There are millions of people who have seen grown men riding around in little miniature cars. Likewise, there are millions of people who have seen maroon hats on men, and thinking they were from the Middle East. They might have even seen Sydney Greenstreet wearing such a hat in the movie Casablanca.

                Well, the little cars (called tin lizzies) and the hats (called fezes) are part of an organization called the Shriners, which is part of the overall Masonic organization.

                The Shriners is usually referred to as the “fun” part of the Masons. The Shriners got its start in 1870, when a group of Masons were having lunch at the Knickerbocker Cottage in Manhattan. There, they discussed starting a unit, or part, of the Masons which would stress fun and fellowship. Two of those at the lunch, Dr. Walter Fleming and William Florence ran with the idea.

                Florence was a well-known actor, and while on tour in France, attended a party given by an Arabian diplomat. The entertainment at the party included the guests becoming members of a secret society. Florence took notes, and shared them with Fleming when he returned to New York. Fleming then took the ideas and converted them into what later would become the “Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.)” . If a person rearranges the first letter of each of those words, you have the word MASON. Fleming also created the ritual, emblem, and costumes. Florence and Fleming were initiated as the first Shriners on August 13, 1870, and eleven others were initiated ten months later.

                A Middle Eastern theme was adopted, and Temples were soon established. Temples were replaced by Shrine Centers or Shrine Auditoriums. By 1878, there were 425 Shriners in 13 temples in eight states, and ten years later there were 7210 members in 48 temples. By 1938 there were 340,000 members in the United States. By the mid-1900s the Shriners were generally thought of as the leading secret lodge in prestige and wealth in the United States.

                The Shriners Hospitals for Children is the Shriners’ charitable arm. There are 22 hospitals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The original goal of the hospitals was to treat orthopedic injuries, diseases, and birth defects in children. However, they now deal with orthopedic care, burn treatment, cleft lip and palate care, and spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

                For many years the Shriners have been noted for sponsoring the East-West All-Star football game. That game has raised a great deal of attention to the Shriners.

                Likewise, many notable Americans have been Shriners. Among the lengthy list of high-profile men who have been Shriners are John Wayne, Arnold Palmer, Brad Paisley, Gerald Ford, “Buzz” Aldrin, and Gene Autry.

                In particular, John Wayne’s Shriners items have been very popular among collectors. For example, five of John Wayne’s Shriners identification cards from the 1970s sold for $2151 in a Heritage Auction in 2011.

                Also, three of Wayne’s fezes from the 1960s and 1970s went for over $4000. All of the fezes were maroon felt with tassels. One fez also said “Ambassador-at-Large” on the front, a designation that meant that his Shriners responsibilities included meeting and talking with prospective members.

                However, it was John Wayne’s 14K Shriners ring from the 1960s that sold for over $13,000 at a Heritage Auction. Most likely he wore it as a pinkie ring.

                Finally, a vintage piece of Shrine memorabilia went for nearly $4000 at auction. It was a 1934 formal invitation signed by the likes of Hollywood celebrities Clark Gable, Carole Lambard, Frank Morgan, Will Rogers, Bing Crosby, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Gary Cooper, and many others, requesting that the 1935 Shrine Imperial Council Session be held in Los Angeles. It makes you think that the Shriners who attended that Imperial Council Session would undoubtedly be royally entertained.

                So the next time you see a maroon fez, or you see a little tin lizzie, you will associate them with the Shriners, a philanthropic organization that does wonderful work. 

Chess

           

                One of the most popular games in the world today, and in fact for the past fifteen centuries, takes a lot of patience. In fact, much more patience than I have ever had.

                Small wonder that I have never been any good at it. Not only does the game require patience, but also the ability to think several moves ahead.

                By now you may have guessed that the game I am referring to is the age-old game of chess.

 

                The origins of chess started in India in the 6^th century during the Gupta Empire. The game was called “chaturanga” which means the “four divisions” (of the military). The “four divisions” were the infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariotry, which were represented by pieces that would later evolve into today’s pawn, knight, bishop, and rook.

