Things that used to popular in antique collecting but aren't anymore

Used dildos.

Wacky Packages

Dining room tables - dining sets - Now that houses increasingly feature an open floor plan old fashioned dining room sets don't sell. Unless they are particularly special or sentimental most younger people will go slap down there credit card (not even that anymore!) and buy a set at Living Spaces

A friend of mine used to buy and sell vintage cookie jars - she said that has dropped off dramatically. Also sets of old dishes sit unpurchased.

You fuckers demand everything in PRISTINE condition.

You can't keep your asshole in shape after 20 years of use, but you want your Pinder Bourne craze-free.

Fuck that noise. Old shit is supposed to have cracks and some even have chips. Yes, you simply turn the chip to the fuckin wall and get on with your day. Assholes.

Colonial Revival anything. It was a standard for antiques for decades.

Carnival Glass, Sandwich Glass, etc. When I was growing up, people would have bay windows with glass shelves full of the stuff.

California Pottery

Raggedy Ann and Andy. There was a time in the 1980s when anything Raggedy Ann, pre-1960, was like gold. Now you can't give it away. (This is her 100th birthday by the way.)

Cabbage Patch Dolls

R6,

A) Cabbage Patch Dolls are not antiques. They are barely vintage. B) Aside from the hoarding during the initial year of the Coleco dolls, the dolls have never been that popular. The porcelain dolls bombed with collectors and put the porcelain maker out of business.

Beanie Babies.. lol. Country antiques, popular in the 80s and 90s have dropped off in popularity. I still like those pieces, so now I can get a nice piece for much less than back then.

I was told vintage bone China is no longer selling.

Oriental rugs. Especially in red, rust or pastels.

Bone china.

China, crystal, silverware, heavy wood furniture - basically everything I inherited from my family. And got no money either - so all in all, my inheritance was a net negative. Screw the rich - 50% inheritance tax.

Hummel figurines.

I've seen furniture circa pre-1840 go for so little. Chinese antiques can be difficult to sell unless it is higher end. In fact, anything Asian really doesn't sell anymore. Silver plate anything sells sometimes to Russians, ditto crystal. Mid Century Modern is slowing down.

Not antiques, but Beanies Babies! At my former job, I remember the fraus going nuts trying to buy them on eBay for their kids. Like clockwork, the female manager of another department came in everyday during her break to yap with my secretary about her latest Beanie Baby purchase or complain about losing an eBay auction.

This woman paid $300 for the Princess Diana Beanie Baby Bear! Wonder if it's worth anything now.

pottery, glass, costume jewelry. Everything has taken a dive. young people aren't interested in this stuff and just throw it away.

the expert with several degrees in antiques said always collect three things. Furniture, jewelry and art

R14 I just saw an episode of Pawn Stars where they had a toy expert come in to give an appraisal on a Princess Diana beanie baby. It was a first edition beanie baby, however, the expert said it was still only worth $2-$3.

Chairs! Chairs would be nice!

R15, that is not true. Young people are interested in East German pottery, Roger Capron cermaics, etc. They are interested in costume jewelry, but it is either the clunky 60s plastic or 70s boutique. In general, young people are interested in 1960s and 70s, not the 1860s and 70s.

Each generation have different tastes. The younger people set the trends. What I thought was good, and would have no problem in selling, can't be given away.

[quote]The younger people set the trends.

Yeah, riiiiight. Much in the same way hipsters have mined the past for EVERY FREAKING THING they're into....furniture, music, clothing, food, yo name it. Nothing trendsetting going on there. Please stop.

Hipsters haven't got one damn original idea in their empty heads.

I remember antique shows, which there was one almost every weekend somewhere, about 20 to 30 years ago. There are still shows, but a lot fewer now. I guess antiques have become passe, unless you have something really special, which can bring in big money. I just buy what I like and want to live with, and don't give a damn about trends.

[quote] I just buy what I like and want to live with, and don't give a damn about trends.

And if it's older and more solidly built you're ahead of the game.

These things go in cycles, so use the opportunity to buy things of quality your couldn't afford 20 years ago. I just bought an early 19th century cut glass decanter for $6 at a thrift store, in great condition. It isn't worth anything but I don't really care. They don't make them anymore and they are beautiful and handmade.

My aunt and uncle were antique dealers for years here in NY. I remember them saying at one point depression glass was a big seller and could command big prices. Same for decorative but working retro items like old fashioned phonographs, typewriters, fans, and phones - especially Bakelite ones. But as has been said above, tastes change, so there you are.

I find that only social climbers care about a lot a 'collectible' items. Buy what makes you happy. Don't follow trends.

Years ago, I inherited some nice Mid-Century furniture and other items from two relatives. I just accepted the sideboards, dressers and some lamps and glassware, I gave everything else away. I have a pet peeve about using other peoples sofas and basically anything which can absorb odors.

[quote]A friend of mine used to buy and sell vintage cookie jars - she said that has dropped off dramatically.

And lunch pails R3. My sister started collecting them in the 1980s and about five years ago decided to clear out her collection. Items she paid hundreds for, she was getting offers of less than $100 and in some cases $50.

I had a vintage railroad grade pocket watch, a very rare piece, less than 50 were made. I paid $600 ten years ago. Five years ago when I thought about selling it I was getting offers as high as $1500. I sold it this year for $225, the best offer I got after having it listed for three months.

I know an older couple who collected green glass and over the years spent over $50k on their collection. They tried selling it while downsizing and the best offer they got for the entire collection was $4000.

Another issue of value of good pieces, is the internet. Years ago, I collected yellow ware. I have many pieces, some I paid good money. At the time, I bought through dealers, and did some research through books, of what piece was hard to find. It would bring a high price. Now, with ebay and online auctions, I see those "hard to find" pieces are more common, bringing down the value.

Agreed about the internet R27. My cousin flew to Italy to a Swatch store to buy a new chronograph that Swatch had released. He paid hundreds for the watch not to mention the trip. Today that same Swatch watch is sold on ebay for less than $80.

It's fun and exciting to find something you've loved and collected over the years, for much less money. The thing with antiques, they're really not good for investment, unless you have a rare, one of a kind, special piece. The hunt is still fun, though. I'm at an age where I have more stuff than I need, so I don't buy too much anymore. I can go to an antique shop, or flea market, and just appreciate, then move on.

I worked in a mall gift store back when beanie babies were at their peak.

We employees were allowed to buy one Princess Diana beanie each, for about $4 after discount, before shoppers could get their paws on them. There was another fancy one or two, also, same thing. I'd rush right across the street and sell it to the comic book guy for $90. I had heard that someone paid $300 for one, but I never knew of anyone first-hand, so I was happy to walk away with $85 for nothing. Good luck, comic book man.

I was a teen, but I couldn't believe how dumb or, let's say naively optimistic people were about the potential value of that shit. They were, for the most part, older people. Little kids liked them, but they just liked them because they were popular, not because they were part of a nest egg. The adults would be so nasty to each other and to us, whispering to each other about safe deposit boxes for their beanies. It was such an absurd time.

I have a booth in an antique mall and Im here to tell you that the ONLY thing selling is mcm crap. The funkier the better. I gave up on stocking my booth with lovely crystal,china or anything over 60 years old,it just doesnt sell. Oh,you get the occasional old lady who recognizes an 18th century vase or a 19th century doo dad,but even she wants to pay $5 for it when she knows its worth so much more. And my store is in a very trendy neighborhood no less.

Yeah MCM furniture and housewares are still big in my hipster-heavy city.

I’ll take all the high end china as well as the very high end art glass (Tiffany favrile, Steuben, Loetz). And I’ll take anything Art Nouveau or Art Deco.

Fire King - and other depression-era glass. My mom collected literally tens-of-thousands of pieces and we all thought, “Well, at least this stuff will be worth a fortune when she passes away.”

It isn’t. We can’t give the shit away.

Vanities don’t sell. One enterprising friend wiuld cut out the center section on them and create matching vintage end tables.

Eskimo carved pieces used to fetch high prices; now you can’t give them away.

Even Art Deco’s value is declining. What young buyers want now is Midcentury Modern.

Some movie memorabilia gets high prices, like abything from James Bond movies. Or vintage Hitchcock.

Old lp’s don’t get nearly what they used to.

Ebay has destroyed the collectibles market. Nothing has any value anymore when you can go onto ebay and get 50 of them.

There was a September 29 2017 NY Times piece about stamp collecting as a dying hobby. Suspect the same is true of coin collecting, except for truly rare items.

I've collected nice stuff over the years....Italian Empire furniture... early 1900 farm house Italian & French... a beautiful 4 poster bed from the 1700s...paintings, prints..frames, mirrors, sculptures ...not a lot of stuff, but all of it's good and carefully chosen. If you have an eye and taste and patience and concentrate on useful things you can do well.

I don't even have a lot of money although it looks like I do. It's amazing the things you can find if you hold out.

I've started to collect one thing though: terracotta and plaster busts.

Antique rare Chinese pottery of questionable provenance.

I had 2 older friends who were antique collectors. They had a collection of silver trays, several sets of silver services and a collection of silver tureens and assorted sewing dishes which they used in their formal dinner parties. After they passed away we had appraisers from auction houses in NYC come in and select items to be auctioned. Most of the silver trays were not taken and only the silverware with known antique marks were selected. The auctioneers said there was not much value to the silver trays because no one entertains like that anymore.

I have one of those big purple glass ashtrays from the 50s, presumably a knock-off of a design piece, sort of a three leaf clover shape. I once caught someone trying to steal it at a dinner party.

