Garage Sale Finds

Ok, school is out the kids are home and summer is fully underway. This is a key time for any collector to get out there and snag some of those garage sale finds. It is amazing how many people will put a collectible antique out on a table for just a few dollars without ever knowing its true value. If your just getting started here is where you should be focusing your attention. You will find the best bargins early in the morning when the garage sale first opens so make sure to get a good nights sleep. If its at all possible try and hit up some of the advertised porch sales and estate sales in your area the day before when people are first setting them up.

I bought about $5000 dollars worth of pink and green depression glass from a lady that was just setting up for less than a thousand dollars. Needless to say I bought everything she had, she was so thrilled not to have to go to the trouble of actually having to set everything up that when I offered to buy the whole lot a day early she jumped at the chance. These types of situations don't happen often but when they do take advantage of them. Always remember when you our buying that just because you don't like an item doesnt mean its not highly collectible and valued by others. There have been many times where I hesitated and went against my gut feeling and not bought something only to get home and find out I missed out on a huge deal. So keep an open mind and you might just end up with the antiques and collectibles garage sale find of the century.

Collecting Antique Postcards

Since the summer is in full swing I though I would cover a topic on antique post cards. Collecting antique postcards is a very popular pasttime for many in the antique world. There are several reasons collecting antique postcards for beginning antique collectors. First antique postcards are realatively cheap compared to many other items that are gobbled up by antique dealers. Second reason collecting postcards for beginners is a good way to start is that they are relatively easy to find. And lastly collecting antique postcards on vacation adds a new and exciting twist to the normal tourist shopping you might normally Do.
When collecting antique or new postcards you want to make sure to keep them well protected. Don't bend the postcard or damage the corners. Provide your antique postcards the proper storage that will protect the corners. You should also keep them in holders designed for antique paper products to prevent damage from sunlight and the acids in some papers. Many hobby shops, coin shops and antique dealers will have a supply of these on hand or can tell you where to get them.
Learn the different types of postcards and thier dates. The most valuable postcards are often are the black and white photocards. These will usually have white lettering at the bottom of the face of the card describing the photo on the antique postcard. Many of these old black and white photo cards are highly sought after by authors looking to document a specific topic. Antique postcards that depict ships, boats, trains, early cars, horse track , and old travel destinations tend to bring the highest money at auction in my experience. I once sold a set of old post cards of Saginaw Michigan to a guy writing a book about the early ships of the area. All of the antique postcards I had depicted different steam ships and he used them in his book as illustrations. I even bought the book so I could see my old antique postcards put to use. It was a rewarding experienc to see them used that way.
Collecting antique or new postcard photographs for that matter can be great fun for the whole family. You can use them to document your family vactions and break them out years later to relive those beautiful times. It is also a great way to get involved is stamp collecting Good luck and happy hunting.

Collecting Antique Carnival Glass For Beginners

Antique Carnival Glass is another form of glassware from the depression era. The first and probably most well known maker of carnival glass is Fenton. They began producing carnival glass in the early 1900's. Northwood is also a well know producer of some of the finest antique carnival glass and they began production shortly after Fenton. Northwood carnival glass is usually marked on the bottom with a capital "N" surrounded by a circle. Dugan is one of the hardest types of carnival glass to find. Dugan is also know as Diamond as they were bought out in their later year. Imperial, Indiana and several other glass companies all manufactured a nice looking set of carnival glass.

If you decide carnival glass is an antique you would like to collect you had better do your research as there are many reproduction pieces on the market. Spend some time running through Antique Carnival Glass price guides and reproduction guides to make sure you know the difference between the various types of carnival glass in existence. A Saturday or Sunday stroll through your local antique mall, auction house or flea market is another very good way to learn not only the prices of Antique carnival glass, but you'll soon be able to tell all the makers of carnival glass apart just by looking at them. As with any antique glassware you never want to purchase something that is cracked, chipped or heavily worn unless it is an extremely rare piece.

Before ever getting into the Antique glassware or pottery market you had better know what your looking at and for if you don't want to end up loosing your shirt. Trust me I've been had many times in my earlier years of antique glassware collecting

Things I Have Collected Over The Years

Welcome to my site "Things I Have Collected Over The Years". Its amazing how many things we end up calling collectibles during our lifetime. I'm creating this site to share some of the may things I have collected with all of you. I'm not exactly sure where I'll end up going with this blog as its my first attempt at such a thing. I believe I'll start out describing in general all the different things I have collected and share information about each of them. You can expect to see some normal antiques, pottery, vintage toys, old sports equipment and many other pieces of odd collectible junk I have accumulated. I'm not like some people that collect one thing like Owl figures, I have a huge collection of tons of odd items.

Just to let you know a few of the things I have collected I'll make a real brief list

1. old lighters with various advertising

2. tobacco tins

3. Tiffany Lamp

4. Muncie Pottery

5. Roseville Pottery

6. Old golf equipment and other assorted vintage sporting goods

7. Die cast toys - Nascar , matchbox and hot wheels

8. Joe Camel items

9. Old Post Cards and books

10. About anything else I can stuff into the trunk of my car and get home

I hope you find my site both amusing and educational at the same time, so I'll try to post quality information about all the different things I collect. I'd love to hear from you, though comments, about some of the unusual things other people collect.

Louis Marx Tin Toys For Sale