collectibles

No Egrets Antiques is our business name, and while it’s a play on words to reflect our attitude about buying and selling antiques and collectibles, we do have some regrets about our past purchases, and they sit in storage awaiting some sort of decision on what would be the best way to dispose of them. I don’t recall any regrets toward any thing we have sold. Oh sure, if you held onto some antique long enough it may increase in value, but then where would the profit come from to buy more. So we try to keep the “I Let It Go Too Cheap” talk out of our conversation.

Our buying time is constant with different seasons giving us different venues to shop, all of them discussed in previous blogs on Collectors’ Quest. And I have discussed some of our selling activities also. We’re getting ready for a full calendar of flea markets this year, with several already paid for to ensure we get favorable locations. Our first was last month and while successful, it was a small show and we had a small booth. Our next show will be new to us and the booth space is larger. The challenge is finding the right mix of items to attract a wide audience to your booth.

I’m a believer in the philosphy that shoppers attract shoppers, and to that end we select some items that attract buyers but take time to look over, keeping people in our booth longer. These are mostly inexpensive collectibles, post cards, records, photos, costume jewelry, and we sprinkle in salt and pepper shakers, and little figurines of animals. Every one loves little animals.

With an indoor setting, wind, cold and rain are not an issue so paper, magazines, photos, books and framed prints can be used to fill the tables and the booth space with customers. The rest will be the antiques that have value and will attract the serious collectors. Then comes the fun of the outdoor markets and we are signed up for five shows already. Plus I’m looking into about nine other dates from early May thru October. Naturally, the opportunity to purchase antiques at all these shows are part of the attraction.

Spring also brings out the yard sale signs. I know that mid February is a poor time to start thinking about garages filled with great treasures, but with the long winter’s end coming nearer, my March Madness is the first orange sign at the end of a driveway. So let’s hope your buying season starts soon and maybe we will cross paths at the end of a driveway.

And if a vendor at a flea market is wearing an outlandish neck tie to attraction attention to his booth, say HI, it’s me.

I was told very early in my antiquing days that having monograms on silverware, vanity items such as hand mirrors, brushes and combs, and jewelry is a negative thing. Having an initial or name can decrease the value by three-quarters or even more.  I found this a delightful tidbit  of information and began collecting items with monograms immediately. To be able to pay a lot less for something because it had a history made no sense to me and to this day, I revel in the ability to get such bargains.

I recall sitting at an auction, next to a young girl and we had been bidding against each other on a few items. It was a friendly, not combative situation, each of us chiding the other for being “too cheap to raise their paddle again.”  When a lovely sterling silver serving fork was held up by the auctioneer, he mentioned the pattern, its age (approximately 1920) and that it had a monogram of an “M” on the handle.  I smiled and raised my paddle. I won it for only $20 and gladly received the treasure from the “runner.” My neighbor then asked me if that “M” was special to me, perhaps my name? I laughed and said “no, I was going to use it as a MEAT fork, so the “M” worked for me. She stared at first, sort of digesting my meaning, and then she chuckled. She felt that it was pretty darn clever.

I have owned a set of small compotes for a long time, used when serving cocktails. They are little silver dishes that holds olives, limes, lemons or such. They have a letter “B” on them and I always say that that initial stands for “Barware.” And who can disagree? I also have a few condiment forks with an “O” and I proudly use those to serve…you guessed it – Olives!

Many of my silver mirrors have initials, some with two or three of them.  I am especially gleeful when I find one with a family member’s initial. For example, my mother’s name was Ruth and the “Rs” are a real treasure. Or a letter from my last name, either from my maiden name or current one.

I also like to “gift” presents that have an initial, perhaps to my daughter or a grandchild. I love to introduce or encourage “provenance” or history to children.  Let them appreciate that once another child looked into this silver mirror, or ate their cereal with a spoon with their initial. Maybe that spoon came from THEIR grandma!

I do not see it as a decrease in value to have it monogrammed, although I suppose if it were a full set of silverware, it would be nice to have it adorned with your family’s initial.

Perhaps I should not be writing about this because now all you treasure-hunters will think of creative ways to buy items with an initial and raise the prices.  But it’s OK, there are enough pieces out there and I wish you happy hunting!

February is here and the Super Bowl is over with the winners celebrating and losers well, probably trying to understand the loss.

It’s also a time when many antique malls and stores have sales, with markdowns and discounts throughout. And with our outdoor antique market season coming, it’s time to start restocking our depleted inventory. We’re looking for items that are unique and underpriced, and that requires lots of work finding just the right pieces. Being collectors of far too many things, wer’e also looking for additions to our own collections.

One of our favorite antique malls is Fox Lake Country Antiques located in Oconomowoc, WI., and a short jaunt from home. Their mailing on a special sale had been attached to our calendar and with the Super Bowl starting so late in the afternoon we had “Time To Buy.” And while out their direction another must stop is the Antique Center at Wales, WI.