What about vintage British Royals memorabilia? I have a brass cigarette case, really flimsy, with a photo of princess Elizabeth and prince Phillip, from around the time of their wedding, on the top cover.

Tired: Antique collecting. Wired: Buying an affordable print or painting by a living artist and forever referring to yourself as a philanthropist.

Jukeboxes from the 40's and 50's used to bring stupid money, especially the vintage Wurlitzers, but the bottom has fallen out of that market--who wants a temperamental mechanical device that only holds 24 78rpm records when you can have 1000 songs on you iPad?

Details please, r41! Did you catch the person gently placing the ashtray in a handbag? Did you discover it in their coat pocket at the end of the night? Was there a confrontation? What was the fallout?

What about pinball machines R43?

I know cars are still a huge market but I don't know enough about cars to say what is hot and what isn't.

He was a close friend's date, they were fixed up by my best female friend. He brought some lovely Italian pastries, in a Simon's gift bag that he wanted back, but only four of them for a dinner of 10. There were other desserts. He was good looking, a Steve Thomas type (from This Old House) except his hair was thick and whitish. He drank a lot, smoked a lot of weed, was charming enough even when he was slurring.

Then my female friend who had fixed him up with our mutual friend noticed him putting it in his Simon's bag as the rest of us were saying our good nights to another couple. The rest of us were completely unaware, except for his date. He slipped out alone while the rest of us were sipping cognac. Then I was told the whole story. We'd wondered why she was so pissed off with him. My friend who had been his date drank a lot more, ended up getting getting irrationally angry with me for about an hour but ultimately stayed on the sofa for the night.

In the morning, my then partner and I, plus my best female friend and her cool straight guy date who got the guest room, and my friend who had been the thief's date, and "some other big big blue collar Italian guy with no social skills, who drank like a fish" ended up on sofas.

My then partner cooked us all a lovely brunch from the leftovers..

And about 2 years later that big blue collar Italian guy with no social skills became my new partner. I've never been happier.

[quote]What about pinball machines [R43]?

There's still interest in the electro-mechanicals from the 60's and early 70's, but the market for earlier woodrail machines is way down, and the pre-war, pre-flipper, games are almost impossible to sell (pity, they have some of the most amazing artwork . . .) Most machines are $500 to $1000 depending on condition. Add up to another $1000 for the really rare titles.

Since pinball is dead as far as finding a machine in bars, almost all the new machines are made for home use. People are paying thousands of dollars for brand new machines to go into their basements. I don't understand it, it seems like a crazy amount of money to me.

Now there is still interest in jukeboxes, pinballs and mechanical slots in Europe, especially Germany and Holland. Most of the big US dealers cater to that market these days. I know a couple who keep a 40 ft. shipping container at their warehouses, and as soon as they're full it's off to Europe with them.

R47, I loved playing the old pinball machines, so much fun. I would like to find some to play somewhere, I miss them.

I haven't seen expensive old farm implements in the past few years.

[QUOTE]I had a vintage railroad grade pocket watch, a very rare piece, less than 50 were made. I paid $600 ten years ago. Five years ago when I thought about selling it I was getting offers as high as $1500. I sold it this year for $225, the best offer I got after having it listed for three months.

For some reason I recently wound up in the antique watch category over on eBay, and I kept seeing all these beautiful high end movements out of pocket watches selling for next to nothing. Top of the line Walthams, Hamiltons, and Elgins with stunning amounts of engraving and decoration in beautiful condition, but just movements, no cases, and most didn't have a single bid.

It took me a minute to figure it out, but naturally the high end movements would have gone into high end cases, probably gold, and what I was looking at were the leftover movements after they had taken the cases to melt down for the scrap gold value. If you remember how people fought over them at the peak, you can't help but be depressed.

Wait, did you get it back or not?

The first thing I thought of when I read this thread title is Roseville! I know of collectors who spent tens of thousands on their collections over the years; now that they want to downsize, they are barely getting <10% back on their original investments. Same with pattern glass.

A few things that still do well: antique toys, antique holiday especially Christmas & Halloween, some vintage clothing/jewelry/linens. Native American artifacts continue do exceptionally well, as do a lot of military especially WWI/WWII.

True primitives do unbelievably well. I'm from an area with a lot of rural farm auctions, it is such an experience to attend these and learn from the very few people that actually know what these farm artifacts are. Sometimes, the auctioneer who was raised on a farm and has been auctioneering for 50+ years has no clue even what some of the stuff is; there are the die-hard experts that do know and sometimes they will be nice and tell what it is, the age, what it was used for, etc. These items go for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars, it's just insane. And some of the things, even the experts don't know what they are but they buy them to research later. It really hits home, how much can be lost to us in just a few generations.

My parents were antique dealers specializing in American primitive. They did it as a side gig for pleasure but made money at it because they had good instincts and knew where to look. They say that you shouldn’t bother collecting anything unless you love it for what it is and not what it will earn. Tastes are too fickle.

r46, did you get the purple bowl back?

[quote] You can't keep your asshole in shape after 20 years of use, but you want your Pinder Bourne craze-free.

I ♥ you, R4.

Kewpie dolls

My mom collected too many things to list that just sat there during her estate sale in San Francisco's Sunset District. But she always said she collected for fun and not for monetary value. What DID sell? Food, booze and jewelry.

Tastes can be regional. We were on vacation and went antiquing. There was a wonderful MCM low side board type of piece. Price: 50% off of $25. People were just walking right by it. It was too big for our vehicle. In our area, it would go for a nice bit of cash.

Even here, however, I find interest in MCM just beginning to wane. This is understandable, as each decade has its own trends and style. It is nearing the end of this decade.

Furniture shops in Sydney Australia are flooded with replica MCM, particularly Nordic. 1970s G-Plan is still pretty affordable at auction, about 500 Australian dollars will get you a pristine G-plan sideboard.

I love Hummel figurines even though I know they scream GRANDMA to most people.

But yeah, eBay and other auction sites killed the collectibles market.

China? It used to be a good investmenr. I bought Lenox Eternal 30 years ago, and I think a service for 8 now costs less than I paid then.

China now makes virtually all of the iPhones in the world at Foxconn, wake up r60!

Crystal still holds up I find - Steuben, Baccarat, Lalique, Moser, Saint Louis, etc. The values are very solid and never seem to waver. The fine china market is over and the antique bone china is worse than the newer peices. Antique Meissen just plummeted; a gilded plate that used to bring $1500 now sells on Ebay for $95 if you can find a buyer. Those large Lladro figurines that used to cost upwards of $1000 are now hard to sell for over $100/150 or so - the few buyers that still exist are dying off. Obviously no wants curio cabinets, armoires or breakfront cabinets anymore. All are totally out of fashion and hard to give away.

On the subject of watches, in my opinion there are very few that hold a value something close to what you paid for them. As you'd suspect, these are pieces from watchmakers like Patek, Rolex, Omega, Vacherin, Audermars, and that ilk. Really vintage pieces of these watches can get quite high depending upon a number of factors. Also, if you get one with the right celebrity provenance, that might really really increase the value. For instance, Paul Newman's Rolex Dayton sold at auction last year for a staggering $17.8 MILLION. That's the highest valued watch ever sold at auction. $17.8 million!

As someone said above, buy something you enjoy wearing, and screw the resale value.

Would love to hear from those of you who's watches are worth more than you paid for them as it might change my opinion.

Are you kidding @R62? Top antique dealers are charging high prices for Meissen pieces Piece below is 34k

Love this thread!

R64, charging a price and getting someone to buy it are 2 very different things.

R52, I also immediately thought of Roseville!

Beginning June 25, (at least here on PBS in New York), Antiques Roadshow will begin airing 7 weekly episodes of programs from 15 years ago but updatedbwith new estimates. It makes for fascinating and poignant viewing since so many items have fallen in value. However some estimates (such as vintage Chinese-made items have skyrocketed!

Christmas 1984 Times article about counterfeit Cabbage Patch Kids. How refreshing that the article has no comments section.

R64 - there are exceptions to every rule when it pertains to high quality items, but generally speaking - Meissen is selling for anywhere from 1/5 to 1/10 what it was going for in 1990's or early 2000's.

I collect vintage movie posters (1920-1945). I have 25 posters and have spent 50k acquiring them. I guess I’m slightly worried that the prices will plummet, even though I’d say half of the posters I own have less than 5 other copies in existence. Will anyone care about Bette Davis or Bogart or even King Kong in 30 yrs? Who knows. I can tape them all together and use them as a blanket in my cardboard box I’ll be living in someday. All I can say is I love looking at them hanging on my wall. They excite me everyday. It’s something.

One thing that I have always been fascinated by and want to learn more about are old daguerreotype, ambrotypes, tintypes... from the mid-19th century to early 20th. Especially the very early ones, the men's style of dress and the HAIRSTYLES lol! Some command very high prices, this one fetched over 17k...

Question for all you antique experts out there, one of which I am not. My grandmother passed away in March and I inherited some antiques from her. Most of them arent worth much from my research, except for a pair of 19th century ormolu gilt bronze candelabras with rouge griotte marble urns and base, signed by a well known Parisian foundry. I know they're not really in fashion but they seem to have a decent value of at least a few thousand, even if its less than they were once worth. They seem too heavy and unwieldly to sell on eBay and I don't really want to wait many months for an auction house like Sothebys to try, potentially unsuccessfully, to sell them. I'd just like to get the best price I can right now. Any suggestions on what to do? Im in the nyc metropolitan area, thanks for any ideas.

