Fab Louis XIX Gold & Ivory Sewing Kit sold for $2050.00

Antique Sewing Collectibles are one of the hottest categories of collectibles simply because clothing and sewing have been around for many centuries and sewing items come from a long and varied history. Whether primitive bone or gold needles, plain simple steel or highly gilded decoration, from a Nanny brooch hiding needle and thread for emergency  or thimbles of ivory or gold, there is no doubt about the wide range of collectible items, from the most simple to the most elegenat, in the world of sewing. Below is an example of an item recently sold on eBay. It is a Louis the XIX (died 1844) Gold and Ivory sewing kit. The winning bid was $2505.00.

A Picker Success Story

Some of you have heard me say that anyone can become a "picker" and make some extra cash...or even make a new career out of it. As long as people have stuff, and people want stuff, there will be a market for almost everything. And, its nearly recession proof. But to make it work, like anything else, you've gotta have a heart for it.

Received a note today from an old friend I met at a meditation class several years back. He was an unemployed carpenter and needed an income fast. I shared with him how I had just traveled across the country buying and selling stuff on the internet all along the way. We had some long conversations, he picked my brain, figured out what his interests were and then ran with the ball.

He wrote:

Hi Rick, 

I had to write and say hi. Many things have changed in my life since we last spoke. I became a very successful picker...thanks to your advice a few years back. Mostly buying and selling BMW motorcycles, but also finding some incredible unique items. I left the carpentry gig because it just didn't nurture and support my soul anymore. 

David W.

With an eBay account  a PayPal ATM card, laptop and wireless internet, a few shipping supplies and any local Post Office, it is possible to hunt treasures in shops, flea markets and other places anywhere across the country, or the world for that matter, and sell them online.You could buy a California Pottery piece in Memphis, TN, sell it online while your traveling and drop it at the Post Office in Ft Worth, TX. But then again, you could do this without leaving your home area.

Happy Hunting.

Collectible Christmas Ornaments

For every category of collectible you can think of, and there are thousands, there is a cream of the crop. Tis the season so I am going to show you just one element of Christmas collectibles that can bring a lot of money. Christmas ornaments. This is a class unto itself. But so are things like those 1960's Aluminum Trees with color wheel lights. One pink aluminum tree recently sold on eBay for $2500. Yup, you read that right. But that's for another blog at another time. Today we look at Christmas ornaments.

Collectors Weekly says "Until the Victorian era, most Christmas trees were decorated with candles, cookies, and fruit, but in the mid-1800's German craftsmen began producing blown glass tree ornaments in shapes like stars, fruit, and angels, and the ornament tradition was born" And so it is. Below I am posting some recently sold antique and vintage ornaments sold on eBay. Bet you won't look at old Christmas ornaments in Aunties old attic, yard sales and church fairs the same way again!! Merry Christmas and Happy Treasure Hunting!!

$1200.00

$441.56

$466.99

$610.02

Another Yard Sale Find

Several years ago, when I was doing eBay consignments for folk, a lady brought me what turned out to be a first cast bronze horse statue she had purchased at a yard sale for $5.00. It would sell for over $7000.00 to her great surprise. Below is a photo of the identical horse. It still happens folks but knowledge is power. The second and later casts do not bring that kind of money but still are valuable. Modern reproductions are only good for boat anchors!

This is an original first cast Antoine Louis Barye, famous French Animalier Sculpture. 

It is called "Turkish Horse" and was originally cast in 1844.

Hampshire Pottery Works

In 1871 James Scolly Taft founded the famous Hampshire Pottery Works in Keene, NH. Here is another example of a home grown future antiques success story. Some of these pieces bring thousands of dollars and yes, they can still be found in New Hampshire old homes, barns, yard sales, shops, flea markets etc. But because they look so "plain jane" most people wouldn't give 'em a second glance. Read below for a bit more detail and some examples of recent auction sales.

