Ty has a new Beanie Baby in their online store. Check out Heartland, an adorable dark red bear with a large embroidered heart centered on his chest. The heart has an American flag design on it. Heartland also has a bright white nose, which certainly stands out! Price is $6.00.
It's almost time for the annual Raggedy Ann & Andy Festival in Arcola, IL.
This year's theme is "TOGETHER AGAIN" and celebrates Andy's induction in the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2007. The festival kicks off on June 13th with a dinner/auction and continues through the weekend with parades, kids events and lots more.
TIP: Want to learn more about the latest Raggedy News or product? Sign up for Raggedy Land's free email newsletter (link on Festival page)!
Listen carefully to the next pottery piece you find for sale. Does it have a clear ring or does it have a flat sound when it's "flicked"? That's one quick way to tell if it has a hidden hairline crack.
Listen to my Plink or Plunk test on two pieces of pottery purchased online, both were said to be in excellent condition. One was and the other, well let's just say, it didn't ring any bells for me!
Plink or Plunk
The April 2008 Bertoia Auction items reached their predicted high estimates, with the 2,462 lot auction realizing $1.8 million. The highlight of the show was an early Erzebirge-style Noah's ark selling for $36,800.
Other highlights include the Jean Austin du Pont scale model roombox, a scale model of Philadelphi's Fairmount Park residence, a Marklin tin gazebo and a selection of Dresden ornaments from the collection of Fred Cannon.
From Gifts & Decorative Accessories: "Gift vendor Enesco LLC inked a deal to design, manufacture, and distribute all The Boyds Collection Ltd. products. The contract is structured as an exclusive, long-term, worldwide licensing agreement rather than an outright sale."
Read more from Gifts & Decorative Accessories
If you're a history buff or just an avid viewer of the John Adams mini-series, you're probably quite familiar with the image of Ben Franklin's "Join or Die" cartoon published in the May 9, 1754 Pennsylvania Gazette. It's one of the first important political cartoons, with the segmented snake representing the colonies and regions in the New World.
From GEM:
"Drafted as a call for unity among the British colonies in advance of the French and Indian War, it was the first American political cartoon of lasting impact and later took on new meaning leading up to the American Revolution. It has been reprinted widely since that period and adapted for different causes, including use by both the Union and the Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War."
Glimpse a piece of history and see the only known privately owned copy on display at Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore.
Source: GEM Photo by Barb Crews
Many cookie jar collectors like to specialize in a certain type of jar and bear cookie jars are on the top of many collector's lists. There are old ones, new ones, licensed jar and lots of advertising jars featuring bears. McCoy, American Bisque, Brush -- all the grand old pottery companies made bear jars of some type or another.
These are just the tip of the iceberg, but will give you an idea of what's available in the world of Bear and cookie jar collecting!
Raggedy Ann & Andy Festival
Toy Noah's Ark Sells for $36K
John Adams Mini-Series, "Join or Die" Cartoon
Collecting Bear Cookie Jars
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