                From India, chess was brought to Persia, and became part of a nobles’ education. From these, after the Islamic conquest of Persia, the game was introduced to Muslim countries.

                By the 9^th century, chess had reached Western Europe as well as Russia. A number of prohibitions and Christian Church sanctions throughout Europe almost halted the spread of the game, but it survived, thanks to competitive tournaments and charismatic players.

                Several variations of the game were introduced, including how to win. One way was to win by checkmate, as we know. Another was by “bare king”, or the taking of all of an opponent’s pieces except the king.

                Chess pieces have altered greatly from the times of chaturanga. Ornate pieces depicting animals have given way to pieces of countless sizes and shapes. Chess sets are made almost any imaginable theme, including battles, sports, statesmen, authors, and countless others.

                Of course, basic rules have been kept intact, even though the traditional pieces have changed in size and appearance.

                As you can imagine, because the game date back to the 6^th century, there are not only new sets available to collectors, but also vintage ones. Generally, the more vintage and ornate, the more valuable a set is.

                Here are a few examples of chess items that have been auctioned. A Japanese chess set made of ivory from the 1900s was auctioned for nearly $2500. However, a Mexican made set from the 1860s sold for over $5000, and depicted Archduke Emperor Maximilian of the Austrian Navy.

                Another chess set was given by President Nixon and Postmaster General Winton Blount to NASA advocate Michael Moran for $5500. A ruby chess set of “The Frog Prince” sold in 2014 for $50,000.

                Granted, it is unclear whether the chess set are actually used. If nothing else, they make for great conversational pieces.

                Once, when I was at a furniture store in Lithuania, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy a chess set depicting Lithuanian workers and family. My wife tried to persuade me not to buy it, but I prevailed. I must admit that we have not used the set, but nonetheless, it is beautifully carved.

                But what I paid for it pales in comparison to the set that sold for $260,000 by Phillips Auctions. Yes. That’s right. Over a quarter million dollars for the chess set titled “Good Versus Evil”. The pieces were painted by Maurizio Cattelan, and naturally, depict historical figures who have been regarded as either good or evil. For some reason there is not a consensus on Sigmund Freud, who is actually on both sides.

                Everyone seems to have gotten into the action of chess set themes. There are baseball themes, with one team against another. There are pirate themes. There are, of course, battle themes, with the Union Forces, for example, against the Confederates.

                Sometimes you need to keep your mind on the game, and not on which pieces are for which side, or even on which pieces represent what.

                So, for a novice chess player like myself, adding another more and more challenges only tends to make the game more difficult.

                But I do have to admit that I admire the creativity of the chess set designers. That is a skill in itself.

The Telephone

               

Have you ever wondered about how people communicated before there was a telephone? To say the least, it was very awkward and cumbersome to try to reach people, even in the next town.

                Peoples’ lives were either less stressful or more frustrating, possibly even both.

                In the time of the Revolutionary War, political leaders would send a representative (a gopher in today’s lingo) to a tavern to listen in to conversations. The representative’s responsibility was to “go sip” some ale while he was eavesdropping on conversations around the room. The person would try to get a feel as to the feelings of the leaders of the day. As you may have guessed, “go sip” evolved in to the common word today “gossip”. All that eventually changed as technology began affecting lives. One such invention was that of the telephone.

                In the 1870s, two inventors, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell independently designed devices that had the ability to transmit speech electronically. The telephone was about to be born. Both Gray and Graham rushed to get their designs to the patent office. Graham was declared the winner, and is recognized as the inventor of the telephone. A legal battle ensued between Gray and Graham, but there was no changing the result.

                Graham’s designs were a direct result of his attempts to improve the telegraph, which, like the telephone is a wire-boxed electrical system. The telegraph had been a means of communication for thirty years, but was limited to receiving and sending one message at a time. Bell’s knowledge of the nature of sound, and his understanding of music, enabled him to think of the possibility of transmitting sound messages over the same wire at the same time. Graham believed that several notes would be sent simultaneously along the same wire if the notes or signals differed in pitch.

