Antiques and Collectibles - Let's Talk

Read an Interview That I Did....Interview With An Antique Dealer

2008-06-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

Nancy has several great websites and blogs.

She recently interviewed me on what it is like being an antique dealer. As usual I tell it like it is and be sure to read some of the other interviews she has done.

I Will No Longer Make Referrals To Craigslist To Sell Items

2008-02-03T00:11:00.000-08:00

The other day I was trying to post a few items to craigslist and as soon as I would get them posted they would get "flagged" taken off of the list. This continued, even after I changed wording, read all of the TOS, Terms of Use, etc.

I ran this through their forum and after being treated rather rudely, I started looking at some of the listing and noted that the same people tend to have numerous listings on the craisglist site.

There is no policing of who is flagged and who isn't. If your post is flagged it is removed... no questioned asked and it is the user's that do the flagging.

For many years I have recommended this as a site to sell your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia items but no longer. I do not recomment using this forum, it has a Gestapo feel and I think that the time has come for it to dissappear.

I am in the process of creating a venue for people to sell antiques, collectibles and memorabilia for a very small fee. I will be the only "monitor" and it will be a fair and respectable place to do business.

I expect to have it up and running in a couple of weeks.

My online antique shop site shoots craps during the holiday season

2007-12-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

I am so upset over the fact that my website is not fully functioning at the busiest time of year.

It started out 5 months ago as a simple redesign of the website and has turned into a complete mess that I am being billed for.

My side menu is gone... where, I don't know but I cannot get it to reappear. I have not been able to add new inventory for all these months either.

So if you happen to need something for the holidays please email me and I will see if I have it in stock.

I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused any of my regular customers.

What Is Up With the Postal Rate Increase?

2007-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

I realize that prices go up. I mean we are paying almost $4.00 for a gallon of gas. Thank goodness I work from home and a tank of gas will last me about a month.

But this Post Office rate increase is horrible if you ship packages. They are doing what UPS, Fed Ex and DHL have always done, charge by volume instead of weight. But they have gone overboard with it. A package that used to cost me $7.00 to ship through USPS now is double that amount plus insurance. At least with the other guys they cover you for $100 in insurance.

I raised the rates on my website when the postage rates went up but I think I am going to lower them back to the old rate and ship through DHL instead. I will also implement free shipping with a certain dollar amount purchase, I have not decided yet what that will be. It isn't fair to my customer's to have to pay such a HUGE shipping cost.

It will be interesting to see if the Post Office looses any shipping business or if they will increase their services.

Seven experts say objects not genuine antiquities - News

2007-04-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Seven experts say objects not genuine antiquities

This is in reference to the Tseng Family Collection of Chinese Antiquities in the Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge.

What a shame, who got scammed was it the family who owned these items or the library? This just goes to show you must do your research before you make a large purchase.

What Is An Antique Dealer To Do?

2007-04-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

Where does my responsibility as an online antique dealer end and the responsibility of the customer begin?

I have been selling through my own online shop for 7 years, prior to that I had an antique store and sold on eBay. I loved the customer interaction with the store life got in the way and we had to close it. Selling on eBay became a huge problem just because of the way eBay is going.

I have learned many lessons selling through my own website but for the most part the customer's have been amazing and I have had very few problems.

When I first started the website I automatically tacked on the cost for insurance, this was a carry-over from my eBay days, but I had quite a few complaints from customer's so I made purchasing insurance an option. On occasion if I was shipping something really fragile I would go ahead and pay for the insurance out of my pocket just to be on the safe side and there were a few times where this was a good thing.

UPS owes me a few hundred dollars for items I insured that got demolished in transit and they did not make good on the insurance I purchased but that is just their way.

But what do I do if someone makes a substantial purchase on a non-fragile item and then says it has not been delivered to them, yet the Post Office shows that the item was delivered? What is my responsibility in this situation? They opted to not purchase insurance on the item and I have proof of delivery.

If you live in a neighborhood where packages are apt to get stolen from your doorstep then I recommend you purchase insurance on purchases. As a seller I cannot know what your neighborhood is like. Or do like many of my customer's and have the packaged delivered to you at work.

I really need some help on this because I do not know what to do. Am I being scammed? It has happened to me before. I appreciate all input on this situation.

