Decorating

It has to be obvious to all who have read my articles on Collectors’ Quest, I love to collect and display our antiques, many times using them in odd ways to achieve a desired look or function. I also like to report on the shops we find on our hunting trips, the ones I think you might enjoy visiting. Along the way we also purchase antiques and collectibles to sell, and Wifey has quite a good business with internet sales of treasures she offers. But over the many years and many highway miles we have traveled in pursuit of the next great find, lots of odd things have come our way and wound up in our storage shed. Of the really weird collectibles, I have to admit most are my purchases.

Some of these were going to be something some day. That’s how I wind up with lots of lamp parts, metal brackets, hinges, decorative metal grates, parts from curtain rods and door handles of every known configuration. Wifey finds these things sellable, but I’m always sure I’ll be needing extra drawer pulls or lamp finials or keys to unlock an item I might own in the future.

But the big question, in the parlance of a older TV generation, “THE $64,000 Question.” “Where did that thing come from and how much do YOU pay.” Naturally it’s always my purchase and I paid too much, until it sells, when she claims that she found it for almost nothing.

So, let’s take a peek in the storage shed to see what lurks in the back corners, that no one remembers where it came from or when it was bought, and I still must have paid too much for it. If you don’t recognize this grouping, I can understand, these came from a telephone switchboard, used to pull the plug back into the board when the plug was pulled. No idea why we have them or what I could use them for, and I can’t see anyone else buying them.

This plug is cast iron, and painted bronze. The plug taper is cast, so I’m not sure it could actually plug anything.

Made by and signed Wilton, Mount Joy Pa. The aluminum donkey on a stand, remains a mystery. It’s the wrong shape for a book end, and too light for a paper weight.

The enameled #144, well, it’s not my age nor our house number, so I must ask what did we buy it for?

When did we get that? Wifey asked when I pulled out this pin back badge from the Nocturnal Adoration Society. I had to look it up on the net to prove to myself that it’s a religious group and not a night life lover’s organization.

I’m sure you can guess the origin of the green porcelain enamel handle, yes it is a stove handle and some day I’ll find a drawer to stick it on. But do you recognize the other handle? It’s solid brass. My guess is its from a large safe door. If Wifey doesn’t sell it, I’ll probably sell it for the scrap metal price.

You’ll want to blame me for most of these items, but I’m not alone in picking up junk metal with the hope I can find a use for it or Wifey can make a buck selling it. With magnet in hand, she is the first one to head to a basement at an estate sale, or climb under a table to scrounge through boxes of metal objects at a flea market.

Look for us on your hunting trips, we are easy to spot. Magnet and magnifying glass in had, we argue over each purchase, beg the seller for a better price, and leave with bags full of stuff no one else would buy.

This past weekend we set up at a flea market. It’s an indoor one, held about three times a year. We’ve gone to it for about ten years but only set up a booth twice. At the table next to us was a gent I’d never seen before (we often see the same folks at these events.) He had sort of an Indiana Jones thing going; a tan ‘pith hat’, camouflage shirt and sunglasses. Yes, he wore them all day long. He had an interesting mix of musical instruments for sale, most in need of repair, and he strummed a mandolin, until it sold, then played some type of wooden flute.

Our neighbor also had a number of books for sale, most of them newer and he had read them all. When a prospective buyer picked one up, he’d tell them all about it, and whet their appetite to read it for themselves. He also had videos, mostly the older ones, and these, too, he’d talk about when there was any interest. It was fun to listen to him, not only the music, but his stories of places he had traveled to. He had items he had recently ‘picked up in Nepal’, or found while in Africa. He would incorporate his tales into the items and many of the books were from faraway places, and of course, he’d seen them all first hand. I do not know if any of his stories were true, but the passer-bys were drawn in and listened intently. They often purchased items and I admit he was quite a salesman.

At the end of the day, he was giving the records away “two for a buck” and I strolled over. Imagine my surprise when I found one called “High Barbaree” which offered “rocking rollicking songs of the sea in Hi-Fi.” The cover art alone was worth it, showing a red scarfed scalawag, with almost a snarl on his face. He is wearing a patch on one eye, the expected gold earring, sporting a scruffy beard and leather shoulder treatment, perhaps from a satchel that is filled with gold doubloons.

It was recorded in England and the songs include Blow the Man Down, Spanish Ladies, What Shall we Do with a Drunken Sailor, The Chinese Bumboat Man, A Life on the Ocean Wave, When Johnny Comes Down to Hilo, Heart of Oak, and of course, High Barbaree!

