related to Little Orphan Annie. From radio show-era Annie decoders and toys to dolls from the 1980s movie musical version of “Annie,” anytime I saw a flash of red curly hair or a red dress, I took a look at the price and begged my mom to take the item home.
What I didn’t know, and what Stanton reveals in her book “Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America,” is that there is a fascinating and even outrageous subculture that operates behind the scenes of flea markets and antiques and collectibles shows around the country.
Stanton’s book follows Curt Avery, a master dealer who has become an expert in the lottery-like world of flea markets and antiques. Employing his knowledge of American history and objects from across the decades, Avery can turn a $20 purchase into a four-, five- and even six-figure investment. In the book, Avery has risen from a child collecting and selling old bottles to the top of the antiques world — Boston’s antique show. All the while, he continues to make the rounds of the New England flea-market circuit to buy and sell items. Through Avery’s experiences, “Killer Stuff and Tons of Money” provides an inside look at the “fleaosphere,” revealing the unspoken rules and challenges of this world, as well as the distinctive characteristics that make master antiques dealers successful.
Stanton, an award-winning author whose writing has appeared in “Creative Nonfiction,” “Fourth Genre,” “Iowa Review,” “American Literary Review,” “The Sun” and “Riverteenth,” as well as other journals and anthologies, currently teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Missouri. At 7 p.m., Jan. 31, in the Mabee Lobby of Philbrook, she will discuss “Killer Stuff and Tons of Money” and the world of flea and antique markets. The event will also include drinks, music, trivia and more.
For more information, visit www.booksmarttulsa.com or www.philbrook.org.
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