Create an inventory of your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia FREE

2007-04-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

It is very important to catalog your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia. As well as anything that you own of value or items that, in the event of a disaster, you might be called upon to itemize.

Believe me, in the heat of the moment, it is difficult to remember what you owned much less how much you paid for it.

You can now use this free program on my antique shop site to catalog you items room by room. You can then either print it out or store it on your computer and as you acquire new items you can upload the list to this program and add to it.

This was provided by an insurance group who is no longer around and I have been looking for this software for quite sometime.

So please feel free to visit this page on my shop site and start getting your items listed.

There are no strings attached, I promise but feel free to shop after you get your goods listed.

Create an inventory of your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia FREE"

Good Auction Season is Here

2007-03-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

There are auctions year-round but the warm weather brings out the terrific auctions. I'm talking about the all day, stand in the sun out in a field, pee behind a bush auction. NO BUYER'S PREMIUM auctions.

I find some of my best items at auctions that last all day, if it is raining the deals are even better.

We also take more buying trips during the warm weather and you never know what you are going to stumble upon when you are out and about.

You might consider just taking a short day trip to some town near you and pick up a local paper to see if there are any auctions or sales that sound promising. It might prove to be well worth you time and effort.

I always come back more relaxed and ready to tackle the chores that are waiting at home for me.

How the Find the Value of Your Antiques, Collectibles and Memorabilia

2007-02-18T11:44:00.001-08:00

So you have decided which method you will use to sell your antiques and collectibles now you just need to determine the value of the pieces. I have quite a few resources on my website that you can use to find the value but I will also give you some tips below.

If you want the value to insure an item I recommend getting a written appraisal. This way if you do need to make a claim on this item you already have the appraisal in place. If you want to find the sale price of an item then you will need to do some research.

Get our and visit some antique shops and see what the same or similar items are selling for in your area. This is especially helpful if you are planning on selling through the local newspaper.

If you are going to sell your wares online you need to research what you have so that you can write a good description of the item. There are books on just about every type of antique and collectible so your first stop should be the local library or large chain bookstore.

Once you know what you have you can then look online and see what others are selling the same or similar items for. If you are going to sell your wares on eBay look and see what it is selling for there. Don’t look at what folks are asking for a particular item, look at the closed auctions and see what prices the item has brought in the recent past. Some of the large live auction houses will post their closed auction prices. These prices include the buyer’s premium which is a cost the auction house charges the buyer on top of the closing auction price. The buyer’s premiums have gotten out of control and some houses charge as much as 40%

You can always look in published price guides to get a “guide” on what something might bring but remember that price guides are simply that…. Guides to prices. This is often referred to as “book value.” I am a tad cynical about book values and feel that price guides are simply a means of running the price up on a particular line of antiques and collectibles.

How to Sell Your Antiques, Collectibles and Memorabilia

2007-02-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

I get at least 20 requests a day from folks looking to sell their antiques, collectibles, memorabilia and assorted other items. They are usually asking me to purchase these items, and on a very rare occasion I have purchased from such solicited requests, but for the most part I do not.

Why, you may ask.

The request is not accompanied with a selling price, including shipping. It is not my place to make an offer on these items. The seller needs to know how much they want.
Those that do come with a selling price as asking me to pay the retail price for the item. This is not feasible. I pay wholesale otherwise I cannot make a profit. This is my business, how I pay bills, and if I cannot make a profit I might as well just hang it up. If I am selling an item for $12.00 I cannot pay $12.00 plus shipping for the same or similar items. This is not good business sense.
The last time I made a purchase, sight unseen other than the submitted photos, when I received the set of dinnerware most of it was chipped and broken. I had repeatedly asked the seller about flaws and she adamantly claimed there were none. Therefore, most of the dinnerware was unsellable and I lost quite a bit of money on the deal.
Finally, I love to go to auctions and sales to purchase wares for my online antique shop and buying blindly does not afford me this opportunity.

So, what is the best way to get the maximum for your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia?

Selling through your hometown newspaper is still the best place to start, run a classified ad. Place your ad so that it will run for at least one Sunday and I will almost guarantee that it will sell. You will still need to do your homework to find out what the best price is but this method will bring you the most money for your item. Cost – about $25.00 for a good ad running for one week.

