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Determining Value of Vintage Postcards

August 13, 2016 by Florence 17 Comments

Vintage postcards are one of my loves, but I don’t really collect them. I’ve inherited several albums and lots of loose cards. An old album came home with me at an estate sale 3 years ago, and I wanted to have it evaluated by someone in the know. In all this time, I haven’t decided how to approach selling it…Ebay? Etsy? Sell as is or remove the cards? Luckily, there is a postcard dealer right here in my hometown. Gary and I visited him and his fascinating shop recently. I will be doing a post about that soon.

An Instagram postcard dealer strongly discouraged removing them. Taking them out is not a good idea as they are all glued in. To remove would likely mean destroying the cards in the process.

Every time I decide “THIS TIME I’m going to sell it,” I pore over it, and know I can’t do it. Follow along with me as I give you a little tour of these pieces of history~

Worn and frayed, the larger is at a disadvantage with no cover. It contains place postcards, greeting cards, paper dolls, and pictures cut from magazines. What’s of special note is that everything is glued into an old “Hotel Ware” catalog probably dating from 1910-1920. That in itself would be desirable if untouched. The below pictures are some of the pages in the back…

How about these fancy coffee mills?

The 140 lb “Cutlery Renovator” machine for polishing and grinding blades???

or the “Day Dough Mixer”??? Can you imagine working with such a contraption??

These are just a few of the fascinating catalog photos, but back to the postcard album.

How to determine value?

HOW TO DETERMINE VALUE OF VINTAGE POSTCARDS

Condition is everything. Creases, corner bumps, rubs, and wear devalue cards
Postmarks devalue cards (Personally, I love postmarks…it gives me an idea of age and I like the look).
Cards sought after by collectors date from 1898-1940. However, the 1910 era was the heyday for vintage postcards. There were more made then, so this amount of age is not necessarily a determinant of value.
Vintage Birthday postcards are not as sought after because there were more of these made.
Subject matter and rarity determine value. Some people collect war cards, Christmas, Halloween, linen cards, Curt Teich postcards.
Real Photo Postcards (RPPC) are desirable if unusual. (I recently sold 2 photo postcards. One was a photo of an amputee sitting on the ground beside a covered wagon goat cart, and the other was a photo of convicts on a railroad track.)

For more info on determining value, click here: http://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Value_of_Old_Postcards

http://www.postcardguy.com/store/WsAncillary.asp?ID=2

CONCLUSION:

I was offered $150 for both albums. I decided not to sell because I’m not ready to part with them yet! Am I crazy or not? Sometimes I think I am….

PLEASE PIN!

Top Ten Things I Look for at Yard Sales

July 10, 2016 by Florence 83 Comments

The top ten things I look for at yard sales…a fascinating topic for all of us sellers and wannabes! Other bloggers may like vintage thermoses, picnic baskets, and white ironstone, but they’re not on my list.

Since I’m buying for online selling on Etsy/Ebay, I look for smaller items that are easily shipped. While in the booth business, I searched for furniture that I could refinish or paint. Shipping is so costly these days, I tend to stick with lighter items.

Garage Sale Top Ten~

What I Look for at Garage Sales~

Ceramic Christmas trees are always good sellers for me. I buy them even if they are missing the little bulbs as I have a stash from where?? Yard sales! You can also find them on Ebay. This and #8 are about the limit of size and weight I will ship.

Top ten things I look for at yard sales — Ceramic Christmas Tree

2. Rotary dial Princess telephones…especially in unusual colors like pink or aqua. I’ve just had the boring colors of yellow or beige, but they sell well (if they are working)

top ten things to look for in yard sales — Princess Phone

3. Recipe boxes! Wooden or metal, & it helps if they’re cute.

top ten things I look for in yard sales — Metal recipe box

4. Mail Sorters or Bill Organizers! Even in this day of paying bills online, people still apparently use these:

5. Vintage Purses! I love them and collect evening bags, so I can’t resist buying them if they are affordable. See two favorites below…a Lou Taylor box purse on the left, dating from the ’80’s. What a rarity to find a purse in such pristine condition! The buyer loved it and it went all the way to Australia! The other, a black and white Spectator purse, dating from the ’60’s.

6. Vintage Safety Razors! (especially if adjustable.) Luckily, I do find razors at yard sales sometimes. They are increasingly hard to find.

7. Men’s Pipes and Pipe Paraphernalia! Hard to find at yard sales, but sometimes I get lucky! Grab them if you do! Both of these below were from yard sales. They are always high at estate sales.

8. Vintage Luggage! These are about the limit of weight and size for me to ship. The one on the left was in terrible shape when found. It required a lot of repair to get in acceptable shape. In fact, this style is usually in bad shape if you can find it at all.

9. Dolls, doll clothes, old doll trunks. Composition baby dolls, Vogue Ginny, vintage Barbie. Hard to find at yard sales, and too high at estate sales because I only go the first day. Once someone gave me a composition baby doll at a yard sale, and I promptly sold her for $20! That doesn’t happen every day!

TIP: Avoid buying dolls with white mold on the eyes, due to prolonged exposure to moisture. Once it starts, it is extremely hard to remove and often comes back. Usually the doll’s eyes have to be replaced.

(I apologize for the quality of some of these photos, which I took before I learned how to photo edit.)

The doll trunk was full of Vogue Ginny outfits, shoes and hats. Unfortunately a find that like that doesn’t come along every day! Though the Midge doll was vintage 60’s, she was in less than stellar condition!

10. Anything quirky or unusual has a market. I once sold 6 vintage dried up Howard Johnson ballpoint pens. Priced cheap because they didn’t write, I figured nobody would want them! Ha! Wrong! Wish I had a picture.

#1 Who would want these specialized coffee filters? Someone did!