Hampshire Pottery

June 3, 2010 By Donna McGill 1 Comment

It’s been said Hampshire Pottery is similar to Grueby Pottery in many ways; in fact, many say they’re imitations of Grueby.  Even the company itself said it was replicating Grueby’s efforts in a way to provide similar art pottery at lower prices.  Perhaps the one major difference in the Hampshire pottery pieces is the fact each was molded, versus the hand throwing techniques of the Grueby Pottery efforts.  Still, many experts insist there is enough that separates the two American art pottery wares that most people, certainly in contemporary day, can easily differentiate the two.  Indeed, Hampshire Pottery had some beautiful creations that weren’t inspired (or copied, as some insist) by Grueby.  We tend to agree.  So individual they were that many are bringing in impressive sums of money today. 

The original mill that was purchased by James Taft and his uncle in 1871 burned to the ground.  The duo wasted no time in rebuilding the warehouse and within a year, were up and running with their efforts of creating flower pots and “redware”.  All the while, they were also creating stoneware.  Ten years later, the company decided to enter into the art pottery sector.  It quickly became a family endeavor, as another brother in law was brought on board as a chemist who was responsible for creating more than 900 glaze “recipes” for use in the making of Hampshire Pottery.

A die stamp that reads “Hampshire Pottery” with a circled “M” can be found on nearly every Hampshire piece and the majority of these pieces are covered in a matte green glaze.  The majority of Hampshire Pottery can be found as vases, mugs, lamp bases and bowls.

After a few family deaths, ironically, the company was sold out to Grueby Pottery.  Grueby Pottery eventually closed the plant in 1923.  We’re left with some truly beautiful wares, courtesy of Hampshire Pottery and its successful bids of creating American art pottery.

Sold for $575.00

Sold for $273.92

Hampshire base, slag glass shade,
opening bid $2500

Maxfield Parrish - An American Illustrator

Maxfield Parrish is one of my favorite American artists. He lived to age 96 and enjoyed great commercial successful selling new works and living off the royalties of his older works. He lived most of his life in Plainfield, NH in the Upper Valley. His illustrations for books, calendars and posters were, and still are, highly sought after. New Hampshire is replete with his works and they can still be found in estate sales, antique shops and flea markets. An original 1923 20" x 20" Jack and the Bean Stalk print in original frame recently sold on eBay for $1350.00. (See below) 

Below re-printed from www.Parrish-House.com

Maxfield Parrish (1870 - 1966) was an American painter and illustrator. Born Frederick Maxfield Parrish in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began drawing for his own amusement early in his life. He went on to pursue a career that was to last for many decades and effectively shape the Golden Age of Illustration, and the future of American visual art in general. Launched by a commission to illustrate Kenneth Grahame’s The Walls Were as of Jasper in 1897, his repertoire was to include many prestigious projects such as Eugene Field’s Poems of Childhood (1904) and the traditional Arabian Nights (1909).

Androgynous nudes in fantastical settings were an often-recurring theme. He continued in this venue for the rest of his life, living comfortably off the royalties brought in by the production of posters and calendars featuring his works.Parrish was famous for the dazzlingly luminous colors that marked much of his artwork; the shade “Parrish blue” was coined in acknowledgement. He achieved this result by means of a special technique involving several coats of oil and varnish applied to his paintings. It is impossible to categorize Parrish’s work, since he was part of no traditional movement or school, and developed a truly original style.

Maxfield Parrish was the most popular American artist from the turn of the century until Norman Rockwell succeeded him in the 1940’s. Of Parrish, Mr. Rockwell said, “Maxfield Parrish was certainly one of our most prominent illustrators and hardly a home in America existed that didn’t have a Maxfield Parrish print. I’m an illustrator. Maxfield Parrish was a painter-illustrator. He was in the Golden Age of Illustration. When I was in art school I admired him. He was one of my gods.”

Parrish continued painting until he was about 90 years old and died at age 96. Each new generation seems to rediscover the magic and romance of Parrish art and some of his prints now command prices that reach into many thousands of dollars. Fortunately, many images may still be obtained at modest cost.

All About Polishing Valuable Metals

By Dennis Gaffney

Ernest DuMouchelle, vice president of DuMouchelle Gallery in Detroit and an appraiser for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, has seen more than his share of valuable metals ruined. Routinely, customers bring him their prized candlesticks, serving dishes, statues, coffee pots, and goblets made of brass, silver, bronze, or pewter. Often, the pieces arrive damaged not by time or the elements, but by ignorance. Some owners have scoured these objects with steel wool or Ajax. Others have ratcheted up the assault by plugging in their drills, attaching a round, metallic brush to it, and then assaulting their pieces with a gusto only a power tool can muster.