Most areas have at least one consignment shop that sells a little bit of everything. Where I live we have several and I sell antique furniture through one with great success. They do charge 50% but I am able to set the price that I want to get and whether or not I will take less on the item. Most of the shops take in small items as well as large furniture pieces. Be sure to read the contract that you sign, and if they don’t have a contract ask for something in writing specifying the percentage that they take. Just look in the phone book for Consignment Stores or Shops. Cost – 40% - 50% of the sale price.

Live auction houses are a good way to sell items especially if you have something of significant value. Auction houses often hold auctions in one particular category of antique or collectible these are heavily advertised so that they bring in bidder’s that are interested in the collection. They also have auctions with a hodge podge of goodies. Some towns have local weekly auctions, these are fun to sell at as well as attend. Some will allow you to set a reserve but you then run the risk of the item not selling. There is no way of knowing what your item will bring at auction but if you are just looking to get rid of a houseful of items this is a great way to do just that. Cost – 10% - 40%.

eBay stores are a growing small business opportunity and most areas have someone who will sell your items on eBay. You simply drop the item off and they take care of writing the description, taking the photos, packing and shipping. When your item is sold they mail you a check. Once again, be sure that you understand the fees involved. Some places charge a per item fee as well as an end of sale percentage. Be sure that you have these fees in writing before you leave your items with the business. You can set a reserve price, this is the minimum amount that you will take for the item or you can just take your chances on the eBay Gods and let fate take control. eBay is a fickle selling venue and you can never be sure what an item will bring or even if it will sell. Costs – varies from business to business.

Sell the item yourself on one of the online auction sites. It is not difficult to do but you do need a digital camera to get photos of your item posted with your auction. You need to write a very detailed description, including all flaws and defects but highlight the wonderful characteristics of your wares. Take good quality photos. Remember, shoppers cannot touch the item you are selling so you need to allow them to “touch” it through your photos and words. Cost – about 12% of the selling price in auction fees.

You can sell your items through an online antiques and collectibles shop through consignment or direct posting. I offer an online consignment where for a small fee you send me photos and a description, I post the item to my website and you take care of customer relations and getting the item to the consumer. I have several regular sellers’ using this method on my antique shop site. I have been offering this service for 4 years and have noticed more and more online shops starting to offer the same service. Just be sure that the shop you pick is established and not going anywhere once you get your items online and have paid the fee. Cost - $5.00 - $10.00 per item.

Online classified ads such as Craig’s List. The service is free and you can advertise it in your local area. I am not sure how many people actually make purchases through this venue but it is similar to placing an ad in your newspaper. Live Deal is an online classified ad service with a small fee if your item sells.

As you can see there are a great number of methods to get rid of your items. Some require more effort on your part than others and some will bring you more money than others but choices abound.

I don’t recommend selling to a dealer unless they are actively soliciting for specific items and please always include a dollar amount when you do ask them to purchase your wares.

Next I will tell you how to find the value of your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia.

Antique Glassware

2007-01-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for information on Antique American Glassware please go to the new extension of my online antique shop, the antique and information center.

I just added several articles on Antique American glassware companies and several types of glass ware made in America. I will be adding more as time permits.

Good Antique, Collectible and Memorabilia Shopping This Week

2007-01-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

I have a great week of shopping for items for the shop. Over the next few days I have about 8 boxes and 5 or 6 bags filled with goodies to get ready to post online.

Also, when I went to the doctor on Wed. to make sure that my pneumonia was cleared up my Dr. of 15 years, gave me some antique and vintage medical books to sell for her. These books belonged to her grandmother and when Dr. F. started medical school she gave the books to her. They all pertain to sex. One of the books is dated in the late 1800s and the other two are from the 1940s. One is all about sex and the married couple.

She also included "Margaret Mays Twelfth Birthday", it is a little booklet from Kotex dated in the 1930s or 1940s (I don't have the books in here with me.) Girls, you know what this little book is about. It will not be for sale, I am going to frame it for her but only after I make a copy for myself.

