April Fish Day Postcards

Yay-- another special occasion day, another chance to play with my postcards.



I wanted to put a little something about why we have the April Fool's Day tradition, and found out that no one's quite sure why, and rather than repeat all the conjecture, here's a couple of links: Wikipedia's always helpful, and so is Info Please.

In France, it's called APRIL FISH DAY, and they had some lovely, and odd, postcards in the early 1900's. Here are a few for your amusement and entertainment.

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!

Flower Power x 100

Just a quickie post-- I'm kinda excited...

Last week I picked up this pretty plate and mug, thinking to myself "this looks like something".

It is marked ARABIA / FINLAND. Of course I checked it out on ebay, and saw that there was a lot of action in the category. So I listed it right away. And, with 28 hours to go, it has 32 watchers! So, I guess it is something. I guess we'll see tomorrow night when the snipers do their thing.
Here's the ebay link:
BLUE FLOWER FACE Arabia Finland Plate&Mug Danish Modern

Update, Tuesday 4-1-08 -- my pretty mod plate sold for $50.90. I'm quite pleased. It was one of those lucky buys, so I did well. Helps make up for some of my less successful buys. Yay!

Top 10 List - Roseville Pottery

Of course I've been looking at Roseville listings now, since I bought my beautiful Water Lily Vase at an auction the other day. So Here's the list of the Most-Watched Items in the Roseville category on Ebay:

Twice the Auction Fun

This week I went to 2 auctions. Tuesday's didn't have anything that I was really interested in. There was quite a bit of Fostoria American glassware, including a rare Crushed Fruit Jar. I have never really cared for that pattern, and there are always plenty of glass dealers ready to battle it out.
There was a group of smaller pottery pieces, Roseville and Hull. But again, nothing that set my heart aflutter, and plenty of competitors ready to bid. I mean, there are plenty of things that I would bid on if there wasn't anyone else interested. But let's just say, I prefer to pick my battles, and choose to fight for things that I really, really want.
So I enjoyed a nice visit with my auction friends, and went home early, anticipating the next auction.
Thursday's sale was much more my cup'o'tea. It was an estate from an old, well-known local Wapakoneta family, with items from several generations. They had quite a crowd.

There were some colorful toys...

Showcases with nice "smalls"...

There was this large milk glass Victorian Easter Egg, with an unusual painted scene, in super condition. I wanted to add it to my Easter collection, so tried to win it, but someone else wanted it more. I lost that little battle.

When I first walked in, I immediately noticed

this gorgeous Roseville Water Lily vase.

It's the yummiest shade of pink, and it's BIG- approx. 19" tall. NICE! Normally I don't even consider Roseville, because it usually goes higher than I want to pay, but this vase just kept calling to me, and, well, it's sitting in the center of my dining room table right now. Yay!
So I had a really good time at the auction, lots more fun visiting, and I did pick up a few little knic-knacs at the end.
Tomorrow is that antique show in Findlay, so I have to set my alarm...boo-hoo. But I wonder what I'll find... you just never know!

Antique Show in Findlay Ohio This Weekend

I hope to have great things to report about tomorrow's antique auction.
Wanted to let everyone know that there's a nice little antique show up in Findlay this weekend. It's the Annual American Business Women's Association Millstream Chapter Antique Show -- jeesh, what a name, eh?
It's this Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30 at the Old Barn ( 10040 W. U.S. 224, Findlay, OH, 45840 (419) 422-8531 ). Sure to see some nice things there.
Can't wait-- you never know what I'll find!

My Top 5 List: Victorian Picture Buttons Wrap-Up

Well, my button episode is over, so here's how it all went. It was a small collection, and after researching the buttons, via library books, and ebay, I found that the buttons I had were just "beginner" level. But still pretty, and they were worth more than I paid, so I listed them. I spread the listings out over 2 weeks, letting the bidders "run a tab" till they were all closed. I wound up with 104 ebay lots (most were singles, a few were groupings). I keep track of my listings, and my normal sell-through average is 75%. The buttons wound up with 80 of 104 lots selling, for a 77% average. I had 31 different buyers, from the US, as well as Belgium, Canada, and England. My total bid amount on all lots came to: $974.13, with a per-lot average of $12.17. I think it was decent, not amazing. And they are certainly easy to ship. And I learned a little more, so that's always good. And dealt with some very friendly buyers, who seem pleased with their little gems.

