I wanted to list an item on Wifey’s Ebay site, but could barely read the mark on the back of a decorative plate. Shown photo enhanced is a factory mark I did not reconize. I turned to our book shelves for help.

Our library of antiquing books contains two volumes that get lots of attention with wifey’s antique business. The one we have had the longest is “Kovel’s New Dictionary of Marks.” Published in 1986, it’s from Crown Publishers. Inc of New York by Ralph and Terry Kovel. It covers the world of ceramic companies.

The second, a newer book, acquired just a few years ago, is “U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain and Clay” by Lois Lehner, published by Collectors Books a division of Schroeder Publishing Inc. © 1988.

Since neither book contains prices, they provide a wealth of information without losing their usefulness with age.

The Kovel book has an interesting arrangement for finding and identifying marks, especially when blurred, partial or faded. The layout of the pages are by the actual major design element of the maker’s mark in alphabetical order – Animals, Arrows, Banners, Birds, Cartouche, etc.

In the boxed section containing the logo is a small synopsis of the company essentials, the factory name, locations, dates the mark was used, successor companies, and years the factory was in production.  Here I found the information I was looking for.

Back pages titled “The Vocabulary of Marks” list the dates country names were first included on the pieces, the meaning of words found in marks, dating systems listed by company, and factory’s family trees.

Lehner’s Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks is the “War & Peace” of antiquing books. Containing 634 pages, it’s arranged alphabetically by factory name. In the back are definitions used in the book, lists of various types of manufacturers, railroad letters and symbols used on diner car china plus electrical porcelain insulator markings.

Each company listed contains a great deal of detailed information on the founders, locations, dates, products and general history of the factories along with examples of the various iterations of the marks used.

The importance of identifying the marks and knowing the history are two-fold, first is having a key word or “tag” to include with wifey’s on-line antique listings, that steer searchers to her Ebay site.

Secondly, age and obscurity drive the passion of many collectors, and knowing the history and longevity of a particular mark’s usage, adds validity to your purchase price.

One other book in our library is this recent addition titled “Antique Trader, Pottery & Porcelain Ceramics, by Kyle Hosfloen, published by Krause Publications in 2006 and listed as its 5^th edition.

While on the same general subject as the other books, it is first and foremost a price guide and includes dolls, figurines, cookie jars and lamps among the more common shapes and functions of typical pottery. Filled with color photos in 768 pages, this book also includes a small glossary on the back pages.

Alphabetically arranged, mixing categories with manufacturers, this book also contains histories of items and companies throughout, so when looking up examples of children’s ABC plates, we first learn they were popular at the turn of the last century, often incorporating the alphabet on the rim and scenes or rhymes at center. Other reference books are suggested for the serious collector throughout. The ABC section is followed by the manufacturer Abingdon, and so on. 

We find this book’s usefulness in the information sections provided, the introduction to each entry and the quality of the pictures, along with the relationship between prices of like item you might see in a retail setting. Since antique and collectible values can change in either direction and have contracted in recent years, the use of any guide should be verified with recent sales on sites like Ebay or Tias.com.

If you, like me, are addicted to vintage vanity items; if you are a sucker for a pretty package, even if it is empty, then you’ll be interested in these guides I adore.

My three favorite books on collecting vintage compacts, carryalls, and other beauty accessories are:

Powder Compacts: A Collector’s Guide (Miller’s Collector’s Guides) by Juliette Edwards

While this book is dedicated to compacts only (a few vanity cases too), and just 64 pages (including glossary and index), it is loaded with color photos and great information. If you are starting out collecting vintage powder compacts, this is a fab guide. (Even those who have been collecting awhile will enjoy the information and the photos.)

One of the best things about this smaller paperback is that it is rather concise. It gives a brief history overview and then is organized by decades, themes and country of origin, so that you can easily get a feel for specific types. If you are on a modest budget but still want a small & tight collection (compacts from a certain period or maker etc.) you can easily get the basics here.

As for pricing, it is the newest of the three guides. This book also includes compacts from the 1990’s and has a nice chapter with simple tips on caring for your vintage compacts.

These next two guides cover more than compacts and flapjacks — there are powder puffs, vanity purses, powder boxes, plis, carry-alls, vanity cases, patters etc. — so if you’re easily tempted, you may not want to look…

Vintage Compacts & Beauty Accessories by Lynell Schwartz

This guide also gives a history of cosmetics, and includes (thruought the book) vintage photographs from vintage publications, stores, advertising/retail displays, manufacturing plants, catalogs, print advertisements etc. I think this adds quite a bit to the value of the guide because I love seeing the context for these items.

This is a hardcover book (11.25 x 8.75 inches), with 192 pages (including index) and it’s full of great information and wonderful photos. There’s at least one photo per page (I don’t think there’s a single page without photos). Most photos are in color, though many of the old photos of stores etc. are obviously black and white. And there are items in here I’ve never seen anywhere else.

This really is a gem of a book that a collector at any level will appreciate (or hate for making you covet more objects!).

Collector’s Encyclopedia of Compacts Carry Alls & Face Powder Boxes by Laura M. Mueller

An even larger hardcover (11.25 x 8.75 inches), with 319 pages (including glossary and index), this book covers many more individual items and is generous with photographs. (Again, many are objects which I can only dream of owning myself.) Instead of photos of single items, this book uses groupings (with each item clearly labeled and described for easy identification). Some may like this more, others less, than the photos of single items — I myself like the ability to visualize scale with the objects side-by-side.