                Graham’s young partner was none other than Thomas Watson. Watson would later be a star in his own right, as he founded what is now IBM.

                By June 1875 Graham and Watson had proven that different tones would vary the strength of an electric current in a wire. On June 2, 1875, while Alexander Graham Bell was experimenting with his device call the “harmonic telegraph” discovered he could hear sounds over a wire. The sound he heard was that of a clock spring. He perfected his device, and March 10, 1876 is considered the “birth of the telephone”. Speaking through his instrument to his assistant Thomas Watson in the next room, he uttered the famous words “Mr. Watson – come here – I want to see you”.

                The telephone was in, the telegraph was out.

                And collectors are enamored by vintage telephones. Of course, it also increases the value of an item if it was the personal property of a celebrity.

                For example, how about the personal phone of the “Duke”, or as he is commonly known, John Wayne? Well, it so happened that a Wayne-owned phone was auctioned in 2011, and was sold for nearly $6000. It would have been pretty cool if it came with an answering machine with his voice leaving a message, but that was not the case. Anyway, it still is a neat item, especially for any John Wayne fan.

                Another item that was auctioned in 2014 for almost $4000 was a boxed telephone that Elvis Presley gave as a gift to a close friend.

                However, collectors have also been attracted to the swanky candlestick telephones. Naturally, the older the phone is, the more it is worth. An Ericsson wooden candlestick telephone from 1895 sold at auction for $7500.

                Collectors also covet the vintage toll 50-cent pay station telephone. The ones made around 1900 are very rare and can be sold for thousands of dollars. Such was the case in a 2011 auction where a 1901 pay station Western Electric phone went for $17,000.

                Try telling your teenage children that even in the mid-1950s it was common to have “party lines” where multiple families had to use the same telephone line. The blank stares on their faces will be priceless.

Bowling

                I recently read that a 95-year old man rolled a 300 game, a perfect score. That was incredible in itself, but it was his tenth perfect game. That news piece brought back memories of my futile attempts when I was much younger to even get half that score. However, I do remember rolling around a 167 once or twice, and saying to myself that I would never score that high again. I was right.

                But I must admit that bowling is indeed an activity (sport, game) for the entire family, and for all ages. Just stick your fingers through the holes and let the ball fly. Of course, if you have long fingernails you need to be particularly careful that you don’t break them.

                But how did such a popular sport originate? Who came up with the idea of the activity that has evolved through the years that we nowadays know as bowling.

                Well, the answer is not known. In the 1930s, a British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie discovered some objects in an Egyptian grave that resembled a crude form of bowling. So possibly the Egyptian started bowling. However, there is evidence that some form of bowling was played in England in the 1300s during the reign of King Edward III, and later when King Henry VIII ruled.

                Most likely, English, German, and Dutch settlers brought some kind of bowling to America. The author Washington Irving mentioned that Rip Van Winkle awake to the sound of “crashing ninepins”. New York City’s Battery area was probably the location of the country’s first lawn bowling. That area in New York City, now called Bowling Green, is in the financial area.

                In the United States, the popularity of bowling increased tremendously in the 1800s, and bowling clubs were common. In 1895, the American Bowling Congress was formed for men, and in 1917 the Women’s International Bowling Congress was started.

                Bowling balls, which has been made of very hard wood, started to be made of rubber. In 1914, the Brunswick Corporation marketed the mineralite ball made of rubber.

                Finally, in 1951, the American Machine and Foundry Company (AMF) acquired the patent rights to the automatic pinspotter. However, what really brought bowling to American households was the advent of none other than television.

                NBC first started televising “Championship Bowling”, which was followed by “Make That Spare”, “Celebrity Bowling”, as well as “Bowling For Dollars”. In 1961, ABC began televising Pro Bowlers Association (PBA) competition.