I was especially excited because several of my grandchildren are crazy about pirates. This may be due in part to the fabulous Johnny Depp movies, but also a trip to Florida where they met up with Quartermaster Moe, who offered them many tales of the sea from years gone by.

They also appreciate old records, even though many kids their ages would only want CD’s or Blue Rays. They play records with their mom and seem to enjoy the old music, so finding one with pirate songs should be a hoot!

I have not had the chance to play it yet, but plan to do so when the family is in town. I am sure I’ll get my 50 cents worth of enjoyment. If not, I’ll try to sell it for $2.00, which would be approx. a “buck an ear” for the pirate’s cover picture. (Sorry, I should be pun-ished.”)

Today the Wii games are the rage with all generations. Enjoying this new form of “Parlor Game” with skill games that entertain and challenge.

The bowling game is our family favorite, especially among the younger set with the undisputed

champ, our 7 year old granddaughter, who has practiced and played to perfection, beating friends and family of the middle generations that are more fit.

I’m not sure of the future collectibility of these electronic video games although I’ve heard Pong is now collectible. But there are plenty of collectors of old board games, me included. We seem to pick them up at garage sales and flea markets and they wind up in the guest room closet. The classic board games, Scrabble, Monopoly, Parcheesi and Chutes and Ladders for the youngest members continue to entertain.

Collectors search for the oldest examples of these and other classic games. Others purchase board games for the graphics on the box or on the board itself – framing them and hanging on entertainment or media room walls. Among some collectors the miniature game pieces are the prizes, with the Monopoly die cast figures most beloved.

Now parlor games are not all winners; each year brings new games, mostly variations of the classics but reinvented with catchy names or tie-ins to movies, TV shows or comics. Others are created with great hope of being the next answer to Monopoly, with very limited distribution and poor acceptance. I also remember movie tie-ins that had so much set-up time for a completed game board that the play was anti-climatic. But as a collector, one of these games found complete would be a real prize. Or a game like this Alli-Oop which was so simple to play with, similar to Tiddly Winks but with almost impossible results.

Ah, but these odd and poorly distributed and most likely “never played” games are the treasure we collectors secretly search for.

Rhinestone Fashion Jewelry

About 14 years ago hubby and I took a trip to Kentucky. We stopped numerous times along the way. Every antique shop we could find, even some thrift shops. During our travels, we came across a small, painted sign, in front of a house, saying “antiques for sale.” It was very well-worn, paint was not complete, wood was broken in a few places. But we said “what the heck!”, which is often our credo during our adventures, and knocked on the door. It is difficult to describe the lady that answered the door. It was difficult to believe she had the power to do so! She was most likely in her mid to late 80s, perhaps even older. But she was dressed like an elegant Southern Belle. She wore a wide-brimmed hat, pink dress with lots of ruffles, and even white gloves on her hands. She graciously asked us to enter.

We came in and glanced around the room. She had a lot of tables and curio cabinets that held her wares. Many of them were dusty and you could tell from the faded tags that most items had been there for a long time. She introduced herself as “Lucy”, but I don’t recall her last name; she may not have given it to us. We told her our names, it just seemed fitting, and she asked where we were from and what brought us to her town. We explained we were heading to Louisville, that there were several antique stores that we had been to in the past and wanted to revisit. She smiled and said that years back, she would have known every one of them, but she did not leave the area very often. Her voice was soft and definitely had a southern drawl. She was quite sharp and clear. We strolled around, picking up an item here and there, asking if there was a place we could set things that we had interest in. She cleared off a small desk for us. We found a lovely bud vase, a glass bowl with unique markings, and a few pieces of jewelry. One was a rhinestone pin, quite a sparkler, signed Weiss.

Big Beautiful Broach

She asked if I was interested in jewelry and I told her the story of my dear sister who had collected rhinestones since she was a young girl. I admitted that I loved them too. We chatted for quite a while about the loveliness of the stones, how frustrating it was when people just tossed them in a box, rather than treating them with respect, and even worse, when they kept them in a jewelry case and never let them shine. She got rather misty then, and I thought to myself that someday I may be as old as she is and have nowhere to wear my fun jewelry.

