To clean or not to clean, that is the question

One of the oldest questions in collecting is when to clean—or not to clean—an item.

Sometimes an item’s value will go up if it is cleaned, and other times the items value will go down.

Some items are perfectly fine to clean.  Costume jewelry, glassware, pottery, clothing from the 1970’s or  the 1980’s, and even graniteware are perfect for this area.  A little research can go a long way with these items, though.  You need to find out what can and can’t be used on an item; cleaner can potentially do damage that can’t be undone.  Things like graniteware can be cleaned with oven cleaner, while cheap costume jewelry can be cleaned with toothpaste that has baking soda in it.  Even Alka-Seltzer can be used to clean jewelry.

There are some items that you should take to someone that knows what they are doing when it comes to cleaning.  Artwork, antique books, pricy jewelry (pieces that feature precious stones like diamonds), quilts or antique clothing, and quilting samplers are items that fall in this category.

When it comes to old furniture, silver, gold, modern coins, brass or even copper, make sure that these don’t get cleaned.  The best way to ruin the value of these items is to get out the cleaner.  Patina on these pieces is a great thing to have; it helps prove an items age and provenance.

A great way to start is to get an appraisal of the item.  This way you know what you have.  If the item is in fact valuable and in the need of a cleaning, you could ask the appraiser for a recommendation.

I think the best rule of thumb is that if you have any doubts about cleaning an item, don’t!  Once the original finish is gone, there’s no getting it back.

Have you ever cleaned an item that you wished you hadn’t?

Broken Bank Notes From The 1800’s

This sounds like a plot from a book or even a movie, but this actually happened with the banking system.  During the early 1800’s, the banking system was not as safe as it is today.  The banks would go out of business almost as fast as they would open their doors for the first time.

When a bank opened, they were allowed by the United States Government through a charter to print their own paper money.  This was to help the country get the monetary system up and running.

But when a bank went out of business, the money that it produced became no good.  With the country being on the gold and silver standard (which means paper money could basically be traded in for silver or gold coins that equaled the face value of the paper money), it was impossible to take the money in to redeem it.

So how did businesses and other banks know that a bank had gone out of business?  The most common method was to check a list of out-of-business banks, also called “broken banks.”  But many banks folded before they could be added to the list, leaving some businesses with worthless money in exchange for goods and services.

 
Because it was so problematic, the banking system stopped printing money—it became the job of the BEP (which is the Bureau Of Engraving And Printing).  This early form of printing paper money created two types of collectibles—“Broken Bank” Notes and Obsolete United States paper money!

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?

It’s Completely Different Than What I Had Originally Thought It Was—It’s Arabic Made!

A while ago, I talked about what I thought was a handmade and unique coffee pot in a blog post.

An eagle-eyed shopper dropped me a line and told me that the pot was actually Arabic made, and it was from the 1930’s to 1950’s.

It always pays off to do your homework before you post something for sale online, but it’s also extremely nice to have someone also help out and catch an error with a listing.

As for the pot, it’s listing has been corrected and can be seen in my Etsy store here.

Types Of Sports Cards

Think a sports card is a sports card?  Far from it.  There are a ton of different types of cards that you could find.  Here’s a few:

Retail Card—these are cards that are sold to major retailers like Kmart.  The cards will often have the name of the store printed on the card as well.  You might even find a card from a now-defunct retailer.

 
Insert Card—these are cards that are inserted into packs at a staggered rate (like one card being inserted into every 24^th pack).  There is also a number on the back of every sports card.  The number on the back of the insert card will be different than the normal set numbers.  The normal set numbers will appear as 1-400 (or however many cards are in the set), the insert cards will have a number like ST1, or PL1.  When you buy a pack, you never know what kind of insert card could be in there.  There even could be a player who became much more famous later on.