I purchased several vintage composition dolls, one is a Madame Alexander Baby McGuffey. I also have Tubsey and Cheerful Tearful. I have quite a few pieces of vintage glassware from the 1950s such as large glass bowls for potato chips, I have a porcelain poker chip bucket, 8 Anchor Hocking Nautical themed drinking glasses and scads of other items.

I purchased some new reproduction colored aluminum drinking tumblers in a carrying basket, I have the pitchers and ice cream dishes that match. I love these.. I still have my Granny's vintage colored aluminum glasses that we use all the time. that is why I could not pass these up.

Be sure to check into the shop often, as I am always adding new items. Also the vintage hats will be posted this week. I finally got all of the photos and descriptions written. These are vintage hats that I have taken on consignment and I can't wait for you to see them.

I Survived Another Holdiay Season in the Antique Retail Business

2006-12-29T19:33:00.001-08:00

I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping season. It can get a tad hectic when you are the retail store and all of your seasonal help has grown up and have "real" jobs with "nicer" bosses. But we survived and I think that everyone got their gifts in time for Christmas.... I haven't heard otherwise.

The vast majority of folks are amazing to work with and my regular customer's know that I will do whatever it takes to get their orders to them as quickly as possible. 6 trips to the Post Office a day was the norm there for a few days and I even went looking for a few special gift items for some customer's.

Each year there seems to be at least one person that is just insane... there is no other way to put it. They are rude, crude, out of control, insane.

This year a family had me send a gift to a woman. They did not want to pay to have it gift wrapped just a little note that it was from them with love. It was a $12 copper colored aluminum mold.

I wrapped it first in white tissue (I do this on all items) bubble wrap and then I wrapped it in a festive decorative paper. I attached a pretty card with the requested text in it. Packed it carefully and mailed it to the recipient.

Well, the next week I checked my email and there was one of the nastiest emails I have ever seen from this gift recipient. The mold is cheap looking, the wrapping looks like I took it out of the trash and I am an idiot.

I am pretty heavily medicated on cough medicine and Benadryl due to some nasty bug I had picked up so I decided that I really didn't want to deal with this wacko. I contacted the folks that bought the item and sent them the email. I asked them what they wanted me to do about it.

Later in the day I have 5 more emails from angry lady and no response from the customer. I decided I had better say something to her and told her that I would refund the full price plus shipping - TO THE PEOPLE THAT PAID FOR IT, but I needed my mold back ... in the same condition as when it was mailed to her. She responds that she is not going to do anything for me and that includes send the mold back.

I just took another swig of cough medicine and went back to bed.

What do you do with people like this? Obviously her family bought her a token gift, I have some beautiful copper molds on my website and they picked the least expensive one for her. Also, I was taught that it is the thought and not the gift so just accept it graciously and either re-gift it later or donate it to a charity.

When I opened my email the next day, there were at least 15 more emails from this loony toon. She was making personal attacks on me at this point and I was angry. She is the kind of person that will say these things in an impersonal forum such as email but I bet you dollars to donuts she would not make statements such as this to my face. She is a bitter, angry, no self-esteem, rude person.

I contacted DHL to see if they could pick the package up and send it back to me, sure they would but the nasty lady would not cooperate, she would not even sit the mold on her front porch for them to pick-up.

The end result was, I refunded the buyer all of his money while his mother stole my mold. I did tell her son that he needs to ask her to donate it to a charity so that someone who would appreciate it could have it.

Later I began thinking... this might be a scam. Person #1 buys a gift for person #2, #2 hates it and goes through the above process until the seller just gives in (like I did) and lets them keep the item and they get their money back.

In this case we are not talking about anything worth much money but it is the principal and it could evolve into "keeping" wares that are valuable. Legally I did not have to refund the money until I had the item in my possession, I was just too sick to fight them on it but be aware of situations such as this especially if the recipient is in North Carolina.

I also believe in Karma, so what this woman did and said WILL come back to her threefold.

Watch for a redo of my online antique shop site

2006-12-29T19:33:00.000-08:00

The new year will bring a new look for the antique shop site. Be sure to check in for all of the changes.

Speaking of eBay

2006-11-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

A very good friend of my oldest daughter recently purchased on eBay for the first time. She and her significant other hand blow amazing glassware items and found a piece of equipment they needed at a great price. Isn't this what eBay is all about.