R68, when I first started on Ebay many years ago one of the first things that intrigued me was old movie memorabilia. I didn't have any particular goal, I just bought what I liked and could afford. I bought 4 large silent film posters from 1918 for films that no longer exist, but had very campy text. They aren't in great condition, I believe they had been used as insulation for an old house and had nail holes in odd places. This apparently was not uncommon. I bought a production still for The Mormon Maid, starring Mae Murray, 1916, and someone had written the names of the subjects in the margin below. I doubt that anyone would be much interested in this stuff, but I enjoy it. I also have a signed photo of a young and very handsome Richard Barthelmess, he inscribed the back with titles of his recent pictures.

I would, R71, but I am a strange man. I am 43, but have such love for the silent era.

I think r71 and r72 need to get together for coffee and a silent film marathon and see where things go....

Patrick Nagel posters. They were popular and expensive in the 1980s. I see them at thrift stores now for next to nothing.

Any kind of genuine Occupied Japan porcelain was supposed to be valuable and appreciate in value in the 1980s so I bought a set of small teacups and saucers for probably less than $40 back then--about 10 years ago I decided to clean out the top shelves of my cupboards where little used items go to die and found them there, I guess I had half forgotten where I put them. I tried to unload them at a couple of antique stores and was not just turned away but almost rudely so at one. I finally gave up and just gave them to Goodwill. I have a few pieces of Native American pottery and small baskets which I suspect will have the same fate if I decide to get rid of them. As I get older I just don't like things that sit around gathering dust, but I did enjoy buying them when I was younger.

Along with vintage Roseville, the prices for Vintage ('30s-'50s) Fiesta (and other collectible American dinnerware from the period) have plummeted.

Black memorabilia, particularly cookie jars have fallen in value. I think people are increasingly queasy about owning it.

Aesthetic movement items have gone down in value. Christopher Dresser anything used to be hot. No more.

r72 There was a TV station where I live that quite a few years ago would show silent movies late at night or very early morning hours (2 or 3am). It was such a kick to get up and watch them if I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep or something. I always kept the sound turned low or muted for good measure. It also usually did the trick of getting me sleepy again so I could get back to sleep.

I also collect film posters and I’m concerned about depreciation

Then sell your your collection, r78.

R78 Hollywood Regency is a "thing" now, I think. I read about it a couple of days ago. Hold onto your posters if you have the space.

R70, trying to sell them yourself without expert advice could be costly. Sotheby's and Christie's don't really take much that isn't tens of thousands of dollars. Try to find an expert, if you sell to a dealer it will be at wholesale rates at best. If you can afford to wait try a place like Phillips auction.

What do you collect, 78?

Thank you very much r81, everything you said makes perfect sense. One thing I'm not really sure of is what you mean when you say 'try to find an expert', would you mind explaining what that means and how I might start, Im a complete novice at this but I'm a good researcher and up for the challenge. Thanks.

[quote]Along with vintage Roseville, the prices for Vintage ('30s-'50s) Fiesta (and other collectible American dinnerware from the period) have plummeted.

One issue is that shipping has become so expensive. Also, people on eBay hold onto things that aren't selling for a long time. You'd think they'd lower their price, but I see a lot of dinnerware listed for years (neither of these brands, but similar).

One thing that has not been mentioned on this thread is that there are lots of fakes in every category which lowers the value of those categories. Some are very good fakes that fool even the experts.

Vintage silver turquoise jewelry has definitely increased in value. Those are easy to ship if sold on eBay.

Regarding movie posters, Bonham's is THE place in NYC for them, they are connected with TCM. In fact, they just had the sale of Robert Osborne's estste which was loaded with movie posters so check out the prices to get an idea.

Oh wait, the Robert Osbourne auction begins on Thursday@

R58 if MCM is beginning to wane, what is taking its place?

R66... That Cabbage Patch Kids craze was sheer lunacy! I remember parents fighting each other, to make sure they got one for their kid at Christmas, back then. After Christmas, the interest dropped.

[QUOTE]Old shit is supposed to have cracks and some even have chips

My Sheridan would be appalled

[quote]Old shit is supposed to have cracks

I hate crazing. You probably tell people records are supposed to sound scratched.

Maybe, with old movie channels like TCM, that show silent movies and other classics, could help to hold the interest of old movie posters. TCM has attracted a younger audience, along with the older viewers.

Our dildo collection has cost thousands of dollars. Will they sell oneday?

No and my massive porn collection ended up in the dumpster too, because it's easier to get rid of it than to try to find a buyer.

Basically if you want a lot of porn, go to a dump.

Just checking in. I only buy things that I find beautiful and good quality that “speak” to me. Over the last few years I’ve found some treasures at Goodwill. My favorite was a painting that I got for $15; work by the same artist auctioned for $1600. Husband wanted me to sell it but I love. Mostly I look for good crockery/pottery and silk scarves. I don’t expect to resell anything, but it’s nice to hear everyone’s input.

We live in a wealthy area and I check Goodwill and thrift shops regularly. I’d rather have nice old things than new, but everyone’s different.

I suspect that when collecting old 19th century portrait photos a fine looking subject may boost the value.

R88: Warner Brothers, Rose.

R46: For God's sake man, did you get the dish back or not?

Old comic books (40s-60s) are valuable, depending on condition. Anything newrer (70s-on) are virtually worthless as I found out.

I would happily collect Nagel posters if I still went to thrift stores and they really have them and for a few bucks. Better yet, good prints with no color fading.

[quote][R88]: Warner Brothers, Rose.

Who's the Rose in r97?

So what is the next craze DL?

[quote]One issue is that shipping has become so expensive. Also, people on eBay hold onto things that aren't selling for a long time. You'd think they'd lower their price, but I see a lot of dinnerware listed for years

This!

I watched a particular vintage bottle for probably 10 years before it finally disappeared. It was overpriced and shipping was ridiculous but the sellers never lowered the price. This is the norm.

eBay is pretty much a joke now unless you want bulk Chinese crap.

Correct R50 and I believe the US gov't at one time demanded that all citizens turn in any gold they owned so many gold cases were turned in and the movements placed in replacement cases.

Watch collectors uses to buy based on the movement and finding a nice movement without a case didn't matter. Then everyone wanted original cases with the movements, and now no one wants anything to do with pocket watches at all.

Is Gustav Stickley still popular? I knew a woman who went insane for his old furniture back in the late 80s early 90s but I think those $10k chairs aren't getting the prices they used to.

R63... I watched Antiques Roadshow (Omaha Nebraska.. 2016), and a man had a Rolex watch from 1970, still with the original box and receipt/paper when he bought it. It went for $100,000. The appraiser said it was similar to Paul Newman's watch.

[quote]Watch collectors uses to buy based on the movement and finding a nice movement without a case didn't matter. Then everyone wanted original cases with the movements, and now no one wants anything to do with pocket watches at all.

I've been thinking that you could build a stunning collection of movements and display them in some sort of a picture frame case (I haven't worked that part out yet). Even if the values never recovered I think you could get a lot of pleasure out of owning them--well, maybe the average person couldn't, but the nerd in me would love to sit and study the craftsmanship that went into them.

We throw huge dinner parties so it’s awesome to pick up settings cheaply. Sterling silver flatware is based on the price of silver and of course the maker. Don’t ever engrave it unless you’re royalty lol.

Fiesta, Cookie Jars, McCoy, Depression Glass, Occupied Japan, Hummel Figurines, Royal Doulton lady figurines, Carnival Glass, well come to think of it most of the collectibles...Younger people have no use for them nor any nostalgic attachment.

There are very few nostalgic things to collect for young people anymore. We grew up with cheap throwaway junk. All that other stuff was at grandma’s house and NOT cool. Young people want more junk because that’s all we know. And experiences are better than accumulating tons of shit.

Advice I was given in relation to acquiring fine art also applies to antiques and collectibles: that the prices only hold for as long as the collectors are alive and buying.

I hold R109's truth to be self-evident.

Its still pretty hard to find a bargain on sterling flatware except from the most ignorant of garage sale - estate sale setups. Everyone knows the silver is valuable.

Antique porcelain enamel advertising signs still do well. I expect this is due in part to the fact that most collectors are the middle aged and the baby boomers.

The market for old metal toy trucks is also strong.

Oil and gas memorabilia also sells for good prices.

Lot of overlap between the collectors of these three categories.

Not really antiques, but the knife and gun markets are holding steady, too. Ever been to an auction with old knives and guns? Those buyers have money and they don't mind spending it.

Antiques that aren't selling? Pretty much everything else, except MCM. I expect the market for good furniture will come around again. We've been a pretty nomadic society for the past 50 years. I think the younger generations are going to want to put roots down.

R83, many auction houses have a free appraisal day. I would check with the auction houses in NY, even the lower end ones, for appraisal day, and take it to two or more appraisals. You can try to sell it yourself on Ebay or Etsy or even Craigslist, but it might be worth it to consider a mid-level auction house. If you do that though make sure it isn't an auction that charges you for items even if they don't sell. I sold some posters through Swann's a few years ago and one lot didn't sell and it cost me $150 to get them back.

Interesting thread. Market is still doing well in the U.K.

Probably because the architecture lends itself better to antiques more so than modern.

Are neon signs still doing well? When my uncle managed a bar a guy came in and offered him $2000 for an old beer neon sign which wasn't even working. This was about 10 years ago.

