I'm not much of an antique collector, but once in a while a piece comes along that I've just got to have. Such is the case with this beautiful glass sign, which came to me through Stonington antique dealer Bill Clark. The lettering of Boulevard Velvet and the outlines of the shield and the red AWB letters is gold leaf, with centers that look to be acid-etched, and the background is painted in black enamel. The grey patch in front of the V is where the enamel has peeled from the back of the glass; otherwise this is in extraordinary condition. A.W.B. stands for Augustus B. Wimpfheimer, whose family owned the Wimpfheimer velvet mill in Stonington since the 1880s. From the wavyness of the glass, Bill thinks this sign dates from the 1890s, and at one time it would have been displayed in the company's sales office in New York.