Founder Terry Kovel says “it was time” for a new home for the legendary antiques and collectibles brand she started 70 years ago with her late husband, Ralph.
Ralph and Terry Kovel published their first book in 1953, Kovels’ Dictionary of Marks – Pottery and Porcelain, and together served as pioneers in the fledgling antiques and collectibles field in the truest sense. After 70 years of serving as the voice of the hobby, Kovels, Inc.’s assets have been acquired by Active Interest Media (AIM), publisher of Antique Trader magazine and a host of other collectibles brands.
“After 70 years it was time to entrust the Kovels brand to a new home,” said founder Terry Kovel. “We couldn’t think of a better place than with Antique Trader, a publication like ours that collectors trust and enjoy learning from.”
Courtesy Kovels
The sale closed March 23. Kovels and Antique Trader provide AIM with two of the longest-standing authorities in antiques and collectibles media.
“We are honored and thrilled to welcome Kovels to the AIM Collectibles Group,” said Corinne Zielke, Vice President and General Manager of AIM Collectibles Group. “This brings the legacy of the Kovels brand and wealth of information amassed over their 70-year history together with our Antique Trader’s 65-years of serving the collectibles hobby and allows us to form an even more informative, authoritative, and entertaining source to continue to fuel the ever-growing collectibles hobby.
“We wish the Kovel family the very best and look forward to honoring their legacy in the hobby for many years to come.” Zielke said.
Courtesy Kovels
The Kovel name is synonymous with the antiques and collectibles field. Married in 1950, Ralph and Terry Kovel published more than 100 antiques and collectibles books and starred in several successful TV shows together. Their bylined column is the longest-running syndicated weekly column in the country, distributed to more than 150 newspapers. Kovels long ago embraced technology, launching an online database, further enhancing their role as respected ambassadors to the hobby. The fifty-fifth edition of their landmark work, Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, was published last fall.
Ralph passed away in 2008 at the age of 88, but Terry, who turned 94 last October, with the help of her daughter, Kim, and a dedicated team in their home office of Shaker Heights, Ohio, continued an unparalleled publishing tradition. AIM plans to continue that tradition through all existing channels.
Courtesy Kovels
Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, AIM is one of the world’s leading enthusiast media companies, producing consumer and trade events, websites, magazines, podcasts, and TV shows that reach millions of readers, fans, and attendees across the globe. The company’s two groups, Marine and Home, are divided into five divisions — Collectibles, Home Arts, Home Building, Marine, and Writer’s Digest. In addition to Antique Trader, the Collectibles Group includes Numismatic News, Old Cars, and Sports Collectors Digest, among others.
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