Ralph M. Kovel, nationally known antiques author and expert, dies

Ralph M. Kovel 1920-2008

CLEVELAND, OHIO - Ralph M. Kovel, nationally known antiques author and expert, died Thursday, August 28, 2008, in Cleveland following a short illness.

In the early 1950s, Kovel came up with the idea of publishing a book that indexed antiques by the factory specific marks found on the bottom of pottery. He and his wife, Terry, became nationally known with the publication of their first book, Dictionary of Marks: Pottery & Porcelain, published in 1953. The book led to a weekly question and answer column, "Kovels: Antiques & Collecting," syndicated in 1954, which still runs in more than 150 newspapers. It was also the first of 97 books that the couple would co author.

Ralph and Terry Kovel were featured in their own television series on public television, the Discovery Channel and, most recently, on HGTV (Home and Garden Television Network). They wrote columns for Forbes Magazine and House Beautiful. Their articles have appeared in Family Circle, Woman's Day, Redbook, Town and Country, Giftware News and many antiques related publications. They contributed the "Art, Antiques and Collections: Collectibles" section for Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year and were once the prize for a Publishers' Clearing House contest.

Their best known book, Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, has been published annually since 1968. The 2009 edition was just released. In 1974 the couple began to publish a monthly newsletter, Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles. Their subscription based newsletter has over 60,000 subscribers and is available in a digital version on the website, Kovels.com, which is visited by over a quarter of a million readers each month.

Contributions:
Western Reserve Historical Society, earmarked for the Carousel Fund, 10825 East Blvd., Cleveland 44106; or WVIZ/PBS Channel 25, Idea Center, 1375 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44115-1835