Things I Never Thought Would Sell

I've been an online seller, first on my own "homemade" website back when AOL gave us free webpages for our "pictures" and then on eBay since 1996.  And so while I was rummaging around in my picture files, thinking I'd show you all my wonderful "scores" and sales, I realized, it might be more fun to show you things I never thought would sell but which did and try to figure out what I sold them for. (It's been a long while for some of the ones I'll end up showing you.

So, in order not to bore you, I figure I'll make this a "feature" periodically. Whenever I have 3-4 pictures of things that I never thought would sell but it did.

For the inaugural post, here are a couple:

These were "no name" clowns, China, contemporary (meaning not more than 10 years old but actually probably straight off the boat from China.  They came in a box lot from an auction. I listed them, I unlisted them.  I put them in the yard sale.  Finally I stuck them in my ebay store for about a year.
And evenutally they sold as a set for about $20. 

 

These are just as "contemporary" as the clowns, they were from another auction and another box lot.  They has some price stickers on them that looked like they were from some place like Marshalls or TJ Max.  Greenish tinge to the glass and blubbles...lots of bubbles.  The fan vase has the bublbles in such a fashion it looked like they'd been pushed into neat little rows. 

Each one sold for $19.95 but it took a long time. And honestly?? i thought I'd have to break them to get rid of them, but someone loved them more than me. 

Then there's  Kokopelli as I named this.  It looked like someone's art project but it was framed nicely and matted (and it's not nearly as small as it looks, it was I think 10 x 14.. so not huge but not a postage stamp either.  I think this sold for $24.95.

 

And what does this all prove?? One of my favorite mantras, "You can't sell it if it ain't listed".

What did you ever list on eBay that you thought would never sell (or put in to your Brick & Mortar store thinking you'd probably die still owning it??)

Time to get back to business...but first! A word from the Cat

So I cleared the photo area to take more pictures for eBay and look who showed up? This is the Vice-President of Petting. He wanted his picture taken because as soon as I got one he left. He's such a ham bone this one. His name Cosmo and he is about 13 I think (we got him when he was 4)... and he's liking the Hobo princesses cause they are soft to lay on.... (I'll put in pictures of the Hobo Princesses next week...we captured them under the azalea bush in December and they now are spoiled indoor princess cats.) One is Whipper and the other is Snapper - (as in the Whippersnappers of Levittown). Yesterday Snapper tried to climb on my husband's lap while he was watching baseball and Cosmo let her know it was HIS spot and he was there and to MOVE. Then when she laid next to them, he moved over and made sure HE was closer to "Dad". They are too funny...all 4 of them.

I was captured by Martians..& DG abbreviations

Well not really - but writing 6 blogs and listing dozens of items a week on eBay took it's toll. And then in January, it's always time for retesting DH's thryoid cancer status so I went away mentally and just got back. BUT...we did buy an amazing amount of depression glass (some even was green in honor of the Martians) at an estate sale... a local dealer..who shall remain nameless 'cause ALWAYS outbid me in real life and I got most of his stuff for way less than he paid. LOL........ AND we'll be bringing it to you over the next few weeks/months.

Today, let's review some standard (for glass collectors) abbreviatons/buzzwords found on eBay and elsewhere...

NM - near mint
fleabite..No no glass fleas here...but this is the unimaginably small invisible to the eye, chip you can feel with a nail or a fingertip but can't see even wtih a magnifying glass some times.  NO it is not acceptable to fail to mention it in a listing
Ding - bigger fleabite..

Inner rim - lots of Depression Glass has a sharper inner rim - like around the inside of a dinner plate or a soup bowl and those, in some patterns particularly are more brittle - Royal Lace, my favorite is especially susceptible to damage in this area.

Flake - this is a flat chip - normally, in my experience comes from a sideways strike..so if you bang the plate edge against the serving bowl or pitcher..when that's what makes it flake. Should also always be mentioned when selling glass - and MEASURE IT width wise...

HOW NOT to pack Glass for shipping

They say a picture is worth 1000  words so you've got about 4000 words worth here.  These are items we purchased, on eBay, for our personal collection.  Everything was described as perfect...so something has been lost in the translation...

Ok, #1 RULE of shipping glass, even NEW glass is?? DON"T USE NEWSPAPER.

