Show Is ‘a Walk Down Memory Lane’

Lynn Moger, who formerly worked in wardrobe production, and her husband, Donald, who has an advertising background, are former New Yorkers whose love of collectibles turned into a full-time career in Southern California.

They are promoters of the 5-year-old Long Beach Outdoor Antique and Collectible Market, an event held the third Sunday of every month. It draws about 600 dealers and 10,000 people per show, Lynn Moger says.

“It’s a real low-key kind of show,” she added. “It’s for people who want to walk down memory lane. Just seeing a pair of shoes like your grandmother wore can give you the chuckle of the afternoon.”

Both of the Mogers are collectors in their own right.

Among their collectibles, she said, are a toy collection dating back to the 1930s, Disneyana pieces, puppets, snuff bottles, salt and pepper shakers going back half a century, perfume bottles dating back to the turn of the century and a collection of etchings from the 1920s created by the late artist Louis Icart.

“I have 750 to 1,000 pieces of Bakelite jewelry,” she said of the jewelry that enjoyed so much popularity in the 1920s and 1930s during the Art Deco period.

What’s hot in collectibles? “Advertising memorabilia is always big,” she said. “It keeps going up in price and gets more valuable in time.”

The Long Beach Outdoor Antique and Collectible Market is scheduled Sunday at Long Beach Veterans Stadium, Lakewood Boulevard and Conant Street near Interstate 405. Admission is $2.50 for adults; children 12 and under, free. Hours are 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and parking is free.

Question: When should we ask for a bill of sale in buying collectibles?--A.R.

Answer: Our rule of thumb is to request a bill of sale on big-ticket purchases but not to bother when spending only a few dollars on flea market items. Bills of sale are generally important for insurance, tax and record-keeping reasons.

Bills of sale can also be used for authenticating collectibles and artwork by having the seller write on the sales slip that a particular artist actually fashioned the item or that it was produced by a specific company or craftsman.

Date Book

The third annual Black Memorabilia Extravaganza Show & Sale is scheduled May 1-3 at the Pasadena Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Black collectibles on display will include dolls, books, games, Civil War artifacts, jewelry and African items.

According to the show’s promoters, there are about 10,000 collectors of black memorabilia in the country, and, they said, nearly 1,000 buyers attended last year’s show.

Admission Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., is $3.50. A Friday sneak preview, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., will cost $15.