                Bowlers such as Don Carter, Dick Weber (and later his son Pete), and Billy Welu, among others, were seen on television by millions of Americans, and Chris Schenkel broadcasting talent became known.

                It is estimated that approximately 95 million people enjoy bowling in about 90 countries across the world. Nowadays there is worldwide competition under the auspices of the Federation Nationale des Quilleurs (FIQ).

                Collectors have been quick to look for bowling collectibles as well, notably of celebrities.

                For example, the bowling ball and bag that were used by Carroll O’Connor in his role as Archie Bunker in the immensely popular “All in the Family” television show were auctioned. The ball is actually monogrammed with the initials “A.B.”. The items sold for nearly $1500.

                Not surprisingly, baseball great Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals got into the act himself. As St. Louis was regarded as the bowling capital for many years, undoubtedly Musial hung around with some of the great bowlers on teams often sponsored by Budweiser. Musial’s bowling bag naturally had the Cardinals logo bird mowing down bowling pins. In a 2013 Heritage auction the bag went for almost $1600.

                But none other than Babe Ruth tried his hand at bowling as well. This is evidenced by a bowling scorecard that he signed. The scorecard clearly shows that he rolled games of 196 and 191. Not bad for anyone. Actually, the scorecard was signed three times by Ruth, and sold for $2629.

                Bowling is certainly a game for everyone, except maybe for those who have long fingernails.

                Have you ever been in a house and seen a beautifully carved cuckoo clock, and then all of a sudden heard it chiming? Well, it’s a pretty common situation nowadays.

                But did you ever wonder when and how those clocks first started?

                It is generally regarded that cuckoo clocks as we know them today started in the Black Forest Region in Germany. More specifically, they were created around 1630 in the village of Triberg. The most-popular type of cuckoo clock was first designed in 1738 by Franz Ketterer. He was inspired by the local church organs, and his new system included small bellows and whistles that imitated a cuckoo’s call. His first model was an elaborately decorated painted wooden clock. The cuckoo was located behind a small door.

                The cuckoo clock gained incredible popularity within Germany, enough for many people in the Black Forest to try their hand at clock making. Clock-peddlers began traveling to different areas of Germany, as well as to France and elsewhere to sell their clocks. The cuckoo’s call became well-known throughout Europe, and actually was made the same way it is today, nearly 300 years later. Similar to church-organs, the sound was made by two bellows sending air through pipes.

                The fame of the Black Forest for making cuckoo clocks has spread worldwide. In fact, the most valuable Black Forest clock is the “world-time-clock”, which was made in 1787, and is located today in the German clock museum in Furtwangen.

                Typically, the casing of a cuckoo clock is traditional and is usually in the shape of a rustic birdhouse or a chalet. Many of the clocks are decorated with animals, plants, leaves, and depict hunting scenes. Some are ornamented with typical Black Forest scenes, such as dancing couples in traditional dress moving to music, as well as a rotating mill wheel, or even a farmer chopping wood. A cuckoo bird often appears through a small trap door when the clock is striking, and then goes behind the door after the striking stops. Many of the clocks are run by weights, often in the shape of pinecones, underneath the clock. They needed to be pulled up once a day, or a week, or longer, depending on the model. Recently, battery powered cuckoo clocks have been developed, but do not have the same bellows and striking that have been associated with the clocks for 300 years.

                The cuckoo clock has survived to this day. It is still greatly in demand, and is a hand-carved work of art that can be treasured for decades.

                Collectors still cherish cuckoo clocks as well. Clocks are often auctioned, and prices can really run the gamut. For example, a 19^th century Black Forest wall clock with a cuckoo door went for $750, while another carved wood cuckoo mantle clock from the early 20^th century sold for $2500 at auction. Often, the taller the clock the pricier they are. For example, a large wall 40 inch fully-carved clock depicting a deer family went for $3500. Sometimes clocks are bought for the beauty and ornateness of the clock itself, rather than for the clock’s mechanism. As an example, in 2006 an elaborately carved antique walnut cuckoo clock with carving of birds and deer was auctioned. However, some pieces were missing, and the clock that was offered did not have any weights. Nonetheless, the clock was auctioned for $5000.