#2 Rule is DO USE BUBBLE WRAP AND PACKING PEANUTS and use them together.  I feel safer with small bubble bubblewrap...a double layer folded with the bubbles in so it makes a nice sturdy layer.  Wrap the item with that, at least 2 layers of double.  IF it's a big item... make a BIG double piece

3. Take your packing peanuts and put them in a plastic bag.. This is a way to recycle all those plastic grocery bags. Fill them 1/2 to 3/4 full with peanuts, tie them or tape the shut. Use them like a "pillow" for your item.  One under and one over your item.

4. Put the under pillow in the box.. put cardboard over it.. Put another one on top of your cardboard.  Now put the item on the pillow, preferably in it's designed position. So the way it was supposed to be used... if it's a vase stand it on the base.  If it's a glass, same thing. Don't lay things down sideways. Don't put them in on an angle.

5, Surround the item with pieces of cardboard... then fill the rest of the space both inside and outside the cardboard fram with packing peanuts... next

6. put another piece of cardboard over the item... and fill the rest of the box with packing peanuts.

OVERFILL the box. Those peanuts settle.  Hold the box closed and shake so they settle sooner.

Now put more in..

Tape everything in..

MAKE sure you double tape all the closures and then tape across them in the oppsoite direction. Ya want your stuff falling out??? My shipping department goes to excess and tapes ALL 4 corners and all 4 top and bottom edges. NOTHING is getting out of my boxes without a razor knife in it's hand.

Ok, before you label it, shake it. Hear rattling?? NOT GOOD, open it up and put a stop to that with either more cardboard or more peanuts or more of both.

Do the tape thing again and apply postage and OFF it goes the PO or UPS or where ever..

These Are The DSRs Of Our Lives: Look UP in Levittown PA

These Are The DSRs Of Our Lives: Look UP in Levittown PA

Our photo blog...this month's theme is LOOK UP! come visit to see all the UP photos from around the country! BTW, you can follow us too...we're pretty interesting.

The Wonderful World of Jadite

Jadite is green milk glass basically.  It's depression era but it's the milky, non-transparent green glass.  It was made by multiple companies but Jeanette did a lot starting in 1936.

Then McKee did some reamers in it and some other kitchen ware such as rolling pins, shakers, mixing bowls etc. Hazel Atlas got in on the act with some jadite bakeware.  This is just a small sampling of what's available in the market place. 

JUST BE CAREFUL!!! Martha Stewart made a line of jade kitchenware and consequently it's being reproduced in mass. Trust me K-Mart wasn't around during the depression era (not during THE GREAT DEPRESSION.. LOL) so what you see barcoded in the flea-market did not come from McKee or Jeanette. Get a book and find out what was reproduced.

And come visit us at DEPRESSION GLASS WAREHOUSE

Antique Hunting - sort of like Hunting for Yeti!

So I took a busman's holiday today and went to an "antique show" with my adult son.  He had his own agenda and I was looking at depression glass (among about 89 other things).  My primary objective was to "see" glass. To see how much was out there and what kind of prices were being asked "in the wild". 

I'll blog about the show and some thoughts I had there in my AntiqueDaze blog  so you can come back to that later.

All the pictures here were taken at the Antique Show in the Philadelphia Convention Ctr in Oaks Pa (think Pottstown PA).  

 I just loved this booth - mainly for it's display of Art Pottery but also for all the crystal Pressed and Pattern Glass (but wait til you see the Hummels picture)

THIS - pointing downward is more like it!

The vase is Greeen Tea Room priced at $70 and the butter dish (round lidded thingee) is a Green Sierra, purportedly in mint condition but I didn't check it and I did NOT look at the price.  We are NOT buying it.

Ebay prices, for the record, are better. For a buyer - not for a seller.

NOW! we're talking! Blue Royal Lace - in the picture to the back left is cookie jar WITH a lid, a straight sided pitcher (so it has an ice lip), moving forward on the left  side of the plates are some cups and saucers and a set of shakers. So far, the prices are all higher than eBay/online and WAY higher than my $27 budget for the day.    I can't tell you the individual prices (what you thought I planned this out and wrote it down? Silly you!).  BUT the prices are higher than Dear Hubby (aka SUPER BUYER) is paying on eBay as he rebuilds my collection and also nabs me some fantastic crystal, green and pink versions of every single thing. 

