The antiques and collectibles category is one of the most popular on consumer-to-consumer auction sites and marketplaces. Unsurprisingly, most of the antique and collectible objects traded online are sold in the auction format. After all, this area of human activity has always been the backbone of the auction business, because the dynamic mechanism of bidding is particularly well suited for determining the price of non-standard items whose value is open to debate.

Consequently, taking the business of buying and selling antiques online was just a matter of transplanting a popular activity and a suitable pricing mechanism into a new milieu, the Internet. And there it flourished from day one and still continues to flourish today.

In the past, the antiques and collectibles world used to be a restricted affair, confined to regional or, at best, national venues and fairs. The Internet has changed that. It has provided a global market place, connecting distant buyers and sellers. The objects a buyer would normally spend months or even years tracking down are now available at any time, from a computer at the buyer’s home. The objects a seller would previously hoard for days or months until he found a buyer will now sell online in a matter of days or even hours, and often at a better price than could be obtained in the “real world”.

The Internet has also empowered buyers and sellers, by making available to both a wealth of knowledge. It has never been easier to do research about antique and collectible items and to keep up-to-date with current trends and the latest values. With all that information at their fingertips, a buyer who overpays for a collectible item and a seller who undersells an antique object are becoming a rarity themselves.

Soldiers returning home from Iraq or Afghanistan have seen some unimaginable things. Although many of these young men and women are returning to their hometowns to heroes’ welcomes, under the glory and celebration are painful memories of the horrors of war. Places like the Abu Ghraib prison are not part of most United States citizens’ memories, but these horrible places may be memories keeping our returning soldiers up at night. We need to recognize that our countries newest veterans have young and impressionable minds that will need help readjusting to their once familiar neighborhoods. Many types of therapies are used to help returning soldiers, but an easy therapy that is relatively inexpensive to initiate is to use clay.

People who create sculptures have the ability to build something, make something new. This is the exact opposite of the soldier in battle who is destroying the environment and the enemies around him or her. Sculpting allows the returning soldier the chance to be a creator. Plus, he or she can use detail tools like glaze chalk to add color to his or her creation. Creatively bringing a figure of beauty and color into the world can be extremely therapeutic.

Local communities might tie into their American Legions and Veterans of Foreign Wars to help create ceramic art centers for returning soldiers. Local art teachers might be willing to donate time and things like clay making lesson plans to bring a therapeutic art program together. The bonus is that the community receives the joy of working together to help their beloved returning heroes. Some of the returning soldiers may feel so comfortable with the ceramic arts that it could lead to a new hobby, or even career. Those interested in ceramic art education will find that many art schools are very willing to work with former soldiers, and money through the Armed Forces will be helpful in fulfilling a new artist’s dream.

We must do what we can for our returning soldiers. Ceramic art therapy at the local level could be an excellent way to help soldiers readjust to their hometowns. AMACO thanks all who protect the people of America. Civic leaders looking to help returning veterans with ceramic art education will find useful information on AMACO’s website. Detailed information on glaze chalk or clay making lesson plans are available. AMACO is proud to help local communities help their returning soldiers.