Month: March 2021

What are some tips for attending an estate sale?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Estate SalesLeave a comment

You have found a local estate sale nearby that you would like to go to.  The problem is is that you have never been to one before.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind while attending your first estate sale:

Ask about any unmarked items—if there is an item at the estate sale that you are interested in, feel free to ask about it.  There is a good chance that the people running the sale have not had a chance to price it, or the price tag could have just fallen off.

Check to see if there is a pick-up policy—if there is a large item at the sale that you are interested in and have no way of taking it with you that day, see if the people running the sale will allow you to come back for it either that day (or even the next).

Respect the property—there will be rooms that the people running the sale that will want you to stay out of.  They will have the door shut and marked off with either a sign or tape, so stay out and be friendly.

Have fun—there is a good chance that you might leave without buying anything.  The cool thing is that you get to meet some great people and get to see what other shoppers are interested in buying.

This is a small handful of tips for attending an estate sale.  What tips do you know of for attending estate sales?

Item Highlight: 1950’s Fenton Jack In The Pulpit Vase With JACQUELINE Pattern

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This week’s item highlight in the Wisdom Lane Antiques shop is this terrific small Fenton Jack In The Pulpit vase! It dates to the 1950’s and has the JACQUELINE pattern on it.

As you can see from the photo, the vase also sports the yellow opaline color. Even though the vase is not marked by Fenton, you can tell Fenton made it by both the pattern and the color on it.

The vase is also the perfect size for just about any table or mantle to show off your favorite flowers–it measures 7 ½ inches tall. It is also a great size across the top–it measures 4 ¾ inches across so the flowers are not strangled by the vase.

You can see this terrific vase in my Etsy shop here.

Head on over and chek it out!

Searching The World Wide Web

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn The Internet, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

With a book out on the market on just about any antiques and collectibles area that you could imagine, it would be a safe bet that you could find any item fairly fast, right?

Sometimes it does not work out that way.  The internet can be a great resource for information on the item that you are looking for like this head vase for example.

When I look for something, I start with a broad search by typing in “head vase” in the search bar.  If that does not get me what I need this is when I start typing in specifics.  If the piece has a stamp or a sticker with the makers name on it, I use that.

With you narrowing down the search, you get to the point where you can find the item you have pretty quickly.  It can even get to the point where you can find several listings of the same item as yours so you have a great price range on it.

What kinds of tricks and tips do you use when you search for an item on the internet?

What are some of the popular toys from the 1980’s?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, History, ToysLeave a comment

Every decade sees toys become extremely popular for a certain amount of time.  The Barbie doll started to gain popularity in the 1960’s, and the pet rock was popular in the 1970’s.  What toys were popular in the 1980’s?

1983 saw the Cabbage Patch Kids hit the toy shelves, and the rush was on to grab one anywhere that it was sold at.

When 1984 came about, The Transformers cartoon hit the airwaves.  The toys quickly followed, and they were as popular as the show was.  The race was on to find figures like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and even the evil Megatron.

Nintendo released the Gameboy in 1989, and you quickly saw people playing games like Super Mario Land and even Tetris.

This is only a handful of the toys that were popular in the 1980’s.  What do you remember playing with?