This book does not have as many historical photos as Schwartz’s, but it does have many more vintage beauty product advertisements — most of which are full page prints — and in fact has one whole chapter of ‘miscellaneous ads’ which the author apparently couldn’t fit in well in the other chapters. (They are very lovely themselves and often more affordable or an easier (less intimidating) purchase for new collectors.)

Once again, there is plenty of history and passion here, and no collector will be disappointed.

While Schwartz’s may have more powder puffs, patters and plis, Mueller’s book has so many more compacts, vanity cases and tins etc; these books sure aren’t redundant. Which is why with so many lovely items (and information) both books are equally valued by me.

While I am overall suspicious of the accuracy of collector price guides to determine fair pricing (because fair is determined by the marketplace — actual buyers — and that changes continually), guides like these do help you determine authentic pieces from fakes as well as to learn (and avoid) potential problems — in that sense, spending money on guides like these will save you money for years to come. (And those of you browsing thrift stores, visiting shoppes & boutiques will have some idea if the price is fair.)

More than typical price guides, these books you a look at the history & charm of these precious pieces. Collectors of vintage beauty items will enjoy all the historical information in these collector guides, and those using online auctions and stores will know what words and terms to search with.

But beware, the tons of beautiful photos tease you into wanting more of these vintage beauty items and compacts which, while smaller and easier to display than other collectibles, can surely take over your boudoir in a snap!

Every collector is faced with the same question — “What’s it worth?” Whether it’s to sell a part of the collection, or to know what’s a reasonable price to pay for a new addition to the collection, collectors need to have some idea of what each part of a collection is worth. For some, it’s a matter of pride: the more zeroes, the more they’re satisfied with their collection. For others, it’s just a matter of figuring out how much insurance to buy. No collector, however, has the luxury of a ‘money is no object’ attitude. The value of a collection is important, no matter what.

Figuring out a collectible’s worth isn’t always that easy. I remember, in my youth, looking up a comic’s price in the Overstreet book — GI Joe #1 — and spending the bike ride to the comic shop figuring out what I can spend that $50 on. I knew my comic was mint (I had bought two for that very reason), and it was printed on the rarer paper. The comic shop operator didn’t dispute that fact, however, but his offer of $20 fell a little flat to me. I learned that day that appraisals, price guides, and market value are quite a bit different.

First of all, the market value is the price a reasonable customer would pay for the item. Demand and rarity are a significant part of this price, because the combination of the two establish the retail price. A rare item without demand won’t be any more expensive than a high-demand item that’s easy to find. The simplest way to determine this is to compare identical or similar item’s sale on the open market. eBay is an excellent resource for this, but it can be spotty depending on whether the right buyers happen to be online when the auctions are running. Traditional auctions can be a good source of prices, provided the right items appear. Comparing prices in your local antique shops can provide a good idea of reasonable prices, but an overpriced item might be more likely to sit unsold on the a dealer’s shelf than the reasonable priced ones. Price guides tend to approximate the retail price, but tend to range a little higher. Some people consider price guides unreliable, because they’ve seen items sell for far different prices than those cited in the guide, but each guide is based on research and compilation of a variety of sources, doing a lot of the ‘footwork’ for collectors.

The insurance price usually tends to run high, but not always; an insurance appraisal is an estimate of the cost of replacement, based on the item’s condition at the time of the appraisal. As such, an insurance appraisal is a realistic guess at, if the item were stolen, lost, or destroyed, how much it would cost to replace it, without the benefit of comparison shopping or getting a ‘good deal.’ It is essential to find a reputable and credentialed appraiser when looking for an insurance value. Although they are an estimate, insurance appraisals usually come with official documentation to certify or verify the appraised value, in the event of loss. However, collectors generally cannot expect to receive the insured price of an item at a sale.

The lowest price to expect is the equivalent of a ‘wholesale’ price, like what I was offered at a comic book shop. Antique dealers can act as an appraiser, but if they are being offered an item to purchase themselves, they will base their offer on how much profit they can reasonably expect based on a retail price. Often, this will be quite low — a third or half of retail price — but high enough to make the seller feel they’re not being ‘taken’. Quite often, this is similar to a rummage sale price, or a starting bid on eBay or at an auction. It is also what a collector can expect to receive if they ever find themselves urgent to sell any part of their collection.

The internet, of course, gives an amazing resource for collectors to find and compare prices of every item imaginable. While some online guides might not be very clear on how they arrive at their valuation, the speed of browsing can give a collector a number of prices to give a ballpark idea of value. eBay and Froogle are both sites devoted to collecting various items and their prices, and both have dedicated searching capabilities. Technically-skilled collectors can even use modern wireless technologies and cellphone web browsing to compare online prices with items found in antique shops, without having to stop home!

For official or more detailed pricing, an appraiser is needed, and that person will generally have to see the item or collection for themselves. Local auction houses often know exactly who locally is able to appraise a particular type of collectible, if not the auctioneer themselves. Furniture restorers and owners of antique shops are also likely to know the right person to appraise items. While I hate to sound like the internet has all the answers — it often does — and extremely specialized appraisers, such as posters or ephemera, might be found wither from their webpage or a message board devoted to their particular specialty.

Finding the right price for a collectible might not be easy, but collectors stand to learn more from pricing an item than just some dollar value. In the process of figuring out the value, a collector will learn why the item has the value, giving them an advantage when shopping in the future. Many appraisers started as collectors, eventually becoming an expert and offering their services to others. What could be more fun to a collector than learning more about the items they love? Discounting pricing with a “I’m not selling” or “gosh, that’s a lot of work” is to pass up valuable time spent with your collection. Take some time, look at everything through an appraiser’s eyes, and expand your expertise about your collection.