Tiffany lamps. Ugh

Seller here...Very hot: mid-century...1950s kitchenware (pink and turquoise Pyrex, forget the green, brown or clear ones), spaghetti lamps , lady head vases, Lefton and Napco kitchenware...jadeite glass but it is starting to fall after years of high demand. The cafés and little restaurants buy a lot of dishes and they mix the patterns on the table: Johnson Brothers, Myott, Misaka, Royal China etc. No unity please they prefer the "all-different look". Most of the figurines (ladies with long dresses) and planters (cute animals) stay on the shelves.

I was going to ask about blue cornflower Corningware until I found out they still make it.

r119 but it's not the same. They are not as durable now.

"And experiences are better than accumulating tons of shit."

Oh you must be under 35. Wait until you are in your 50's and beyond. You wont remember much of it and many trips/adventures/experience will blur together. Plus the digitization of everyone's pics on different technologies means they'll be looked at even less than photo albums - if they are even accessible.

Those little twats tell themselves "experiences" are more important than things,but they dont get that you wont remember the taste and texture of a meal,but you sure will remember the guy who bought you that little vase as you hold it and smile. They cant get into things because mom and dad wont let them pile a bunch of shit into the room they,ve been living in for 30 years.

The local auction here in Philly auctioned this Buck’s county estate this year that was all high quality MCM including Nakashima. They made a killing.

Most everything sold as a mass market collectible (The Franklin Mint) is the exact opposite.

R119/r120 I had no idea what blue cornflower Corningware was so I googled it... and then realized that I had a piece that my mother-in-law gave me that must be at least 30+ years old. I almost got rid of it when I moved two months ago, but now I’m glad I know what it is. I’ll enjoy it more now!

[quote]r3 A friend of mine used to buy and sell vintage cookie jars - she said that has dropped off dramatically.

The Great Cookie Jar Crash of '92 was indeed a shock.

Perhaps this is the place where I can find an expert who will be able to answer a question for me. In the late 1970s a family friend went to Liberia to start a Bible college. He traveled between Arica and his LA home for years. He brought back many souvenirs. In appreciation for watching his home, he gave us a set of 12 hand-carved knife rests. Each one is made out of ivory and depicts two elephants with their trunks joined. The knife blade rests on the trunks. What does one do with real ivory? I do not have any paperwork to document the provenance. All I have is the information about the gift giver. I have no use for them and would love to send them to a new home.

Thanks r114, Ill look into the appraisal days, hoping I can bring a bunch of pictures rather than the items, because the candelabras are extremely heavy, delicate and unwieldly

Here is the ashtray in question, displayed on a lovely circa 1969 Spanish provincial end table.

A friend of mine recently married up and has noticed a few Canalettos in forgotten corners and a Tintoretto or two. Any value?

R129 = r41 (I think)

Yes I still have it. Most of my place is furnished by Nana. Including a gaudy oil landscape , sofa size, by Mantovani. When I was about six years old she told me the painter of her oil landscape was not the same as the composer she loved to listen to. I must have asked too many questions when she nodded her head that they might be brothers. That was a huge glass of port in olive patterned crystal stemware.

R86, R87

Why did you have to mention that!!!!? I've been scanning through the list of things in the Robert Osborne..

Just overwhelming!!! What posters! And the other memorabilia!

I love movie posters I've never even seen COPIES of some of those!

This link might be the most expensive one of the posters.

There are so many that I would love to have.

Sigh.

R127. there are severe restrictions on the sale of ivory, it varies by country. I remember a video made by that Antiques Roadshow expert Lark Mason who basically showed off a storage room of antique objects made of ivory that he wasn't able to sell. You would need to take them to an expert appraiser at a reputable auction house.

i love jukeboxes. but I don't have enough space in my apt for it. Definitely want to own one in future...do they break down a lot?

[quote]i love jukeboxes. but I don't have enough space in my apt for it. Definitely want to own one in future...do they break down a lot?

Avoid machines built after about 1956 and you'll be fine. Later machines went solid state--great when they were new, but harder to repair when they're 60 years old.

If space is a problem, don't worry, some of the best old Wurlitzers were the countertop models made for use in soda fountains. Not much bigger than a microwave oven, but they look great and have a nice full sound:

I don't want a full on jukebox, but I'd love one of these connected to my favorite songs...in a little diner booth in my kitchen.

R137 is so cool.

Do you have a big L on your clothes r136?

Robert Osborne had some great stuff. I’d love to own that sculpture of Bette Davis by Ken Vares.

The Bogart, Sullivan’s Travels, Sunset Boulevard, and Till the Clouds Roll By posters have great graphics.

I don’t know what to do with my mom’s vintage furs from the 40s that I inherited.

I want the Sarah Siddons award. I can put it where my heart ought to be.

"I don’t know what to do with my mom’s vintage furs from the 40s that I inherited. "

Give them a proper burial.

-- or turn them into TEDDY BEARS !!!!! Which was a HUGE craze a few years ago. Frau heaven.

R141 WEAR them bitches !

Was looking at auction sites this week and ERTE, the artist of choice for the caftan set... prices are in decline. If I had a nickel for every time I had to listen to the raves of what a great artist he was.... I could now afford one.

r127 if you are in the U.S. you can either keep them or give them away. There is a $100,000 fine for selling ivory and then it is confiscated and destroyed. you are allowed to own it as long as you don't try and sell it.

are these ivory rest of any artistic interest? They might very well be ugly tchotchkes made for tourists. So the material has no value, and is actually a revolting reminder to put on ones dining room table, and there is no aesthetic appeal. Trash them. Honestly, the things people cling too as valuable heirlooms.

Oh please. Ive sold plenty of ivory bits in my booth,I just mark them as "bone". If I were ever called on it,Id plead ignorance. I just picked up a pair of lovely ivory vases,probably 1860s or so,for $2. I marked them as bone,put them in my booth for $150 and they sold immediately. The lady who bought them Im certain knew exactly what they were. The irony of it all being that none of this has lessened ivory poaching one iota.

Is that why I can’t buy any good ivory netsuke?

Just checked in on the Robert Osborne auction,

For R142, the Sarah Siddons award went for $20,000.

Auction in progress - link below.

R149 and r150 Sell me your mothers' pussies chopped off and locked in a tall jar, please. I can pay $25 for each of them.

Osborne's "Stork Club Ashtray...

Starting (Expected to sell at) $200 - $300.

Sold for $19,000.

R141 My grandmother still has her mother’s fur coats from the 1930s. They were in no condition to wear, so she got them made into throw blankets. They make for a great story when someone asks about them.

My mom has about 1,000 antique porcelain dolls that she has collected and also has made. She used to own her own doll shop and would pour porcelain skip, fire the dolls to bisque, paint them, and fire them again.

I’m trying to get her to sell all of that stuff before she dies and I’m taxed with it, but we can’t really give that stuff away.

Are vintage teddy bears still getting insane prices? My SIL once paid $5000 for some old German bear.

Usually it' the old German Bears that pay

Stork Club ashtrays sell for about $130 on Ebay.

R88, what seems to draw interest are styles that are the opposite of MCM. That is usually how the next decade goes. This includes a kind of re-purposed, industrial look. Re-purposing of different sorts draws appeal, especially among the younger crowd in their first (?) apartment. Chalk painted furniture( usually in traditional styles) appeals to many, but they paint cast-off furniture themselves. This makes selling it already painted difficult. The plain, slightly damaged pieces that they will paint themselves do sell well. They don't command high prices, but if found free/cheap they can be depended on to move fast. I assume that chalk painting is inspired by Shabby Chic. Along with that, this faux French cottage or a supposed Parisian look using chippy paint in pastel colors is also popular. I have not been to France. I wonder if the faux French cottage look is authentic. I suspect it isn't. A type of Hollywood Regency is something to consider. Primitive/rustic seems out.

By primitive/ rustic I am referring to American country style decor done in dark colors and including items with much aging (sometimes fake aging) and wear and tear. This is sometimes called Prim.

R159 again. And for those finds for chalk painting to move fast, they have to be cheap, real cheap. But, hey, if found by the roadside for free, then it is all profit in that $10.

[quote]By primitive/ rustic I am referring to American country style decor done in dark colors and including items with much aging (sometimes fake aging) and wear and tear. This is sometimes called Prim.

I used to work with a guy who had a thriving little sideline business faking windmill weights and other cast iron bits. He would leave them outside, cover them in manure, and hit them with hammers and big chains--by the time he was done you would swear they were 100 years old.

My sister is very good at finding decent furniture on the curb, for free. She finds interesting items, where people don't see the potential, but she sees it. She puts things together very creatively, and has a very interesting home. Some items are put away in her garage... then, she'll find something else and put the pieces together. She pays very little for things at flea markets. Some things are antique, but most are vintage or newer, but have a different line to them. Not all of it is my taste, but her home is fun. Being that a lot of everything is free, or paid very little.. she holds no attachment, and if anything was broken... no loss. She has garage sales, too... to get rid of stuff she's tired of, then continues on her hunt and changes her home a lot. When I go over there, there's always something different.

R163 ‘s sister is really a Vietnamese uncle.

They’ll pull the car over every time for a broken table in the trash pile on the curb.

Ha! R164

r164 ya, but they can probably fix it.

I know obesessed fraus who do this, and they end up with a mound of crap in their garages because they expected hubby to get everything in perfect shape so they can apply tacky faux finishes and brag on social media. That's assuming they even know how to fix it, since they end up marrying beta stoner males who don't fix anything or do physical work.

I wonder how all of that 'repurposed' and 'upcycled' crap is going to fare in a decade or so.

