Can you really tell a book by its cover?

Well, when it comes to antique, vintage, rare or 1st printing, the cover really does determine the value of the book.  If its a collectible, it must have the dust jacket!

This is what the experts, specifically quoted from www.skinnerinc.com, Selling Antique Books, Part II, had to say:

" 1. Dust jackets, dust jackets and more dust jackets!

If there is one single thing that is a make or break for book value, it would be the dust jacket. The value of a first edition copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’sTender is the Night with dust jacket is around $6,000. Without a dust jacket….$300. This huge difference in value is largely due to the fact that more than 90% of dust jackets are destroyed, either deliberately or due to their ephemeral and fragile nature. If you have one on a good book, treasure it. Also, be sure to protect it with a plastic sleeve."

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way.  I purchased Carl Sandburg, Poems of the Midwest from an estate sale.  I was very excited to get it because there were no markings, no creases, no tears, no stains and NO DUST JACKET!  Even though this is a very desirable 1946 First Printing Edition, its value went from around $150-$200 to well,  I'm selling mine for $20 bucks. :(

Beautiful Fenton Glass

Turning Glass into Fine Art Since 1905

The Fenton Art Glass Company is the largest manufacturer of handmade colored glass in the United States today, and among the foremost glass manufacturers in the world. Known for its beautiful colors and patterns, Fenton Art Glass continues an American tradition with its skilled glassworkers and talented decorators.

Fenton Art Glass was founded in 1905 by brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton. They began their business In Martins Ferry, Ohio, by painting decorations on glassware made by nearby manufacturers. Prompted in part by the desire to work with a broader range of colors, the brothers soon decided to produce their own glass, and opened the Fenton Art Glass factory in Williamstown, West Virginia in 1907. In fact, Fenton introduced "iridescent ware" later that same year. Now known as "Carnival" glass, it's a popular collectible item today.

Frank L. Fenton's love of color and his admiration for glass artisans like those at Tiffany and Steuben helped keep Fenton Art Glass in the forefront of the handmade art glass industry for the next few decades, but during the Depression Era and the early years of World War II, Fenton also produced practical items such as mixing bowls and perfume bottles.

http://www.fentonartglass.com/

WWII Memorabilia

I ran across a cup and saucer at an estate sale.  What caught my eye was the gold engraving on it. After much research, I learned that the symbol is the fouled anchor of the Imperial Japanese Navy.  What I can't find are the meanings of the gold lettering "YSPD".
If anyone knows this meaning, please let me know. Thanks!

Selling Online

The process of selling online is a tedious activity filled with occasional bursts of excitement, disappointment, boredom and second thoughts.  If you are not a patient person, then this kind of sales is not for you.  There are 5 steps in the online sales process.  Whether you are successful or not, you will inevitably experience each of these steps.

1.  You carefully select the item you want to sell.
2.  You research the item so that you can price it correctly.
3.  You take expert pictures and write an awesome description.
4.  You post the listing.
5.  You wait.

I believe the waiting is the hardest part.  You want to make changes at this point.  You start second guessing yourself.  Is the price right, does anybody want this and what the hell am I doing?

Then, you get a nibble.  Someone has looked at your product, even shown interest.  You get excited...then, they go away.  You cry "Come back, I'll lower the price, I'll give it away!".  MISTAKE!

This is the point where you need to remember why you selected this item to resell, why you thought it was so cool.  Re-review your pricing data to make sure you are in line with the market.  Then, back off!  It helps if you have a multitude of items to post.  This way, you have several things to fret over so you don't just focus on the one thing.

Online sales is a great way to be an entrepreneur part-time, or if you have found your niche, its a great way to quit your day job!

Good Luck!

Vintage Fur

Although fur products are controversial, there is no argument how beautiful and luxurious a fur coat feels.  I don't advocate fur production today, but a piece of fur clothing made 40-50 years ago has little bearing on the life of the animal today.