                Cuckoo clocks are indeed cherished by many, due in fact for a few reasons. They not only are nostalgic, but also the product is very well-made. They remind people of how ornate and exquisite many items of the past were. Unfortunately many items are not built with the same craftsmanship today. That is why cuckoo clocks will continue to be a favorite around the world of collectors and non-collectors alike. They combine the best of the past with the necessities of today.

The Lure of Lunch Boxes

Lunch boxes are collectibles that have a soared tremendously in popularity recently. Throughout history people have always needed to transport food, but of course, nobody ever dreamed that these metal boxes could be worth a fortune.

     There are a number of characteristics that combine to make the lunch box a collectible. The lunch box represents childhood, television, food, school, parents, and more. As so many of these boxes were lost, it has become a treasure.

    It is hard to believe, but some of these boxes are sold for more than $10,000. The first “character” lunch box was the dream child of Walt  Disney who put Mickey Mouse on a lunch box in 1935. But it was really television, not movie cartoons or comic strips that put lunch boxes on the map. In the early 1950s  Hopalong Cassidy of television fame gave Aladdin Industries the rights to replicate him on the blue and red lunch boxes and on the thermos inside. Shortly thereafter, the American Thermos Bottle Company did the same with Roy Rogers.

    However, it was really Superman who coveted the most attention. From the mid 1950s to the mid 1980s, Aladdin and the American Thermos Bottle Company dominated the market with their Superman boxes. Both companies did, however, produce more than Superman boxes. During that time other popular characters on boxes included Davy Crockett, Howdy Doody, Rat Patrol, Care Bears, Star Wars and Star Trek characters, Miss America, and The Flying Nun. The last of the big movie characters to don a lunch box was probably the Sylvester Stallone character “Rambo”.

    Chances are at the end of the lunch box era came about because the boxes became too costly, and often they were lost. They were also used in brawls by those innocent young darling children, and found to be dangerous.

    Nonetheless, collectors of lunch boxes are often called “boxers” or “paileontologists”, and take their collecting very seriously. As a whole, the most valuable collectible theme character is Superman, followed by Hopalong Cassidy, Howdy Doody, and Roy Rogers.

    As a single box, many collectors claim that the most desirable box is the “Toppie” Top Value lunch box of the 1950s and 1960s. These boxes, of which only 10-12 is known to exist today, were distributed in the Dayton, Ohio area. When a shopper filled three Top Value books with stamps, he/she was given a choice of gifts. Many of the shoppers chose the lunch box, which was eventually lost or heavily used, and thrown away. Anybody who owns the Toppie lunch box undoubtedly knows its value and desirability.

    Lunch boxes will continue to increase in value. They are also visually appealing, and are lightweight, and easily movable. With the advent of the baby boomers, in particular, they are extremely nostalgic. As many people are not aware that they are so collectible, it is quite possible that you might be able to pick one up at a swap meet from an unsuspecting vendor. Chances are it would be the highlight of your day, maybe even your week.

Billiards

I think that most people have felt they have been behind the “eight ball”. If they have never been so, then at least they have heard of that expression, or of “dealing with a full rack”.

Of course, those two expressions are from the universally popular game of billiards, commonly referred to as pool. I myself, am pretty inept at the sport, but I have always found it fascinating to watch others, including my opponents, convert shot after shot, and not even give me a remote opportunity to make our game anything but a landslide.

However, having spent a bit of time around England pubs and having drunk my share of pints and quarts, I am familiar with not only billiards but snookers as well.

Historically, the best that can be surmised is that billiards most likely evolved from a lawn game, possibly similar to croquet, sometime during the 15^th century in Northern Europe. Many feel that the game may actually have started in France. The game made its way indoors, and was played with a wooden table with green cloth (which was supposed to simulate grass). A simple border was places around the edges. Balls were shoved, as compared to struck, by wooden sticks called maces.