If it lasts that long. I expect it will be handed down to young people starting out, or even still in school but living off campus.

r149 probably because people haven't stopped selling it. people who sell it just add to the problem no matter what they label the ivory

r168 no, it's because the major markets for it are in the East and Middle East. The Chinese and Arabs are the new 1% who prop up the byzantine bullshit of the art/antique market.

That's the real problem, not some antique queens selling them at fair booths. (No offense r149 )

None taken R169. Antiques are considered so after 100 years,so Im over half antique ! Its bone,I tell ya ! Bone!

Another look that seems to be coming into fashion is the Hollywood Regency look.

All I see everywhere right now is the modern farmhouse look. Joanna and Chip are responsible for that, but I like Joanna so it's all good. I actually like this look when it's done right.

the Osborne auction, very interesting. That Stork Club ashtray sold at 10x the price of the Cartier watch... all the Rudolph Valentino memorabilia sold at high prices, I figured he was pretty much forgotten since the lady in black stopped haunting his grave.

Some Natalie Wood items went for good prices. I was surprised that other items, that I thought would sell, didn't.. or didn't meet the reserve. I only watched a little bit of the auction. I wonder how much the posters got. Maybe, one of he poster collectors on DL scored one.. lol.

Speaking of collecting vases ...

There are a zillion Chinese vases that look like that with no provenance that the owners are sure that it's a priceless antiquity.

I wanted that Bette Davis Marked Woman poster at Osborns auction, but I found out ALL the posters had been glued to their backing board. A big headache and pain to reverse. Bonhams is the worst at descriptions. I bet a lot will be returned since the didn’t inform the bidders. Oh well there’s always another auction.

Everything, OP. The word you're searching for is "everything."

R129, That resembles purple Liskeard glass, several pieces of which I bought in England in the 1970s.

Royal Doulton.

How does one authenticate depression era glass?

Post pics here R181 we will help you

I was thinking of buying some only if it as affordable as it sounds in this thread.

R163, Does she make a lot of bar carts, coffee tables, and reupholstered chairs?

Oh I thought you wanted help identifying depression glass, never mind! But yes, some depression glass has been reproduced, if you find a pattern/color you like, post it here and we can tell you if it has been reproduced etc.

r141, when my grandmother died she had clothes in her closet from eons ago. My parents and I boxed up alot of it but had no idea what to do with it as neither Goodwill nor the Salvation Army wants any of that stuff. I finally had the idea to call local playhouses to see if they could use them in their wardrobe departments and they took the old clothes. Don't old furs have to be kept at a certain temperature? I don't know that much about them, but good luck in getting rid of them. Like I said, try your local playhouses, if they don't necessarily want or need them perhaps they could point you in the right direction. Some consignment shops might take them.

Thanks for offering to help R185

Dear me, I forgot all about Lara Spencer. WHET Lara Spencer?

Any time R187

Some patterns and colors of Depression Glass still sell well. Condition matters, too.

Don't those furry fetishists wasn't old fur coats?

I have a space in an antique collective in Norhtern CA. We have everything including antiques to newer vintage and some new & used. What sells: painted rustic, vintage, farmhouse wooden furniture. Just sold a 30s painted double bed, ornate dresser, and small wardrobe today for about $700. Vintage china sets do well, MCM bar ware, crystal wine glasses, serve ware. Porcelains from Germany, France and England, hand painted trinket dishes, serve bowls, etc. Mirrors, lamps, everything for the home. It's a whole lot cheaper to come into our shop and redecorate than it costs to shop at Macy's and local furniture stores. I'm still selling colored depression glass (pink, yellow, green, and marigold carnival glass). Anything vintage that's somewhat unique and with character eventually sells. Some sits longer than others. Big soup tureens move slowly. I have a couple of beautiful ones that aren't moving. I don't care, they give my space ambiance. One woman does really well with her customized lamps and furniture that have a gilt 30s look, could have come right our of a house in Gloria Swanson's Sunset Boulevard. Another vendor does vintage used furniture with bold fabrics. One vendor brought in a gorgeous set of 1940s china with a real vintage look. Sold it within three hours. I also do well with quirky vintage boxes, porcelain, metal, or wood.

R171 is posting from 2005. Hollywood Regency? Really?

AY! I got'ya [italic] Hollywood Recency [/italic] RIGHT 'ERE!

Worst offenders for lowering vintage value..2nd only to ebay is Etsy. Some dumb frau will do anything to look successful and busy. Upping sales count is their narrow view. I'll have to wait until the item is snapped up. Then someone on ebay sees the old listing and expects to pay that price. F U. Did you not see my highest property and sales tax address in my profile, guy from Kentucky? Not worth my time after shipping and fees to boot. No sale!

OfferUp. Recently incorporated shipping. Not vetting profiles or someone f'ing up. Flakes and timewasters. Schemers and criminal Latinos abound there.

Re: Ivory - it is legal to own and inherit, and in certain cases some items can be sold but the rules -African v Asian elephant ivory; proving ownership prior to 1973; proving the ivory is over 100 years old; etc.- make it nearly impossible except maybe antique musical instruments. If you have ivory, keep it or if it has value, look into donating it to a museum.

Re: Furs - my mother also inherited furs - coats, stoles, hats, muffs, even a cape! - from her mother, aunts, aunts of my father. All types too - mink, sable, stone martens, seal, muskrat. She had the mink and sable coat altered and still uses them. The cape became a mink throw that’s still floating around. She had the stoles repurposed as collars on some wool coats and one of those coats was also relined with one of the furs. The furs do go into cold storage every spring at the furrier. Interesting tidbit - in the master bedroom closet there is a heavy insulated door to another closet that is not insulated, it’s basically the bricks of the outer wall of her building and that’s where her furs are kept in the winter. Guess it was an old timey thing in prewar apt’s in NYC.

I posted before about my aunt and uncle who were antique dealers - they hated “Antiques Roadshow”! Blamed the show for (a) making bargains at flea markets, yard sales, estate sales, etc. harder to come by, and (b) making everyone think they were an “expert” because they saw the Keno brothers et al appraise something like what they were trying to sell.

I too wonder sometimes what’s going to become of the bits and bobs I collect and/or have inherited. I doubt the nieces and nephews will have any interest. Oh well! I enjoy them and will continue to. As has been said, collect for enjoyment, not to get rich!

I have a MCM Parsons style couch covered in the original rust red cotton velvet the material is in good shape but a bit faded should I have it recovered in a newer similar fabric or leave it alone?

Yes, Hollywood Regency, really. Different strokes for different folks. As long as it sells, who cares?

R184... No...Lara Spencer isn't my sister.. no relation. But, my sister would do very well on her show. lol..

[quote]Did you not see my highest property and sales tax address in my profile, guy from Kentucky?

Sounds like a personal problem. This is the type of person who puts in a $100,000 gourmet kitchen and then expects the buyer to pay an additional $100,000 over any other property in the neighborhood

Vintage medical equipment used to do well now it mostly sits unsold.

A friend used to travel around the UK twice a year buying old clocks and then bring them back to Canada and sell them in North America for crazy money. Today he has a house full of clocks that he can't give away.

My antique bussy used to fetch top dollar.

Now, not so much.

Only the hideous Native American shit is ever worth anything on Antiques Roadshow.

Wanna make $14 the hard way R203?

[quote]R205 Wanna make $14 the hard way [R203]?

I'm just really discouraged. I thought I'd "refinish" it with bleaching, some minor repairs to the surface and walls, etc. But then when I presented it to the Keno brothers on [italic]Antiques Roadshow,[/italic] they were like, "With antiques like this, it's the original patina and wear, the GRIME, that buyers love. Had you left it alone..."

I got it for free, so it's not like I'm out-of-pocket. But still.

W&W, r206.

Maybe if you stopped referring to it as your "bussy," r203.

R207 What was REALLY galling (and I thought, unnecessary) was after they conferred and then took a closer look, one of those damn twink twins said, “Did you do this work yourself? You really need to go to a certified professional who specializes, one who knows what they’re doing” (!!)

I was mortified.

#dead

The Will & Grace and Frasier "Antique Roadshow" episodes were funny.

My parents were antique dealers, so I too started collecting stuff when I was a teenager in the Seventies. I'd buy things when accompanying them to auctions, to shows, on overseas buying trips, etc. I also learned a lot from other collectors and dealers (including how to spot the fakes). I kept on acquiring things until 1990 or so (well before eBay). My "collections" include:

400+ pieces of Fiestaware, Harlequin and Rivieva kitchenware. I should have sold those long ago as that market has dropped out entirely.

150 or so pieces of early Canton and Fitzhugh Chinese export porcelain (100 or so plates, and the rest cups, tureens, platters and bowls). I also have some Chinese export pieces made for the Dutch, French, and British markets with different designs or shapes.

Some carved ivory (sword handles, Chinese figurines, a Chinese junk, and a few brush pots) as well as some scrimshaw that I bought in New England decades ago. Selling any of these at auction may be near impossible now.

Several dozen Chinese snuff bottles (cloisonné, lacquer, reverse-painted glass, and a few jade ones)

Several dozen 19th c. British pewter mugs (mostly quarts and pints). They all have lead, so cannot be used for drinking -- but they look great hanging from the rafters in my farmhouse.

Several hundred wood engravings from Harper's Weekly of Thomas Nast illustrations. Nast was a noted editorial cartoonist in 1870s-1890s who first depicted the Democrat Donkey, the Republican Elephant, and his drawings of St. Nicholas (Santa) became widely popular.