She won the auction and the seller would only accept checks.... so they paid by check, over $1,500. 2 weeks pass and no item so she contacts the seller and was informed that "she had to order the equipment."

3 weeks later she receives notification that the equipment came with additional parts and the price would be more. Our friend argued that they already had the other parts and did not need those, only the equipment originally bid on and paid for.

The seller then files a non-payment claim with eBay!!!! So B. sent the crazy loon seller the extra money for the parts she doesn't need.

The item and all parts finally arrive over a month later yet the non-payment claim is still appearing. B finds a phone number for eBay and a human (wonder of wonders) sends them a photo along with all email correspondence and they remove the non-payment claim. But the seller has left her bad feedback.

It appears to me that the seller is running an extortion racket and not only should be banned from eBay but have criminal charges filed against them.

Granted, B should never have bid on this item for this amount of money with the seller not accepting Paypal or a credit card. To me this just reeks of scam or shady dealings.

Our friend B. is turning all contact information over to me for me to get involved in this matter and I do plan on contacting the authorities.

I think that I might just start my Wall of Shame with this jerk. Anyone that would take advantage in such a way needs to be shut down atleast temporarily. I abhor people that take advantage of others.

Karma comes back on you threefold........

eBay and Non-Payors.... I have had it

2006-11-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

I have been buying and selling on eBay for 10 years. Granted, in the past 5 years or so I do more buying than selling because it is generally less of a hassle and because I have my online antique shop. Yet, recently I listed a few items of teen clothing and children's VHS tapes that I had picked up for my teenage daughter and grandaughter. I also listed a few items I had not posted in the shop such as an Eric Clapton store display and some sports items.

Of course, the teen hated the clothes and the wee one had the tapes already.

Several items of clothing sold and one of the Magic School Bus tapes as did some of the antique things. Everyone paid or atleast made contact with me that they were going to send payment, which they have all done.... except for one person.

I have got more "Terms and Conditions" on my auctions than you would believe. One of which is, "by bidding on this item you are entering into a contract to buy this item if you are the winning bidder."

Well, little Miss 13 feedback has decided that she just isn't going to pay for her $4.00 name brand shirt. She is going to break this contract.I, on the other hand will have to pay eBay because of her decision. It will cost me about $2.89. In the grand scheme of things this is not a lot of money but at this point it is the principal. Everytime I put items up for auction I have atleast 1 person that doesn't pay for their item so I eat their violation of the TOS.

This time I have decided that I will send the violator a bill everyday through Paypal. Each day I will add 28% interest to the amount. Her only option will be to change her email address. I will leave negative feedback on eBay for her and I will file the non-payor claim ... which means crapola.

I am also going to change my future auctions so that no one with feedback under 25 can bid on my auctions. It seems that only those with a low feedback score tend to not pay for their auctions. At this point in time I don't see eBay auctions in my future.

I only hope that I don't end up being the one that gets in trouble for this but she has broken a contract with me and I am doing what I can to recoup damages and expenses.

I am also going to create an online auction function on my website. I will be no competition for eBay but it will make me feel better. Non-payors will have their names, email addresses and other personal information posted for all to see.... just like retailer's post returned checks.

If you can't play by the rules, then don't play at all.

Memories....

2006-11-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

You have got to read some of the memories of heirlooms and childhood that have been submitted by visitor's and customer's to my antique shop website.

We are slow in getting started but I LOVE the few comments that have been contributed.

Please take a moment and visit and please submit a comment with your favorite memory of growing up, your Granny's favorite perfume, Sunday supper, the bowl that was always used for mashed potatoes or fruit salad... whatever it is. It gives you a good feeling to think back and reflect on these wonderful memories.

Antique Memories

Vintage Hats and Ties... Coming to my Antique Shop

2006-10-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this consignment that I just took in. Vintage hats, in the original hat boxes, or atleast most of them are in their original hat boxes.

The man I am selling them for, his 83 year-old mother recently passed away and she was a hat lady. When I went to his garage sale I noticed a mink trimmed hat that he was selling for $3.00. I offered him my card and told him that any hats he did not sell, I would be more than happy to sell for him.

