Tag: Tips

What are some of the different types of coins that are made?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Coins, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When you start to collect coins, you will quickly find out that there are different types of coins that you can find.  The strike, what it’s made of or even the shape will quickly jump out at you.

Here is a few of the different types that you can find:

Business strike—this is a coin that is produced for general circulation, and you will find it in pocket change.

Commemorative coin—this is either a coin or medal that is issued to honor an outstanding event (like a bicentennial) or even a person (like Booker T. Washington).

Bi-Metallic—this is a coin that has been made out of two different materials like bronze and silver that have been bonded or fused together.

Proof—this is a coin that has been struck on a specially produced highly polished planchets and dies.  There are even proof coins that can be purchased that are struck more than once on the dies to help accent the design.This is a small look at some of the different types of coins that you can find.  What have you run across?

Madrid Depression Glass and its counterpart

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

The Madrid pattern has been around since 1932, and it is still being produced today.  The name of the pattern has been changed to the Recollection Pattern, and it is made by the Indiana Glass Company.  There are quite a few ways to tell if the piece you are looking at is a piece from the Madrid pattern or is part of the Recollection pattern.

In 1976, the Federal glass company released Madrid as part of their Bicentennial line.  To help discern this from the original, there is a “76” that has been stamped into the mold.  It is easy to spot due to the size of the numbers and that it is often located near the top edge.

The Indiana Glass company released the Recollection pattern starting in the 1980’s.  Some of the pieces that Indiana Glass has released were never produced by the Federal glass Company.  Some of the molds were even put together.  One example is the mold for the candlestick and fruit bowl were put together to produce a kind of pedestal bowl.  If you happen to run across one of these pieces, look at where the bowl joins with the “base”.  If you see some ribbing inside what looks like a hollow area, then this is a modern piece.

The grill plate is different as well.  The original has been divided into three compartments and the newer one only has two.It is amazing how much of both patterns are here in the Ozarks.  Keep an eye peeled when it come to this pattern—you just might be paying good money for a newer piece.

What are some coin terms that may make you think have different meanings?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Coins, Money, Tips for the beginner, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

For many years now, I have been collecting mainly United States coins.  When I first started collecting coins, I heard some terms that I thought meant something totally different.

Here are some of the terms that I have heard over the years:

Hairlines—this is not near your forehead; this is tiny lines or scratches that are more often caused by polishing or cleaning a coin.

Field—this is not something full of flowers, it is the portion of the surface of the coin that does not have any of the coin’s inscription.

Bust—the part of a coin that features a portrait on a coin.  The portrait features the head neck and shoulders.

Designer—this is not talking about a line of handbags—this is the artist who has created the coin’s design.

This is just a small handful of the words that you might run across when dealing with coins.  What have you heard of?

ITEM SPOTLIGHT:  Fenton Grape Leaf pattern pink milk glass from the 1950’s

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fenton, Glassware, History, Item highlight, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

During the 1950’s, the Fenton Glassware company produced many patterns and pieces.  One of the patterns that was produced is called the GRAPE LEAF pattern.  It comes in many colors like white and pink milk glass to name just a few.

The pattern was made for a couple of years, and one of the pieces that was made in this pattern was this footed decorative plate.  You can tell that it was made by Fenton is the fact that some of the pieces were marked on the bottom of the plate.  If it is not marked on the bottom, one of the giveaways that it’s a Fenton piece outside the pattern itself is by the styling of the handle and the edge that is on the plate.

Even though desert, salad or even Buffalo wings are only a small portion of what you can serve on this plate; it was described by Fenton as a decorative plate (so most likely you will see this item displayed on the top of a piano with either candy or potpourri).

What kind of interesting pieces of Fenton Art Glass have you seen?

What are some mistakes to avoid when you are selling items online?

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

When it comes to selling items online, there are plenty of mistakes that can happen, it doesn’t matter if you are starting out or are a seasoned pro.  There are many, and I mean many, mistakes that can be made.

Here are some mistakes to look out for when you are selling items online:

One mistake is to make sure you have the right category when you list your item for sale.  I have seen people list a piece of Fenton in the section intended to be for automotive items (no joke), and I have also seen a piece of Roseville pottery listed in the section intended for Depression Glass.  I always double and triple check on what category I am listing an item in before I make it live and ready to purchase.

Another mistake is not telling about damage if there is some.  I have seen plenty of sellers say that the item is in good shape when I can tell in the photos that they provided that there is a chip or a crack somewhere (or even something like a dent is present).

Don’t ship before you get paid.  I know that this one also tends to be categorized as a scam as well, but I have heard of people accidently shipping an item before they got paid.  I always look to see if payment is completed before I buy the shipping label.

These are a small handful of the mistakes to look out for when you sell items online.  What are some of the mistakes that happened to you?  Have you heard of any to look out for?

A little history for the 1925 Broadmoor Polo Association Foxhall Keene Trophy Pitcher

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, Item highlight, Silverplate items, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Several years ago, I happened across this wonderful trophy that is in the shape of a pitcher at a local flea market.  When I first saw it on the shelf, I didn’t see the engraving on the side of it.  When I read what it said, I got to wondering about who Foxhall Keene was and what exactly what the Broadmoor was as well.

The first thing to do is to look at the pitcher itself.  It was made by the Wilcox Silverplate Company, and it dates to somewhere between the 1910’s and the 1920’s.  This helps solidify the date that’s on the pitcher, so the next thing to do is to figure out what the Broadmoor was.

Just what was or is the Broadmoor?  The Broadmoor is a hotel and resort that’s located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The original hotel is Broadmoor Main, and it was built in 1918.  The resort has had hockey and golf championships, and there’s even polo that is played there.

