hand mirrors

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!

This is the first day of 2010 and I have to admit, I am happy to see the old year go.

While there were some highlights, it has not been my favorite year, not by a long shot.

We started out the year right with a 4 day trip to Ohio and lots of antiquing along the way. We went to the Art museum in Cleveland and viewed the awesome treasures of Faberge, Lalique, and Tiffany and learned a lot. Truly a once in a life-time experience. I will surely know what to buy should I ever come across one of their masterpieces. But then again, almost anyone would.

In April we went to Indiana, visiting a friend, and hit some of our favorite haunts. Made some purchases along the way, of course, and found a few additions to my collection of silver mirrors. I also found 2 small mirrors for my ‘purse mirror’ display.

In May we had a vacation to Florida. Unfortunately, I had a back problem that made it difficult to spend the amount of time we usually do in the antique malls. It was hard to reach the higher shelves and hubby had to help me out a lot. Walking was a pain too, so we limited ourselves to the three or four malls we generally hit. I did not get to any new ones, which was a real bummer.

Our sales on the internet have been adversely affected by the poor economy. Sales are down, but there have been some surprises with a few ‘big-ticket’ purchases. I am hopeful that things will improve in the near future; we are seeing some signs of recovery.

In spite of this, we had some good times. We were able to set up at a new flea market this year. It was a two day-er and even though the crowd was a bit sparse, we managed to sell some larger items and unload 3 or 4 boxfuls. We met some new dealers, found a few bargains ourselves, and vowed to be back for another booth in spring.

Our sales at Elkhorn Antique Market were very successful! All three were positive experiences, both in our profits and finding items (you know us dealers, we always shop where we sell!)

We had a very good yard sale in late fall too. We had not held one for several years and advertised locally, plus put it on Craig’s List. Three of our buyers told us that’s where they had seen our ad. We sold some big items. One was a large farm, produce scale with all the weights. A friend was cleaning out a shed and asked if we wanted it for a ‘few bucks.’ We took it home and it was in our shed for a few years. It’s just too darn big to bring along to a flea market, so we were happy to see it go. We also sold a few pieces of furniture, nothing astounding, but good quality. Chairs and utilitarian items tend to languish in the malls and at markets, but these nice solid pieces were going to dorm rooms and apartments. Fall is a great time to offer this type of furniture. We sold a few book cases too; those are always a hit.

Starting in fall, we dedicated one day a week to shop, and almost always at a new antique mall or one we had not frequented for a while. That was always something to look forward to and we located some treasures. We also attended a lot of estate sales, more than usual, and while it was not ‘killer’, we did get some unique pieces.

I always make a new years’ resolution regarding our antique business and this year is no different. I vow to not be too serious about it and remember the good times, not the bad. After reading over my blog, I guess the year was not so bad after all. Here’s hoping your 2010 is happy, healthy and prosperous!

I began collecting silver hand mirrors about 12 years ago and enjoy displaying them on the wall in our bedroom and on an antique stool, near a hat stand. They make me smile and they are ‘beautiful on both sides!’

While in an antique shop a few years back, I came across a companion to one of my full-size mirrors.   A miniature, measuring approx. 4-1/2” long and in silver plate with flowers and vines.  The lady at the store called it a purse mirror, for a lady to take along but I have since seen them called ‘doll mirrors.’   It was a charmer and wound up in my bedroom as well.

Over the years I have been able to find more and somehow it has become a separate collection. How does that happen?   I try to confine my search to silver ones, but once in a while another one intrigues me and I make room for it.  This flowered one actually collapses, handle folding into itself.

One of my favorites is this sterling silver one with a ‘hook.’   That was so you could put it on a chain and check out your look whenever you chose to.  It has wonderful flowers and is in great condition.   Now, who could pass this one up, even though their husband was going “do you NEED another one?”   Evidently, I did.

I’ve been lucky enough to find a few advertising mirrors too, probably giveaways to good customers or perhaps employees of fine companies.  There is one from the Manufacturers’ National Bank of Racine, Wisconsin (not too far down the road.) It has a very 3-dimensional depiction of a building and some art nouveau designs too.

Another is quite ornate! It is from the St. Louis Refrigeration and Cold Storage Co. of St. Louis, Missouri.   It is just plain super!

Probably my favorite advertising mirror is this teeny tiny one.   It is only 2-1/8” from top to bottom and was from Union Station, St. Louis.   Amazingly enough, neither of the St. Louis mirrors were found in Missouri.  One was found in Minnesota, the other in Florida!

The shape on this one is a delight. Made in Denmark, it shows an outdoor scene with gents playing music, a barrel for dipping and even a dog on the grass.

You just never know where the collections will start (and certainly not where they will end.)   These are easy to display because of their size and guests and family are always picking them up to read them or see the ‘pretty side’, which is usually the one that shows them off.

These are getting harder to find. I believe the most I have paid for any of them was $18 but a recent trip to a few antique stores found some with price tags in the $30-45 range.  Not my type of range, by the way.  So I recommend that you do not ‘reflect too long’  if this is your type of collection, they will only go up in price!