My "TOP 5" individual buttons were:

Ben LANG Artist 1968 Elephant $50.00
Man & DOG Scene Ivoroid $37.00
Prancing Black HORSE $36.00
Lady Columbia & Eagle Patriotic $16.59
King Charles SPANIEL Dog Breed $15.50

That's all folks!

Auction Report - Beer and Birds

Last week I went to an auction --surprise, surprise, right?
This was another one by my favorite local auctioneers, the Myers Auctions Service. It was a smallish auction, with only a few things that caught my eye. They had some primitives, and a variety of goodies. I did buy a couple of neat vintage beer advertising metal bar/counter displays.
There were lots of farm toys, which don't interest me, and an absolute sea of Jim Beam decanters.

I must admit a minor liking for those, as they are made in so many themes, and some are by companies that also made cookie jars, so they have a great vintage pottery look.

Now, I know I said no more chatkes, but I couldn't resist this luscious pink cockatoo decanter, to go with my other cockatoo bird figurines. 'What, another thing she collects?' you say-- yes.

And, there were these darling little gnome Christmas ornaments-- Man, I really wanted them... but alas, it was not to be-- they sold whilst I was off "powdering my nose". Whoever won them must have been thrilled to get them for such a low price... next time...

This week holds in store a couple more Myer's auctions that sound good, so I'll let you know. You never know what I'll find!

Why Easter Is Early This Year

HAPPY EASTER !!!

I love Easter, and Easter Postcards. I had to force myself to stop adding more cards here for your viewing enjoyment. I have hundreds more I could have added.

I also collect Easter toys, with the emphasis on the vintage HARD PLASTIC toys from my childhood.

Here's a link to a display of some of my collection that I had up at our local library a couple of years ago. My collection has grown considerably since then.

I was curious as to why Easter is so early this year, so I googled it...

and found an answer...

Easter always falls on the Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox which is every March 20th.

This tradition was based on the lunar calendar to signify Passover. Hence the reason the Easter holiday moves around each year.

The earliest Easter can ever be is March 22nd, but you'll be lucky if you ever see that.

The last time Easter was on March 23rd was back in 1913, so unless you are 95 or older, you have never had Easter this early before.

More than likely you won't be alive when Easter is on March 23 rd again in 220 years from now. You won't see it on March 22nd either, that will be in 2285.

But all these wonderful lithographed postcards will still be around.

I hope you enjoy these few examples of a colorful fun collecting category.

Happy Easter!

Here's the TOP 10 List of the MOST-WATCHED Easter Postcards on Ebay NOW:

Blast from Ebay Sales Past

Here's another blast from my past... ebay sales. (Click on the pic if you want to see a larger view.) This group featured a nice Weller Pottery vase. I buy very little Weller, or Roseville, or other art pottery these days. It seems that's the type of pottery that "everyone" knows about now, so there aren't too many sleeper deals out there. This batch also had some knick-knacks, which I try now to resist. There are so many pieces that, shall we say, are just NOT home-runs. Ebay has changed that arena, and for the better, really, cuz truthfully most of it's just mass produced junque. I still buy some, but try really hard not to. Now watch, next auction that'll be all I buy! The coolest thing I had in this batch was the 1956 Gypsy Tour badge, from the American Motorcycle Association. I've had a few other pieces from other Gypsy Tour years, and they have all been home-runs. Of course, it helps to buy it right-- in this case, this badge was at the bottom of a box of books I got at the end of an auction, for .25 cents! But, again, these items are from my past, way, way back in time. It's fun to reminisce about the deals I got back then. Now, $20.00 is the new $5.00! But hey, some day these'll be the good ole days. Okay, enough rambling. Off to an auction tomorrow-- hope I find some good treasures to write about...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Here's some antique postcards that celebrate the day...