200+ daguerreotypes and ambrotypes. I have a few tintypes too, but I collected only ones of Civil War soldiers or veterans in uniform.

A very eclectic collection of stuff. When I decided that I wanted to collect something, I would research the hell out of it, talk with the experts, and then start buying/trading. I'd also get nice pieces from my parents for birthdays or Christmas.

Interesting collections, R212. Do you have plans to sell any of it or are you keeping it to enjoy?

vintage used furniture

I really enjoy looking at the old photos, and feel the Chinese porcelain will hold its value most. The pewter gives my house/kitchen the feel of an English pub, so that is a keeper too. The ivory/scrimshaw market is non-existent now because of concern of the changing legal environment. The Civil War collectibles market is also dicey now because of concerns of the Charlottesville violence (many dealers are hesitant to display/sell CW collectibles now because its implied ties to Neo-Nazis, nationalists, and the deplorables).

The snuff bottles and Nasts are all boxed away and no longer have appeal to me. I've tried to sell some of the Fiesta/Harlequin rarer pieces (12" vases, Medium Green serving pieces), but no real takers; only people who offer 1/4 of book value.

So I guess I'll hold on to it all for now. When my parents pass, I'll likely slide some of my stuff into their possessions that will go to auction in NYC or Boston. They've got more valuable stuff (Chippendale/Queen Anne furniture, sterling, European paintings, etc). I'm not a Chippendale gay, and sterling takes too much effort to keep up.

R177

[quote] I found out ALL the posters had been glued to their backing board.

How did you find this out. I seem to remember that I could see fold marks on one of the posters (sorry, I don't remember which). I wonder if that one was glued as well. Where would he have stored all those posters on backing board?

"The Civil War collectibles market is also dicey now because of concerns of the Charlottesville violence (many dealers are hesitant to display/sell CW collectibles now because its implied ties to Neo-Nazis, nationalists, and the deplorables)."

That is a fucking lie. Not one single dealer I know (and I know a lot of them) is worried about any of that. Why did you have to go and fuck up a great thread with this shit? Why does everything have to deteriorate into stupid comments about Nazis, nationalists, and deplorables? I'm so sick of it. No Civil War collector gives a flying fuck what anyone thinks about Charlottesville. Not one WWII collector gives a fuck what anyone thinks about Hitler. The ONLY people obsessing about Nazis, nationalists, and deplorables are DL'ers and far lefties and the sjw crowd. Why we can't have ONE thread without it being ruined with people's comments about Nazis, nationalists, deplorables, and fucking Trump is beyond me.

here is what's hot now.

Health-conscious style mavens who wouldn’t dare touch tobacco are scouring vintage shops for cigarette-themed clothing and accessories. While most millennials would much rather vape than puff on an ultra light, tobacco company logowear is smoking hot, bolstered by the craze for ’90s fashion and nostalgia for bygone advertising icons such as the Marlboro Man and Joe Camel.

“It’s about the niche factor and the kitsch,” says Amanda Dolan, who co-owns the ’90s-themed downtown vintage spot Spark Pretty. She sells Joe Camel-branded windbreakers for $79 and T-shirts for $35, and says they both “fly out the door.” Her favorite piece — an acid-washed shredded jean jacket with “Camel” embroidered across the back — sold quickly for $125. “The aesthetic is cool,” she says, “it’s not about the act of smoking. It’s more that it’s a slice of old-school Americana.”

Michael Spitz, who owns the sports-centered vintage store Mr. Throwback in the East Village, stocks everything from neon-green Newport hats ($45) to Camel-branded mesh shorts ($75). He says the bold graphics and colors attract young street-style mavens to the gear, but the collectors’ factor is a big part of the appeal, too.

“People are attracted to the fact that you could only get it if you smoked cigarettes,” says Spitz. Back in the day, tobacco merch wasn’t available to buy in stores; rather, it was a perk for frequent buyers, like credit-card points. Camel loyalists, for instance, could save and redeem their “Camel cash” — tiny, colorful bills that came in cigarette packs — for swag.

“It’s kind of outrageous to think about now,” says Dolan, who doesn’t smoke, but was nevertheless delighted when she scored a Camel jacket at an estate sale in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Spitz also appreciates the look of a good Kool cap or a Marlboro track jacket. “I would wear it,” he admits. “But not in front of my kids.”

R217 you are rude.

Yeah R217, what are you so pressed? I mean, you really took that from zero straight to eleven.

I feel that discipline mixed with love is such a good recipe.

Ashtrays.

"Not one single dealer I know (and I know a lot of them) is worried about any of that."

Well they should be, unless they are RACISTS.

Ok, back to business. There is a Bonham's auction for Robert Osborne continuing on line through the end of June. This auction is the possessions left to his nieces. He owned Laura's portrait,(actually a combo of a painting and a photo) but a true gem of a prop worthy of a museum. Where is it now?

I was surprised that the inheritors didn't keep the Cartier watch. It was a classic style. Free watch, why not?

His nieces must be cunts to sell everything when his body is barely cold.

R225 Osborne died over a yr ago.

Maybe they are poor and need the cash. I'm not found of cartier watches. every one has the tank watch. so common.

I saw a tank once but didn't stick sound to watch it.

speaking of collectibles, I went to a yard sale the other day and the woman's stepfather, who is still living, was a guard at the Nuremberg trials. They had small booklets with all the defendants listed and the crimes they were being charged with. One of them was Hermann Göring. He got over 8 of the defendants to sign the booklet including Göring. She told me he put it away and it is like brand new. I told her she should donate it to a museum when she inherits it. She assumes she will receive it but he refuses to say who it is going to or what he wants done with it.

R229 That’s incredibly interesting. Crazy that he is still alive. It saddens me that there aren’t many people from WWII left. Having Göring’s signature in your house would be a little creepy though.

My dad has a Nazi belt buckle and a giant metal sign with and eagle and a swastika at the bottom of it that my grandfather brought home from the war and I think thats creepy too.

I told her to donate it because I didn't think any one person should own it. I always worry that items like that carry bad vibes and shouldn't belong to one person. They belong in a museum. I find all that stuff creepy too.

I collected vintage matchbooks and left them in a big jar. For some time, I couldn't find the jar and finally found it the other day. The matchbooks are from the 40s to the 60s. The graphics and advertising are so interesting... and many of the matchbooks still have all the unstruck matches. The matches were graphic, too. Some matches are figural, with flowers (florists), naked women (clubs, strip joints), milk bottles (milk deliveries), restaurants, for example. I have one matchbook that was for a political campaign from Texas. Inside, with all the matches intact, is a map of the United States on top of the inside cover, which in separate from the cover... so it stands on its own. You can't find matchbooks easily anymore, and if you do, they are very plain. A lot of visual interest and advertising are found in the older ones. It's another bygone product from the smoking era.

Human ashtrays.

R218, My mother smoked from 1949 to the year she died, 2015. Neither she not I ever heard of cigarette "cash" or "merchandise."

"nor I...."

the saddest thing I ever came across was a person who lives around the corner from me. She moved into a house built before the civil war and was throwing stuff out like crazy. I wanted to go thru the stuff but hadn't gotten the nerve up yet to ask if I could look. 2 years later she had a sale. Oh the things I got there for SO cheap. I told her I had wanted to go thru the things she had thrown out several years earlier and she said she would have been happy to let me. She said she threw out two large black garbage bags full of letters from before the civil war that talked about slavery. I almost passed out. I said why didn't you donate them?????? She said she felt they were private correspondence and no one else should read them. I cried. history thrown away in the 21st century. I am no longer shy about asking to go thru someone's garbage if I am interested.

One thing I agree with millennials about is their prioritizing of experiences rather than buying (and collecting) things. I’m 50 and I can’t deal with anymore clutter. I look at some of the junk I’ve paid money for over the years that just sits on a shelf or (worse) inside a cabinet, and think “how much travel could I have enjoyed when I was younger instead of buying all this crap?” But no, I was told a good gay need a china set and a full set of stemware, and “interesting pieces.”

r237 don't beat yourself up. you did need that at the time, it is only now that you no longer need it and you enjoyed it and felt good about having it at the time.

R236 OMG!

The Osborne auction items are a hoot to view. Everything from Buster Crabbe's loin cloth to W.C. Fields' monogrammed blanket to Fatty Arbuckle's straw boater. Wonder what Osborne's apartment looked like (didn't he live at The Osborne?).

Omg R236. Can you imagine??

I was truly devestated

*devastated

[quote][R218], My mother smoked from 1949 to the year she died, 2015. Neither she not I ever heard of cigarette "cash" or "merchandise."

I smoked until 2010 and still get promo literature from Marlboro. I believe they stopped doing merchandise but every so often some coupons will show up in my mailbox.

R236. once they throw it out, it's no longer their property. You don't even have to ask. Just get it!

R244, I quit smoking in 2011 and I still get a Marlboro calendar in the mail every year. I remember the Marlboro money being attached to the packs and I must have redeemed some of it along the way for them to have my address. I just don’t remember what it could have been. I can’t picture myself wanting....ever...a Marlboro hat or windbreaker.

I got a fancy ashtray with mine Marlboro points.

R236, I understand how you feel. I go to a lot of auctions, estate sales, and garage sales. I always ask the people running a sale if there's anything they haven't put out that they want to get rid of, like old clothes, magazines and letters, electronics. So many times, I hear something like, "Oh, we threw out boxes and boxes of that old stuff! Ha ha ha! It was so old!!!! We put out the best items and took the rest to the dump!" It's so frustrating. As I glance over the items they've displayed so proudly, I feel like telling them that no one wants their fathers beige bonded leather recliner from 1992 or their mother's Walmart brand Christmas dishes. Sometimes I get so sick of looking at people's cheap shit.

