Silent And Early Talkie Film Star MAE W MARSH

Mae W Marsh Was an American actress whose career spanned over 50 years.  Her career started out in silent movies, and then went over into “talkies.”  Her big break came when Mary Pickford refused to play the role of Lily-White in the movie "Man's Genesis" (Mary Pickford was known for “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” and “Cinderella”).

 

Some of the movies that she stared in were “The Dear One," "The Birth of a Nation," “The Grapes of

Wrath," "How Green Was My Valley," and even “When Kings Were the Law.”

She became such a famous actress that her image was featured on several items, including this plate:

The plate was produced in the 1920’s by the STAR PLAYERS PHOTO COMPANY.  This is a part of a series of plates that features other famous actors, like Charlie Chaplin.

The plates that I have seen have considerable wear to them, like they were actually used instead of just being admired.  I also have yet to see one without any chips on them as well (the one in my Etsy shop has a very small chip on the back).

The great thing about it is that it is a cross-collectible.  Pottery, collector plate, movie buffs, and even people who love Mae Marsh would love to have this plate in their collection.  Not only that, you could also display this in a retro kitchen in something like an old Hoosier cabinet.

You can see the plate shown above in my Etsy shop here.

What was your favorite movie that Mae Marsh was in?

Carnival glass

Carnival glass was produced from 1905 until the late 1920's.  It achieved great popularity because it could be mass produced at a small cost.  This type of glassware was even given away at carnivals as prizes, which gave the glassware its name.

Carnival glass is pressed glass that has been coated with a sodium solution and then fired to give the exterior a luster or shine.

 

Colors include marigold, green, blue and even purple.  The other colors that were produced (in lesser numbers) include white, clear, red, aqua and peach opalescent, ice blue, ice green, amber, smoke, and even lavender.

 

Carnival glass comes in all shapes and sizes.  You could get pieces for the table like compotes, plates or bowls.  Not only could things for the table, you could get things to wear, like this really cool bolo tie with the Windmill pattern:

Still being reproduced today, today's collector needs to be able to recognize all of the look alikes (so make sure you ready plenty).

You can find some great examples in my Etsy store here.  What kind of finds have you seen?

Why, it’s a vintage 1949 Hull LILLY jardinière or vase!

That’s what it is!  It’s a vintage Hull LILLY jardinière or vase!  This great find was made in 1949, which can be determined by the mark on the bottom.

Hull is a very collectible pottery maker.  They made countless pieces and tons of pattern like LILLY.  Hull pottery began producing items in 1905 in Crooksville, Ohio. The company's early lines consisted of common utilitarian pieces, semi-porcelain dinnerware and decorative tile. They quickly established an excellent reputation for producing quality items.

If you think about it, you could use something like this to decorate in just about any room.  The kitchen or a side table in the front room is a small sampling of where you could find this piece.  You could evn look for a piece that goes with the common color that’s in a particular room.

You can find this terrific piece of Hull in my Etsy store here.

Do you know what that is? It’s. . .

Why, I know what that is!  I got it!  It’s a wallet.  No?  How about a Stanley woodworking plane.  No, that’s not it, either.

Maybe you can figure this one out.  I know it’s made of pottery, and it could be a pot.  Maybe I could figure it out with this:

Can you tell what it is?  Stay tuned to see if you’re right!

Man, there's a wide variety of sheet music!

Sheet music is usually collected more for its cover than for the music itself.  Snapshots of yesterday can be found very easily.

Old trains, ships or planes are but a small portion of vehicle related items that can be found.  Ragtime or blues legends, comic characters, sports figures, or Hollywood stars can be found as well.  If you (or anyone that you know or related to) have a favorite star from days gone by, you could look for a fun example to frame or give as a gift.

War time anthems, soldiers, or even political heros show up as well on many different types of sheet music.