The right side of the plates includes 2 Cobalt Royal Lace candlesticks - straight-sided  - BV is about $110 for 1 by my higher price guide book so this pair should be a $225 item...not sure what the dealer was asking.  Next is the candlesticks are some footed sherbets - the all glass kind (royal lace has some that are metal holders and the glass insert sits in them. Don't like that kind personally but they exist.) and moving forward next to the plates are a creamer and a sugar with a lid. Along the front edge of the table are more sherbets and cream soups. Pretty much all you need to set a nice holiday table.

I love the Royal Lace pattern.  Hazel Atlas did this in 1934 - 41 and named it in honor of the Royal Family of England. The pink Royal Lace has not been reproduced but some cobalt tumblers have been so check a reference book to learn how to distinquish real from repro.

Ultramarine or Teal Swirl crimped epergne (eh purnnnnn) aka flowerholder in the back of this photo.  Pink Dogwood in the center and Pink Miss Amercan platter and the edge ofa  bowl in the front.   More later!!

Pink Lace Edge (Old Colony)

This pattern is near impossible to find without chips or more often cracks  in

the lace edge.  But these peices turned up locally a few weeks ago:

Pink Lace Edge Bowl - Top View

Pink Lace Edge Salad Bowl on Ebay

Pink Old Colony 7.5 HTF salad bowl (ribbed bottom)

The butter bottom looks the same as the salad bowl but without the ribbing in the base.

And also this lovely piece:  (on ebay- Lace Edge Plate) I have 3 listed so don't stop with this one. Check out the other 2 also!

Pink Lace Edge or Old Colony Depression Glass 10 inch Plate

And this is what cracks look like when they start...but they get much much worse.....

Pink Lace Edge Creamer - Depression Glass by Hocking

Lace Edge is a pretty extensive pattern line - there are 4-5 bowls sizes and 4 plates sizes in 2 styles, tumblers in 3 sizes, a fish bowl type cookie jar, vases and a candy dish and butterdish with a few other pieces thrown in.

It was made by Hocking (before they got "anchored" in 1935 thru 1938.  They produced Crystal (very limited) gree and pink.  And honestly in 35+ years of collecting depression glass I don't remember EVER seeing green in this pattern, not even at shows.   Of course, I don't travel like we used to but still you'd think I'd have seen a picture.

Gene Florence in his guides has a Woolworth's picture that shows some "yellow" that looks satinized.  Never saw that either.  

One nice thing about this pattern is, it's never, to date, been reproduced so if you collect this, you know you're getting the real deal.

If you haven't guessed by now...

I'm terrible at schedules and not too organized about this "blogging" stuff.  But I promise to try harder.  AND to reward your patience, I've got some fantastic new pictures to show you later this week.  First I want to pause and say a prayer for the faithful departed (what we ex-catholics call the dead and gone). 

Yesterday, I got my Kovel's newsletter and all it said was Collector Books was shutting down.

WHAT?
Yep...gone.  Now, if you're not a collector, you might not recognize their name but that company published Gene Florence's Encyclopedia of Depression Glass and all his other books on various collectible glass companies and eras.  Along with tons of other types of collector guides, pottery, cookie jars, etc.

So stop for a moment and lament the passing of another "great one".  And help me figure out, WHAT DO WE DO NOW, MA?

So the SUGAR BOWL is

So two of my friends (thanks Marion and Danni) found and identified the pattern on my opalescent piece as Northwood Opalescent Wild Bouquet. And so I went looking thru the internet and found several things that were close but this

Wild Bouquet Covered Sugar is exactly what I have in the same size BUT I don't have the lid. Isn't it beautiful? And what a price range too. Woohoo! I hope mine goes anywhere near that price.

Mine will be auctioned on eBay starting tonight in my eBay store Depression Glass Warehouse

Do you know what this pattern is?

I found a "pretty" at the fleamarket Saturday - and as usual the one book I need is up at my friend's house 30 miles away. So anyone got a clue what this pattern is or who made this?

If you now, please tell me.  I checked my Paden City, my Pressed Glass and my Opalescent glass books with no luck!

And what is it? It's 4.5" high and 4.25" wide. I love the color!

#blog30

Just for giggles & grins- a Twitter stream of Depression Glass Comments!

How do you figure out what's old in Depression Glass?