He asked me what I thought they were worth and when I told him... he pulled them all from the sale. This past Wednesday he brought them over to me and it looks like there are about 40 hats, he sold about that many at $3.00.

I guess that I could have taken advantage of his lack of knowledge of the price of vintage hats... like atleast 1 dealer that I know of had already done. But there was just a little voice inside me that day that lured me in another direction.

When he came over the other day to drop the hats off, he said that the dealer came back to buy the rest of the hats and when he told them that he was putting them on consignment with someone she became rather beligerent and said something to the effect that he would probably get ripped off by the person doing the consignment, you can't trust those people. He said that his reply to her was that he doubted that because I had been honest about the true price of the hats in the first place and didn't just swoop in and buy them all up.

Most of the time I just go on about my business and purchase items for myself or that I can resell without a second thought as to what price might be on them. But there were just so many of the hats, he also had a full length leather coat and a tea length black mink coat, and I just did what I felt was appropriate for the situation. Right or wrong.

I just can't wait to get into these vintage hats and get started putting them in inventory. Red and purple seem to have been her favorite colors, so all of you Red Hat Ladies... you need to keep and eye on my shop over the next couple of weeks or email me to be notified when I get them posted.

Some of these old hats are pretty outlandish as well, which in my mind makes them all that more amazing. She is / was an African American lady and I can just visualize her wearing these.
We have camel hair, straw, satin, beads, feathers, felt, veiled and one that has a lampshade look to it.

Now to the vintage men's ties. I have had these vintage clip-on and regular ties for quite sometime and just never got around to getting them posted in the antique shop site but while I post the hats I will also get the ties listed as well.

I also have some faux suit pocket handkerchiefs. These folded satin hankies are attached to a piece of thin cardboard and you just slip that down into the pocket of you suit coat pocket. It looks like you have a perfectly folded hanky in your pocket. I have a variety of colors and styles.

I will be adding more vintage infant and children's clothes too.

Reproducing my vintage ephemera for scrapbooking

2006-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

A wonderful reader of my blog.... yea, I have one! Asked me for more details on the reproduction of the vintage paper pieces I have.

I do want to respond to the question of why I would reproduce it versus sell it as it is. I feel that some of the pieces I have might be either in very limited quantitites, such as the newspaper's, letterheads, magazines (especially the children's magazines for the 1800 and 1900s). I would rather reproduce these pieces in high quality scans and have those cut, glued and pasted than have the originals destroyed. One of these days, if a museum or other entity has any interest in the originals they can have them, but for the time being... they are mine, all mine.

I also have some amazing old photographs. I will be selling these but only after I reproduce them. I have been collecting these for over 20 years.

This is going to be one of my winter projects so look for these wonderful items in the Spring.

Compiling a Book of Blog Sites - Let me know if you want your site listed

2006-10-18T07:47:00.001-07:00

I am compiling a book of blog sites. It is in the final stages of being written and I have loads of sites but I want more.... I always want more.

If you would like to have your Blog considered for publication in this .... publication please email me or leave a comment and I will check out your Blog.

Current Categories Are:

Funny
Politics
Sad
Inner Beauty
Informative
Internet Related
Computer Related
War / Veterans (I might have to break this down into the different wars if I get enough for each
Music
Art
Poetry
Recipes
Medical
Decorating
Antiques and Collectibles
Hobbies
Gaming
Sports
Family Blogs - they must be great
Lifestyles
Religion
News
... Open to suggestions ....

Please be sure to give me a way to contact you and please don't submit a site that will not be maintained and will be offline in 6 months.

Thanks for your assistance on this, it will be fun.

New Shop Inventory & Coming Soon

2006-10-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have taken in some wonderful Homer Laughlin Dinnerware. A few of the pieces are considered hard to find such as the Orleans shape. I am slowly getting them put in the shop because I am desperatly trying to find all of the pattern names.

I also have several vintage cook books such as The Boston Cooking School Cook Book or Fannie Farmer Cook Book, 1930, a two volume set of cook books from the Culinary Institute and a multi-volume set of cook books from the same. These are just a few of the vintage and collectible cookbooks that I have to offer. I have so many of these that it will take awhile to get them listed but if there is something you are looking for please let me know.