TOP 10 LIST ~ Advertising Trays

Well, "Evil Morning Marianne" won the fight with the alarm clock, and I slept in and didn't make it to the Indy Ad Show. So I'll make my own mini-show for you here.
When I do make it up and out, one category of advertising that I absolutely love is
"ADVERTISING TRAYS".
They just have the most beautiful lithographed images! Here's a few that have been on ebay recently, followed by this week's TOP 10 LIST: THE CURRENT MOST-WATCHED EBAY AUCTIONS of ADVERTISING TRAYS...

New Online Antiques Mall - icollect247.com

I have been watching this new online antiques-mall site for a few months now, and since they are having a free-sign-up-in-March promotion, I figured I'd give it a try. The site's called ICOLLECT247.COM. They are really "workin' it". It has a great look, and they have spent a lot on advertising lately-- colorful ads in the Antique Week and the Antique Trader, and I'm sure other places, too.
I just got my MS DOW ANTIQUES SHOP all set up there, and have a couple items listed already, if you want to take a look. I'll let you know how it's working out...

Note added, 3-31-08: I decided not to continue with my shop, and plan to set up my own web-store. So watch for that in a future post. I'm still watching this 247 site to see how it grows, and whether or not it lasts... I think it looks absoulutely fabulous, and the people running it are really nice, friendly, and helpful. The fees are fair. But I don't think there is enough buyer traffic yet, and I'm concerned about some (just some - most do a fine job) of the other dealers, and that their unrealistic prices, & unprofessional descriptions, will turn buyers away. I hope I'm wrong, and someday will tell myself "I should have stayed".

Postcards and Sunshine High

Ah, the sun was out today, and I went to an auction. What more could a gal want? Maybe to bring home a few treasures, too?!

It was a smallish auction, but had some interesting things. I picked up a few pieces of EAPG (antique glass dishes), in the MARSH PINK pattern.

And a pretty (unmarked) rhinestone pin...

There were a few cases of interesting "smalls".

Gee, guess which case caught my eye? The postcards, of course.

I wound up with about half of this case.

I think the best thing I bought was this great SANFORD'S GOOD LUCK INKSTAND, with the original tin litho horse-shoe topper, and paper label. I checked around for info, on ebay, and google, and am tentatively saying it is scarce in this condition. The glass bottle, with no tin top or labels is readily available. I hope to find out more at the Indy Ad Show this weekend.

That was all I brought home today, along with an auction-high, and lots of happy-endorphins from the sunshine!

Indy Ad Show this Weekend - March 15th

I am really looking forward to going to the The Indy Ad Show this weekend (Saturday March 15th). Get directions to the fairgrounds: Indianapolis, Indiana.

There's always the most amazing advertising stuff there. It's a great show, absolutely brimming over with breweriana, soda fountain, petroliana, automotive, saloon, political, and ephemera. (These pix are from their website photo album.)

It's also on Sunday, with the exciting bonus of the New TOY SHOW that is open Sunday only.

To get in the mood for all that great advertising, I was looking at some back issues of this great newsletter, PAST TIMES. Just look at these fabulous covers.

Oh, I can hardly wait...

Pix of Sales Past #1

Just reminiscing a little about some of the neat things I've sold over the years. I used to put a monthly collage pic on my Ebay ME page, showing highlights from the past month. I haven't done that in a while. Now and then I will show you one of those past "Gems Sold" pix, and then after we're caught up I'll have to start making new ones. Click on the pic to see a bigger view.

This pic was from back in 2004, if I recall. The miniature doll pin was a surprise. And look what the lunch box brought, even missing a handle. One of the great things about selling on ebay, as a real no-reserve auction, is that I never ever would have asked those prices if I took the items to a show. Gotta love those last minute snipers, too-- so exciting!

I did a quick check on ebay, and recently, no Ponytail Lunchbox; there are always a variety of Skookum dolls; there recently was a Pillsbury Grandma & Granpopper dolls, in their original box, that brought $86.00. I think I did pretty well with this batch, all things considered. I'm not saying this to brag. Just to say that this is one of the fun aspects of the biz. The hunt is great fun, but it's awfully nice to get some closure, that validation, to see your knowledge (and sometimes intuition/gamble) pay off.