So, you're a beginning collector and you picked up some pieces you like and now you want to expand your collection. BUT...someone warned you about "repros".  How do you figure out what's new, what's old, what's genuine and what's a repro?

You do what I do, you buy a book and cheat a bit.  Meaning, the best reference books will tell you what are reproductions and Gene Florence's Encyclopedia of Depression Glass has some pages in the back where he includes pictures of those and "points" like book collectors use, to detail what the differences are between the GENUINE article and the reproductions.  As a glass collector and reseller for 35 years, I couldn't have lived with out this info.   So the first thing is use that widget on the right sidebar and buy his book. 

Now lets talk quickly about some telling points so you can go to the fleamarket/garage sale today and buy something.

This is Madrid - Federal and Others reproduced it...

Madrid was produced first from 1932 to 1939 by Federal Glass.  As they hit the economic hard-times of the 70's (believe me ...it was worse then and we did walk up hill in blizzards to get to work..I was too old for school. I had a crummy job. so I remember) Federal "reissued" this pattern in both Amber and light blue and in pink.  The "reissued" (their word not mine) pieces typically but not always had a 76 above the squiggly design element or in the corners of the plates.  Then in the 1980's Indiana glass bought the remains of Federal, including their "molds" and designs and reissued more of this pattern but with NO marks to differentiate the old from the new. A bad habit Indiana still has. 

Part of the problem with Madrid (which came in Green and Amber. Crystal, Pink and Madonna blue which is the solor of the "save now" button on blogger)  is that the amber in particular gets a "muddy" amber color darker more like buckwheat honey than clover honey if you're a honey fan. The plates in particular - which are HUGE plates were "muddy" most of the time from my experience.  If what you ahve is a bright clear goldy amber? it's probably new.

Indiana issued it in TEAL, but also in blue pink and crystal. So if you're buying it and it's those colors, I can guarantee it's only 30 years old not 80-100.  Not quite vintage let alone antique, ya know?  Check the Florence book for more details on the old and the NEW. 

This picture above is a "clambroth" jadite refrigerator keeper (bow your head here and pray for the poor departed thing. I dropped it and broke into a million pieces). THIS was an original (til I broke it).  The color was a "waxy" almost transparent green. Unlike what Martha Stewart Designs sells now in K-Mart etc.

There are MULITPLE books on this so if you want old, you have to get the books and read 'em cause THIS color has been totally bastardized in the last 20 years both by Martha and the chinese repro artists who know a good selling thing when they see it. And their version looks more like these 2 "bud" vases which are neither vases, budding or old.

Now this amber pattern below is called SHARON - It came in Pink Green and amber. I don't care much for the amber color because on a lot of pieces it got muddier than the Federal Madrid.  Meaning it wasn't a bright pretty amber color. It also gets "washed" out.  The pink gets orangey but the green is gorgeous. The problem with this pattern is it shows use marks fairly easily. BUT the great thing is? It's not the popular so it's more easily found and it wasn't reproduced.   I find the bowls (round 8" Master Berry or Vegetable bowls) more than anything else. The plates I find all seem to be "knife-marked" in the middle where you would cut your food. (logical see? it's all logical)

And cause I have this picture I'm gonna show you this because I have the picture right now and I will lose it before I can post about it.

This is King's Crown (a small sherbet) manufactured by Indiana. King's Crown was made back from the 1891 on.  Originally made by US Glass, it was produced in amber-stain, ruby-stained, and crystal.  Indiana made it from the 1950's on with a ruby-stain. The main difference, I learned the hard  way, is the older US Glass items were apparently a 3 part mold and Indiana's were 2 part molds.  (so you'll see either 2 or 3 lines down the sides)  And the ruby-stain from Indiana is not as deep and gets scratched more easily.

Ok, next post will be names and links to some great reference books.

Blue Royal Lace by Hazel Atlas

This is NOT my collection - I wish it was. it's from a local auction house that sold all this stuff on Jan 1. I just wanted to be able to look at it all regularly.  At one point I had all this stuff minus just one or two pieces.  Right now I'm real low on any Depression Glass and especially on this stuff...but I love it!

#1 Good Source of Info About Live Auctions - Walt Kolenda!

There's always omething to learn isn't there?  If we stop learning, we might be like sharks who can't stop swimming or they die. And those who hang around with me regularly know I love auctions. And last year someone "introduced" me to AuctionWally's website and his live online auctions. Well, Here is Wally's new blog MassAuctioneer.

