At an 18th-century auction in Amsterdam, Vermeer's Woman in Blue Reading a Letter sold for about one-third the amount that its owner spent to obtain a then rare Conus gloriamaris shell.

Mad About Seashells

Collectors have long prized mollusks for their beautiful exteriors, but for scientists, it’s what inside that matters

Teal sea glass

Sea Glass: The Search on the Shore

Part of the sea glass hunting elite, Nancy and Richard LaMotte are finding the treasures they covet harder to come by

The Tragedy of Lucretia, Sandro Botticelli, ca. 1500-1501

Botticelli Comes Ashore

With the purchase of Botticelli’s Death of Lucretia, Isabella Stewart Gardner took American collecting in a new direction

Author of Old Masters, New World Cynthia Saltzman

Q&A: Cynthia Saltzman

The author of Old Masters, New World discusses how 19th century American collectors acquired European masterpieces

At an "Antiques Roadshow" taping in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2006, Nan Chisholm appraises a landscape of Glacier Park by the American artist, John Fery. The estimated value: $15,000-$20,000.

FOR HIRE: Fine Art Appraiser

Former Sotheby’s paintings appraiser Nan Chisholm evaluates her work

This Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $2.35 million in March.

A Brief History of the Honus Wagner Baseball Card

From cigarette pack insert to multi-million-dollar treasure

John Lennon's stamp album, pages 34-35

John Lennon’s First Album

A boyhood collection of stamps opens a new page on the teenage Beatle-to-be

In 1855 (the year of this daguerreotype), rocking horses symbolized middle-class affluence. Today, hand-carved horses are largely for the wealthy.

Happy Trails

As freshly carved toys or treasured heirlooms, well-bred rocking horses ride high in the affections of kids and collectors alike

The eye-catching cigarette packages in Johnson's collection served as advertisements as well as containers, testaments to legions of company artists. English Craven A's, American One-Elevens and Scottish Cuba Blends are from the first half of the 20th century.

Pack Rat

First Virgil Johnson gave up smoking. Then he gave up his breathtaking collection of tobacco-nalia

None

The Magic of Madame Alexander Dolls

Out of a Harlem factory come exquisite collectibles that, after 74 years, still bring joy to many children—and adults

George Gustav Heye

A Passionate Collector

None

Old News is Good News

For the collector of history in print, old news is good news

Page 6 of 6