Sounds hypocritical?  Not really.  The animal was killed 50 years ago–I’m not saving anybody (or directly funding any company) by not wearing it.

What do you think? Is choosing vintage a more ethical way to wear fur?

Happy Valentine's Day!!

According to the legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl—who may have been his jailor's daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

Great dress for that Valentine's Day Date!

Is it a Real Pearl?

These days, it's difficult to know the real thing vs. the fake...or faux :).  Technology is so advanced that you can't tell if the diamond is real, the pearl is real, the ruby is real or the emerald is real.  So how can you tell the difference?

Real pearls are valuable and they display the natural beauty of pearls. Fake pearls are also called “faux”, “costume” or “imitation”. They can be made of glass, plastic, or fish-scale imitations. For example, "majorica pearls" are a form of fake pearls. There is nothing in them that rightly allow them to be called pearls. They are not naturals nor cultured. Here are some tips on how to distinguish real pearls from fakes: 1. Real pearls have fingerprint-like surface ridges when viewed under magnification. Fake pearls have bubbles or matte patterns on the surface when viewed under magnification. 2. Real pearls have body color enriched by an overtone color. (Some pearls have very strong overtones while some pearls have weak overtones). Fake pearls only have one body color. Their colors look flat and lack depth. 3. Real pearls reflect light beautifully and their luster looks very natural. The luster of fake pearls doesn't look natural. It looks like glass. 4. When viewing real pearl strands under light, you can see a slight difference between each pearl in terms of size, overtones and surface quality. Even top quality cultured pearls with perfect surface have tiny thin layers when looking at them closely. For fake pearl strands, each pearl looks like the exact copy of another. Their surfaces look perfect. 5. Real pearls are cold when you touch them. You don't feel the coolness when touching fake pearls. They always have the same temperature as the room air. 6. When rubbing pearls across your teeth, real pearls feel gritty while fake pearls feel smooth. 7. Real pearls are heavy in weight. Fake pearls are light in weight. 8. Real pearls show smoothness around drilled holes. Fake pearls show roughness or bump around drilled holes, as if the pearls have been melted during drilling. Now do you know the difference? (actually, I'm still confused) http://www.premiumpearl.com/guide-real-pearls-versus-fake-pearls.html

Some People Say I'm Crazy

...but I'm not the only one!  John Lennon, great artist, great muscian, great songwriter. 

I found the "Imagine" album but with a twist.  It included a rare postcard of Lennon in a gorilla suit instead of the postcard with a pig.  It kinda also looks like Yoko Ono in the pic, but I can't find anything to verify it.

                                                                                                                                 

What is Vintage?

Some people  say vintage is an item that is over 20 years old.  That sounds strange to most of us because 20 years ago was just yesterday!  We have clothes, shoes, nic nacs over 20 years old right in our closets!  Someday, all that junk will be antique...today its only vintage. :}

Vintage is cool and vintage is addictive.  Everyone has the decade or style that appeals to them.  Some only collect the 50's stuff; Elvis, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe.  Some love the 60's; Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Beatles.  Me, I love it all!

Everytime I see a pill box hat from the 40's, I think of my grandma and everytime I hear a 50's album of George Jones, I think of my daddy.  I have a picture of my mom in a petticoat that I love.  When I'm lucky enough to acquire anything from the 19th century, I can feel that generation and their struggles and what that special brooch or book meant to them.

What is Vintage?  Vintage is sentimental.

Vintage and Rare Kate Greenaway Coloring Book circa 1950

Kate Greenaway was a famous English artist and children's book-illustrator. I happened to find a fabulous rare coloring book with her illustrations published around 1950 by Red Farm Studio. 

 

It is quite a find!  The name of the collection is "Kim's Kate Greenaway Coloring Book".   It is housed in the original pictorial cardboard box and is the original oversized 19" X 12" stapled coloring booklet.

 

This coloring book is in pristine condition, no tears, bends, folds or markings. The cardboard box is worn at one of the corners of the lid, otherwise great condition.

Fantastic find! Great collectible!