#2 Bed springs

#3 Hair ribbon~5 colors…this surprised me.

#4 Do you know what this is? Just checking to see if you read this far….

#5 Do you know what this one is? Leave me a comment if you know!

So these are my top ten things I look for at yard sales. But what sells for me may not sell for you. Everything takes time! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Introvert Guide to Haggling Yard Sales

May 17, 2016 by Florence 14 Comments

Haggling yard sales….ewww….this is a behavior that doesn’t come naturally to a shy, people-pleasing introvert like me! But being an online seller convinced me I was going to HAVE to get into the habit and make myself do it. And that’s all it is…a habit that anybody can learn.

Introvert Guide to Haggling Yard Sales:

♥Don’t go to the sale driving your Mercedes with your Coach purse on your arm.

♥Be friendly! As you are walking up, comment on the weather, make interested small talk as you are browsing. Wave if they are already talking to someone.

♥Make eye contact. People are far more likely to accept an offer if you are personable and polite. I hate it when people come up, take a look around and are either condescending or demanding….”what’s your best price, can you do better?” while holding the item like it’s repulsive.

♥Better ways to say that are “Will you take_____?” A good rule of thumb is to ask 40% off, especially if it is a bigger ticket item. Often you and the seller can meet in the middle making it a good deal for everyone.

♥Ask for a bigger percentage off for certain smaller items (not everything), like coffee mugs if they are priced $1.00. I will often ask for 50% off. If things are 25¢, for heaven’s sake, don’t haggle over that.

♥Don’t fall for the seller ploy of “Make me an offer.” This is my #1 pet peeve. I usually say “I don’t do offers.” Make them give you a price or walk.

♥Bunch items together, then ask the seller if they will take____ for the lot.

♥Go later rather than earlier when sellers are thinking about packing it up. They don’t want to carry it back inside! Of course, you will run the risk of lower selection.

♥You can point out the flaws in a nice way, making that the basis for offering less. I have even done this at estate sales on the first day when it is an accepted fact that you don’t haggle. I can usually get a reduction anyway.

♥Be prepared to walk.

What to say to soften the blow of walking:

It’s worth it…I just don’t want to pay that much.
I like it….I just don’t NEED it.
I’ll have to think about it.
I’ll have to go home & measure.
I’ll have to run it by my husband or wife first.

More resources on how to haggle:

http://fleamarket.about.com/od/insidershoppingtips/fl/15-Haggling-Phrases-That-Work.htm

http://www.northjersey.com/story-archives/has-haggling-gotten-too-extreme-at-garage-sales-and-flea-markets-1.690462?page=all

The Classy Way To Haggle

Check out my Garage Sale Board on Pinterest for more garage sale tips!

Top Yard Sale Buys to Flip

May 2, 2016 by Florence 4 Comments

Top yard sale buys to flip…we all want to know what to look for when we are on the hunt! I thought this topic might be interesting to vintage sellers, or wannabes as I’m always keen on finding out what works for the other guy. I see different recommendations , so these may work for some, and vice versa. Most of us tend to be mum about this subject. If you were to ask that question on an Ebay forum, you would get a verbal tongue lashing! And even now, when outsiders ask me what I sell, I tend to be vague. Plain and simple we don’t want the competition!

Keep in mind, though, that most of these below items take a while to sell. It’s most unusual for items to fly out the door, but it does happen occasionally.

There are hundreds of vintage sellers on Etsy, but there’s a niche for every one because we all carry one-of-a-kind. So here are just a few top yard sale buys to flip for resale on Ebay or Etsy. My advice is anything you got….try it!

I mainly deal in smaller items that are easier to ship, but when I had a booth, I always looked for smaller furniture items like shelves, racks, smaller bookshelves, desks, or chests to attract those buyers looking to furnish dorm rooms or apartments.

What about yours? Leave a comment!

Yard and Estate Sale Types

March 30, 2016 by Florence 2 Comments

Yard and Estate Sale Types of people you usually see??? These 10 ~~eccentric~~ personalities are easily recognizable to one who is observant:

Harry and Hilly Haggler~These are the ones that are forever asking you “what is your best price?” when you’ve stayed up half the night pricing everything at that magic number already.

Barrie Basket~She’s the one “innocently” browsing with a gigantic tote bag or basket over her arm, which effectively blocks other shoppers from not only passing her, but getting in her space while she’s looking.

Ian & Ima-Lil Intense~These are the ones who make a beeline for their main interest in the house, and it doesn’t matter who’s in their way. They’ll even go so far as to ask you to get OUT of their way if you happen to be obstructing their view.

Ollie Obnoxious~Ollie is everyone’s favorite person at estate sales. He’s never heard of “no bargaining on the first day.” He will harass you into the ground with “oh come on, come on” hoping you will give in and let him have that nice boat or car he has his eye on.

Dave Dayahead~Dave is the one who has done a little research, found your phone number on the internet, and either calls non-stop for hours or shows up at your doorstep because he “can’t come the next day.”

Edgar Eager~Edgar and his cousin Nate are the early birds that come 2 hours ahead of time hoping to get in first.

Nate Knocker~Nate knocks on your door 2 hours early if he thinks that will help him get in earlier.

Greta Grabber~Greta just basically grabs everything in sight to keep anyone else from getting it.

Wally Watt~Wally is the one who comes and isn’t totally satisfied with watt you’ve got laid out. He wants to know watt else you have, like “any old watches, old cameras, any old guns?”

Sally Cell~Sally is the one who comes to a dead stop while she checks her cell phone, or she’s checking to see how many of what she’s looking at are on ebay already.

Do we recognize ourselves here??? *Gulp* (Ahem…just call me Hilly.) Let’s hope not! What or who else have I missed??