She totaled us up and then asked if she could excuse herself for a minute or two. We patiently waited, not sure what she was up to. It was about five minutes before she returned and in her hand was a pair of stunning rhinestone earrings. I told her they were incredible and that she was very lucky to own them. She smiled and said she had worn them on her honeymoon to Las Vegas, a second marriage, but a long, wonderful one. She asked me if I would wear them, or did I feel they were they too large. I said I definitely would, they should be worn so they could get the credit they were due. She pressed them into my hand and said “if you promise to wear them, even if it is only on special occasions, they are my gift to you.” I was astounded, and at first was not sure if she was serious. But from the look on her face, I realized she was. I asked if she had anyone else who might appreciate them, a daughter,

Rhinestone Earrings

or perhaps a niece. She sighed and said her daughter had died quite young, no other relatives remained except a brother in New York and he was nearly her age. I was still uncertain what to do, but she insisted saying “please take them, wear them, enjoy them.” I thanked her, then placed them into my purse, gently wrapping them in a handkerchief my mom had given me years ago. My hubby paid for our purchases. As we prepared to leave, I turned back to her and asked if I could give her a little hug. She smiled broadly and said “yes, of course.” Then we went on our way.

This new year’s eve was a quiet one. Several of our close friends are snow birds, heading south right after Christmas, others just chose to stay home. But hubby and I went to one of our favorite restaurants and, as promised, I wore the earrings. I have worn them almost every year and they always bring compliments. When we got home, I wondered if there was any possibility that Lucy was still celebrating the holidays. It is very doubtful, but I hope she knows, I have kept my promise.

Whatever your jewelry passion, whether it is rhinestones, or real diamonds, do not let them sit in a drawer or case, put them on and let them dazzle – that’s what they were meant to do.

Tags: rhinestones, costume jewelry, Weiss pin

My last blog covered some of the “Antiques of the Future” from a book by James Mackay in 1970. I agreed with a lot of his ideas; a few seemed to be not as accurate. For example, the pottery pigs. The book felt these were not very desirable, but ads that I see in antique papers, or those I have (rarely) found in antique stores, had them very highly valued.

I rarely see Victoriana in antique malls in Wisconsin, Illinois or Indiana. Further south and the east coast seems to have more to offer. But this book had some fantastic examples. One of the chapters was on silver, a metal I just love. The chapter talked about it being the “most important status symbol of the Victorian period, and for those who could afford it, it was impossible to have too much of a good thing.” The more extravagant or ostentatious in its decoration, the better! A pair of silver-gilt ewers proved that point very well. The author covers hallmarking in this chapter and mentions some of the ’stars’ of the silver making category, Paul de Lamerie, Paul Storr or Hester Bateman. He mentions that ’signed silver’ will always increase its value and that is as true today as it was at the turn of the century and forward. With silver being so high, it concerns me to think of all of it being turned in for its metal value, and some of the gorgeous, intricate pieces that will be lost forever.

Furniture is not my ‘area of expertise’, and although I understand that pieces from certain periods and styles, such arts & crafts, are greatly appreciated, I would not have thought that the mid-20^th century furniture was valued so highly! The book does not offer dollar values, just has a sort of ‘perspective’ of value based on what was popular then. Hubby and I attended an auction last month that had two pieces of furniture made for Herman Miller in the 1950s. We actually passed them by, thinking that they were rather unattractive, quite utilitarian. Boy, were we surprised to hear the gavel go down at over $950 for two office-type chairs. Now, this is something I wish I had known when this book was first printed.

There is a lengthy chapter in the book called “Porcelain” and it starts off with a statement that “of all man-made substances none has ever rivalled gold and silver in intrinsic value to the same extent as porcelain.” Many of the respected makers are listed, one being Meissen. I recall finding a very small vase with their famous mark 15 years ago. It was at a family-held estate sale and I paid only $20 for it. I had it in our case at the antique mall priced at $95 and it sold within three days. But recently, I had a large, very ornate piece in our booth. It had two children, cherubs, flowers, you name it. A wonderful piece. I was offering it for sale for a friend whose mother had been a long-time antique dealer. She told my friend it was worth “well over $800” and to be sure to get a good price for it when she was ready to sell. We priced it at $750, figuring it would draw a crowd at that price. But after several months, we reduced it to $650, then she reluctantly dropped it to $600, still no buyers. I tried it on the Internet at $600 and had one offer of $400, which she declined. It now rests in her curio cabinet once again. I am sure there are readers who will disagree with me, that perhaps shoppers in the mall did not appreciate just what they were considering. But once it hit the international market on the ‘web’, you would think it would have been appealing to antique lovers.

I guess what I have learned from this book is that back then, and today, there is no sure thing. Items priced to sell will sell, over time. If you can be patient, the pendulum will swing back and you will more than likely get your asking price. But a book from 40 years ago did not have all the answers; there is no crystal ball that will predict the future for antique values. Going to the antique malls, attending auctions, reading newspapers, and watching Internet sales will help you find that out. After all, an item is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it.