There’s only one question left for this trophy—who in the world is Foxhall Keene?

Foxhall Keene was quite the competitor.  He was a golfer who competed in the U.S. Open, an amateur tennis player, and he was also a pioneer race car driver who vied for the Gordon Bennett Cup (this was a racing cup that ran from 1900 to 1905 with several clubs racing for it).

Not only did he do all of this, he was also an American thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder.  To top it off, he was a world and Olympic gold medalist in polo.  Not only that, but he was also rated the best all-around polo player in the United States for eight consecutive years.

And that’s where the trophy comes into play.  When the Broadmoor started to play polo at the resort, they named this trophy after Foxhall Keene because he was so accomplished in polo.

It’s always fun for me to find out what the history of a piece is, just like this trophy.  What kinds of finds have you run across that you have found out the history of?

When it comes to selling an item online, how do you know how to price it?

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

Not too long ago, you purchased an item that you were wanting to list online and try to sell.  You have some terrific pictures of it and even a killer description of the item to post in the listing.  There is one thing that you are now starting to mull over—what kind of price do I put on it?

An easy thing to do is to do a general google search for it.  This way you can get a good range on not only what it is listed for sale online, but what it sells for as well.

Another thing that you can do is to ask a fellow dealer and see if they have sold a similar item.  One thing to keep in mind is if the dealer thinks that they can make a profit on it, they might make you an offer on your item.

The third way that you can find a price for your item is to do a little bit of math—I have seen a LOT of people take the price that they paid for the item and double it (if you paid $10 for it you would charge $20 with this method).  I have seen people use this method myself and it works (especially if I really can’t find a comparable item online or if I am talking to another dealer).

This is a few of the tricks to keep in mind when you are trying to get a price for an item you are going to sell online.  What kind of tricks have you heard of?

It happened in 1947

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

It happened on April 15th, 1947, and it happened to be a Tuesday.  The first day of Major League Baseball is a day that people always look forward to, but this year was special.  Spring was in the air, the smell of hot dogs was wafting around, and Jackie Robinson was making his Major League debut.

When Jackie Robinson took the field on this day, he became the first African American to play baseball in the majors.  He succeeded in every way possible, and he eventually found his way to Cooperstown (this is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame).

When it comes to the collectibles area that features either Jackie’s name or likeness, it is very wide-ranging.  It includes everything from hats to jerseys, ads or even bats and gloves (this doesn’t even begin to cover how much is out there).

One of the areas that is very sought-after are baseball cards.  Not only are they easy to store, but they can also command a very pretty penny.

The downside of the collectibles that feature Jackie Robinson is that there are plenty of reproductions or fantasy pieces on the market that you will run across.  You need to do your homework to see what an authentic piece looks like so that you don’t get taken for a ride.

One of the best ways to tell if the card pictured above is authentic is to look for the TOPPS copyright information on the card.  One of the best areas to find it is on the back of the card where the players stats are.  Another way is to look at the paper stock that the card was made of.  For 1956, TOPPS used paper stock that had no sheen to it, and the card itself is a little bigger than modern cards.  If you have a question about a certain card, lay a modern card over it to compare the sizes.

The picture above shows what to look for about the size differences on the cards.

What kind of Jackie Robinson collectibles have you run across?

What are some questions to ask when you decide to sell an item?

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

When you are going to sell an item online or in person, there are going to be times when you will need to ask some questions.

Here are some of the questions that you should ask:

Are there fees that I must pay when I sell my items and how much are they?  This is a good question to ask, especially when you sell an item online.  There are fees when you sell an item online, and I have seen the fees be anywhere from 4% to 16% of the final selling price of the item.

Are there any restrictions on the item that I am about to sell and what are they?  The first two items that I know of that have restrictions on them are ivory and Brazilian Rosewood.  Both have been over harvested to the point where both are almost extinct.  To get a good idea on what else the selling site restricts, visit either the FAQ section or SELLER SECTION of their website.

Will I have to pay rent on a space that I want to set up at a local antique store or swap meet?  Yes, you will.  The rent will depend on the location that you want to be at.  I have seen rent be anywhere from as little as $20 at a local swap meet and around $130 to be the average cost of a booth at an antique store.

This is just a handful of the questions that you will hear when you start to sell items.  What are some of the questions that you have heard?

Simple photography tips for vintage jewelry items

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

One of the first things that I have learned while selling things online is that taking pictures of the item you are going to sell is one of the most important things to do.  When it comes to photographs of jewelry, simple tips can really help make your piece really stand out.

Here are some tips to remember when you are taking some photographs of jewelry:

When it comes to taking the phot itself, you don’t need the most expensive camera on the market.  There are some really good digital point and shoot cameras out there—if you have access to a DSLR camera you could also use that too.  Another great way to take photos is with your smartphone (you can even list the item while you are at it with the selling app on your phone).

Take the time to steady the camera that you are using.  Putting it on a flat area like a chair or even using a tripod can help keep your photos in focus especially when you are zooming in on the item.

Another thing to remember is that your jewelry should be clean when you take photos of it.  There have been times that I thought I could skip giving the piece a quick polish before I took some photographs.  Boy was I wrong!  The second I looked at the photos that I just took is when I found smudges on the piece of jewelry (and wow, did it look bad!).

Any piece of jewelry will look a million times better if you take some time on how the background looks behind the piece of jewelry.  A ring holder, a piece of colored felt, and even a marble slab will make your jewelry really stand out.

This is a small handful of tips to remember when it comes to taking photographs of jewelry.  What tips have you found that works great?