Wally's a long-time auctioneer, and very knowledgeable about antiques and collectibles. He also writes for the Examiner.  And I've learned from him and I htink you can too. So Check him out. !  Follow him on Twitter as @auctionwally

Say Hi to Walt! (and tell him to do a live auction on Bonanzle again soon, they were SOOOO much fun!

Christmas Cookie Rules

Christmas Cookie Rules...

1.If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test cookie and thus calorie free.

2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.

3.If a friend comes over while you're making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend.
Because your friend's first cookie, it is calories free, (rule #1) yours is also.
It would be rude to let your friend sample alone and, being the friend that you are, that makes your cookie calorie free.

4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.

5.Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.

6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have three and green ones have five - one calorie for each letter. Make more red ones!
7. Cookies eaten while watching "Miracle on 34th Street " have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.

8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.

9.Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate have no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate.

We all know how calories like to CLING!

10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories. It's a rule!



So, go out and enjoy those Christmas Cookies - we only get them this this time of year!

Some Royalty for all of us

So, I have been an avid collector of Royal Lace depression glass for 30+ years, and right now I've just liquidated a major part of my collection. I'd intended to post a link but it was 67 auctions and I just never got here to do that. SO, Here's a link to my current auctions on eBay

Now once you've checked that out, please come visit my new website and sign up for my mailing list. And there aren't thousands of items listed there yet but there will be soon. So peak around, look in the corners and tell me what you think and any suggestions for what you'd like to see listed there. Here's that link (oh and I will be able to offer coupons, sales, discounts and loyalty/referral bonus - bonusi? there. )

And I have lots of topics to explore. Use the comments to tell me what you'd like to learn about or read about. Thanks.

8-7-09 All eBay EPN links had to be removed and I'm so depressed I'm not replacing them. I'll be putting in links to Bonanzle.

Royal Lace by Hazel Atlas

First let me tell you about my Depression Glass initation. I've been collecting and coveting depression glass since 1975. Right before my wedding, I saw a set of Green Cherry Blossom at an auction (be sure to see my other blog, Antique Daze). The green glass just called my name. However, it forgot to call my bank and arrange a loan. I brought $90 to the auction, a lot of money for me then. Hell, it's a lot of money for me now!

90 pieces of Green Cherry- including plates, butterdish, bowls, tumblers, pitcher, cups, saucers. Silly girl that I was, I thought $90 would do it. It went for several hundred. Some time later the next year, we started collecting blue Royal Lace (well I also collected Green Royal Lace when I could find it which wasn't very often).

Now, over the next week, we'll be liquidating my current collection of blue Royal Lace. So I thought I'd tell you about the pattern and the company and then as I list pieces, I can use the photos here to show you. (getting my money's worth out that digital camera, ya know?)

So, Hazel Atlas made Royal Lace from 1934 to 1941. It was made in Green, Cobalt Blue, Crystal, Pink and a few pieces in Amethyst. There are reproductions and I'll talk about them later.

The blue is far and away the favorite of most collectors but green is more popular all the time. The crystal suffers from looking "dirty" after time and the pink is a very pale pink with a tendency to look orangey.

Hazel Atlas was the child of a merger in 1902. By 1928 it was known as the "World's Largest Tumbler Factory" as they churned out machine made drinking glasses. They were one of the most modern, mechanized glass factories. In 1929, they added Green tumblers to their line and in 1933 Green, pink and topaz were added. In 1936, they added Ritz blue.

The pattern Royal Lace was a tip of the hat to the Royal Family of England and many assorted pieces were shipped to England then and are now, via the internet and ebay finding their way back to the State. Cobalt blue was introduced in Royal Lace in 1938, a time when war was looming and shipping glass to England had lost some of its priority so most of what is found there appears to be Green, Pink or Crystal. Which is fine with me since it's hard enough to put to gether a set of blue anyway.

Royal Lace has, give or take, 38 pieces in 4 main colors. This line has 5 sizes of pitchers, 2 kinds of candle stick a number of center or console bowls. There are dinner plates and grill plates. Lots to collect.

So, later this week I'll put in pictures of various pieces as I list them. And you'll see why this is my absolute favorite pattern. (but I'll also talk about all my other sort of favorite patterns later too).