“Billiard” is derived from the French, either from the word “billart”, one of the wooden sticks, or from the word “bille”, a ball.

In the 1600s, the public knew enough about the game that Shakespeare mentioned it in Antony and Cleopatra. In the late 1600s, the cue stick was developed. When a ball lay near a rail, the mace was very inconvenient to use because of its large head. Players would then turn the mace around and use its handle to strike the ball. The handle was sometimes called a “queue”, meaning tail. Therefore, the work “cue” was derived, and used the last few hundred years.

            Pool tables originally had flat walls for rails, and were only designed to keep balls from falling off. They often resembled river banks, and a “bank shot” was one in which a ball rebounded as part of the shot. Chalk was introduced in the early 1800s, and slate became a popular pool table material in the mid-1800s.

            The various types of pool games, such as American Four-Ball Billiards, Fifteen-Ball Pool, and others, emerged.  Troops during the Civil War held tournaments, and professional players toured military stations giving exhibitions. Cigarette cards were even issued featuring these renowned players.

            Eight-Ball was introduced shortly after 1900, and is the most well-known and popular billiards game known to the world.

            However, the popularity of the game declined in the 1900s until 1961, when the movie “The Hustler”, starring Paul Newman, depicted the somber life of a pool hustler. Suddenly, pool was back in the spotlight. The sequel to “The Hustler” was released in 1986, as Paul Newman and Tom Cruise both starred in “The Color of Money”. It brought the excitement of pool to a new generation. The game has continued to increase in popularity to this day.  
     

            In addition, collectors have been known to spend thousands of dollars on pool equipment as well.

            In a 2008 Heritage Auction, Glenn Ford’s pool table was auctioned. Evidently, the actor Glenn Ford spent countless hours playing on his Brunswick table against such Hollywood celebrities as John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton, William Holden, Toy Rogers, and others. The auctioned table went for nearly $8000.

            Another Heritage item fetched a lot more in 2012. A world-renowned Jacob Strahle Inlaid Pocket Billiards Table from 1875 went for almost $19000.

            Yes, the game of billiards, which has been played by people from all walks of life from kings and presidents to pool hustlers and domestic engineers is, and has been for centuries, a game of the masses.

Beatles

               It was 8:12 Eastern time on February 9, 1964.  After a commercial break for the pain reliever Anacin, it was time for The Ed Sullivan Show from New York City to resume.  The show was named for a former publicist and reporter, turned television host, Ed Sullivan. 

                Sullivan had been told a few days earlier that four lads from Liverpool, England were in a group they called the Beatles. They had already generated an unbelievable amount of excitement among teenagers in the United States. He had been told of the group’s popularity in England, and was encouraged to have them on his show.  And now they were about to perform to screaming teenagers in their studio and to a national audience. 

                And, as important as anything else, Sullivan had heard that the four Beatles were clean cut.  The four lads were not like Elvis Presley. 

                When word had gotten out days earlier that the Beatles were going to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, CBS was bombarded with 50,000 ticket requests.  Only a fraction could actually been given tickets.  But sixty percent of American television sets were now turned to CBS.  The viewing audience was estimated at around 74 million.  It was an Ed Sullivan Show coup.  

                Teenaged girls screamed as the band opened with “All My Loving”.  That was followed by a solo from the Broadway hit, The Music Man, “Till There Was You”. The group then sang “She Loves You”.

                The name of each of the Beatles was flashed on the screen. However, there was a caption next to John Lennon’s name that he was married.  Some of the enthusiasm of the audience evaporated. 

                Before the show was over, the Beatles also sang “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.  The United States embraced them. It had only been a few months since President Kennedy’s assassination.  Americans needed something refreshing.

