Author: wisdomlaneantiques

I've been going to auctions, antique malls, flea markets, etc. since I could walk. My lifelong love of anything vintage, old, or shabby (everything really is better with age) is now my full-time job.

Great vocabulary words to remember for the antiques lover

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Pottery, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

It doesn’t take very long for you to hear some interesting words when you deal with antiques.  They could apply to just about anything, here’s some of them that I have run across.

Lavabo—this is a French word that means “wash bowl.”

Nesting tables—this is a group of tables (there’s usually three, every once in a while there’s more) that is constructed so that one fits under the other.

Tin glaze—it’s an opaque white glaze that contains tin oxide.  It has been used on faience, delftwares and even majolica pottery.

This is only a small portion of the words that I have heard over the years.  What kinds of words have you come across?

What do you do when you attend an auction?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Auctions, My Background, Tips for the beginner1 Comment

So you have decided to go and see what goes on at an auction.  You scouted out the perfect one, and have even showed up about 30 minutes before it started.  Now what do you do?

The first thing that you need to do is to register to get a bidders number.  More often than not, the auction company will have a special area set up for just this purpose.  All that you need to is to show the auction company a valid ID and supply a phone number, and you have a biding number.  What this is for is to let the auction company know who you are and even able to contact you if something arises (like if something that you bought gets left behind).

Whenever I have attended an auction, this will only take a few minutes at most, and it doesn’t cost me anything to do so.

The next thing that you will want to do is to look at the merchandise that’s in the sale.  Getting to the auction a few minutes before it starts will help you look over the items to see what’s there and to see what kind of condition that it’s in.

Make sure that you listen to what the auctioneers say at the very beginning of the auction when they make their announcements.  This will let you know what will happen during the course of the auction and what will be sold first.

So have some fun when you go to auctions and see what’s out there!

Several diferent types of sports memorabilia

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Sports of all sorts1 Comment

Have a favorite sport or sports team?  Do you love to hang out in a jersey with your favorite jeans?  I have several jerseys right now on eBay that you could do this with and cheer on your favorite team.

The first is this jersey for Terrell Owens when he played football for the Philadelphia Eagles.

owens jersey

You can see this great jersey in my eBay shop here.  If football is not your cup of tea, then you could throw on a soccer jersey, like this one for the Avalon Soccer Club.

avalon

You can see this great jersey in my eBay shop here.  You can also see the rest of the jerseys in my eBay shop here.  If you happen to go to a game, you may need to keep warm, and the best way to do that is with this terrific San Deigo Chargers coat made by STARTER.

starter chargers jacket

You can see it in my eBay shop here.  You can also wear a cap to cheer on your favorite team, just like this one for the Chicago Cubs.

cubbies

The Cubs cap was made by COMPETITOR, and the great thing about it is that it still has the original tags attached.  You can see it in my Ebay shop here.

What kinds of clothing do you love to wear when you are watching your favorite team?

Here’s some more vocabulary words that new collectors will run across

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Pottery, Vocabulary Words, Wisdom Lane2 Comments

You never know what words you may run across when you dive into the world of antiques and collectibles.  Here are a couple that I have run across over the years:

Greenware—this is any unfired clay body before the piece is Bisque Fired, and it is very fragile.

Cased Glass—this is two or more layers of different colored glass get blown with one layer over the other.  Sometimes glass makers carve images into the glass, revealing the multiple layers and colors of glass in the process.

Mercury Gilding–this is a technique of applying a gilt finish consisting of gold and mercury to decorative objects like a mirror.  Mercury is a metal that is liquid at room temperature. When combined with gold or silver, it becomes viscous, its consistency becoming similar to that of butter. Mercury gilding is the process in which mercury is mixed with gold to make an amalgam that is applied to the surface of an object.  When the object is heated up by fire, the mercury evaporates away and the gold is left behind.  This is a VERY toxic technique and is illegal to do in many countries.

This is just a small sample of what I have heard, what kinds of words have you run across?

Thimbles for the sewing memorabilia lover

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn ThimblesLeave a comment

I never thought much about thimbles as being a collectible.  My mother always has had one in her sewing box–the typical cheap metal silver colored one.  I thought their only reason for being around was to keep your finger from getting pricked by a needle.

