10+ Imperfect Vintage & Antiques to Sell for a Profit
In most cases, when a reseller comes across a broken or otherwise imperfect item, I strongly recommend that they not buy that piece. Don’t linger. Don’t hesitage. Just pass on by, quickly.
However, I recommend the opposite when it comes to ten specific items that I will be sharing with you today: alarm clocks, cameras, crocks, cutting boards, feed sack fabric, ironstone, presentation boxes, quilts, recipe journals, perfume, and watches.
So before leaving that less-than-perfect find behind, take a closer look. You may hold in your hands something that could sell surprisingly well.
It’s important to keep in mind that collectors remain interested in any truly rare, antique item that has damage, since it may be difficult to find completely in tact items of that variety.
Table of Contents
Types of Defects
10 Broken or Imperfect Items That Sell
1. Alarm Clocks
2. Cameras
3. Crocks & Jars
4. Cutting Boards
5. Feed Sack Fabric
6. Ironstone
7. Presentation Boxes
8. Quilts
9. Recipe Journals & Scrapbooks
10. Perfumes
11. Watches
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Types of Defects
Acceptable Wear
Some vintage and antique items have “acceptable wear”, meaning buyers almost universally understand that certain items will have a level of imperfection. In fact, if they are found with no wear at all, that would be suspicious. Stoneware jugs and crocks are a good example.
Repairable
When we talk about “repairable” it refers to pieces that someone with skill or expertise could bring back to its original life. Cameras and watches fall into this category.
Recyclable
Finds that no longer functionable as intended, but can nonetheless be used for another purpose are considered “recyclable”. Broken alarm clocks, which decorators use no matter their condition, serve as a good example of this category. They no longer tell time, but can be used as a household decoration.
10 Items That Sell Even If Broken or Imperfect
1. Alarm Clocks
As just mentioned, alarm clocks, both antique or vintage, are collected for their decorative nature, whether they work or not. None of the clocks shown here worked, but they sold quickly from my antique booth.
Values:
- Baby Ben (brown & gold): $6-10
- Westclox (white & aqua): $10-15
- Chrome: $15-20
2. Cameras
Ebay serves as a great market for selling higher end cameras ($20+) whose working order is unkown. Do a quick eBay photo search before buying one out in the wild to determine whether it is likely to sell.
I have similar success selling lower-end examples from my antique booth (in Upstate NY), with no guarantee of their functionality.
The camera shown above, an Argus (also known as “The Brick”) sells for $15-25 (untested).
Related:
- Camera Price Guide (in the Member Library, get access when you SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter
3. Crocks
As mentioned, crocks are one of those categories of items that you expect to show some amount of wear or even breakage. Typically the bottom is going to show that it has been slidden on and off shelving for long periods. You may also find a chip or two, some crazing, and/or a hairline crack.
While this reduces the value, it does not prevent it from being sold. The piece you see here, with text that reads: “Excelsior, Pure Preserves, H.A. Johnson & Co. Boston, Mass” sold on Etsy. Value: $75-85 Pieces with text and/or images on them are particularly valuable.
English potted meat jars, like the one above that reads: “Shippam’s High Class Potted Meat, Chichester”. Despite the chunk missing from the base and the dark brown staining on the interior, it sold recently on Etsy. Value: $40-50 Along the same lines, marmalade jars are also extremely sought after, even when damaged.
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3. Cutting Boards
Cutting boards have been hot, hot, hot for quite some time now. Buyers expect some amount of wear, usually in the form of cut marks, since these kitchen workhorses tend to get a lot of use.
This example, with a very desireable shape, had a knot that somehow got hollowed out, but it sold easily on Etsy. Value: $55-65
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5. Feed Sack Fabric
Vintage feed sack fabric sells extremely well, but you may not have known that scraps of this material also sell very well! Above are six pieces of colorful fabric, the largest of which was 24″ x 24″.
This image of the lavendar and black piece shows the type of photos I included in the listing on Etsy. The six sold for $22 several years ago.
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6. Ironstone
Antique ironstone is one of my favorite of all collectibles. Unfortunately, prices have really tanked over the past ten years, especially for platters, dinner plates, and plain serving pieces. That said, I have learned that Etsy provides a brisk marketplace for certain ironstone items.
In general, smaller pieces of ironstone sell quite well on Etsy, along with those that have significant, brown crazing. It might sound crazy, but some collectors just love that all-over browned look that you can see on this antique relish dish that sold recently. Value: $25-35
Here’s another example of an all-over crazed and browned piece that also sold recently. Value: $32
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7. Presentation Boxes
Jewelry presentation boxes, like this leather German example, have stood the test of time, having been opened and closed repeatedly, shoved into drawers or jewelry boxes, and traveled many miles inside luggage.
They’re meant to protect their contents, not be protected themselves. As a result, they typically have condition issues. This one, though in otherwise good condition, is missing its pretty satin base. This has not stopped seven Etsy customers from each buying one for themselves. Value: $30-40
The story is much the same for this troubled leather ring box. Value: $20-30
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8. Quilts
Quilts and quilt pieces can sell even if in really poor shape, albeit, for quite a bit less than if in very good condition. As long as it can still be used for some sort of craft and is attractive, like this piece that sold not too long ago on Etsy. Value: $20-30
Part of a larger “cutter quilt” I picked up for a mere $3, I managed to sell multiple, still usable portions of it for a total of almost $100!
Here’s a close up of one section, which gives you a better idea of the condition issues.
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9. Recipe Journals & Scrapbooks
It came as quite a surprise to me a few years ago that there’s a strong market for vintage and antique recipe journals like the one you see here. It’s a small, coverless notebook filled with recipes and remedies. Value: $25-30
Here’s a look at the badly stained interior. Since selling this example on Etsy, I’ve sold five more. You better believe I scour cook book shelves and document boxes at estate sales, looking for more. In the past, I would have gone right past these, thinking the grease stains and other grime made them true “junk”.
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Along the same lines, scrapbooks sell well on Etsy, too, even those in very poor condition like this example. It contains responses from the owners friends to various questions, along with a magazine image each had chosen. Though it was falling apart and had loose pages, it sold rapidly. Value: $65-75
10. Perfume
I know it’s hard to believe, but vintage perfume makes a great seller, and on multiple platforms: an antique booth, Etsy, and eBay.
Values:
- L’Origan by Coty (1.25 oz. size): $35-45 (eBay)
- Quelques Fluers by Houbigant (3/4 oz. size): $25-30 (Etsy)
- Early American Old Spice by Shulton (1.5 oz. size): $30-35 (Etsy)
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11. Watches
Not too long ago, a friend gifted me a shoe box full of old watches. I picked out several that sold from my antique booth for good prices. The remainder I’ve been selling for $5 each from a basket in my booth. When I come across them for a dollar or less out in the wild, I pick them up since I know the I can make at least $5 on them.
When I get home, I research them and test the wind-ups (analog) and price them accordingly. Then I work at prying the backs off those that use batteries. If I’m successful, I replace the batteries and price them accordingly.
Those I can’t open, I place in the $5 basket since they’re unknowns. Wind-ups that don’t work get sent to the thrift store, unless they sell for good money on eBay for parts. Which brings us to this broken Rolex, which I sold recently on eBay–for parts. Value: $30-40
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Final Thoughts
If you’ve been hesitant in the past to purchase items that have any flaws at all, I hope you’ll consider some of the pieces on this list that not only sell, but sell for good money! Let me know in the comments about any other categories you would add to the list and why.
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