What’s Selling in Vintage & Antiques [May 2019]
Hi there! How was your weekend? Mine started on Friday when sweet daughter joined my sweet husband and I to do some garage saling. She had a blast and her finds left her very happy: old music albums (Elvis, Beach Boys, etc.), a blond wig (remember she’s a Comic Con-loving theater major), and several pieces of vintage clothing.
My favorite finds of the day were a Brownie camera ($2) and a pair of darling red baby cowboy boots ($1) that I’ll be turning into Christmas ornaments come this holiday season. I focused on buying only smalls since things are piling up around here, but the next day my [large item] buying freeze came to a screeching halt when I found a small shelf ($3), four arched shutters ($2 each), and a green chippy side table ($3). Yep, I’m in trouble.
Fortunately, I’m in the business of selling and this month I sold quite a bit, so let’s jump into what’s selling in vintage and antiques, shall we?
Vintage & Antique Sales at My Antique Booth
An antique F.H. Roberts Co. candy tin sold for $9 (cost: $2).
According to the Wilmington Daily Times, the company’s treasurer, who later became Fred Roberts second wife, developed many product marketing ideas, including nice boxes (like this one) for chocolates and other candies that suitors could easily gift to their sweethearts.
A NYS Legislative Manual from 1949 sold for $6 (cost: 50¢). I almost kept this one since I worked for the NYS Legislature “back in the day,” but once again–you can’t keep everything! Plus 1949 is a bit before my time, LOL.
A large barrel-shaped pickle jar with [what I now believe is] a replacement lid sold for $22, after I gave a 30% discount to a very good customer (cost: $6).
A Mike Hoblock ruler sold for $2 (cost: 50¢) and the Lumber & Manufacturing Company ruler (lower right) sold for $6 (cost: 50¢). Rulers as collectibles might cause surprise for some, but I sell quite a lot of them.
This carved “BREAD” knife, another find I fell in love with, sold for $12 (cost: 50¢). “Bread Knife” is carved right into the carbon steel blade.
My grandmother used carbon steel knives, one of which I gratefully inherited. I use it to cut sweet breads, like banana and lemon, because it cuts so perfectly, leaving behind no crumbs and a very flat edge.
Carbon steel rusts when left wet, so they must be washed by hand and dried immediately. Keep the handles from drying out by rubbing them occasionally with mineral oil or my Wood Salve.
You can find great tips for restoring carbon steel knives here on Instructables.
A darling bunny scissor made in Germany sold for $15 (cost: $5). Read more about collecting vintage scissors here.
A twig wreath sold for $12 (cost: $1). I like to pick up accents like this to compliment my antique booth and I find they sell quite well, berry wreaths and garlands especially.
If you’re interested in making your own farmhouse-style wreath, you can find one that I made with an antique sieve here and another from dried hydrangea here.
A lamb-shaped cake mold sold for $9 (cost: $2).
A cast iron rooster sold for $12 (cost: $1).
A black coffee pot sold for $12 (cost: $3).
A cook book, All About Home Baking, sold for $8 (cost: $1). I’ve written two related posts: Collecting Cook Books Part I, and Part II, and in addition I’ve compiled a cook book price guide that you might find helpful.
I sell many cook books via both my antique booth and eBay. The trick is to buy them low (50¢ to $1) and then sell them in the $8-20 range.
These little fellows didn’t last long in my booth, selling for $6 (the black German one) and $4 (the white Japanese one). While almost any breed sells, I find terriers sell the best.
A lovely pair of cast iron planters decorated with a basket weave pattern sold for $50 (cost: $10).
An antique stoneware butter crock (minus its bail handle) sold for $50 (cost: $10). I wrote an entire post about this beauty.
Not pictured:
Audubon Land Bird Guide sold for $3 (cost: $1)
Chase & Sanborn coffee tin sold for $6 (cost: $1)
The Real Mother Goose sold for $6 (cost: $1)
5) Costume jewelry rings sold for $3 each (cost: 50¢ each)
Children’s “Lefty” scissors sold for $2 (cost: 50¢)
Large oil can sold for $9 (cost: $1)
Small green pottery vase sold for $10 (cost: $1)
Aluminum rabbit cake mold sold for $9 (cost: $2)
Pearls (costume) sold for $10 (cost: $1)
DIY pedestal stand sold for $14 (cost: $1)
White hanging candelabra sold for $12 (cost: $1.50)
Red hay fork sold for $12 (cost: $3)
(2) pieces of costume jewelry sold for $3 each (cost: 50¢ each)
Gold-tone folding comb sold for $4 (cost: 50¢)
Rusty file holder sold for $6 (cost: FREE)
Large spool of brown string sold for $4 (cost: 50¢)
Vintage wooden salad serving set sold for $6 (cost: $1)
Vintage cutlery tray sold for $12 (cost: $1.50) Small scoop sold for $2 (cost: 50¢)
Industrial “Yankee” clip sold for $6 (cost: 50¢)
Vintage red doll carriage w/issues sold for $8.00 (cost: $1)
Total sales from my antique booth: $450, rent: $200, cost of goods sold: $65.