Talkin' 'Tiques

I do so much on-line reading these days, but I still look forward to sitting in my easy chair and actually reading a book or newspaper. There's nothing like it. And on Monday's I look forward to reading the latest issue of Antique Week. Today's issue really "spoke" to me.

Starting with the cover story on vintage luggage labels. As a paper collector, the graphics on these colorful stickers have always caught my eye. I have a few in my collection, and I have stacks of vintage suitcases with great looking travel stickers all over them. They're great for storing some of my paper collection.

The next article that spoke to me is a big spread/article on this weekend's Heart of Ohio Antique Center's big 10 year anniversary event this weekend. Click on the pic to read some of the article. I mentioned the details here in a previous post. Dealers are stocking up their booths, and getting ready for big crowds. Everything is going to be 15% off. The weather looks like it'll be nice (better than the snowstorm we just had). And the Springfield Antique Show is on at the nearby fairgrounds, too, so you can make a full day, or even weekend of antiquing. There are 2 other antique malls there, too, so wear your comfy shoes!

Also in today's Antique Week paper, I saw an ad for a new price guide on antique postcards, from Collector Books. It's not printed yet, and I look forward to checking it out, and see if it has some good info to share.

Next, and short article on collecting Coro costume jewelry. I've always loved wearing my Coro bracelets, with the colorful Lucite/plastic inserts. I'll have to excavate a layer or two down into my jewelry cases, and start wearing them again. Find out more about CORO Jewelry here, and here too.

There were other interesting articles, and editorials. And, of course, there's the usual assortment of upcoming shows and auctions. There is no shortage of stuff for sale, and apparently no shortage of buyers with money, seeing the record prices good antiques bring these days.

I can't wait to see what I see, and buy, this coming weekend.

Eureka

Oh, I am so happy that I finally figured out where I went wrong with my html code. I tried to use this widget before, but just couldn't get it to work. Which is why I've been showing you the Most Watched lists. Well, this is what I really wanted to show you: The HIGHEST PRICES lists.

So, Ta-Da! Here's the current " TOP 25 List " of Highest Priced Bottles on Ebay in the ANTIQUE BOTTLES category:

All Buttoned Up

Well, there's no antiques show in my plans for this weekend. There is a big snowstorm looming, so guess I'm gonna be all buttoned up in my cozy home, playing with my treasures, and listing more antique buttons on ebay.

Next weekend is the super-duper INDY AD SHOW, where you'll find the best of the best in advertising collectibles.

Next weekend is also a special Customer Appreciation event at the mall where I have a booth-- The Heart Of Ohio Antique Center.

They are having free beverages, which is nice. But wait, there's more: They are taking 15% off of everything! And I mean EVERY THING in the mall!!! Even PRICE GUIDES. The Mall is in Springfield, Ohio. You should plan on going there for sure. Maybe you'll see me!

So here's today's "Top 10 List", the "most-watched" items currently on ebay, this time from the METAL BUTTONS category; followed by the TOP 25 List of CURRENT Highest Priced Buttons (in the Metal Buttons category).

Most Watched Items In Antique Metal Buttons

Button, Button... Victorian Picture Buttons

I decided I wanted to list some items on ebay that are extra easy to ship, so I got out a small box from a large button collection that I bought at an estate auction a few years ago. About once a year I dip into a box, and have fun learning about and selling these little gems. I have had bakelites, Mother-of-Pearls, glass Calicos, and even some excellent military uniform buttons. The best one I had was an un-dug "I with Stars" Confederate officer's button. I wish I had more of those, let me tell you!

This week's little treasure box is full of Victorian Picture Buttons -- ornate metal clothing buttons with raised or cut-out scenes ranging from fables and fairy tales to operas, hunting, Orientalia, historical, and oh so many more topics. I'm not too experienced with this particular genre of antique buttons. So of course I looked them up on ebay.