Sell Sheets—these are not cards at all.  They’re ads that are sent to distributors for cards that are for sale to the public.  This would show what cards you could get in the set, and would show the players that are featured in the set.  You could get these ads from a sports cards dealer for pretty cheap, or even free if the retailer is going to throw them away (it never hurts to ask them if it’s possible for you to have it).  They’re also great to display along with a complete team collection!

So what’s the rarest card that you’ve ever found?

Great Ideas For Valentine’s Day Gifts

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I’m sure we’re all thinking about gifts for our loved ones.  Jewelry remains a classic, ever-popular Valentine’s Day gift.

You can see some great jewelry pieces in my Etsy store here.

 

 

 

Another fun idea is to send a vintage Valentine card.

 

You can view these great examples of vintage Valentine’s Day cards in my Etsy store here and here.

 

With so many ideas are out there, there’s no telling what you might find for Valentine’s Day.  What kinds of gift ideas can you think of?

There’s A New Hot Item Just In Time For Valentine’s Day

Starting in 1953, Fenton produced a line of glass called “Black Rose.”  The best way to describe this line is that it is a combination of Peach Blow and black crest glass.

The original line only lasted two years, and was discontinued in 1955.  Since the line wasn’t around that long, the pieces are more sought-after by collectors.

There have been some pieces made to be sold QVC, and the pieces were marked with a paper label.  If the pieces have been hand-painted, the artist will sign and date the bottom of the piece.  Items that come from the original line will either be unmarked, or have the Fenton name embossed on the bottom.

A picture of the original base can be seen here:

The basket that I have listed in my Etsy store dates to the 1950’s.  With a pink interior, it would be a great item for Valentine’s day.  It could be given to someone holding candy or even a small piece of jewelry or some flowers. 

You can see the Fenton “Black Rose” basket that I have listed in my Etsy store here.

Vocabulary Words For The Beginning Collector

When you dive headfirst into the world of collectibles, you’ll hear many terms that will become an essential part of your vocabulary.  Here are few that you’ll often hear:

Cross-Collectible—A item that falls into multiple collectible categories (like toys, Salesman’s Samples, and advertising).  A cross-collectible will be of interest to more collectors, and in theory, will be an easier sell.  I have a couple of great examples of cross-collectibles in my Etsy store.  You can see the Salesman’s Sample sad iron here and the screw jack by Simplex salesman’s sample here.

Milk Glass—A type of glass that is opaque or white in color, and is either blown or pressed into a mold, and is made into all types of items.  It could be a vase, tray, or even a lamp shade.  There’s a great set of milk glass spice holders in my Etsy shop.  You can see them here.

Transferware—Getting its start in the Staffordshire England area in the 1800’s, this is a type of decoration process for pottery.  It uses transfer printing, and starts with a copper plate printing an image onto tissue paper.  While the ink is still wet, it is applied to the pottery.  The item is then fired in a kiln at a low temperature to permanently adhere the image to the pottery.  I have a great example of transferware pottery in my Etsy store; it happens to be a mug by Royal Bonn with a pattern called THEETRINKER.  You can see it here.

What collecting terms have you heard recently?

My New Mailing List For Wisdom Lane Antiques

While you’ll always find great news on collecting, sales, etc. here at the blog, I also wanted a way to interact with my customers directly.  So I put together the quick and simple mailing list.

The form is only three questions long, and it will make sure that the latest news on sales and specials here at Wisdom Lane will be sent straight to your inbox.

The best part of the form is that you get a chance to tell me what you’re looking for—what you collect, and what’s on your wish list.  When one of your dream items comes up for sale, I’ll email you the link to the item’s listing.

Thanks in advance for signing up—I’m looking forward to a fantastic year at Wisdom Lane!

Merry Christmas From Jake!

Happy Hijacking, err, I mean Merry Christmas!  Yes, it's Jake again and I have hijacked John's blog.  The big guy's celebrating Christmas today, so I decided to do today's blog post.

The great thing about Christmas is that there's a ton of collectibles that you could have.  Think about it, you could do sweaters, ornaments, and Santa is an area that's all its own.

