Vintage Curtains For Ebay

I recently picked up two really cool curtain sets.

The first set was actually in it's original speigel wrapper when I purchased them -- all three panel sets in original separate packages.  New Vintage Stock.  Another interesting factoid:  they are made of fiberglass.  What?

 So I will be selling the SIX perfect curtain panels on ebay. Only sold for $20.

And if that wasn't fab enough, I picked up these vintage western cowboy curtains. Four valances, and
eight curtain panels. All in VG condition.  Wouldn't these be fun curtains in a little boys room?

They'll be joining the others on ebay.

Purchased for $6, sold for $103.

How I Figure Out Where To Sell My Vintage Items

I have sold antiques/junk for longer than I haven't.  I have different places to market the items, but have to figure out what is best for each individual item.  Sometimes I try to sell in one of these categories and then move to another.


Vintage Mall Indoor Booth.
Good for:  $20 and under items.  Lamps.  Blue mason jars.  Frames.  Tables. Small pieces of furniture. "Common" items.  Local items ( specific to the region I live in) -- they usually bring more locally.
Not good for:  things that could be easily stolen in a handbag (jewelry, etc).  Super fragile items.
Expensive items.

Vintage Outdoor Booth (exposed to all weather / easy theft).
Good for: Gardening items.  Large metal items (bikes, wheelbarrows, wagons).  Flowers in planters.
Not good for: anything wood. anything lightweight.  anything fragile.  anything expensive.

Ebay.  I know many people do etsy, etc but ebay has always been my go-to.
Good for: researching items.  Some items go for so much more on the coasts than the midwest, so it is financially smarter to list and ship on ebay.  Customer specific items, such as railroad, car collectibles. 
Not good for:  We only sell large / heavy / or fragile things on ebay if we think it is worth the extra time / risk.  It takes alot of time to list/answer questions/ship so make sure the item is worth the time.


Craigslist.
Good for: awkward or heavy items. I use it for furniture mostly. You can put things on Craigslist that you have in your antique mall booth, for more exposure (plus you don't have to have strangers come to your home).
Not good for: convenience.  Plus I never feel like I am getting the top dollar for my item.


Antique Show.  I am setting aside prime items all year for this.  People come to this ready to buy.
Good for: selling top quality items and local items.
Not good for: super heavy stuff (it is just my husband and I setting up for the show).

Saturdays Vintage Finds 4.22.2017

My husband and I got up early Saturday morning to hit the junking road.  We did flea market & garage sale sandwich -- with a citywide garage sale being the middle of the sandwich. I bought the most from this guy, including the interesting leather chair in the third picture.

I got a couple of sleds and this great Country Club Beer clock at the Flea.  The rest came from the twenty or so citywide garage sales that we attended. I'll need to do a little more research on the clock to figure out the best way to sell it. Country Club Clock purchased for $25, sold for $90 on Craigslist.

My favorite purchase -- the decorative rooftop tin with star and clover motif.  I had just seen something similar (still on a roof) earlier in the morning and thought how cool it looked. It will get attached to the top of my garden shed. Old bike bought for $10, sold for $35 in outdoor booth.  

Bought two sleds for $10 each, and sold each for $36 each.

Vintage License Plate Love

This has been my general rule of thumb over the years for vintage license plates:  Don't pay more than $1 each, and sell them for a quick  $5. 


Or use them to decorate a multitude of items.

Last fall I bought a stack of them that were sitting on my dining room table when a guy came to install my granite countertop.  He looked through them and told me that some of the California ones might be worth some money because in that state you can reuse vintage plates if the number/letters aren't being currently used.

I dug through my plates and found I had a matching pair of 1960s California plates, in pretty good condition.  I did more research.  I called the California DMV to see if the plates were clear.  YES!  I put them on ebay and made a quick $200. 

I don't know about all states, but I visited a vintage car show in Nebraska last weekend and asked about vintage plates.  The guy said that in Nebraska you have to take the actual plate (you just need one in Nebraska) in to the Department of Motor Vehicles.  They check out the condition of the plate and see if it is free and clear.  Worth checking.


So now the new general rule of thumb is:  Don't pay more than $1 each, sell the ones after 1970 for $5 each.  Research others, probably put them on ebay.  

First Plants For Resale 2017

I took in my first grouping of plants for resale.

They actually looked pretty good together in groupings.

