Tag: vintage

A small slice of the different types of glass on the market

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

When you start to get into antiques and collectibles, you will find out there are a wide variety of items out on the market.  It could be just about anything, really.  It could be a specific item, or even a broader area like glassware.

Here are a few of the different types of glassware that I have heard about over the years:

Confetti—this is paper-thin elements of glass that can be worked into either a fused or blown glass piece.  Sometimes you will hear someone call this “shards” and you could find this in something like a paperweight.

Drapery Glass—this is glass sheets that has dramatic folds, kind of what you find in the hanging drapes of your house.

Millefiori Glass—this is an Italian word meaning “a thousand flowers.” This commonly refers to glass items that are made from a lot of murrini slices.

Beveled Glass—this is cold glass (usually a clear, thick plate of glass) with an edge that have been ground and polished to an angle other than 90 degrees. Light is refracted from this, and a prism-like effect is often the result. Bevels come in a variety of sizes, shapes and geometric configurations, which are called “clusters” that is incorporated into leaded glass work.  More often than not, you will find this in windows and even mirrors.

What other types of glassware have you heard about?

That’s a Catalina pottery vase made by Gladding McBean!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn gift ideas, Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

When out shopping at a local flea market, I ran across this terrific pottery vase that is marked CATALINA POTTERY C-333 MADE IN USA.

The vase has the Calla Lilly pattern on it, and it was made from 1937 to 1942 by the Gladding McBean Company.

When you see the mark on the bottom of the vase, you think it is for CATALINA ISLAND POTTERY made from 1927 to 1933. A good rule of thumb to use is if it just says POTTERY and does not have the word ISLAND, it’s made by Gladding McBean.

One great thing about this vase is the fact that the top of the vase is not too small so that it doesn’t strangle your favorite flowers.  Not only that, but it would also look wonderful on any table.

You can see this terrific vase in my Etsy store here. Have you ever run across anything like this?

When a piece goes from functional to just plain cool

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, Glassware, Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Pottery and glassware are fun areas to get into and collect, especially since they can be very cool and functional at the same time.  It could be something for the kitchen, the table or even the fireplace mantle!  It always surprises me what I run into, especially when it’s something like this clock.

royal-oxford

This very functional electric Royal Oxford Gibraltar clock that dates to the 1920’s.  Not only does it sit pretty close to the wall, it doesn’t take up too much room on the mantle so that you can put a lot of picture frames around it on the mantle.

You can see this great clock in my Etsy store here, and another great item for the mantle is a football shaped clock featuring the Dallas Cowboys.  You can find a post about the lamp on this blog here.  Another still very functional item is this great ice bucket.

tea-room

It features the TEA ROOM pattern and was made by the Indiana Glass Company from 1926 to 1931.  The great thing about it is that it can double as a flower vase as well.  You can see the terrific ice bucket in my Etsy store here.

What kinds of items have you run across like this?

What a fun Camp Fire Girls CAMP WAKAHNI Child’s Vest with wooden beads!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, DIY, Fashion, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

camp-wakhani

Not too long ago, I found this terrific handmade Camp Fire Girls CAMP WAKAHNI child’s vest at an estate sale.  The vest dates to about the 1950’s to the 1960’s, and was part of the uniform that you had when you were a Camp Fire Girl.

The great thing about the vest is that it has multi-colored wooden beads in flower shapes on it, and some patches on the back.  You earned the wooden beads for various accomplishments, and then you could sew them on the vest any way you liked.

camp-vest-back

Needless to say, the girl that had this vest was pretty talented!  You can see this great vest in my Etsy store here.

Have you ever run across a fun item like this?

What are some different parts of furniture?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Furniture, My Background, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When I first started selling vintage items, I quickly found out that there’s a name for just about every piece out there-even for furniture.  I quickly started to learn the names of these pieces when I started to do some basic repairs to the furniture that I bought.

Here’s a few of the terms that I have learned over the years:

Bracket foot–a bracket foot is used on a chest, a chest on chest or even a cabinet. This is a foot that has a straight corner edge and curved inner edges.  Sometimes I hear these curved inner edges “scalloped edges”.

Caning—caning is a wood piece that consists of rattan (or even sugar cane) that is made into wicker.  There are a wide variety of ways this is used including seats of chairs, patio furniture, etc.

Partner’s desk—a partner’s desk literally looks like two desks that were put together to make one.  It’s a desk large enough to seat two people that are facing each other.  Each side has their own drawers or cupboards.

What are some of the terms that you have either run across or heard?

Six out-of-the-box Christmas gifts to look for

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, Fashion, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!1 Comment

six-out-of-the-boxchristmas-gifts

When it comes to buying presents for Christmas, there are several out-of-the-box ideas that you can consider:

#1 One idea is this 1960’s plastic polka dot rain cape for any fashionista.

#2 Halloween costumes—you can place costumes like these in a box for kids to play in year round—they are great imagination builders and just down right fun!

#3 Athletic jerseys—they are fun wear for men, women and even kids.  You can get a favorite team or even player’s jersey like these to give as a gift.

#4 Vintage board games are fun to play year round, especially something like THE UNGAME.

#5 Vintage ties—these can be unexpected addition for business suit or jacket for men and women.  Something like this RALPH LAUREN or even NICOLE MILLER tie would make a great gift.

#6 Jewelry like these CORO pieces can be a great look to add to just about any outfit.

What is a cross-collectible?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Advertising, Enamelware, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

For many years now, I have heard the term “cross-collectible”.  The real question is this:  what exactly is a cross-collectible?

It actually is very simple.  A cross-collectible is an item that can fit into several different types of collections.  A good example of this is an enamel sign.  It is a perfect fit for any sign, enamel, and advertising collector.

A great example of an enamel sign is this one for CYCLONE FENCE.

cyclone-fence

The great thing about this sign is that it doesn’t take up a ton of room no matter where you display it.  You can see the sign in my Etsy shop here.

Another area that falls into cross-collecting is petroliana (or anything related to gas).  I have an item that is a gas related that fits the bill as a cross-collectible, and it’s this great EL RECO paperweight.

EL RECO Gas Stations Figural Paperweight

Not only is it advertising for a gas station, it also is perfect for a desk and even a cast iron collector.  You can see this great paperweight here.

There’s quite a few items that are cross-collectibles.  What items have you run across?

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.

SONY DSC

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