Looking at the first photo you may wonder about our purchases, so let me justify our buying habit. The window frame and coffee pot are both for our personal use. Wifey has a good collection of pots and pitchers of all ages. This one is old transfer ware in the Kenilworth pattern by H. Alcock & Co of Cobridge, England. It had a tiny chip on the spout and was priced “As Is” but as the display shelf is high up, only Wifey, You and I will know it’s not perfect. It was purchased at Wales. We also bought bronze hinges at Wales, and they are to sell. We seem to favor metal hardware and these three are very decorative and large. Made by Yale & Towne and signed on back, STANDARD Y&T. Let’s hope these find a buyer when its “Time To Sell.”

Our purchases at Fox L.C. included a rubber St. Bernard figurine, a souvenir plate from a jeweler in Ithaca, MI, an advertising pen holder marked Rexall Drug Stores, a deck of playing cards with Citgo Oil advertising, an old nut cracker with lion heads on the handles and two Masonic pins. All these will go into our stock for now as its “A Time To Hold”

Now lastly let me show you what my reason is for buying the window frame. I already had one for many years, it’s in our powder room off the master bedroom. With long winters, the room has a garden theme that includes this window and a “view” of the flowers in our gardens.

Oh, wait, “A Time To Pitch” is not in Wifey’s vocabulary, but I’ll be taking some time soon to sort through a lot of discarded electronics and other things relegated to the basement; too old to use – too new to be collectible.

Wes Cowan, Antique Week

In the January 11, 2010 issue of Antique Week, Wes Cowan discusses how “2010 will be a great year to buy antiques for the home,” for collectors who like to ‘buy low.’

While insisting he’s “bullish on the business” of antiques, Cowan says that now’s the time to buy antiques for your home because prices are low and “dealers are eager to make a sale.” He credits (if we can use that word) the low prices to three factors, “the triple play of economic woes, eBay, and demographics.”

I probably don’t need to comment on the economy. And Cowan’s thoughts on the subject of eBay affecting supply and demand (you can click the scans to read them) echo my own. But the matter of demographics is an interesting one.

When we met Wes, he accurately and kindly noted that our kids were weird — for being collectors, that is. So I’ve heard Wes’ thoughts and discussed issue with him; but his column in Antique Week he puts it it more succinctly than I ever could:

Demographics continue to play another major role in the diminishing value of many antiques. If you’re a collector who visits shows and auctions, you already know that the average age of most antique collectors continues to climb. There simply aren’t enough young folks in the market.

I’ve written before on the values of collecting, how we’ve bonded with our children over games, vintage vinyl, books, and shows like History Detectives. In this economy, it also makes sense to teach children the values of money, of recycling and using previously used things, of decision making, and how to be good consumers; but it also makes sense to encourage and allow children to enjoy the hobby of collecting so that there’s younger people looking for older stuff.

Children aren’t just our future, they will be the guardians of our past; they have to start learning to value it now.

So take them out to the auction, the flea market, to antique shops, etc. and let them help you snatch-up the bargains. (And tell the dealers that Wes Cowan and Deanna Dahlsad sent you!)

All scans from AntiqueWeek, Vol. 42, Issue No. 2112.

Wes Cowan Article, Part Two

While it would be more than enough, Mary Ann Cade doesn’t only discover, preserve, and collect silent film history presumed lost, she also collects props from television and movies. Now she’s back again with some tips for other collectors — including photos of her most recent prop jewelry acquisitions.

On the desirability of jewelry props: The items are one of a kind and cross collectible because if they are a prop from a show or film, they are sought after by prop collectors of that show or film, fans of an actress, etc., as well as collectors of jewelry.

Brooch From Meet Joe Black

Necklace From Meet Joe Black

On why she loves jewelry props: The neat thing about collecting jewelry worn in films, is that, like wardrobe, one can wear it too instead of it sitting on a shelf collecting dust and taking up space.

Earrings From Sex & The City

Earrings From The Titanic

A few words on the pricing of film and television props: The beauty of prop collecting is that most of the props I buy are pretty inexpensive. Most brooches or earrings sell from $24.99 to $39.99. There are some props that are more expensive, but it has to do with size or if the item was worn by a specific star and sold as a star worn item. That can drive the price up quickly.

Brooch From Designing Women

Earrings From Bewitched

On selection, Mary sounds a lot like CQ’s very own Val Ubell: The best thing to do is check out the items and buy something that takes one’s fancy, either the color of the stones in a piece of jewelry, I look at size of items (I like large brooches for example) with lots of colors and I also like white diamondesque things too.

Earrings From Somewhere In Time

Pin From I Love Lucy

On the additional fun and challenges of collecting movie memorabilia and television props: I urge anyone who collects props to watch a film or show and pay close attention to the set and what the actors are wearing and make a mental note of something because it may show up for sale sometime in the future!

Pin From Practical Magic