Antiques & Collecting: Vintage advertising

Thanksgiving will be here soon, and while the best organizers among us may already have everything in place, most of us are probably still working through our shopping lists.

Let’s see — turkey, seasonings for stuffing, ingredients for side dishes, pumpkin pie spices and, oh, don’t forget a six-pack of Coke.

Well, that last item might not be on the menu for most Thanksgiving dinners, although this circa-1950 advertising banner, which sold for $150 at Woody Auction, shows it’s not from the company’s lack of trying.

Coca-Cola is a favorite brand among collectors of vintage advertising. Coca-Cola holiday advertisements are especially beloved.

Coca-Cola Christmas ads from the 1930s to 1960s by painter Haddon Sundblom are credited with creating the popular image of Santa Claus.

Even if it doesn’t make it to every holiday table, Coca-Cola has become an icon of everyday American life.

My sister has a handwritten letter and handwritten envelope dated Dec. 10, 1997, from Harper Lee. Is this worth contacting an auction house?

We think so. Harper Lee was the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and is still considered one of the greatest American novels of the 20th century.

Her signature sells well at auctions. Several examples have sold for high prices this year. An autographed bookplate sold for $130.

A typed excerpt from “To Kill a Mockingbird” with Lee’s signature sold for $530, and a first edition of the novel accompanied by a handwritten letter from the author sold for an impressive $14,400.

Look for auction houses that specialize in autographs, books or Americana. Get references before you sell anything.

If you prefer to sell locally, you can look for antiquarian book dealers, as well as antiques dealers. Some coin and stamp dealers also buy and sell autographs. The dealer usually sets the price.

If you decide to send the letter and envelope to an out-of-town dealer or auction house, send it with tracking. You may want to get it insured, as well.

Tip: Hands can damage paper collectibles by leaving fingerprints and traces of oil or salt. All will cause stains eventually. Store paper in protective plastic holders made of inert material.

Current Prices

Marble, clambroth, alternating blue and teal stripes, white ground, bubbles, handmade, 5/8 inches, $50.

Paper doll, boy, five outfits, football uniform, tennis uniform, coat, farm clothes, cut, $60.

Perfume bottle, Schiaparelli, Shocking, dress form shape, satin tape measure over shoulders, red “S” logo in center, ball shape stopper, factice, 15 1/2 inches, $325.

Silver plate, turkey server, dome lid, warmer base, pierced finial and handles, embossed flowers, wreaths and scrolls, four-footed, 14 1/2 x 26 x 17 inches, $720.

Clothing, wig, white, braided back, curled front, label, on stand, Anthony Boch, Phila., 1800s, stand 29 1/2 inches, $1,195.

Sampler, alphabet, verse, unfinished indoor scene, figures, border, silk on linen, Hannah Cox, In The 11 Year of Her Age, Marblehead, 1797, frame, 26 x 23 inches, $2,375.