Great vocabulary words for the glass collector

Over time, you will pick up quite a few words that describe what a piece is.  There are even times they apply to how a piece is made.  Here are some words that apply to the glassware field:

Chop Plate – this is a large, flat serving plate.  This piece is also sometimes called a salver.

Cane –this is a glass rod that’s used in glassmaking to produce effects like twisted filigree or even marbles.

Sickness – this refers to a cloudy haze that’s in glass vessels such as vases, decanters bottles, and even tumblers.  This can be something as simple as hard water deposits.

So what kind of fun words have you heard?

How do you know if the piece you have is truly rare?

One of the words that I hear a lot when I am shopping at a local flea market, or even on the Internet, is the word “rare.”  What goes into labeling an item rare?

The first thing to consider is how many pieces were originally made.  The fewer items that were made means that there are not as many on the secondary market.

Materials that an item is made of will help drive rarity.  For example, enamelware will have quite a few common items, but there is an area called “End Of The Day.”  These were literally made at the end of the day and have at least 3 different colors on them.  The employees that produced this type of item used up the excess materials that were left after a full day’s work.  So there will be very interesting color combinations on different pieces.

Another thing to consider is how often an item is used.  This could be a toy that is played with, or even a piece of jewelry that is worn.  The more an item is used, the more wear and tear (and even damage) can occur.  It’s harder to find an item that’s used every day that’s in excellent, or even mint, shape.

Items like clothing, glassware, or even pottery are going to be more fragile.  This will lead to chips, moth holes, cracks, or even rips and tears.  Damage like this will help drive up the price of the good examples.

Handmade pieces also tend to be rare as well.  This is a wide range of items that include autographs, paintings, tramp art, and even primitive furniture.  Because they are handmade (rather than mass produced items), they are one-of-a-kind pieces.  Collectors are often willing to pay more for an item they love that they will never see again!

We all know that plenty of homework helps uncover what items are truly rare.  What kinds of rarities are you on the hunt for?

My new Etsy store modus operandi

I'm changing things up at my Etsy store.  I'm discontinuing my sale, but I'm also in the midst of lowering the prices on everything.

One of the items I just lowered the price on is the fantastic FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS sign that is also my hot item.  This fabulous sign can be yours for $125, which is lower than the price you would have gotten if you used the coupon code.

You can purchase the sign here.

You can see the rest of my changes at my store here.

Signage is hot!

The summer may be cooling off, but sign collecting is heating up.

This 14 ½ inch by 17 ½ inch double sided enamel sign which reads “Fasten Your Seat Belts” and touts

Dependable Champion Spark Plugs is a great example of 1968 advertising.

Collectors will overlook dings and bumps (considering them rusty gold) to grab onto a great slogan and hard-to-find product.  Color that pops is an added bonus.  If you have an empty wall or space in your garage, or need a one-of-a-kind headboard, this area of collecting might just be for you.

You can find this particular sign is already for sale on Etsy right now with a price at $300.  This month’s 25% off sale means that you get $75 off.

You can click here for the listing.  You can use coupon code SUMMER25 to get 25% off when you check out.

What a great sale!

There's a huge sale going on throughout the month of September at my Etsy store.  To help celebrate summer, make sure that you use the coupon code SUMMER25 to get a whopping 25% off on any purchase.  You can get 25% off anything, even this cool saucer:

 

You can see these cool necklaces and lots of great items as well in my Etsy shop here.