Antiques

They leak, shake, rattle and spark -- and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The rarest of rare vintage motorcycles, these decades-old machines are challenging to start and difficult to ride. Yet they are becoming more expensive to purchase despite -- and some say because of -- the down economy. For years, ultra-obscure bikes such as a 1936 Crocker Twin or a 1907 Curtiss V-8 were collected by a small handful of moneyed gearheads.

For 20 years, Oran Z. Belgrave has been looking for that box. It's the one the first black G.I. Joe doll came in back in the mid-1960s. He'll pay $200 when he finds it. But that's it -- really it. Belgrave isn't looking to buy more things. His obsession with collecting African American-themed antiques and memorabilia has consumed the better part of his life, and now, Belgrave said, "I have to hold myself down." His place is so crammed, a person can barely walk through it.

SHARON LYNN BEAR can't be dissuaded by the price of gas, the time it takes to unearth the perfect piece or the disappointment of ending a shopping excursion empty-handed. Whether the Irvine resident is browsing for a 19th century vase or a vintage Italian footed bowl, her venue of choice isn't EBay or Craigslist but the old-fashioned storefront overflowing with antiques.

THE INTERNET has made it easier to find antiques, compare prices and talk with sellers worldwide, but antiquing online has drawbacks. Some shoppers underestimate shipping and insurance fees, which can be exorbitant. Other considerations: Unscrupulous sellers: Some websites have feedback ratings and list the number of transactions that dealers have completed. But are they qualified to assess antiques? Can you direct complaints to a retail store? Will they buy back a piece if you're unsatisfied?

Bill Erickson, a self-professed "gear head," has repaired and restored vintage cars for more than 30 years. He's been racing them for the last six. He's driven a restored Fiat V-8 convertible roadster in a 1,000-mile Italian road rally and steered a fortified 1954 Ford Crown Victoria on a 1,900-mile romp through Mexico's open roads.

Many of Greece's most valued ancient statues are wearing chains and padded vests, ready for a rare outing. Culture Ministry officials demonstrated Thursday how more than 300 statues from the Acropolis are being packed for a move this fall to a new museum being built at the bottom of the hill.

In March, Italian senator Paolo Amato joined placard-waving citizens furious over the removal of an iconic painting from Florence's famed Uffizi Gallery. While protesting the loan of Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation" to an exhibition in Japan, the senator took an unusual step: He wrapped himself in chains, looped them around a post outside the museum entrance and snapped the padlock shut.

The most dramatic outcome of Wednesday's eagerly anticipated news of a deal between Italy and the Getty Museum over looted antiquities concerned the fate of Aphrodite. The monumental 5th century BC goddess, believed by many to be from the ancient Greek city of Morgantina on the island of Sicily, is easily among the greatest ancient sculptures in an American museum collection. Now it is among 40 works the Getty has agreed to return to Italy.

ROME -- Italy will drop its civil charges against former J. Paul Getty Museum antiquities curator Marion True, now on trial here for allegedly trafficking in looted art, Italian authorities announced Tuesday. The announcement came after a subdued ceremony in Rome's Ministry of Culture, where Getty officials confirmed their August pledge to return 40 of the 46 ancient artworks that Italy has claimed were looted and smuggled out of the country before being purchased by the Getty.