Different forms of carnival glass

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Carnival glass originated as a glass called ‘Iridill’, produced beginning in 1908.  This was produced by the Fenton Art Glass Company, and the glass quickly caught on.  The 1920’s was the height of the production of carnival glass, and the decade saw huge volumes of glass being produced.

The prices were low enough that everyone could afford, and one of the nicknames that the glass was dubbed was ‘poor man’s Tiffany’.

The keys to its appeal was that it looked a lot like the more expensive blown iridescent glass by Tiffany and Loetz (and others, really).  When the 1950’s came around the name that it has now came about because Carnival glass was often gave away at carnivals.

Today, carnival glass is a fun area to dive into and start to collect.  There are many different forms that you can find.  One such item is something like this vase by Northwood.

northwood

The vase was made in the 1910’s and sports the FINE RIB pattern.  You can see this wonderful vase in my Etsy shop here.  Another form that was made was a plate, like this one by Fenton.

three-fruits

The plate has the THREE FRUITS pattern on it, and it was made during the height of popularity for carnival glass, the 1920’s.  You can see this plate in my Etsy shop here.

Carnival glass was also incorporated into fashion, one example is this bolo tie.

bolo-tie

The slide of the tie features the WINDMILL pattern, and it was made by the IMPERIAL glass company.  The tie was made in the 1930’s, and it would be a fun addition to any outfit!  You can see this bolo tie in my Etsy shop here.

You can see all of the different types of carnival glass in my Etsy shop here.  How many different forms of carnival glass have you run across?

More pottery vocabulary words for the beginning collector

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When you dive into the world of antiques and collectibles, you will find out how things are made.  Here’s some of the words that I’ve picked up over the years about how pottery is made:

Greenhouse—this is the place where pots are kept to harden before they go into the kiln.

Feathering—this is an effect that’s obtained by moving a feather through wet slip decoration.

Salt glaze—this is an effect by throwing salt into the kiln when pottery is being fired.  The salt vaporizes during the firing and a fine orange peel surface is left on the pottery.

What kinds of words have you run across when you are out at your favorite place to shop?

Great Czechoslovakian treasures

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Czechoslovakia did not exist until 1918 when World War I ended.  The country was formed as a reward for the help of the Czechs and the Slovaks in winning the war.  It was made up of parts of Austria, Bohemia and Hungary.  In 1993, a peaceful dissolution of the country split it into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Items such as highly decorated dinnerware and colorful artistic vases are very collectible because the country was only around for a very short time—only 75 years.

Recently at an estate sale, I discovered one of these great treasures—a light pink 1930’s Czechoslovakia tango glass vase with black trim.

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You can see this absolutely gorgeous vase in my Etsy store here.  What kinds of finds from Czechoslovakia have you found?

Vocabulary words for the furniture collector

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Furniture, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary Words, Wisdom LaneLeave a comment

There’s always some terms that you pick up along the way when you either collect a certain area or are a dealer.  Furniture is the same way, and here’s some great vocabulary words that I heard along the way:

Attached Back Pillow: This is a pillow treatment that can’t be taken off the upholstered piece.

Butler’s Table: This is an oval wooden tray on legs whose four sides are hinged to fold out flat when it is set down.

Case Piece: A piece of furniture like this provides interior space for storage.  It could be something like clothing or bedding.

Commode: Today, this means something completely different.  It used to be a low chest that had either  drawers or doors (some sort of cabinet on legs) which usually stands against a wall.

Nest-of-Tables: These are small tables that are used every once in a while and are graduated in size so that they slide beneath one another.

These are only a handful of the words that you will run across.  What words have you heard?

Olympic sports fashion for all

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Advertising, Fashion, Sports items, Sports of all sortsLeave a comment

The Olympics has us all glued to our televisions, tablets, or laptops cheering for our homegrown athletes.  Athletic apparel is always popular—but never more than now.  Wisdom Lane Antiques has a wide selection of new and lightly worn jerseys at reasonable prices.

BASEBALL JERSEY

One item that you could wear is this National League Baseball Jersey for the All-Star Game.  You can see this jersey in my eBay store here.  Soccer is a sport that gets a ton of attention during the Olympics.  One item you could wear during the Olympics is this jersey.

avalon

It’s for the Avalon Soccer Club, and it can be seen in my eBay store here.  Another sport in the Olympics that is popular is basketball, and a great way to cheer the team on is this jersey.

starbury

This great Starbury jersey can be seen in my eBay store here.

I invite you to check out all these and more in my eBay store here, and I also have another post about sports related items as well.  It is titled “Several different types of sports memorabilia” which can be seen here.

What kinds of sports related fashion do you have to wear for the Olympics?

Items fit for the Olympics!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Sports of all sortsLeave a comment

The Opening Night outfits for America’s Olympic athletes are being designed by Ralph Lauren.  His designs are always distinctive, unique and remain fashionable season after season (and year after year, really).  Here at Wisdom Lane Antiques, I have several Ralph Lauren pieces for sale.  I invite you to visit and view items like this jacket:

Lauren jacket
The great thing that this jacket has going for it is that it has a 1980’s tweed look going for it, and it can go with just about anything.  You can see it in my eBay store here.