About 20 years ago I was into collecting American art pottery: Rookwood, Weller, McCoy, North Dakota School of Mines, etc. That stuff was very expensive back then but has since gone way down in price.

What was the cigarette that had the coupons you'd save and redeem like trading stamps? Oh, I just remembered!

Camel also had Camel Bucks.

I've got a dying category for you-- The Antique and Classic Boat Society, the organization for owners of old mahogany speedboats like Chris-Craft and Gar Wood has 7000 members. Members under 40 years of age--26.

Cigarette coupons are nothing new. The back of a pack of camels (the original non-filter variety) has said "Don't look for premiums or coupons, as the cost of the tobaccos blended in CAMEL Cigarettes prohibits the use of them" for close to a century.

R232 Matchbook guy, please photograph your matchbooks and post them on Flickr.

A woman I knew used to make good money selling vintage packaging items; old empty boxes. No one is buying that stuff now. Who wants to pay $100 for an empty box?

Since boats are money pits, that doesn’t really surprise me, R252

R254.. I'm sorry. I don't have a Flickr account, or post photos. Thank you for your interest, though.

Maybe a Marilyn Chambers Ivory Snow box, r255.....

Why am I picturing R257 dumping all of his matchbooks onto his waterbed and then rolling around in them?

I’d love to see the matchbook collection as well.

I think one must have a "collector's mentality" to love the study, preparation, hunt, and kill (as it were).

Too, one needs the space. And then there is the means!

Yes, r261. However, sometimes when I reach the end of one specific hunt, I'm no longer interested in whatever it was I'd been hunting. And then I sell whatever it was that had been so essential, I couldn't live without it, often at a loss. Sometimes, I've had to give it away. But I get rid of things. I'm not a hoarder. And that's how I came to learn that the hunt is my real hobby.

Mahogany furniture. Going for pennies. Too big and heavy for most rooms ad floors.

Well tides do turn, but I am afraid I am stuck with a huge amount of art-deco era pottery and Fire King/Jadeite cookware. And some big mahogany furniture. Some of the non-mahogany furniture is from my parents 1960s home. Hell, I moved into a larger home 4 years ago and still have yet to unpack 3 big boxes of knick knacks. And I'm not young. As others have said, who else is going to want it all? My siblings wisely divested themselves from anything to do with our mom's house.

I used to haunt thrift stores. I discovered a lovely homemade small wooden suitcase. Inside was a collection of paper wrapped sugar cubes from restaurants all over Europe.

I also found and bought someone's matchbook collection - mid-century - for about 10 bucks. It was kind of sad that's where it ended up. I scanned some of the covers - they look fantastic blown up.

Ok... I'm kinda like an old dinosaur when it comes to tech, so I'll post three matchbooks that I just purchased on eBay, to give an example. Here are the links, as the site link, below, won't post them. They are items: 163092778427, 273225093776, 232789398005 I'm sorry I can't post the links, as it wasn't accepted on here. Yeah.. I'm an old fart when with tech.. so go easy on me.. lol.

... not links, eBay auction item numbers.. correction.

I worked with woman from the former East Germany who collected the "Tausend Kleine Dinge" household items from here youth. These "Thousand Little Things" were advertised by the Communist government as the joys of East Germany. I mean, things like spatulas or creamer holders. She was otherwise a normal person.

Pocket watch fobs. Collectors used to spend a lot for a "rare" fob and now they can be had on ebay for next to nothing.

r266 those are great

R270, you were able to see those items on eBay? I could not. Where on eBay did you enter them? Thanks.

r270 go to ebay and enter the number in search bar and hit search. it will come up zero found. go to the left side of the screen and scroll down a little until you see Sold and check mark it. it should automatically come up. stay on that page and just enter the next number and it should come up.

Thank you so much, R272.

R270.. Thanks. It's fun collecting them.

Wish I'd known, r266. I've looked for those Red Slipper matches on eBay before. We use to go there when I was a kid, and I thought those matches were the greatest. Their sign had a big red high heel in the parking lot that lit up and turned. How weird. I went to Bing to get this image and their homepage features Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado. Another place from my distant Denver youth.

R266 Those are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

r266...those are crazy and great!

Whenever I see matchbook collections I get a bit sad because the archivist in me realizes that each time the book is opened, the fold is weakened...LOL...I KNOW!!!

Anyway, do you display them? How?

My little brother passed away and collected everything. He had 6 packing boxes of matchbooks, mostly from CA where we live. I sort of picked through for all the Tiki ones and had them framed for my bar. I really should sell the collection but can't.

Collector/Dealer here, from a family of collector/dealers. Jeezus...so much to add, here. Dad (79) died in February and we're still trying to get a handle on how to distribute his massive collections. Dad was well-known in the minuscule, niche collecting field of his interest, and my older sister and I have been doing okay trying to get other collectors to buy off some of the best.

Dad dealt/collected hunting/sporting material culture and ephemera. There are probably 5000 people in the US who "collect" that stuff, and 3000 of them collect reproductions and "neat" things that aren't something my dad gathered. So, there's maybe 2000 genuine collectors, and probably half of them are truly serious about being collectors of this historical shit. That 1000 then gets chopped in half to the folks who have the means to shell out $300 for a postcard.

Anyway...sadly, all all glass and dinnerware has completely flatlined. The 1000s my mom spent on Depression Glass in the 80s is now probably worth $100.

Dour Victorian shit is down (but it has been for 25 years), while cute/peppy stuff is doing OK.

If I had unlimited space, I'd buy up all the perfect, cheap Depression Glass and Fiesta (also completely tanked) I could find, wrap it, pack it, and put it away for 30 years, when it'll cycle back in. But I'd never try to sell it now. No one wants it.

Tell us more from your vantage (NOT vintage lol) point as a collector R279. You think a 30 year cycle for glassware?

It's sad to see such a dramatic change in the culture. An activity both relaxing (well for me anyways) and fun is fading away.

R275, R276, R277... Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed viewing the matchbooks. I wish I could have posted others, but again, tech challenged. R277, I put them in a large jar. I know, it's not the best way to display them. If they were just matchbook covers, (you can get just the covers, without the matches inside), I would have them mounted and framed them in a grouping. Because these matchbooks still have the figural matches, which I think is the best part of the piece, I chose a jar. The nice thing, they aren't too expensive and don't take up much room. The more visually graphic and interesting ones may be more expensive. R278.. I'm sorry about your brother, but it's nice that you have something from him, for sentimental reasons. I understand how you can't part with them, so enjoy them. I like that you framed the Tiki ones for your bar. I bet it looks really nice. If anyone is interested, you can google "vintage figural/feature matchbooks". It's amazing how much thought was put into advertising and interest in something so commonly used at the time.

[quote]If I had unlimited space, I'd buy up all the perfect, cheap Depression Glass and Fiesta (also completely tanked) I could find, wrap it, pack it, and put it away for 30 years, when it'll cycle back in. But I'd never try to sell it now. No one wants it.

R279, are you speaking exclusively of vintage Fiesta? I had a collection of post-86 Fiesta. It was a nice collection, in which I'd gotten rid of all the pieces with flaws. In 2017, I got $150 for fifty-some pieces. In 2009, I sold about that many pieces for $450-500. In both cases, I sold locally, on craigslist. No one was interested in paying for shipping, either year.

Now that you've got me thinking about it, I'm starting to miss it. I'd better go.

I'm about to do the same thing with the extras of my Fiesta collection, r282. No "great" pieces and no red or cobalt - and lots of ring-handled cups and saucers which NOBODY wants. I expect I'll get peanuts for it, but I need warehouse space.

How many people called about your Fiesta collection?

[quote]How many people called about your Fiesta collection?

I got no response on eBay whatsoever, r283, and not a whole lot who were really interested on craigslist. I got some "still available?" emailers who didn't respond when I responded "yes." My more recent set may have been advertised over the course of a year, though not constantly.

Are yours vintage or contemporary? Mine were all contemporary.

Why don’t you all just donate this crap?

I did, r285. I gave away a few sets of dishes.

I got a blue Vernon Early California chop plate yesterday at Goodwill. I know it's more trouble than it's worth to try and sell on eBay. I don't collect it and I don't have room for it. But.... it's in perfect condition and it was...99 cents.

r284: all vintage 30-40s colors.

This one, r287?

I'm no expert, r288, but I believe medium green is the most sought-after color in vintage Fiesta. It's a nice color, at least.

No, r289. It's the 12"d platter like this....but in blue. I've never seen them side by side, r290, but I think the medium green is similar to their contemporary shamrock.

r290, a lot of those pieces that they're calling medium green.....aren't.

I'm the one that posted about my brother's match collection. He had 3500SF of storage with mostly LA stuff, and people were vultures when we had a sale to thin things out. All of the neon signs sold, but they were all one of a kind. A few we donated to a museum.

All the light fixture sold, Googie- style stuff. In fact, anything MCM sold- this was 2013. Only thing that was no interest was furniture, other than Eames and some Drexel early 60s.

I just noticed that, r292. Those mugs in the first pic aren't even vintage.

r291 Medium green is a sweeter, brighter shade than shamrock, most pieces of which have a brown undertone. I like medium green a whole lot more.

The other colors I've never gotten to see side by side, r294, is the new and old chartreuse.

