Tips to keep in mind when you attend an estate sale

Estate sales have always been fun for me to attend—I never know what I might find there.  If you have never attended one before, what are some tips to keep in mind when you attend one?

Talk to the other shoppers when you can.  They might have the scoop on another sale coming up that you could find more goodies at.  One good time to do this is if you happen to arrive early and the sale has not opened yet.

Chill out.  It’s okay to make an offer on an item but being ultra-aggressive about it by pressuring the people running the sale to make the sale is not a good idea.  I have also seen aggressive shoppers show up the night before to see what’s at the sale.  These are great ways to get on the nerves of the people running the sale.

It’s okay to show up on day 2 and even day 3 of the sale.  More often than not, the company running the sale will discount the items for sale and the second and third days.  I have seen companies run a discount of 25% off on the second day and even as much as 50% off on the third day.

This is a small handful of tips for you to keep in mind when you attend an estate sale.  What other tips do you use when you attend an estate sale?

A little history of Fiesta Pottery

The pottery line known as Fiesta dinnerware was started by the Homer Laughlin company, and it made its debut in January of 1936 at the Pottery and Glass Show that was being held in Pittsburgh.  Fiesta dinnerware has been produced since then, with a small hiatus from 1972 to 1985.

The reason for the hiatus was the fact that Homer Laughlin actually retired the set.  Collectors started to get interested in the retired pottery, and in 1985 Homer Laughlin was approached by the Bloomingdale’s Department Store to bring it back.  The pottery was indeed brought back, and a new line of Fiesta dinnerware and a new color palate was introduced in 1986 in Bloomingdale’s.

Homer Laughlin originally produced this pattern in Red, Blue, light green, original green, yellow and Old Ivory (Turquoise did not hit the store shelves until 1937).  In the history of the Fiesta dinnerware, there have been a total of 52 different colors in the line.

The great thing about Fiesta is that Homer Laughlin has been known to retire colors along the way.  This gives collectors a totally new way to collect Fiesta—they can now collect their favorite pieces in a retired color.  Homer Laughlin also introduces a new color every year, and it is always fun to me to see what the new color is.

When you start to collect Fiesta pottery, you will see how diverse the set is.  You will see that you can use different pieces in different parts of the house.  Not only that, you can also use one color in the kitchen, one color in the living room and a totally different color in a bedroom.  This gives you a great way to match the colors in the room or to even add a splash of color if you want.

This is a small look at the history of the Fiesta Dinnerware.  What have you heard about the pattern?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As 2022 begins, I invite you to visit The Wisdom Lane Antiques Etsy store (which can be seen here).  I also want you to see what I have for sale on eBay as well, which can be seen here.

My goal for the new year is to continue to offer the best variety of items at reasonable prices.

My hope and wish is that the New Year beings each and every one if you good health, smiles, and of course, good shopping!