Notes
In 1908 a young woman named Florence Pretz of Kansas City, MO was awarded a patent for a new statuette design. In 1909, a coin bank (image #4) of this design was manufactured by the Billiken Co. of Chicago. The next year, the American Doll and Toy company made more the 200,000 Billiken dolls (image #3), which were the rage for 6 months and then disappeared. The slogan which Miss Pretz placed on the base of the plaster of Paris statuette read, "THE GOD OF THINGS AS THEY OUGHT TO BE", a paraphrase of Kipling's famous words from his book, L'Envoi: "Shall draw the things as he sees it for the God of things as they are!" The Billiken was introduced into Alaska by a store keeper on Diomede Island. He gave a statuette to an Iluit, Angokwaghuk, nicknamed "Happy Jack", who was probably one of the most famous ivory carvers of all time. Happy Jack carved one exactly like it with toes, belly, head and smile, then made more, and they sold fast. The Eskimos have continued to carve whale teeth into Billikens to this day.
An interesting fact about today's Alaskan Billiken is the remarkable similarity to the original Pretz design. The carvers have continued to copy faithfully "Happy Jack's" copy. The Billiken is regarded by the Eskimos as a good luck symbol. Luck is supposed to be generated by ownership of a Billiken in any form. To bring greatness of health, happiness and good fortune one must rub his belly twice a day, always thinking of others, and for them "good things!"
Antique and Antique Collecting
Antiques have always lured those with a passion for the past and its cultural significance. Antique collecting though is a serious hobby which requires the hobbyist to posses a great deal of information on the history and other correlating facts if they are to land a reasonable purchase. Most often if not antiques make their way into the mainstream market via simple garage sales, auction houses etc. wherein the owner would have overlooked the significance of these precious collectables.
A reflection and testimony of the glorious past, Antiques are undoubtedly rare. Perhaps that is why Antiques have been collected and preserved for over thousands of years as a souvenir and tribute to what has been and gone. After all, those heard are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter!
Antique collecting has been in the books since the 16th century, gaining momentum through the 18th century to grow into what is now a healthy international business thats on par with the art industry. Some individuals prefer to collect antiques from a specific era, while most are into specific objects and aim at a timeline based collection such as vintage cars or clocks from the 1950s for example. The purchase of antiques is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effort that goes into their maintenance. Most objects would be anywhere in the range of 50 to 100 years old. The biggest culprit to an antiques degradation is exposure to natural elements, even the air in most cases!
Over the years, antique collecting has taken another curious twist as certain home décor trends these days reflect on a retro feel. For this reason a lot of long lost furniture and clothing styles from half a century ago have found their way back into the current world with small changes that help them amalgamate into the 21st century. This trend of commercially viable antiques has had a negative impact on the market as replicas of famous antiques have been making the rounds and authenticity issues are far too common. Examples for the same would be pendulum clocks, bone china and the 1970 – 1979 contemporary modern furniture.
When it comes to venturing towards a purchase, its best for an individual to take assistance from the nearest antique dealer organization as it would guarantee both its authenticity as well as cover any legalities. Most often the replica market supplies the same antiques at a much lower price and the buyer could suffer serious repercussions on purchasing from such sources as these pieces are not officially accounted for. Antique collecting needs to be met with diligence and maturity in order to successfully sustain the past in the present.
