26 MAY 2019 ASK THE APPRAISERS By Jeff Pearson Great age is not important for a toy. Condition is the true master, coupled with demand, especially if it tickles the nostalgia factor in the collector. According to toy collectors, toys made before World War II are considered antique, while toys made after the war are modern. The toys that seem to be the most desirable are only a few decades old, such as Robbie the Robot, the Transformers, He-Man, vintage Walt Disney characters, mechanical banks, metal cars and trains. Most of the toys we see are very commonplace, such as the ones often seen in dealers’ shops. For example, in the movie A Christmas Story , the plot highlights the Daisy Manufacturing Company’s official “Red Ryder, carbine action, 200 -shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time” as the force that drives Ralphie’s desire to own what he considered to be his destiny. In the company’s history, more than 9 million have been sold, which makes them common and therefore without much value. Somehow the infamous leg lamp commands more attention than the BB gun. Another common toy we see is the mechanical bank. Most are iron reproductions and are worth under $30. If you want to do your own inspection of your bank, here is some advice: an original bank normally has a high sheen and does not look grainy, its pieces fit tightly together, and it does not have circular indentations on the bottom that are common on a reproduction. The most important factor in evaluating any toy is condition. Toys can be a challenge as there are a number of factors that come into play, such as identifying the manufacturer, the date and the country of origin, especially if the toy is in “play-worn” condition. If it is in mint condition with the original box, it could have exceptional value. If you have a complex toy with no repairs, all of its parts and with the original labeling and accompanying printed material, then you might have a toy worth several thousand dollars. Here are some of the toys that might fit in with the “highly desirable and most valuable” category: large-size toys, blocks decorated w it h lithographed colored paper, painted tinplate toys, a toy with an original box, large ships by Marklin, toy soldiers fabricated by Britain’s Ltd. of London in their original boxes, J. & E. Stevens Company cannons, old glass and ceramic banks are just some of toys at the tip of the iceberg of what collectors are looking to add to their collections. Also popular with collectors is American games such as the early yachting and football games of the McLaughlin firm. For those of you with young children, it might be only a toy at this time, but remember… Mickey Mouse was once Steamboat Willie, and his worth is plenty today. If you think you may have a rare or scarce toy in mint condition and is on a collector’s want list, you might have a real winner that could be worth a great deal of money. — Email me at damshill@yahoo.com or write Ask the Appraisers, c/o Jeffrey Pearson; 5525 North 12th St., Phoenix, AZ 85014. Sometimes it’s not ‘just a toy’ Antique toys such as the Shackleton Toys tinplate clockwork model “Foden F.G.6 Tipper” with maintenance instructions and original box can fetch a pretty penny. S SO YOU THINK YOU’RE HOT? JUST WAIT UNTIL SUMMER! GET YOUR A/C SERVICED NOW. 480-648-4962 www.scottsdaleair.com ROC 101485 ROC 129482 SPRING A/C TUNE-UP $ 89 RECEIVE UP TO $ 1000 in instant rebates on qualifying equipment. Restrictions may apply. Offer expires 5/31/19. Restrictions may apply. Offer expires 5/15/19. Regularly $ 129

27 MAY 2019 By Anthony Wallace This spring has been jam packed full of events and festivals of various kinds, but few can boast of the history and longevity of the Scottsdale Arts Festival, which put on its 49th annual event this year in March. What started as an informal gathering of artists to share and sell their work with each other and the community along the main road has evolved into a one of the more well-known and coveted art festivals in the west. In addition to the art, this year’s festival featured dozens of live music acts, food trucks and activities. Festival organizers received more than 800 applications through a rigorous blind audition process. They narrowed the field to 170 artists from all over the country and invited them to set up booths for the weekend. “We’re excited to have them all here,” Festival Director Jamie Prins said. A walk around the large festival grounds, which encompassed nearly all of Civic Center Park and spanned across Drinkwater Blvd., revealed a diverse array of booths of varying artistic styles and mediums. Steve and Bonnie Harmston are a Chandler-based husband and wife team. Together, they create serigraphs: silkscreen prints that yield vibrant colors and distinct and detailed shapes. Serigraphs were very popular at one point in time. But today, owing to the unforgiving and painstaking nature of the process, the Harmstons are among the few remaining artists of their kind. They are regulars at the show, but this year is special, as they earned the festival’s Best in Show award. “It was exciting and pretty shocking actually. It’s pretty hard to do,” said Bonnie. Jesper Johansen is a former mortgage banker from Denver who used to play with model trains as a kid. When he dug out the tiny human figures included in his old sets to show his kids, he arranged them in humorous positions in the kitchen. “They just cracked up and that’s how it started,” Johansen said. His photographs of tiny human figures interacting with comparatively huge everyday objects drew healthy laughs from those visiting his crowded booth. Another Denverite who found art later in life was Scott Hildebrandt. His dioramas utilize antique objects like radios and time clocks to house miniature scenes brought to life by moving parts he wires using the skills acquired in his former life as an IT worker. He’s now left that behind to work full time as an artist. When asked which profession he prefers, he did not hesitate. “It’s apples and oranges. This is 10 times better,” said Hildebrandt. The Scottsdale Arts Festival celebrates those working on a national scale in an effort to nurture Scottsdale’s own local art community. Scottsdale Arts is a non-profit organization. The festival is a fundraiser for its four branches: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Education & Outreach. Artists donated more than 100 pieces to an auction held in the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts, with all the proceeds going towards the organization’s education and outreach programs. The programs serve the whole community, from young children to senior citizens, bringing them everything from dance, to visual art to theater. Art has long been a part of the identity of Scottsdale. Scottsdale Arts carries on that tradition with the goal of enriching the community along the way. For more: scottsdaleperformingarts.org or smoca.org. Scottsdale Arts Festival brings art world to the community By Megan Forrester Shakespeare famously wrote “All the world’s a stage,” and Alex Weisskopf has certainly taken those words to heart. Weisskopf, a senior at Veritas Preparatory, competed at The English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition (ESU) at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. This event, which took place on April 29, is a performance-based program which allows high school students from all across the country to express their love for literature and the power of language by performing Shakespeare monologues and sonnets. Having qualified for this competition by placing first at the ESU Branch Competition in Mesa back in February, Alex began to prepare for her Nationals’ performance with the help of her drama teachers Megan Lindsay and Anne Vogel, and actors from the Southwest Shakespeare Company. Her performance will include a monologue from “A Winter’s Tale” and “Sonnet 154.” While it’s a challenge to balance the heavy workload as a Veritas student, memorizing more than 600 lines for a drama class production of “Trojan Women,” and preparing for this competition, Alex believes that Shakespeare is crucial to understanding acting and a stepping stone to becoming a better actor. “I think Shakespeare is a good way to get that basis of acting,” Alex said. “If you can act Shakespeare you can act anything.” A lex has been preparing for the competition several ways. W hile most t ake Shakespeare’s work as something purely dramatic, she carefully analyzes a text in order for a performance to seem more realistic and not just a one- dimensional monologue. She also keeps in mind how her acting appears on camera, as she is fascinated with film acting and studying behind the camera. “A lot of people’s first instinct with Shakespeare is to be as loud and dramatic as possible,” Alex said. “I try to make it dramatic when appropriate but also use quiet intensities.” Alex said she has always been comfortable onstage, ever since she was a toddler. She continues to strengthen her craft by acting in Veritas’ Drama Club productions, “The Sound of Music” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” While she is considering studying marketing and promotions in film during college, she says she is always drawn back to her love of acting. “When I was a kid, I thought I was going to be a movie star,” Alex said. “I have always had acting at the forefront of my mind.” Although there are three possible prizes at the competition, including a full scholarship to the British American Drama Academy’s summer program for first place, Alex says she will remember the amazing experience of the competition and how it has given her a sense of validation for what she loves doing so much. “It’s giving me a new type of confidence,” Alex said. “Little 10-year-old Alex who thought she was going to be a movie star. At the very least now I know I have some talent in acting. If you work hard at something, good things will happen.” Veritas senior heads to New York for Shakespeare Competition Alex Weisskopf Daniel J. Siegel divorce, paternity, family law Daniel J. Siegel, P.C. Attorney at Law 1617 E. Pinchot, Phoenix, AZ 85016 602-274-1099 • dan@danieljsiegelpc.com www.ARIZONADIVORCELAWYER.com Arizona State Bar Certified Specialist in Family Law Follow me on: