<>It's the end of an era at Houston and Bowery.

For nearly three decades, an unassuming tent full of antiques has sat at this unofficial crossroads of downtown Manhattan, luring in passersby from New York's former skid row. And on Friday night, its current caretaker, Billy Leroy, will pull the plug on his colorful big top.

<>The earliest known sundial dates from about 800 B.C. The first pendulum clock was made in the 1600s, and pocket watches were being used by the 1700s. By the 1800s, there were mechanical clocks, and the clock in a nearby church steeple was the best way to tell the exact time.

Last week, it was the spare room that got my attention. I tossed out a broken computer desk and all the clutter that had accumulated on its surface: paper clips, elastic bands and a mug full of old pens and pencils. Later that day, as I went by the trash can, the mug — a milk-glass Anchor Hocking cup from my daughter's Strawberry Shortcake years — caught my eye. I flashed on a recent episode of "American Pickers."

Could that little tchotchke actually be worth something? I fished it out and rinsed it off. A quick look on eBayrevealed that the mugs were selling for anywhere from $10 to $40 depending on condition and graphic. (Mine was the extremely desirable Huckleberry Pie.) Not enough to get me to set up shop online, but enough to stop me from throwing it out.

<>San Francisco – Bonhams looks forward to presenting its quarterly Salon Jewelry & Watches auction, March 26 in San Francisco, featuring an impressive selection of rings, bracelets and accessories.

One of the auction's star lots will be a Cartier, French, cultured pearl and emerald "Panthère" bracelet, composed of five strands of cultured pearls, measuring approx. 3.9 to 3.5mm, signed Cartier and mounted in blackened silver and eighteen karat gold (est. $1,000-$1,500).

A sapphire and diamond three-stone ring mounted in eighteen karat gold also stands out in the sale with its 1.60 circular-cut carat sapphire centered between two old mine-cut diamonds, weighing approx. 1.20 and 1.10 carats each (pre-sale est. $6,000-$8,000).

<>A historical portrait flask showing strong busts of George Washington and Henry Clay, made circa 1840-60 by Bridgeton Glass Works (N.J.), soared to $52,650 in an auction held by Norman C. Hekler & Co.

The rising use of the internet for retail sales transactions has led to substantial growth for the Online Antiques and Collectible Sales industry. Despite a brief downturn during the recession due to declines in consumer sentiment and disposable income, overall revenue has increased over the five years to 2012. Wealthy households continued spending on industry products during the recession, which insulated the industry from the economic woes typical of other retail industries. Over the next five years, economic recovery and increasing consumer access to broadband internet is expected to continue bolstering industry revenue and profit.

(Reprinted from The NY Times) MIKE WOLFE, the co-star of “American Pickers,” the popular antiques show, is known for driving the country’s back roads and pulling old signage, bicycles, gasoline pumps and other “rusty gold,” to use his term, out of people’s barns and garages. So it’s not entirely surprising to walk into his house and find a 1913 Harley-Davidson parked in the dining room.

Like everything Mr. Wolfe “picks,” the motorcycle has a story. He bought it in upstate New York from a man whose father ran a classified ad that Mr. Wolfe came across 30 years later. After establishing that the bike was still in the family, he recalled, “I drove all the way to New York, slept in the guy’s driveway and knocked on his door the next morning.”

Remember that old advertising slogan, "Is it real or is it Memorex?"

Cabinetmakers' expert craftsmanship has even veterans wondering whether they are looking at classics or clones.

"Reproductions or interpretations of older pieces have become so good that you can no longer tell at a glance and sometimes even at close inspection if it's a real antique or not," admitted Stacy Weiss, owner of Weisshouse in Pittsburgh and a veteran in the furniture business.

Ralph Lauren recently introduced a line of antique-looking furniture made by Van Thiel & Co., known for its authentic-looking reproductions. The limited introduction of 40 pieces had experts wondering if they were looking at the originals. Named Trade Mark RHL, the collection features a Louis XV armoire with four raised-panel walnut doors on a pine body. The rococo-inspired piece sports a genuine split in one of the doors, and the two-tone paint looks as if it has been around for a century or two. Even the construction is authentic mortise and tenon. Other highlights included a bookmaker's bench and Hepplewhite-style wing chair.