Two diverse yet complementary estates will be sold Jan. 21 in Panama City, Fla. An amazing array of merchandise – hundreds of eclectic lots in categories too numerous to list here – will cross the block Saturday, Jan. 21, at The Specialists of the South, Inc., in Panama City, Fla
News-Antique.com - Dec 30,2011 - (PANAMA CITY, Fla.) – An amazing array of merchandise – hundreds of eclectic lots in categories too numerous to list here – will cross the block Saturday, Jan. 21, at The Specialists of the South, Inc., in the firm’s gallery at 544 East 6th Street in Panama City (zip code 32401). The auction starts at 9 a.m. (CST). It will be an absolute auction, meaning everything sells regardless of the final price. Offered will be two diverse yet somehow complementary lifetime collections.
The first will be items from the collections and home-based business of Matthew “Matty” Jankowski, who has operated The Matthew L. Jankowski Archive out of his home at 505 East 7th Street in Panama City for about the past eight years. Mr. Jankowski is an accomplished artist and writer. Some of his artistic creations will be sold, along with items from his diverse collections.
The other consignor is a local woman whose husband recently passed away. The couple began collecting in 1972 while on a trip to Bermuda, where they purchased a bottle. From that single modest purchase sprang an incredible and impressive collection that Logan Adams of The Specialists of the South said consists of “anything and everything – a treasure hunter’s dream.”
Mr. Jankowski’s inventory begins with a sizable collection of around 50 old movie posters, mostly from films made between 1967-1970, but a few from the 1940s (including White Christmas, with Bing Crosby). Some of the titles include Bandolero, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, The Boston Strangler, Charro (with Elvis Presley), Don’t Knock the Twist (a large-format, 7-foot-tall poster showing the film's star, Chubby Checker), The Trip and Marooned.
He also has around a dozen vintage circus posters, one of which was valued at around $700 on the PBS program Antiques Roadshow. The posters include examples for Hunt’s Three-Ring Circus, Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey (“The Greatest Show on Earth”) and others. Also offered will be a 1972 print copy of the Norman Rockwell rendering, The Tattoo Artist. The auction will also feature many other tattoo-related items, including books, cards and calendars.
Mr. Jankowski’s pottery collection features McCoy (including 7-inch green jardiničres and tall beige pieces), plus Frankoma. There will also be Vaseline glass (also known as uranium glass, because of their unique content and glow); a large Sun-Kist embossed milk glass orange juice reamer/squeezer in perfect condition; and a hand-blown early American moonshine jug.
The Oriental pottery grouping of about ten pieces are not antique, but they are unique and made by rural Chinese potters, generally not meant for export. They boast a nice crackle under smooth glazes. Then there are the circa-1900 hand-carved Noah’s Ark painted wooden animals. These were used as Bible study tools and could be found in most Victorian-era American homes.
Mr. Jankowski’s collection of pin-back buttons will also be sold, with examples showing Elvis early in his career, the short-lived Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which ran a total of 45 performances) and others. Hand-carved wooden
