Mitzi's Miscellany

What's Hot In Antiques? Advertising

So many times antique dealers complain about the mysteries of determining what's hot and what's not in the retail market.  Is "shabby chic" over?  Do people want painted furniture now?  What are men buying?  I'm having difficulty answering these questions myself, but if there's one thing I know I can sell, it's old advertising, such as product tins and signs.  Old signs can be used as home decor but also appeal to serious collectors across a wide range of collecting categories.  The same goes for product tins:  they can be used as decor pieces but the nicer examples are scooped up by collectors. 

This "Super Pyro" sign that I spotted at the Livingston Antique Outlet almost has it all:  cool graphics, great color, and it's a nice size that would make quite a statement in a room.  It's automobile-related, so that's a plus, and the figure of the snowman is very appealing.  The sign isn't metal, though, and would need to be framed to prevent damage.  That's the only drawback:

Roseville Art Pottery Purchase and a Reader's Question

Recently I purchased a grouping of Roseville art pottery for resale in my antique mall booths.  Art pottery in good condition is a pretty reliable seller, so I like to offer customers a few pieces at all times in my showcases.

I had lots of pieces to choose from, and these are the pieces I bought.  Let me tell you why I bought them.....

I chose unusual forms, like the "Clematis" ewer (below left) and the "Snowberry" pillow vase (below right):

Dionne Quintuplets Update

Back in April 2010, I wrote a blog post titled Dionne Quintuplets 101.  Of all my antique-related blog posts, that post has generated the most contacts from people the world over.  Often, folks think I'm an expert on Dionne Quint memorabilia and want me to give them an idea of the value of their Quint-related collectible.  Sometimes I know the value of their item, and sometimes I don't.  Just for the record, Dionne Quintuplet memorabilia isn't a specialty of mine.  I just wanted to write a post about Dionne Quints once, like many other topics I've written about since I began my blog.

I found this book a while back and sold it in my antique mall booth.  Be on the lookout for it if you are interested in the Dionne Quints' story and memorabilia:

Today, I Decapitated A Clown

I've done a lot of things in the name of crafting, and today I had to decapitate a clown!  Let me explain.  I had a clown comprised of fabric yoyos that were extra special.  They were satin yoyos in lovely colors.  I decided I wanted to create little flowers from them, so I dismembered Mr. Clown.  Here are the flowers I created:

Amazing Graphics from Menswear Advertising

 One of my goals this summer was to get out all of my unframed prints and frame them with the large stash of vintage frames I've collected.  I've also purchased vintage glass that fit most of the frames so they have authentic old wavy glass.  Before I framed some of the prints, I took pictures of the prints to share with you.

I bought a series of great looking prints that were early 1900's menswear advertising.  The figures have a distinctive bold black outline that's often associated with the Arts and Crafts style:

Estate Sale Jackpot

Just a couple days ago I was complaining about the lack of good estate sales in my area, then suddenly things made a drastic turnaround!  I just returned from an awesome sale, one that I actually got in line for a number at 7:00 a.m. ( I haven't done that in a long, long time).  What made this particular sale so great?  It was packed to the gills with advertising tins, something that sells well in each of the three antique malls where I sell antiques as well as my Etsy shop.

Besides tins, I bought framed sheet music that had lovely ladies as the topic.  As I unloaded my items, I set up little vignettes to show you my haul.  Here are several talc and face powder tins:

Summer Finds

 Compared to other years, this summer hasn't been all that great for finding antiques.  The estate sales have been mediocre and there haven't been many great auctions.  I hope this situation changes soon, and it certainly might.  But I have found a few treasures here and there, and so has my brother, who gets to some auctions I don't attend.  He picked up the cast iron Southern belle doorstop for me recently, as a matter of fact.  I love old doorstops.....

Shopping Trip to Lake Odessa

Over the Fourth of July weekend my mom was visiting here from Naples, Florida.  We wanted to do a little antique shopping and headed to Lake Odessa, a small town about a forty minute drive from where I live.

First, we headed to the Lake O Variety Store, which is a two-level multi-dealer antique mall.  I had a chance to meet the new owner, who just happens to be a reader of my blog!  It was fun to chat with Linda Rodriguez, who owns the mall along with her husband Rodney.  Although the sign outside says Lake O Variety, they have changed the name to Bonanza Antiques.  They are open from 10 to 6 on Wednesdays and 10 to 5 on Fri. through Sun.  You can visit their Facebook page HERE for more information.

 

A Summertime Auction in the Country

It's been quite some time since I attended an auction, so yesterday I decided to go to an auction near the town of Oxford, Michigan in the scenic Irish Hills area.  The offerings included many advertising tins, signs, apothecary bottles, paper ephemera, and some furniture.  I zeroed in on the product tins and bottles because they are always reliable sellers.

A grouping of colorful trade cards that I purchased:

Buying, Selling, and Pricing

Thursday I went to an auction in Marshall, Michigan, a town about 45 minutes away from where I live.  The auction had several items of interest to me, including an open shelf that would be perfect for displaying items in one of my antique mall booths.  When my brother and I arrived at the auction, there were numerous familiar faces there, all of them antique dealer friends and acquaintances of ours.  I began to worry that several of them would also want the shelf, so I was lucky the bidding ended at $100.

The blue and yellow painted shelf unit on the left is the item I purchased:

My Plan B was to purchase the blue step back cupboard on the right, but the blue and yellow shelf is more useful from a dealer standpoint: