Tag: Tips

Photography tip: how to photograph round items

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Photography, Selling tips, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

It does not matter if you are new to selling online or a seasoned veteran, you will eventually run across a problem that is surprisingly easy to solve.  This is especially true when it comes to photography.

How in the world do I take photographs of an item that is round?  There are no flat spots to keep the item from rolling around.  I mean, EVERY time you set the item down, it starts to roll away and will not stop.

Yeah, this one took me a while to figure this one out.  As you can see with the gear shifter knob shown above, it is completely round.  It dawned on me that there is a washer for that!

I do repairs around the house, and I always have had a surplus of all different types of washers on hand.  So, I realized that the design of a washer is perfect for taking photos of round items—flat on two sides to help elevate your item to keep it from rolling around on you.

Do you know what the best thing is about using a washer?  They are not that expensive, you usually buy them in bulk and are a couple of cents each.

This is just one tip that you can do when it comes to photography.  With there being a lot of tips and tricks out there to taking quality photos, what have you heard of?

What are some of the different types of bowls?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, History, Item highlight, Kitchen Items, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

When it comes to bowl designs, we all have heard about the console bowl, the cereal bowl and even the mixing bowl.  What are some other designs that you might run across when you are out shopping for vintage items?

Cream bowl—this bowl is used by some during a formal event when pureed soups are served during the first course of the meal.  This type of bowl comes with two handles and a shallow bottom on the bowl.

Bouillion cup—also known as a broth bowl, this serving piece is used to served chili, custards and even pudding in formal events.

Tureen—this is meant to hold soups and stews and it is used on the table.  This is meant to hold several bowls of soup that is meant to be ladled out into a bowl.

This is just a handful of the different types of bowls that you will run across.  What kinds have you run across?

What are some different types of glassware that you might run across?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Glassware, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

When I started going to auctions as a kid, I quickly realized that there are different types of glassware that you will find.  I also found out that it is also very colorful, which is one of the reasons that attracted me to it.

So what are some of the different types of glassware that you will run across?

Milk Glass is one that you will definitely run across.  It is white or opaque in color, and it has been made into a wide variety of shapes.  Not only that, but you will also see a wide variety of patterns as well on the milk glass item.  Dinnerware, lamps and vases have been made of milk glass, and you can even find it in some jewelry pieces as well.

Carnival glass is another area.  Carnival glass got its start in the early 1900’s and is a line of pressed glass pieces that has an iridescent finish applied to it.  The finish was to help catch the light, even if the item was in a darker corner of the room.  This does share the same aspect as milk glass because it comes in a wide variety of patterns and shapes, but the great thing about carnival glass is that it also has a wide variety of colors that it can be found in.  Carnival glass got its name because it was adopted by collectors in the 1950s as items of it were sometimes given as prizes at carnivals, fetes, and fairgrounds.

Opalescent glass is a term that is applied to either clear or colored glass that has a milky white opaque effect that has been applied over the other color on the glass item.  It will be often to either the rim or to the center of the piece, and it will often look like the item has more of a frosted look to it.

Slag glass is another area that you will definitely run across.  Slag glass gets its name from slag, or the byproduct of steel production.  When iron ore is smelted in that process, the remaining product looks like glass.  That product takes on different colors depending on the minerals in the iron.  The visual marbling of this is what slag glass is copying.

There are many more types of glassware that you can find out in the market past what I talked about here.  What have you run across?

What are some glass terms for the beginning collector?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Glassware, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

When you go out shopping for vintage items, you will hear some interesting terms being said.  It doesn’t matter if you are at an auction, estate sale or swap meets—you will hear something.  It really doesn’t take very long either to hear something interesting like “art glass”, “cased” or even “hand blown”.

Here are a few glass terms that you will hear along the way:

Ice lip—this is a part that you will find on a pitcher.  Ice lips are present to help hold the ice in the pitcher.

Applied handle—this is a handle that was attached to a piece of glass while the glass is still hot.  It is often done by hand and can be quite decorative.

Pontil mark—this is a byproduct of a piece of glass that is made by hand.  It is when the glass is attached to a rod so it can be turned into an item.  When the item is done, it is removed from the rod leaving the mark.

Acid etched—this is a type of finish to create a matte or even a satin finish to the glass.  It is often used to produce a pattern on the glass and can be found on a wide variety of items from bowls to glass panels used in architectural design.

Mold made—this is a type of glass that is completely formed using a mold.  You will see this with more of a mass-produced glass and it is used to help produce items that are exactly alike.

This is just a hand full of the terms that you will hear, and there are many more that you will run across.  What terms have you heard of?

Go Listen to the new podcast!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

Hello everyone! I wanted to let you know that Wisdom Lane Antiques has a new podcast, and it is called Pick For Profit!

At Pick For Profit, you will get tips about everything from setting up an antique booth to where you can find inventory that you can sell.

You can find the Pick For Profit podcast here. Head on over and check it out!