Antique and vintage hats….. Next week I am taking in a consignement of vintage hats. These belonged to the 83 year-old mother of a gentleman. I went to his estate sale and noticed all of these wonderful hats for $3 each (one of them had a mink trim) I just couldn’t let him sell them for $3. I gave him my card and also the names of several ladies of sell vintage clothes but he called me yesteday and we will be meeting next week so that I can look them over more closely. The ones that I have seen are stunning. So if you are a hat person please keep an eye on the shop or email me to be notified when I have them all posted. I will also be selling her beautiful black mink coat.

As I was leaving the sale a woman approached me and asked why I didn’t buy them all for $3 and sell them myself. I guess I could have done that and it would not have been wrong… he did set the price. But why take advantage of someone and their lack of knowledge in a particular area? The consignment situation will be mutually beneficial.

In the Sports Category on my website I have a vintage fishing reel, hubby has gone through a few of his NASCAR collectibles and found a 1999 Chase Car collection. These are mint in the box and I think there are 12 Chase Cars. I will finish getting the antique and vintage baseball gloves listed in the next week or two. I also found a KC Royals child’s poncho still in the package that I will get posted and I have 2 suitcases full of ??? who know’s what but I think it is old Boy Scout stuff.

Vintage and collectible books are running out of my ears. I just can’t seem to get them all posted. So please let me know what you are looking for and I will see if I have it.

I have decided, after all these years to start buying wholesale items but I don’t want to purchase the usual stuff you see everywhere. I will be posting a poll on the antique forum to see what types of items you want to see in the shop.

I am getting more of the Raggedy Ann and Andy Nutcrackers. We sold out but are getting more. The company that makes these has come out with a new line of Inspirational collectible items, I haven’t seen them yet. But I am sure we will all love them.

I have more vintage sheet music sitting right beside me that I will be adding to the shop in the next couple of days.

One last thing, I have gobs of vintage ephemera that I will be creating high quality scans of for all of you scrapbookers. I have some very unique pieces. Including a couple of newspapers for the early 1900s and a large pattern book from the 1800s. I am getting it archivally photofinished but have to share this wonderful piece and since I don't want the original damaged or cut up I decided to reproduce it in a limited run. Email me if you want to purchase this when it is complete.

Be sure to browse the new items that have been added. Please excuse the mess, I am still trying to revamp the shop site.

Thank you for being so wonderful.

Slide show.... I guess it's not working

2006-09-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry about that, I must have coded something wrong. But you can see my full inventory on my website at www.mygrannysatticantiques.com.

I have about 20 boxs of inventory sitting in my dining room that I will be adding over the next couple of weeks and I also have antiques and memorabilia that I have purchased over the past 20 years that has been packed away and recently "uncovered", it to will be added to my online shop so that we can all begin our holiday shopping.

We have some great items, crocks, a vintage gum ball machine, vintage sheet music, books.... oh my gosh you would not believe the vintage books that I have, and so much more.

View a slideshow of some of my antique inventory

2006-09-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

RPM Backstamp on Antique Porcelain and China

2006-08-27T08:59:00.002-07:00

I have another update to the RPM porcelain mark, this is in our new Antiques and Collectibles Information Center. Hopefully this update will take care of any questions that should crop up about this backstamp.

It does indicate that one needs to closely evaluate the antique china piece in order to determine when it could have been created.

An old piece of china will show signs of wear whether it is utensil marks on the surface from years of eating from it or rough places on the rim from a plate hanger from being on display. The underside will also show signs of wear. Whereas a new piece will not have these age spots. You might have to get a magnifying glass out to really study the piece.

Antiques and Collectibles Information Center

2006-08-27T08:59:00.001-07:00

I am working on a new component to my antique shop website. It is the Antiques and Collectibles Information Center.

You can catch-up on the latest antique news via RSS feeds from several different sources. I will be posting vintage recipes, you can read articles covering a variety of antique, collectible and memorabilia topics such as Early American Pressed Glass, Kitchenware, etc.

This area is to educate and inform. My hope is to make you a more knowledgable collector. In this day and age of mass reproduction of so many antique items I believe this is very important to us all.

Be sure to drop by and let me know what you are interested in learning more about.