Another great Ralph Lauren item is this formal dress.

silk lauren dress

This terrific black silk strapless dress would be perfect for when you attend the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics, or even an even a formal dance.  You can see this dress here.

If you would like to wear a tie, this POLO tie by Ralph Lauren would be perfect.

polo tie

Not only does this have a dressy look to it, this tie also has a golfer motif on it so that you can cheer on your favorite player.  You can see this tie in my eBay store here.

Students can also have a item that Ralph Lauren made, like this backpack.

backpack

Not only is it made by Ralph Lauren, it also has an American Flag on it to help root on America’s Olympians.  You can see this terrific backpack here.

You can see all of these great items and more items by Ralph Lauren in my eBay store here.

I am also offering an Olympic Games pin from the 1996 Atlanta Games.  This would be perfect to wear with a Ralph Lauren item (or even any vintage jacket for that matter).  You can see it here.

What kinds of Ralph Lauren items have you run across?

I’m now a seller on the Abebooks website!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Abebooks, Books, Sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!, Wisdom LaneLeave a comment

Wisdom Lane Antiques can now be found on the Abebooks website!  Over the years, I have acquired a wide variety of titles and learned how to pay attention to the details when buying books.  From first editions, signed copies and even best sellers can be found in my store on Abebooks.

For example, you will find a signed copy of I IS FOR INNOCENT by Sue Grafton (which can be seen here).  You can also find the first edition of FOUR BLIND MICE by James Patterson (this book can be found here).

Another book that you can find there is The Auction Catalog For The Estate Of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.  This is from the Sotherby’s Auction House, and is auction number 6834.  This catalog has the sale prices in it as well, and it can be found here.

You can also find the mystery AS TIME GOES BY by Mary Higgins Clark (which can be seen here), and even the young adult book WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson.  This book can be found here.

Cookbooks like THE COMPLETE NFL COOKBOOK can be found there as well.  You can see this one here.

Take a minute and check out Wisdom Lane Antiques on Abebooks, here.  You’ll find a lot of choices and many bargains!

Better keep an eye out!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Wisdom LaneLeave a comment

Whenever I am going through a flea market or even a local thrift store, I often remind myself that I need to keep my eyes peeled—you never know what you will run across.  It could be anything really, it could be any type of item that you didn’t expect.

This happened to me not too long ago when I went to a local Goodwill store.  I was walking through and saw, well…

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When I first saw it, I knew that it was a scaled down house.  It looks like someone took a lot of time to make it, but the real question was rather simple—what was it really?

After looking at it for a little bit, I had part of the roof come off of the house in my hand, kind of like what’s pictured below.  I quickly realized that this was a jewelry box.

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Talk about a fun way to store your jewelry!  So, it always pays to keep an eye peeled so you don’t miss that one-of-a-kind item.

What kinds of interesting finds have you run across when out at a flea market or antique store?

More vocabulary words for the glass collector to keep in mind

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, My Background, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary Words, Wisdom LaneLeave a comment

When you start to collect items in a certain area like glassware, you find out that you need to know some of the terminology when you go along.  Here’s some of the words that I’ve heard over the years about glassware:

Bent (or Slumped) Glass—this is glass that has been heated up in a kiln from room temperature to a temperature high enough to cause it to soften and sag into or even over a mold. The finished product will take the shape of the mold that the glass is around.

Iridescent—this is a surface treatment when a layer of metallic oxide is bonded to the hot glass surface just after the form the glass into a sheet.  The result is a colorful one, and it also has a shimmering effect.

Seedy Glass—this is glass that has air bubbles trapped in it. This is when air or gas is injected into the molten glass prior to forming the sheet causing the bubbles.

What kind of terms have you heard or run across?

How do you sell items on the internet that have flaws in them?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn DIY, My Background, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

How do you go about selling items on the internet that have flaws in them?

This is actually one of the more popular questions that I get asked.  There are several ways to sell an item that has flaws in it, and the first one is the most obvious—sell it as is.  Selling the item like this could be that it can be repaired or restored to original condition.

Another way that you can sell the item is to sell it with another item that is just like the damaged one.  Right now, I have a Fenton match holder that I am selling like this (and you can see the listing here).

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If you have a crafty side, you can turn it into something completely different.  It could be something like a non-functioning kerosene lantern.  You could electrify it and put a retro looking bulb (or even a normal low wattage one) in it.  After you do this, you can display it on a side table or the corner of a desk.  Another idea could be turning a run down book rack that you have around the house into a wine rack.

One thing that I have seen people do is to combine several items together to make something new.  I was at a local flea market shopping when I saw a yard ornament in the shape of a sunflower.  The flower top was made out of a broken plate and recycled scraps of thin wood (the wood came from a broken Coca Cola crate).

No matter how you sell the flawed item, you need to provide plenty of clear pictures.  This way any potential buyer can get a good view of the item.

The other thing that you need to do is to provide a well-written description of the item.  This way the potential buyer knows what’s going on with the piece, and even what you did to it.

How have you sold items that have flaws on them?