I bought this cute homemade planter a couple of weeks

ago for $3.  I knew it just needed a bit of paint

and an actual plant.

I love how it turned out.

It seemed so happy to be holding a

cute flowerpot.

The rest that I took in to sell were terra cotta.

Most with added white paint, or already whitish.

All with cute undertrays.

All with some type of junk "decor" in them.

All mostly succulents and one flower.

All with a liner so the terra cotta doesn't
suck the life out of them.
If you are interested in my succulent planting tutorial,
click here.

Victorian Wax Doll

I had actually heard of antique wax dolls before.  Last weekend I had a chance to purchase one.  Which gave me the opportunity to learn quite a bit more about them.

They fall into three different types -- this one is the most common type,  the head being wax over composition.

Why use wax at all?  This kind of doll was less breakable than porcelain.  The wax gave a life-like translucent quality,  And the wax could be subtly tinted to further replicate skin.

The "heyday" of these dolls was the 1800s, mine probably dates from about 1880.
Most were manufactured in England.  Many do not have any maker marks, that is the case with this one.  This doll is 24" tall, which is taller than most wax head dolls.

Not surprisingly, these dolls did not adjust well to extremes in temperature.  So if they lived in Grandma's attic, they would have looked worse than this.  If you look them up on ebay, you'll notice many that time has not been kind to.

She will be listed on ebay soon.  I hope she finds someone who will cherish her, cracks and all.
Purchased for $5, sold for $158 on ebay.

Garden Signs Get Second Bloom

 
Last weekend I picked up the first two of these signs at a garage sale.  The original "artist" was a little too heavy handed with her paint, and BRIGHT with her colors.  I thought with a few thoughtful alterations, I could make these a bit more subtle.

 The largest sign had a word sticker in the center which I removed before giving it all a liberal sanding. My husband was kind enough to paint the "Bloom" center for me.

The medium sign was unfinished, with just the flower border.  The board was very textured (so even if I sanded, much of the bright flower paint would be left in the valleys).  So I opted to "dry brush" a little white over the whole thing.  I stuck on letters that I had purchased from Dollar Tree, and did a little spraying painting.  Remove stickers, WALAH!

I recycled the "my garden" letters one time for a small door panel that I had on hand.  More spray paint...

Three garden signs, bought and altered in one gorgeous spring weekend.

Flea Market Vintage Finds

I probably picked up two vanloads of vintage junk over the weekend.

Most came from the Feather & Fur Flea Market,

click here to read more about that. 

Below is just a sampling of my vintage finds.

Garden Windmill (bought for $35, sold for $85)

 and the silver water pump behind it.

 AND a red water pump.  Almost had to keep him.

Two Jesus statues.

Large one I bought for $2, sold for $32.

Small Jesus I bought for $2, sold for $15.

 Two of these gorgeous antique wire planter holders.

Ball Game sign, already sold!

Bought for $5, sold for $25.

Maybe my favorite of the entire weekend,

this homemade drawer piece.

Bought for $10, sold for $28.

Feather & Fur Flea 4.8.2017

We had a big junking weekend.  A nearby strip of highway had their sales and the bi-annual Feather & Furry Flea Market was Friday - Sunday. 

 We have had two straight weeks of rain and gloom,

so people were ready to get outside.

By the time we left, the parking lot was packed.

(I don't know why Tim doesn't look happier,

I bought a ton of stuff from him.)

 My husband negotiating with his favorite seller. 

Strip of grain bin scoops, were purchased for $15,

sold for $90.

 The super rusty sign said,

"Pony Express Reptile Gardens".

I didn't know we ever had such a thing in our area.

This is Gabriel with his dad.

Gabriel raised these peacocks,

and other kinds of birds.

 I bought the Sunbonnet Sue quilt this lady was holding...

(bought for $15, sold on ebay for $50.)

and the blue one underneath it.

It is such a blast to see the variety of animals

and birds for sale. Buying junk is icing on the cake.

 These cuties were saving their energy for the

pony rides.

 I don't know if you can tell,

but I caught this handsome fellow mid-crow.

 Probably because of Easter being in a few days,

bunnies outnumbered all other creatures.

 Here is one of my favorite auctioneers,

out looking for a bargain.

I did alot of purchasing, but I tried to be very calculating with every dollar I spent.

You'll have to check back later to see some of my loot.