Be careful of ripoffs. My husband always says if a salesman says he "is honest" more then three times in five minutes - run in the other direction, quickly. I do estate saleswww.notyormothersestatesale.com, its what I do and I try to do the best job possible for my clients. I am also quick to admit I dont know everything and every now and then you come across a piece that is just different, no markings but you can see the quality. That is exactly what happened at a recent sale. The owner brought out two pieces of heavy crystal one a dog the other a donkey. Just holding these items you new they were special.

So I went home an did all of my homework on them or so I thought. I suspected these were Heisey Glass pieces and if they were they would be worth hundreds of dollars each. So I trotted off to a "known" collector. Oh he hemmed and hawed at the pieces and said he would get back to me after he researched them..I never said what I thought about them..that night the Antique dealer/collector/honest guy called me twice to call him back. It was Saturday night so he would have to stew for a bit. I called on Sunday and he told me he had an offer for me..$60.00 for the two pieces, when I did not react immediately, partially because I was so stunned, he jumped right in and said "I'll go $80.00". I thanks him for his offer and told him I would think about it. I already had a contact in my hand from Replacements.com for more then $500.00 for the two pieces. The moral...Do your homework and run if someone tells you how honest they are more then three times in five minutes;.

Depression-ware It can leave you glowing

We live unfortunately during a time when people will regularly try to pass off reproductions as the real thing.  green Depression glass and Vaseline glass are some of those items. Depression glass was made during the 1930's .

  

 Testing for Reproduction Glass

Both green Depression Glass and Vaseline glass will glow under a black light due the uranium oxide content in the glass. American colorless pressed glass made before 1930 is said to fluoresce yellow, while reproductions generally do not. Some people report that American brilliant cut glass also casts a yellow hue under ultraviolet light, others say it glows pale violet or blue. Given the discrepancies, make sure to follow up with further research to ensure cut glass authenticity.

Trivia/Fun Facts

• It was common for glass companies to give away Depression glass at movie theaters, in grocery stores with the purchase of a bag of sugar or flour, in department stores with a purchase of furniture and at five and dimes. Movie houses often gave it away to bring in customers on slow nights, and gas stations and restaurants offered it as a reward to regular patrons.

  The Quaker Oats cereal company literally saved one glass company from going bankrupt by ordering several boxcar loads of Depression glass during a particularly lean time during the Depression years.

  

  Aside from the beautiful colors and designs that were supposed to represent a sense of hope in desperate times, even the pattern names of Depression glass were supposed to refer to better days and reflected the nostalgia for the glamorous lifestyle of the 1920s. Surprisingly, though, rarely was Depression glass marked with the manufacturer's name or mark.

  According to the article "Depression Glass--Antique Glass That's Living History" by Shane Dayton, the colors of Depression glass most popular with collectors today include green, blue and pink. The most popular patterns include Cameo, Mayfair, Princess, Royal Lace (all available in green) and American Sweetheart.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  courtesy of ehow.com

What to consider when hiring a company for an Estate Sale:

      Your community

Many neighborhoods have Deed Restrictions and don’t allow for garage sales, yard sales, and estate sales.  It is wise to have a complete understanding of what is allowed in the neighborhood before you have your sale.  If restrictions exist, Private Sales may be your only option.  

      Advertising

      The idiom ‘to cast a wide net’ is appropriate in this business, as the wider the net, the greater the catch!  

On-line Advertising. 

      Online advertising is simply one of the best methods for reaching your audience... there are many multi media sites where the sales can be listed and advertised as well as the use of subscribed email lists.

Websites that offer online multiple pictures and descriptions tend to bring in more enthusiastic and well informed buyers, this can in some cases lead to a bidding war on a item in the lot or estate sale.

      Today’s shoppers are very savvy and use their time and money wisely by shopping estate sales on-line whenever possible..  If given a choice of two estate sales – do they go with the one who advertises by way of descriptions only or with a company that offers an on-line visual presentation of the sale (which can portray far more than simply words)?

 What payment methods do the companies accept?

Most companies accept cash, debit & credit.  Some accept checks.  
A restriction on forms of payment (such as cash only) is a restriction on purchases, especially larger ticket items.

        

More great art finds at Estate Sales

I had a friend who purchased a Charlie Harper for $5.00 at a recent sale...

More recently in the news  on April 2 another man purchased a original Andy Warhol valued in the millions. They are everywhere you just have to look.

Then there was this today in the news..

VANCOUVER - A painting bought at a garage sale and believed to be the work of an artist connected to Canada's revered Group of Seven painters is creating a buzz before it's auctioned off in Vancouver next month.

The oil painting on plywood is thought to be by icon Tom Thomson at the height of his career in 1915.

It features a landscape in pale blues, purples and peachy colours, possibly sketched while he sat in his canoe in Ontario's Algonquin Park.

Maynard's Auctions spokeswoman Kate Bellringer says it was one of two paintings that an older gentleman brought to her in a shopping bag in January after buying them at a garage sale for $100.

Bellringer says about 10 experts have been consulted on the painting's authenticity, and four people who've actually seen it say it's the real thing.

The painting will be auctioned off on May 16 and has been estimated at between $150,000 to $250,000.

National Gallery of Canada curator Charlie Hill says he's been in talks with Maynard's about the painting for about three weeks, and while it has some Thomson attributes, he's skeptical.

The Ugly Elk - is worth a pretty Pennny

Finding value in discarded items at a estate sale

It was pushed behind a door hanging forgotten. I felt bad for this painting, dusty and dulled from time. I bought it deciding on it as a last minute thought with a few extra dollars in my pocket. I took it home and cleaned up the frame although not cleaning the painting (Very luckily for me hint: leave painting cleaning to the pros) I lovingly called it the Ugly Elk and hung it proudly in my dinning room. Oh and I know its not an elk.

A cold winters night and the internet proved to me that it was not such a "Ugly Elk" anymore.   The painting was done by a Edith Harper, one of the foremost woman artist in the early 20th century. So now my "Ugly Elk", hangs still in the dinning room while I decide what to do with it. The upside I got alot more out of the painting then what I paid for it. The downside..I had have to have it insured.

Welcome to our new space where we share hints and trips for finding real collectibles at estate and garage sales. Be sure to check our website for upcoming internet sales. www.notyourmothersestatesale.com