 

The colorful backgrounds or covers in general are perfect to go with just about any color in any room.  What's even better is that these are ready for framing.  The music often comes in a size that fits most common size frames (like ones that measure 11 inches by 14 inches).  Because of this, you could pick up a frame at a local flea market that's fairly cheap.

Better still, many wonderful examples still sell for around $10.00 (like anything else, there are more expensive ones).

You can see quite a few examples of some sheet music can be seen in my Etsy shop here.

What kinds of examples have you run across?

Vintage silhouetttes for any collector!

 

Silhouette portraits were made by putting the subject between a bright light and a sheet of white drawing paper.  The resulting shadow was traced on the drawing paper and then cut out.  These are often referred to as hollow-cut drawings.

The invention of a machine called the physiognotrace allowed tracing and cutting to be done in one fell swoop.  What this means is that the silhouettes could be made faster, and even cheaper.

But this doesn't mean that all of the artists jobs were completely lost.  There were experienced artists that could do full-length figures, scenes, ships, or even trains completely freehand.

Good hollow-cut early examples are hard to find, and can be quite pricey.  The ones that feature a rare scene (like one of the full-length figures) can be pricey as well.

There are a couple of examples of silhouettes in my Etsy shop, which can be seen here.

What kins of silhouettes have you seen?

How do you know how much to charge on shipping?

This question actually stumped me when I first started selling online.  Every time you list an item on an online site, the question on just how much to charge comes up.  Just how do you know how much to charge on the item you’re selling?

After I get all of the pictures I need of the item, I always get a start on the packing process for the item to be mailed.  The first step is to find a box that the item fits in.  I look for a box that is a little bigger so that I can put some packing peanuts around it.

The second step that I do is to wrap anything that is breakable in bubble wrap.

After I get it wrapped, I go ahead and pack the item in the box with the packing peanuts all around it.

Don’t bother with taping up the end that is open.  This way you can put in a packing slip once the item sells.  Another thing that I do is to write on the inside of top of what it is (this helps you out so that you don’t have to unpack it).

 

Now here’s an interesting tip:  two sheets of paper will get a more accurate weight on the package.  I know this sound highly confusing to you.

 

All you have to do is to fold two pieces of paper in half and set it on top of you package.  This will add enough weight to the package when you weigh it to simulate the packing slip, shipping label, and the rest of the mailing tape to close the package.

On the USPS website, there is a postage calculator to help you out.  It will ask for the weight and dimensions of the package in question.  Now you can get a good idea on shipping costs.  One thing I build into the shipping cost is my handling fees.  I bump up the cost by at least a dollar (this helps offset the price of things like gas).

What kinds of tricks like this do you do?

Happy 4TH Of July!

Hello, it's Jake again!  I decided to post something for John while he was out enjoying the holiday.

 You know what?  I actually learned a few things about Indepenence Day that I didn't know.  Did you know that Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776?  I quickly found out that the Fourth of July has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941.

I don't think that there is one single house that dosen't have some sort of cookout (or cook-ins in some cases).  There have been several auctions that John has gone to on Independence Day, many of which an auction company make them annual customs, just like a barbeque.  There are even some antique malls that have a huge gala today.

I hope that you have a fantastic Independence Day!

Glass Baskets

Glass baskets have been around for centuries.  There are tons of different styles which include art glass, cut glass, milk glass, and even ones that sport enamel paint.

These creations were made to hold pastries, or even flowers.  Others were made to hold sugar, jelly, or even spoons.  Small baskets were even used as serving pieces.  Larger baskets were used as centerpieces, and often sport feet.  Large baskets even have a handle to help carry them so that they are not such a bear.

There are even a ton of companies that have produced a basket.  Fenton, Westmoreland, Mckee, Duncan Miller, and even Northwood are just a small portion of companies that have made baskets.

Today, baskets are still treasured because of their beauty and color. Marigold, amethyst and even milk glass and many more colors are on the market can fit any color scheme in your house.

You can see all of the fantastic baskets I have listed in my Etsy store here.  What kinds of baskets have you found?