Learn how to polish your valuable metals without ruining them

"These methods put little grooves in your valuable metals," Ernest says. And such scratches, he says, are not a good thing, since they can usually only be repaired by a specialist—and that, of course, costs money. We asked Ernest to provide some advice on when and how to properly polish your silver, brass, bronze, and pewter valuables. Here's what he said.

Saving Your Silver
If there is a golden rule in caring for your silver, Ernest says, it's that the easiest way to polish it is not always the best. That's why the Detroit appraiser recommends avoiding "instant dips," those high-octane metal polishes that promise faster results with less elbow grease. Such polishes achieve their quick results by adding more acids and abrasives into the mix, which only strip more of the valuable metal off of your prized possession each time you polish it. With only a few uses of an instant dip, it's possible to rub away the silver plating or even its identifying marks. In both cases, your piece is devalued. While it's possible to re-plate silver that's been rubbed down to its base metal, its an extremely expensive process that can also muddy the clarity of a piece's designs. "Instant dip" cleaners also pose another problem: if not removed properly, the products can leave a milky finish on your silver. And not only is that ugly, notes the Detroit appraiser, it's also difficult to remove.

Ernest suggests using gentler polishes made by reputable companies such as Wright & Company or W.J. Hagerty & Sons. "Any good hardware store and a lot of the supermarkets will stock the good products," Ernest says. These milder polishes force you to rub your silver a little harder and for a longer period of time. Just as a labor-intensive French polishing brings out the natural beauty of wood, Ernest notes, a slow polish brings out the natural brilliance of silver and other metals.

"You get a rich patina by polishing your pieces slowly," Ernest says. "Silver polished properly looks beautiful."

Polishing the Brass
Brass was also meant for polishing. "The only problem with brass," says Ernest, "is that sometimes it has been lacquered."

Lacquer, usually absent on antique pieces, is often added to more modern brass to protect it from the elements and keep it from tarnishing. Sometimes an owner will rub the lacquer, which often looks yellowish, off of the piece of brass. But once the lacquer is removed, the brass is vulnerable to oxidation. If owners want to keep a piece shiny, they have to do what soldiers have long done with their brass belt buckles and pins: polish them regularly. In the home, that means a polish every few weeks—more than most people are willing to devote to brass candlesticks and doorknobs. The alternative is to learn to live with and love duller-looking brass.

Wash Your Bronzes
A finish is usually put on bronzes by an artist or at a foundry to give the metal a darker patina or to shade the metal to accentuate its three-dimensionality. Sometimes bronze is even coated with gold. That's why it's best to avoid polishing bronzes. Doing so is like vigorously scrubbing the surface of a masterpiece painting. In both cases, you're removing a layer of the piece that the artist intended to be there.

Such damage diminishes both the integrity of your piece and its value. Ernest recently sold a bronze fountain by the American sculptor Harriet Whitney Frishmuth that had a value that would have dropped by $50,000 if the sellers had rubbed the patina off. Ernest and his co-workers simply washed the piece, which is recommended because bronzes don't corrode in water as do many other metals.

Your Choice on Pewter
With pewter, there's a debate among experts as to whether you should polish it or just let it age naturally. The question is an aesthetic one. Those who prefer their metals shiny, polish their pewter. Unlike brass, polished pewter is slow to oxidize and therefore holds its shine for years.

But Ernest and many other antique dealers prefer the dull gray finish and the metallic freckles that time puts on pewter. "I'm just one of the people who like the way it looks without cleaning," Ernest says. "In my opinion, it was meant to look a little gnarly."

So the big lesson is: When in doubt about how to polish your metallic valuable, don't just wing it. "It's always good to get advice," Ernest says. "If it's an important piece, you should ask a reputable antiques dealer or a museum curator." 

More ANTIQUES ROADSHOW articles from the Metalwork & Sculpture category: