What In The World Is Pressed Glass?

Pressed glass has been around here in America since the 1820’s, and has quite a few popular forms.  It can be a cup, vase, plate, bon bon dish, or etc.

Since it’s mold-made, the cost of production of the pieces is lower than items that are handmade.  Because of the lower costs with manufacturing pressed glass, you will see more of the same items on the secondary market.  But this can be a good thing for the collector.  This means that there is a better chance for you to find an example for your collection.  There’s Depression Glass, Goofus Glass, and even Carnival Glass that you can hunt for.

The American Sweetheart sherbets can be seen in my Etsy store here.

The Peacock At The Fountain amethyst tumbler can be seen in my Etsy store here.

The Goofus Glass bowl with the LA BELLE ROSE Pattern can be seen in my Etsy store here.

The Fenton Blue Opalescent Hobnail vase can be seen at Etsy here.

Because pressed glass pieces aren’t so expensive, they can still be used--either in the way that the piece was intended, or in another creative way.  If you have a tumbler, it could double as a small vase, or even a pencil or pen holder on a desk.  A bowl like the Goofus Glass piece listed above could even be used as a centerpiece on a table.

 

You never know what you can find when it comes to pressed glass.  What’s the coolest pressed glass piece that you’ve found?  How do you display or use your pressed glass?

Great Ideas To Invest Some Money In Trying Times? Try Silver Coins

I have been collecting coins ever since I was a kid.  One of the first stories that I learned about was the coin hoarding of the early 1800’s.

One of the reasons that this happened was the fact that the banking system wasn’t the greatest.  There were plenty of banks that would open up for business, and then be out of business within a couple of weeks or months.  Because of the very shaky ground that the banks were on, people were afraid that they would not get their initial deposits back.

Because of this, people started to hoard silver and gold coins (gold was in circulation in higher denomination coins with a face value of $1, $2.50, $5, $10 and $20).  It got so bad that the lowly little penny was even stockpiled.

The United States Mint (and mints from all around the world, for that matter) still makes pure silver coins, but they are for collectors and investors alike.

 

With the price of silver going up, it only makes sense to set a few examples aside to watch them go up in value.  If you play your cards right, you can make a tidy profit on your original purchase price.



Another Valuable Lessoned Learned

In March of last year, I opened up a store at Etsy.

 When I first heard of the site, I was under the belief it was geared more for women with handmade items like clothing, or even jewelry.  I quickly realized that the site also offers vintage items that could be tailored to both women and men.

This site has been absolutely fantastic for me.  Not only does this site give you a chance to sell, but they also have what they call “Teams.”  These are groups that you can join that share your same interests.  There are also teams that also give you an opportunity to discuss things like how to promote your items for sale.

I’m a big fan of Etsy—what are your favorite sites for buying and selling?