A while back, I wrote about my love of old hand mirrors. Most in my collection are silver, either plated or sterling, and full-sized, displayed on my bedroom wall. They are so beautiful, but seem to be getting more appreciated and the prices go up and up.

This may bode well for those who are ‘in the will’, but for the time being, I have not been able to add to my grouping. (This, of course, is good news to hubby who has very little room for his collections.)

So, I decided to ‘downsize!’ No, not that I am getting rid of some of my existing treasures! By that, I mean I have gone to collecting smaller mirrors. Sometimes they are called ‘doll-size’ or ‘purse-size’, I’ll just call them dainty! My first was this little silver-plated beauty. Nice detailing, and only 3-1/2” long!

The next one I found was a little larger, measuring close to 5” long. It has wonderful flowers on it, very art nouveau looking. How could I pass it up?

This one was found on a trip to North Dakota to visit family. We always take the time to stop along the way, taking an extra day or so for the journey. It was at an antique mall, but somehow was not appreciated by the dealer who presented it. But I loved it! It has an old-fashioned stove on the front, nice detailing on the handle. But the words are what sold me.

It reads “PRINCESS NOVELTY – Requires no Blacking, Handsomest Range Made – For Handsomest Girl, See Other Side.” When you turn it over – you find a mirror – how cute is that? The handle has more verbage“, it reads “Duplicate Mirror Send for 10 cent Stamps Abram Cox Stove Co. Phila.” I would gladly try to get another for just a thin dime, but it is doubtful that I’d be successful!

I continued the hunt and found a little brass mirror with an ‘open’ handle. Nice 3-dimensional flower on this one – even though I lean toward the silver items, it was too darn cute to resist.

This charmer has a clasp so you can attach to a chain if you wish. That way, you could see your sweet face all the time. It is marked “925” so I know it is sterling silver. It has a very ornate pattern of flowers and vines and leaves, measures approx. 4” long. Probably the prettiest one I own.

The next is another advertising mirror, very well-done with lots of detailing. It features a distinctive building as the focal point and reads “Compliments of the Manufacturers National Bank, Racine, Wis.” This, too, has the art nouveau styling. It was found near Green Bay, Wisconsin, a long way from Racine and one can only guess how it got there.

My last purchase (or should I say latest so as not to jinx my quest!) is this silver and black mirror. It has a grouping of flowers, perhaps daisies, on the front and nice ornamentation down the handle. A sweet find!

The wonderful thing about these is that they take no room at all to display! They rest on a dresser in our ‘guest room’ and I still have space for more! I will keep my eyes open for additional mirrors and never ‘reflect too long’ on a decision to buy another one! They are such fun!

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I recall the first antique hand mirror I ever bought. It was on vacation in Maine, on a shelf at a ‘thrift store. This lovely mirror just spoke to me – I was enthralled. Those wonderful roses, art nouveau detailing, the graceful handle. And it was marked “Empire Art Silver.”

The lady came over and said, “what a shame, the mirror is really awful!” I turned it over, and for the first time noticed that it did have shadowing and a lot of wear. But did I care? Absolutely not – The frame was the thrill!

Since that time, about 8 years ago, I have added numerous hand mirrors to my collection. Some are dated – 1904, 1909, etc. One of my favorites is round with a lot of detailing, scrolls, flowers and an open handle.

This one is Sterling Silver. It also has a rather poor mirror, a little dent here and there. Another favorite is square and very, very ornate. I continued the search, but many I desired were out of my price-range. Found a few at auctions, others at yard sales or estate sales.

I especially like to find them with a monogram. I know, I know, that tends to decrease the value of silver items such as tableware. But I don’t mind! I know that there was once a little girl, teenager or matronly lady staring into their mirror. Perhaps putting makeup on or just checking their hair before the special occasion; a wedding, big dance or anniversary party. That just makes the mirrors feel special to me. And if it has an initial of a loved one, that makes it even better. My mom’s name was Ruth and the ones with “R’s” remind me of her.

I had a very delightful thing happen a while back. I was at a garage sale and saw a silver mirror with a voluptuous lady with long flowing hair. Lots of roses, lovely repousse. I asked the gent “how much for this?” His response was “no charge, just take it, it has no mirror.” I gladly scooped it up and with my purchases, skipped to the car. (As my kids will tell you, I am not an expert skipper, and people were actually gawking.)

You see, it did not bother me one iota that this had no mirror. I hang them on the wall in my bedroom and no one else knows the little ’secret.’

Although my darling husband is very accommodating and has let me have a large wall for this display, we will soon be out of room so I have limited my purchases to only sterling silver ones. One of my top three is an art nouveau mirror with wonderful flowers and another features a 3-dimensional lady with a flower in her hair and a lily!

While I have said I will only collect silver mirrors, I did find a ‘must-have’ one that is more brass than not. But I could not pass on it! This one is unusual since it has a peacock at the top, a lady with a fan, a snake and several dragons. Now who could resist? Not me!

I know I am hooked – but I just don’t ‘reflect’ on my addiction too long. I enjoy them, as do all who view them!

Val uble

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