                The British Invasion had arrived on American soil. British groups such as the Rolling Stones, from Newcastle, The Hollies, from Lancashire, The Zombies from Hertfordshire, The Dave Clark Five from London, as well as another Liverpool group, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and many others, had hits in the United States following the Beatles.  American groups such as The Byrds and The Buckinghams named themselves to appear as if they were British. 

                The Beatles were guests on The Ed Sullivan Show the following week as well, from Miami Beach.  The audience was just as enthusiastic. 

                But it was the first show on February 9, 1964, which people remember to this day.

                You might be saying to yourself that you have some Beatles items. Well, here is a sample of the most valuable Beatles items ever sold. 

·         The handwritten lyrics of “Nowhere Man” by John Lennon sold at auction for $455,000.

·         Lennon’s handwritten lyrics of “A Day in the Life” went for $1,200,000 and his “All You Need is Love” lyrics sold for $1,250,000.

·         George Harrison’s guitar that he used in the recording of the “Revolver” album sold for $567,000.

·         One of John Lennon’s decaying molars went for $31,200. Rumor has it that it was bought by a dentist.

·         The White Album numbered “0000001”, which presumably was the copy Ringo Starr had, fetched $790,000.

By the way, an unused ticket from that February 9, 1964 Ed Sullivan Show was auctioned for $9,375. Pretty impressive for a television show ticket. But it was not just any ticket.  It was a ticket for a show that served as the opening of a new era in American cultural history.   

The Western Calendar

              How often do we travel to countries across the world, and take for granted that wherever we are everyone uses the same months and days? We all do. That has been the way it is for a long time, even if there are religious observances in some cases which may occur on different dates each year.

                But it wasn’t always that way. Not by a long shot. Very early on, men calculated time by observing periods of light and darkness that alternated. This solar day has been considered the earliest form of the calendar. Next was the arbitrary calendar, which was the counting of days over and over. That didn’t work, as early civilization farmers could not calculate the best time to plant their crops. Humans then started observing the sun’s passage through a fixed point, and the solar calendar began.

                The Egyptian calendar was one of the first truly scientific ones. Each year had 12 months, and each month had exactly 30 days. Each month had three weeks, each lasting 10 days. Later, the Babylonian calendar was developed, which was based on 12 lunar months. A new month began when a new crescent moon appeared. The Greeks had a similar calendar, but experimented with a democratic state calendar consisting of 10 arbitrary months, and an agricultural calendar.

                The Romans got into the act when Romulus created a calendar that had 10 months in the year, with each month lasting 30 or 31 days. The Romans eventually had a number of calendars, the most notable one being the Julian calendar.

                The Julian calendar was started in 45 BC by Julius Caesar, and had 12 months. Months were of different lengths, and in fact, one Julian year consisted of only 355 days. Thanks to Caesar, a number of reforms were made, which have been incorporated into the calendar we know today. For one, February was given an extra day so that it is now 28 days. Each week was reduced from eight days to seven. Also, Caesar introduced the leap year rule, which said that every fourth year was a leap year.

                It was in the 14^th century that the powerful Roman Church decided the “Anno Domini” dating, or “AD”, was implemented, which is the counting of years from the time of Jesus Christ’s incarnation.

                Things went pretty smoothly until 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII thought that there should be a change in the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was based on 365 ¼ days a year, but really it was technically 11 minutes less. As a result, the Gregorian calendar, based on precise calculations of vernal equinoxes had to do some adjusting. Three leap years were removed for every 400 years. All was set, and everyone should have been happy.

                But that was not the case. Some people in England thought that since their calendars had to be adjusted 12 days forward that they were losing 12 days of their life. Oh, well.

                The Gregorian calendar is the standard and most widely used calendar in the world today, referred to as the Western calendar.

                Calendars have been favorites among collectors. For some reason, sports celebrities, as well as politicians, have been akin to signing calendars.

                Take for example, two calendars, from 1981 and 1982 that were signed by the University of North Carolina basketball team, went for almost $2300. Amazing, you might say, except that both of the calendars had pictures of a young Michael Jordan, and of course, his signatures.

