It turns out that, like most everything else, barbed wire shows up at auctions. Not just shiny new stuff, you’ll find used stuff too. Expect it to be at least a little rusty, and look out for clumps of hair or other things stuck to it. Whether that adds value or not is unclear.

Where could we look to find out? The Antique Barbed Wire Society’s Barbed Wire Collector Magazine might be your best source. Twenty five bucks will get you a six issue subscription. Don’t think there’s that much to know about the stuff? Take a look at these bundles and think again.

Magazines fail all the time, but it’s hard not to look at them as signs of something larger. MacWEEK’s fizzle was claimed to represent the demise of the Mac, Computer Shopper has lost more weight than a Slim Fast spokesmodel (800 pages to 80 in ten years!). And now Business 2.0 Magazine is shutting down and sending cancellation notices to readers.

Perhaps the lesson here is that there’s nothing too 2.0 about stories that suggest you buy low and sell high?

The housing market may be melting down, but prices are near rock bottom in these places — and offer opportunities for savvy investors to get in now. 4 smart housing plays.

business 2.0, magazine, magazines, failure

I get a kick out of these 1948 and 1950 Life magazine covers. Take a look and I think you’ll agree that no magazine puts photos like this on their covers today.

tags: 1948, 1950, culture, life, life magazine, magazine covers, magazines, retro