Once I figured out what they are called the most often -- picture buttons -- I surfed into the button category, and used the key word 'picture', and sorted by highest prices, COMPLETED auctions, first. I always research with highest prices first because I want to see and learn about the GOOD stuff. Even if it turns out my items are common and lower priced, at least by the time I've scrolled down that far, I've already seen and learned enough to know what made the good ones good.

I haven't sorted through all the picture buttons in this box yet. These pix are just a few that I have ready to list on ebay. Also, here are some buttons that sold on ebay recently, with their prices. Let's hope I have some 'good' ones, too!

#1 brought $152.00

#2 brought $80.00

#3 brought $60.00

#4 brought $50.00

#5 brought $82.00

Here are a couple of links if you want to find out more about Button Collecting:
AntiqueButtonCollecting.com and a web ring that has many many button collectors web page links.

And because I just love this widget, here's the TOP 10 list of the Most-Watched Antique Buttons on Ebay NOW:

Most Watched Items In Antique Buttons

Show-n-Tell Update

Just playing with some of my latest little treasures today, and thought I'd share some pix. Be sure to click on the pic if you want to see it a little bigger.

Here's a shelf in my office, with those roly-poly author figures, tucked in with my other author figurines, all standing in front of vintage books. You'll see Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and George Bernard Shaw. The pigs belong, too, as one is called HAM-let, and the other Pig-PEN. I don't know how the mini chamber pot thing happened, but there they are...

At the Lions Show I picked up this pretty "Bathing Beauty on Shells". I love Victorian shell-covered boxes and miniature

dressers, and I have them surrounded by beach-themed items: Mermaids, Bathing Beauties and Naughties, and some tins, sand pails and other items. This is just part of my collection...

Here's the link to an online auction catalog from a BIG auction that had a great many lovely Victorian Shell Art boxes and other items. And you can see (and buy) some gorgeous NEW shell art boxes that look like antiques. And you can read a little bit about Mermaids, Bathing Beauties and Naughties.

Another thing I collect is vintage LIMA OHIO memorabilia, with the emphasis on bottles. Recently I won a killer paper label Lima whiskey bottle on ebay from a wonderful seller who goes by BURKY145 on ebay. Here's a pic of that BROOK CLUB bottle, with my NATIONAL WINE Lima bottle that has a super label, too...

Well, I'd better put my toys away, and get back to work.

Urbana Antique Show Report

This weekend I went to the Urbana Antique Show, and had a wonderful time. I was so happy to get out, and actually see the sun. We've had such yucky snowy cold weather. Just look at this icicle curtain outside of my kitchen window... now I think they are beautiful, glistening in the welcome sun.

The Urbana Show is much bigger than the Lions Show that I went to last weekend. This weekend it was 3 full buildings of treasures. When the weather is nicer, dealers set up ouside, too, and then the show is twice this size. There was good attendance, helped by the weather, but you know antiquers are a hardy sort, and the crowd would have been there anyway.

You can find all kinds of goodies here, from collectibles, to primitives, glass, and there are even several paper dealers who set up regularly. There is something for everyone's taste, even delicious Amish baked goods.

I couldn't resist buying a couple of these hilarious, though new, roly-poly figurines, just because I found the literary figures irresistable. I chose Shakespeare and Charle Dickens to sit on my bookshelf in front of my vintage/antique copies of their works. Next time I will add Mark Twain and Cervantes. They are called Harmony Pot Bellies.

I enjoyed lots of visiting with all the friendly dealers, many of whom are friends. Here's a fun trio I know from local auctions, and they were set up across from each other, keeping the "guy stuff" separate from "girl stuff". Here's the link to DeeDee's ebay listings.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there was a good vibe at this show too. Everyone seemed happy. I didn't hear any complaints about ebay, which was nice. I think people realize that shows are doing just fine, and can co-exist with ebay.

Let's see, what else did I buy? Several interesting books and catalogs, and some figurines, all for resale. Nothing too exciting for myself (besides my roly-poly authors), but I had a good time, and you never know if you don't go, right? Can't wait to see what I find next time!