Vintage & Antique Sales on eBay
Betty Crocker’s Good & Easy Cook Book sold for the Best Offer of $7 (cost: 50¢).
A Texas Instruments TI-84 Silver Edition sold for the Buy It Now price of $49.99 (cost: FREE). This is the second of these calculators that I’ve sold for $50. I’m always on the look out for them. Anything that student’s need, like calculators and study guides sell well on eBay.
A vintage bottle of Tabu sold for the Best Offer of $9 (cost: 50¢). Perfume is another good eBay seller for me, though I typically like to sell it for more than $10 a bottle.
Keep in mind that since it’s flammable, it needs to be shipped ground, but the charges are similar to Priority Mail.
The total sold on eBay: $65.99, cost of goods: $1.
Vintage & Antiques Sold on Etsy
A clam shell jewelry presentation box, signed “Fashioned for Dixelle” on the inside lid, sold for $15 (cost: $5).
I’ve sold quite a few jewelry presentation boxes on both Etsy and eBay. Look for those with a tiny brass or mother-of-pearl button on the front that opens the lid. They are among the most desirable.
Vintage & Antique Sold from My Vintage Blog Shop
I haven’t paid much attention to my blog shop lately, but added a few items that I posted about recently in Collecting Vintage 1960’s Enamel Flower Power Jewelry. Happily, several pieces sold, including a hot pink example, which sold for $9.99 (cost: $1) and a two-tone pink one for $8.99 (cost: $1).
A blue enamel carnation pin sold for $8.99 (cost: $1).
A white enamel necklace sold for $14.99 (cost: $1). Since posting all the enamel jewelry, I’ve added more vintage pieces–you can find them here.
A vintage 1934 atlas map of Italy sold for $5.99 (cost: $0). I have many more vintage maps available; you can find out more about ordering them HERE.
Total Vintage Blog Shop sales: $47.95, cost of goods sold: $4.
That’s it for May 2019 vintage and antique sales, which totaled $579 altogether. I hope I’ve been able to give you some insight into what’s happening in the antique world this month. I’d love to hear what’s going on in your neck of the woods 🙂
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always love seeing what you find and sell. Did not think that perfume would sell. interesting!
Glad you enjoyed the post, Patty 🙂 Yes, perfume is an interesting seller. I’ll let you in on a secret–in my new eBook about selling on eBay, I have a lot to say about perfume…
Love how you displayed the red clamp. I’m always on the look out for interesting ways to display my wares.
🙂 Ditto–always looking for new ideas, glad I could pass one on to you!
You’ve found and sold some good stuff, Diana. The thing I fixed on in your photos is the little rabbit on the green shelf which I think must be in your shop. It’s next to the lamb candy mold. If it’s still there would you consider selling it to me? So you ever take things from your shop to sell on-line? I have a small collection of bunnies that I decorate with for Easter/Spring and it would go with them perfectly.
The other thing that you sold that I especially like is the pair of bunny scissors. I love vintage scissors. I have only one pair that were my grandmother’s embroidery scissors.
I always like seeing the interesting items and their buy and sell prices that you post. Thanks for the eye sweets!
So glad you had fun with the post, Naomi! Unfortunately, the little concrete bunny has sold since I took this photo a while back. If I come across another, I’ll keep you in mind 🙂
Oh my gosh! Love those bunny scissors!! You find such great things. Tabu was the first perfume I bought and I still have that same bottle but mine’s almost empty-not from use but from evaporation. My May was excellent at one booth-best non-December month I’ve had while my other booth and shows were just so-so.
Aren’t they the cutest?!! This business is so up and down; it’s CRAZY hard to manage. Wish I had all the answers…
Always love to see what sold and the prices you get! Survived my Ladies Aid 2 day yard sale. Tomorrow I go to help break it down. Yech! Lot of work for $313! For being retired, I still seem very busy; God gets me through a lot of squeaky spots! I try to remember, too, that He likes to be thanked! Finally got my kitchen soffit lined with blue and white plates; looks nice–not too regular but a nice change from baskets.
I find yard sales to be SO much work. I think I held my last one about ten years ago, LOL. I know you agree–it’s much more fun to attend a sale than hold a sale!! Would love to see your soffit lined with blue and white plates, Kathy. Maybe one of your kids could post a photo in the FB group???
Looks like you had a good month! I sure wish I lived in your neck of the woods, you really pull in great prices. $22 for a pickle jar? I didn’t even know they were sought after. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm. xo kathleen
I did have a pretty good month! Well, that pickle jar was pretty special with the barrel ribbing and red lid 🙂 Thanks for hosting a great party!
Thanx for answering back. Yes, I need more tech instructons from my kids to post pix. Our Ladies Aid president gifts little ornaments to her bank cashiers–she wants all the little wreath on burlap strapping ornaments that I made–copied from yours with variations. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery–don’t remember who said it! I told here I am officially too old for another yard sale (67) to her 80!