What are some tips for the background when photographing items to list online for sale?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Lessons Learned, Photography, Selling tips, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

When it comes to taking some photos of an item that is going to be for sale, there will be some things that you will do to make sure the photos come out alright.

You will make sure that the item is well lit in the photos, any damage will be photographed, and you will even put a prop with the item to give a size comparison to.  But what about the background?

If you think about it, the background will often get ignored when you take some photographs.  The background will play as big of a roll as the rest of the photograph.  Look at the two photos and compare them to each other—do you notice the difference?

The most glaring thing about the two photographs is the background.  More importantly, the color of the background.  It makes the pair of Murano candleholders look completely different, almost like they are two completely different sets.

The best piece of advice that I can give you when it comes to the background is that you need something that doesn’t overpower what the star of the show should be.  One of the things I do is to go with a lighter color than the item that I am photographing.

Another thing I do is I might stage the photograph and make it place that they are designed for, like on a kitchen table.  You can even go so far and put a plate and some silverware between you and the candleholders so you can show the potential buyer what it might look like in their home.

These are just a few tips that you can use when you take your photographs for the items you are going to list for sale.  What are some of the tips and tricks that you have come up with?

What are some of the scams that you will run across when you buy or sell online?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn scamsLeave a comment

It does not matter what selling site you are on, there will eventually be someone that will try to pull a fast one.  They will try to scam you out of your item that you are trying to sell, the money that you want to get for that item, or even both.

One of the scams that I have run across is that there will be people that you run across that will try to get the item that you are selling for free.

What exactly do I mean with this?  It is simple, really.

They will try to get you to send the item to them before they pay to either try it on or to see how it looks in their home.  After they do this, they will say they will pay.

Do you know what will happen?  They won’t pay.  It does not matter how many times you try to get in touch with them, they simply will not pay you.  And once the person pulling the scam gets the item in their hands, this is when they completely quit talking to you.

Do you know what the bad part is?  It is that you will not have any recourse on getting the money or the item back.

A good rule of thumb is to have them pay before you ship.

This is just one of the scams that you will run across as a seller online.  What are some of the scams that you have run across?

What are some tips to remember when it comes to selling online?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Selling tips, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

So you have decided to sell some items online, and have even decided on a few things to list right now.  What are some tips that you need to remember when you start to sell some of your items online?

You will get offers on the items for sale that will be WAY to low for you to sell it at.  It’s ok to turn them down or even send the potential buyer a slightly higher price so you can turn a profit on the item.

When you first start, it pays to list on sites like eBay or Etsy that already have tons of traffic.  This way, your items that are for sale have a good start in getting noticed and potentially be sold.

When you do sell an item, you can always have the post office to stop by where you are and pick the item up when they drop off your mail.  This way, you don’t have to worry about if you can make it to the post office or not.

These are just a few tips to remember when it comes to selling online.  What are some of the tips that you have run across?

Nefertiti and the Whiskey decanter by Michter’s

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Advertising, Item highlight, PotteryLeave a comment

When 1979 rolled around, a whiskey decanter was released and it featured something different, something that you may not expect to be on a whiskey decanter.  The decanter sports the bust of Nefertiti.

Nefertiti?  Who in the world is Nefertiti you say?  She was a Queen in ancient Egypt and the original bust was found in 1912 and has become one of the more famous artifacts that has come out of ancient Egypt.

It has become so popular that it is featured on items like this decanter from Mitcher’s.  When it was released, there was also another decanter that featured King Tut.

When Mitcher’s made the decanter, they really went all out and put a pretty good amount of detail onto the decanter.  It is also striking with the gold glaze that they put on it as well.

You can see the decanter in my shop on Etsy here.  Head on over and check it out!

What are some do’s and don’ts when you attend an estate sale?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Estate Sales, Shopping tips, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

You have attended a local auction and even have gone to some antique shops and even thrift stores that are near you.  So what is the next thing that you want to go to?  An estate sale!

Now that you have decided to take the plunge and attend an estate sale, what are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when you attend one?

The first thing to remember is that the company holding the sale may be limited to space in the house.  If they are, the company will limit the amount of people inside the house at one time to help with overcrowding.  The sale company will let in a certain amount at by doing something like handing out numbers to help with this.

Another thing to remember is not call or email ahead of time to get the price of an item you are interested in.  I have seen this happen several times when I am at a sale, and I have never seen the company give the price out.  This takes time away from the sale company from either running the sale or setting it up.

The next thing to remember is to respect others at the sale.  Cutting in line either waiting to get into the sale or to pay is one way to anger fellow customers.  Another way is to grab things out of another person’s hands that they are interested in and walk away with it.  These are a few of the jerk things that I have seen happen at sales that shouldn’t go on.  The thing to remember is to treat people the way you want to be treated.

This is just a small handful of do’s and don’ts when it comes to attending an estate sale.  What do you do when you attend a sale?