That is–until a recent trip to a local flea market I came across a collection of them.  I quickly found out that they come in many forms, like this glass millifiori thimble.

thimble

You can see this great thimble in my Etsy shop here.  Others are made out of sterling silver, like this German one.

silver

You can see it in my Etsy shop here.  There are stone, wood, enameled and even advertising thimbles for you to look for.  There are even pottery ones that you could find with different motifs like flowers or birds.

You can see all of the thimbles that I have for sale in my Etsy shop here.  What kinds of thimbles have you run across?

A vintage prom dress for today’s modern gal

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn FashionLeave a comment

You never know what you might find at an estates sale, auction or even a garage sale.  I found this terrific prom dress that’s decidedly from the 1950’s at an estate sale not to long ago.

yellow dress

This wonderful yellow spaghetti strap tiered dress drew me in with what it was made out of–the stiff netting on the skirt.  That netting was all the rage in the 1950’s, and it was found in many colors from yellow to red to even blue.

skirt

What I also love about the dress is the fact that it was handmade by a really good seamstress, it was not store bought.

This really cool one-of-a-kind, eye catching yet attractive formal dress would be perfect to knock any other look way out of the water.  You can find this dress in my Etsy store here.

Where have you run across a dress like this?

Political collectibles of all sorts

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Frankoma, Paper, Political, PotteryLeave a comment

In an election year, politics is one of our main topics of conversation.  Political buttons, banners, pins and even hats boasting the name of a current candidate are everywhere.

Collecting older political memorabilia is a fun way to remember our past—and you can find examples at many flea markets, antique stores, or even auctions.

I recently acquired a Frankoma Donkey mug from 1977 advertising the Carter and Mondale campaign.  It was a great find—even more so since we are in the middle of another political season.

frankoma

You can see this terrific mug in my Etsy shop here.  Another area that you can run across are paper related items.

paper political

This could be photographs, invitations to an event, or even a print of a famous painting.  I have a lot like this on eBay, which you can see here.

What kinds of political items have you run across?

ED HARDY Belt Buckles

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Jewelry, My Background2 Comments

I love to latch onto all things that are vintage or collectible, especially when the item has a lot of pizzazz.  Belt buckles usually go unnoticed with me—but lately I have snagged some standouts.  My favorite is one that is designed by Ed Hardy.

ed hardy

This one has an enameled bird among flowers scene with a rhinestone border, and is a knockout.

Ed Hardy is best known as a tattoo artist and his fashion accessories like this belt buckle.  Christian Audigier licensed the worldwide rights to the Ed Hardy brand in 2005, and that’s about when this belt buckle dates to.

ed hardy back

You can find this terrific find in my eBay store here.  What kinds of belt buckles have you run across?

Yearbooks new and old

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Books1 Comment

I love looking through a vintage yearbook. They are like looking through a time capsule—looking at the fashions worn and cars that were driven are always fun to look at. What else is fun is to see what went on at the school.

1928

There are a wide variety of ways for you to collect yearbooks. One way is to find one that has a relative in them. Another way is to get a vintage yearbook for the college that you attended. The 1928 Drury yearbook pictured above would be great for both of these. You can the yearbook in my Etsy store here.

Another great yearbook is this 1971 yearbook for Central Missouri State College in Warrensburg, Missouri.

1971

You can see this yearbook in my Etsy shop here.

Yearbooks are also great to display on a coffee tables, or even in a bookcase. You can see all of the yearbooks I have for sale in my Etsy store here. What have you found flipping through a vintage yearbook?

Having a great background really helps that item you are selling look even better

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Are you considering selling an item online? I have noticed that having a great background really helps make your item stand out from the rest of the items for sale. It doesn’t need to be anything expensive, it could be something around the house or you are going to use for another project.

One background that I use is my back deck. If you have a deck that has weathered a little like the one I have, it could give you a rustic look for your photo.

ronny brook

You can see these terrific Ronny Brook milk bottles in my Etsy store here. Construction paper can also come in handy when you need a background. Black, white, blue and even red are just a few colors that you can use.

SONY DSC
SONY DSC

As you can see from the before and after pictures above, it doesn’t need to be a huge piece to help make your item stand out. Another item to help you out is a piece of felt. You don’t need to make a special trip to get a piece—if you have a pool table with a felt top on it will work just fine.

pin

The felt in the picture above actually is a part of a stack of felt that I picked up a while ago. The stack has a huge variety of colors that has come in handy for me. You can see the brown enamel pin pictured above in my Etsy store here.

What kinds of backgrounds have you used for a photo?