Brass belt buckles marked "Tiffany" first began appearing at antique shows, auctions and outdoor markets in the early to mid-1960's. Despite warnings from experts that such buckles were never seen before 1965 and did not appear in any reference books, buyers began paying up to $400 and more to own them.

This new 4 1/2" Felix the Cat toy first appeared late last summer. The painted jointed wood body is held together by elastic cord and moves when a disc under the base is pressed. This toy has quickly drifted into the antique and collectibles market. At a large recent Midwest show, there were 5 of the new toys priced from $75 to $145 scattered among the over 150 booths. Price new, $18.

These new bookends are virtually exact duplicates of the 1930s originals. The new are cast aluminum; most, but not all, originals are pot metal. New paint is shiny and very thin.

Trade reports from Asia suggest that cinnabar is no longer being made in China. The situation is blamed on plastic factories from Taiwan which specialize in reproduction cinnabar. Mainland workers claim plastic has all but destroyed the trade in traditional handmade Chinese cinnabar.

This new 15 by 22-inch menu chalkboard is printed on hardboard. The artwork is copied from a vintage original. The clock is operated by a single AA battery. Corners and chalk tray are brass. The surface is distressed to resemble age and normal wear.

The latest wave of new match safes includes fraternal, figural and advertising pieces. Most are direct copies of well known originals. All of the match safes shown above are new brass reproductions. Average price is under $30 each.

Heres something different, new rugs with the names of commercial perfume companies. The two shown here are for Iris Blanc by Q. Fleur and Eau de Cologne by Evrard Chartres. No authentic early perfume advertising is known on similar rugs.

The flood of farm and country wood pieces from China has taken a new turn. Pieces are now being reworked to include well known national brand names.

Quiltmaking in America has traditionally been an individual craft or the work of a small group. The limited number of quilts produced this way were primarily for personal and family use. But today, copies of American quilts are being mass produced by hand in low-wage countries such as China, India and Haiti. Sold in catalogs, department stores and discount chains, new quilts are now drifting into the collector's market and being sold as old. This article will discuss some of the differences between quality traditional work and the imports.

When the general public used to bring us stuffed shoe boxes, we never knew what we'd find. Some times it was treasure from an attic gold mine; other times just vintage trash years overdue for the landfill. Now, nine out of ten times, those shoe boxes contain baseball cards. Between Ken Burn's Baseball series on the Public Broadcasting System(PBS) and well publicized auction prices, it seems everyone, including general line antiques dealers, have been infected with baseball card craziness.