                A 1957 Brown & Bigelow calendar, signed by Joe DiMaggio, was sold for almost $5700. It would have sole for a lot more if Marilyn Monroe had also signed it.

                But speaking of Marilyn Monroe, a 1962 sterling silver calendar presented to President John Kennedy by Tiffany’s went at auction in 2013 for a pretty pricey sum. Would you believe $30,000?

                As for me, I’m satisfied going to my local office supply store in November of every year and buying a calendar for the following year.

Book Collecting

            As many of my friends and acquaintances know, I read a lot.  I usually read at least two books a week, sometimes three.  I am rarely move than fifty feet from a book I am reading at any moment.

            I have even been a book reviewer. Yes, you might say, I am hooked.  I am hooked on books.  My personal library (I don’t use Kindles) numbers around five thousand books and growing. I said to myself that, since I had so many books that I might look at collecting rare books. So about ten years ago I started collecting rare books.  And in particular, a couple of them have skyrocket in value.  I do not want to bore you, but it is safe to say that the first edition, first printing of “Catcher in the Rye”, signed by J.D. Salinger and the first edition, first printing of “To Kill a Mockingbird” inscribed by Harper Lee, have greatly increased in value over the years.  It did not hurt when “To Kill a Mockingbird” was mentioned as the second most influential book of the twentieth century, next to the Bible.  “To Kill a Mockingbird” is now even a Broadway play.  By the way, Harper Lee did not do very well with the only other book she wrote “Go Set a Watchman”. But one out of two is not bad. 

            Many readers I know have turned their passion of reading to a hobby. 

            Rare books is one category of collectibles that has steadily increased in value.  And it will continue to do so.  In economic terms, it is supply and demand. There are only so many first editions of any book. 

            Nearly every family owns books. Unfortunately, the average American reads roughly two books year. For years the average American read only one a year. Sad, but true. 

            However, it might be worthwhile to pick up some books you might have in the house, look to see who the author is. Is it a first edition?  A first printing? Is it signed? 

            As with many collectibles, “condition” is extremely important.  A person should buy a book in the very best condition that he or she can afford.  Usually booksellers will grade books from “Fine” down to “Poor”.  However, keep in mind that each bookseller may grade books different.

            If possible, try to buy a book that has an original dust jacket. Dust jackets are also graded.  Having an original dust jacket is imperative for serious collectors. It is often cited that a first edition of “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald with a dust jacket was auctioned for $182,000.  Without a dust jacket a first edition of the same book went for less than $10,000.

            Of course, it will be rare for you to find a book in your personal stash that is signed by the author. But a signature can increase the value of a book many times.  First editions are also highly desirable. However, the book’s condition is the most important determinant of its value.

            Many collectors will take a chance on collecting first editions of unknown authors. You do not have to look further than John Grisham or David Baldacci or even Dan Brown. Grisham’s debut book was “A Time to Kill”, Baldacci’s was “Absolute Power” and Brown’s was “Deception Point”. Of course, nobody knew that their first books would someday be valuable commodities, and have movie producers bidding for the right to turn their books into movies. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books are immensely valuable, if you have the original printings. 

            But it does take patience for new authors to become icons. Most of the valuable books in the book collecting arena are those by legendary authors, such as Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name only a few. 

            It also helps if the author is a recluse or has a shroud of mystery. Agatha Christie disappeared in 1926 for several days, J.D. Salinger was a hermit who spent much of his adult life in Cornish, New Hampshire, and Harper Lee, who shunned publicity, and rarely ventured from Alabama.  

            If you have the desire to collect books, make sure that you buy from a reputable dealer. Booksellers such as Bauman Rare Books (Las Vegas, New York), Royal Books (Baltimore), Ken Sanders Rare Books (Salt Lake City) and AbeBooks (www.abebooks.com) are good places to start. Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi has old Grisham signed books.

            I have found book collecting to be very rewarding. Collectible books will continue to increase in value. I only wish I would have started sooner.