I love the ornaments that John has in his Etsy shop, especially the ornament that was designed by Thomas Blackshear for Hallmark.  You can see the ornament here.

So stay warm and bundle up!  And for me, I have some pajamas that I am going to throw on.

Ben Cantwell And The 1933 Goudey’s Baseball Card Set

When we think of baseball cards today, we think of the packs with bubble gum.  But the packs didn’t always come with the gum.

In 1933, the Goudeys Gum Company released a 240 card set released called the Goudeys baseball card.    This card set is the first one of its kind to be issued with bubble gum in the pack of cards.  Before this set came out, the cards were released in tobacco packs.

The cards also double as advertising for Big League Chewing Gum, which can be seen on both the front and back of the card.  They are also very distinguishable because each card features a drawing of each player. 

The first card that I bought that was from this set features Ben Cantwell.  Ben was a pitcher for several teams starting in 1927.  By the time 1933 rolled around, he was a relief pitcher for the Boston Braves.  This year was a pretty good year for Ben; he came close to winning the MVP award for the year. 

 

The great thing about this card is that it falls into several collectible categories: advertising, baseball lovers, and gum nuts could find room in their collection for it.

I have this card listed in my Etsy store, and you can see it here.

Vintage Sheet Music For Every Type of Collector

It’s kind of scary how big the sheet music collectibles area is.  There are different styles of music like rock, country, and jazz.  When you start to look at each area, there are even sub-categories like rock-a-billy, hard rock, smooth jazz, and even classic jazz.  The list just goes on and on.

Click here to see a piece of WWI sheet music.

WWI is a popular area to collectors.  It’s not just the patriotic song, but the cover as well that people collect.  This type of sheet music was produced to help keep the spirits of the country up when we were involved in WWI.  The covers that feature at least one soldier tend to be the most popular.

Sheet music with great covers are also highly coveted.  Covers can feature celebrities like Joan Crawford, images from famous movies like THE SHEIK, or even famous artists like Norman Rockwell.

Click here to see a piece of sheet music featuring Joan Crawford.

Over the years, I have come across a ton of sheet music.  As with other areas of collecting, the condition is king.  The area that gets a lot of wear and tear are the edges and the spine of the music.  Fading to the cover is also another concern.  Over time, the sheet music could be left in the direct sunlight, and some of the art on the cover has faded away.  Things like writing on or in the sheet music, yellowing or missing pages, or brittle pages can also affect the value of the sheet music.  Price stickers from the retailer could also decrease the value of the music.

Click here to see a piece of sheet music featuring a Norman Rockwell Print.

There are as many ways to display your collection as there are items to collect.  They could be proudly displayed on a vintage piano, put on a coffee table, or even framed.  The list just goes on and on.

 

Click here to see WHAT KIND OF AMERICAN ARE YOU?

 

But do you know what the great thing about sheet music is?  Not only can you find pieces to fit any budget and fit into a fairly small space, you can also play it and get tons of enjoyment out of it.

 

Click here to see THE SHEIK sheet music.

You can see some additional examples of some vintage sheet music in my Etsy shop here.

 

A Truly Special Find

You don’t get any better than this in the collectible world:  thanks to shows like American Pickers, porcelain signs are quickly becoming one of the most sought-after antiques.

This one-sided Mobilgas gas pump sign, which I recently listed on TIAS, is a perfect way to get in on the craze.

Most of the porcelain signs I run into are so big, they literally need an 18-wheeler to transport, and a barn to hang on.  But at 12 ½ by 12 inches—that’s inches, not feet—this Mobilgas sign is the perfect way to begin collecting signs.  It would make a great addition to a garage, or over a bar, a little boy’s room, or in a man cave.

A pump featuring a similar Mobilgas sign recently sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $5700.

If you’re in the market for a Christmas present for the man or car enthusiast in your life, or know someone who is restoring an old gas pump, this sign is for you.  Head over to ETSY and get a good look.