I'm not sure I've ever seen vintage Chartreuse, r295. I can say I wish Fiesta had started making contemporary Chartreuse again instead of Lemongrass, which has this unappetizing brown cast to it.

I love bezelled milk glass. Any value these these days?

r297, lovely, but no one wants it right now.

Bottoms with shaved butts. Used to be very popular.

People are so stupid/bonkers.

You dumdums should buy up all the Jadeite/Fire King serving stuff you can find.

Next year, I'm gonna be selling those Fire King serving platters at 60 bucks. Next year, I'll have jadeite serving platter for $80, but I'll take 75.

morons, assholes...do not buy any jadeite or fire king teacups. you will never get rid of them.

Believe it or not, PEARLS! They used to be the thing one house Frau would covet form another, pass down to their Frau spawn. Well guess what, after helping an elderly friend liquidate her 2 million worth of jewellery, the auction house didnt even want to attempt to sell them. She had one string worth over 200,000 and they told use at best she would get 20,000. Apparently the market has been flooded with high quality pearls from Asia the last 10 years or so and the monopoly keeping prices high has been broken. Basically 20 -30% of what they used to be worth.

Interesting R301! What else did you learn from the auction house about jewelry? I would have loved to see your friends jewels! The thing that I’ve always wondered though is if you have that much jewelry, I’m assuming you would keep it in a safe or at the bank. Do you ever actually wear it then?

I always thought jewelry was an obvious item to avoid for "investment" purposes. The whole industry is built on protectionist rackets.

Fire King seems to be pretty popular on Etsy.

My question is about photographs. I see them being auctioned. Why would they be valuable? some go for over 200k. Can't people just print them and hang them?

I've never used Etsy. How does it compare?

I like Etsy. I like it better than eBay. Sometimes, the seller will sell an item on Etsy and on eBay at the same time. I find the eBay listings more expensive. I think Etsy is more flexible, as you can work out a layaway plan for something out of your reach at the time. Most times, sellers are pretty accommodating. I've done that a few times. I am a buyer, though. I've never sold anything at either sites, so I don't know the seller aspect of it.

Etsy also features a lot of crafty artisan work, and artists. There are sellers of antiques and vintage collectibles, too.

Amen R217!

Maybe one of you guys can help me. A gift from a now passed society blue blood aristocrat American gave me a Cartier pendant. Gold barrel with word stamped RATION on it. Little chain on barrel top attached. Inside is a rolled up $100 bill. Once in a while you guys will sign her name to a post. Anyone? Would be appreciated.

R301 pearls disintegrate

R252

Sadly, much the same thing is now the case with old cars. Pre-WWII vehicles (unless they're unmolested original or low-mileage concours-level restorations that could be shown at Pebble Beach) have lost interest for the same reason so many items mentioned here have: the audience for them died. My father was a child of the Depression. He remembered names like Peerless, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Marmon, Hudson, Studebaker and Nash from their glory days. Hardly anyone does today. Pre-war Fords, especially Model A's and to a lesser degree Model T's, were popular because they were the cars a 70 year-old remembered as a kid if they were in the market in the 1980's or 1990's. They're 100 now if they're still with us. Even postwar collectible cars from the 40's and 50's are less popular unless they're museum-quality. Simply put, the people who remember them are gone, or going, or not in shape physically or financially to maintain one.

What is popular now are 60's Mustangs, Camaros, AMXs, and Dodge Challengers, muscle cars in general, pick-up trucks, the "last" convertibles (until convertibles came back), chrome-bedecked gunboats from the 1950's and some of the monsters from the 60's. The 25-year rule means something from 1992 or '93 is now eligible for "antique" plates if not exactly antique status but even I'm a little weirded out at a show when I see a car I - and millions of other people - drove in the 1970's and 1980's as transportation is now a babied collectible being unloaded from a trailer.

And youngsters don't even get a license to drive these days let alone a car, so how can they ever fall in love with one? That and the shift from internal combustion engines does not bode well for people investing (as opposed to enjoying) in high-buck collector cars because the market for them isn't going to be there to the extent that it's been. [italic]Plus ca change.[/italic]

Boats were built and are used in smaller numbers and the great ones; Chris-Craft and Gar-Wood especially, but classic Rivas and Stan-Crafts too, will always be classics.

in 30/50 years from now when no one drives on the roads will these cars even be allowed to be driven will we have roads?

I'm still waiting for a jet pack, r313. Weren't we all supposed to have one by now?

This is a great thread. Keep the collecting advice and stories coming!

Along the line of watches, the small hand wind watches from the 40s and 50s used to do very well in the late 80s through the 90s but you can't get much for them now. An example like I posted below used to sell for up to $150 back in the early 90s and are now selling on ebay for $40 at best.

I used to love old Hamilton, Gruen, and the other vintage US watches, but I stopped buying them years ago because it became too damned difficult to get them repaired and serviced. The old school watchmakers all died off, and the new guys either don't know what they're doing or don't care--either way I got tired of paying for repairs and having a watch that was dead again in 30 days.

R317 same here.

I have a space in an antique collective and recently purchased a rare French bottle of "Poudre a Sachets" for $15 to resell. I bought it at an estate sale in a Victorian mansion owned by an antiques dealer. The bottle is half full and the powder still has a very strong scent. I just closed it tightly and I can still smell the aroma.

Mine is prettier than this one. It's circa 1910 and there is a bottle in the Smithsonian Institute. It is valued anywhere between $40 and $200 online, depending on the site. I'm thinking maybe asking $40 - $60 dollars for mine. It's hard to get top dollar locally and I'm not interested in selling online.

I think the lack of interest in collecting is due to the fact that people don't make things anymore. They are just consumers of mass produced products. They can look at an 18th century hand painted piece of porcelain and at some jug at Target and not see much difference between the two. The same thing applies to the profusion of images and the accessability of pictures. People have no understanding of the differences and difficulties in how paintings, prints and photographs are made. Combine that with the lack of interest in history and the progress of cultures around the world and you have a generation of techno-barbarians.

You hit the nail on the head, R320. I talk to other dealers and resellers at sales and I've noticed that a lot of them are guys who work with their hands. They don't just go for tools, knives, and metal toys; they often have a good eye for anything of quality. I've seen them notice glass and textiles that other buyers walk right past. They don't always buy, but they appreciate the workmanship.

You're right about the lack of interest in history as well. A few months ago, I picked up a flintlock musket (the source of the saying, "lock, stock, and barrel") from the early 1800s for $50. I was the only bidder. No one else wanted it, because, as I overheard several people say, "It don't work."

If any of you are out hunting for treasure, come across or have some Gay Fad skier drinking glasses let me know!

R257, if you're interested in matchbooks, James Lileks has posted matchbook covers and other eupherma on his website. If you're interested in preserving them, you might want to contact him.

And for everyone else, take a look at this site. You could spend hours on there.

Does anyone have any idea about Poole Pottery? I’ve got a few bits that I bought just for the colors, I like the freehand vibe of the Aegean and Delphi ranges. I have a full eight place setting service in Blue Moon pattern that I picked up in a thrift shop for $20. There are two tureens, two casseroles, a meat platter, two roasting dishes, gravy boat, large and small creamers, coffee, tea and hot water pots, sugar bowl, cruets, mustard jar... the whole thing is over 100 pieces. I liked the color.

Jack Wrangler 8mm porn films.

That looks like a very interesting website.. thanks R323!

for R324

Thanks r327, that was interesting. I think Poole is an acquired taste in some ways, you’ll either love or hate it.

Military watches are very popular still and are getting crazy prices.

Gay Fad?

Well just look in your garages, a lot of people seem to find stuff there lately.

And this gravestone!

Fat Lava hasn't taken off. Many have tried to make it happen but there's too much of it for prices to go up.

The Poole Blue Moon is lovely, and sells for very little. I would eat off it frequently or give it to a family that needs china. Some cool young lady might need it, like it and use it.

Mid century is starting to take a dive. Ive got a booth in an antique mall and I could always count on mid century,but not lately.Its sitting longer. Im seeing more and more funky 70s start to move,as well as 80s,believe it or not. Small things are moving well,vases,bric a brac,furniture.Victorian anything is dead in the water,as well as most pottery. 60s art is doing well,but again,smaller pieces.No one is buying large art of any kind,I had to finally pull and donate several nice pieces,they sat forever. And I had marked them way down. Silver still moves well,but sterling only. Plated is a waste of space.

R332 , those early gravestones are such beautiful things.

R335. Our local auction house had a recent sale, over 1000 items without reserves. I was shocked at some of the things that didn't sell and the prices of some that did. A large room size Oriental carpet estimated at $1000-1200 went for $65. Regency mahogany breakfast table, which expanded to a large table, again $65. Unfortunately I had no money to bid on anything but I anticipated this result.

Poole fans, are you in the UK?

R336, recently hit an estate sale in East Hampton. Huge new construction mansion. They had gorgeous (GORGEOUS) Oriental rugs but they were $2k and such. Probably still a bargain, but. $65 makes me weep.

There was another at a small mid-century house in Montauk, advertised as a “time warp”. I thought of the folks on this thread. I’m sure a collector would have loved it. Tons of mid-century stuff. Toys and jewelry. The basement had gift wrap from the 1950s, old school Christmas lights, a few sets of china, kitschy old stuff. There were fabulous hats, too, but they were too small. I scored a cunning Brooke Cadwallader silk scarf for $2. Still get a frisson from that.

I used to be a collector, I have several oriental rugs, antique, 19th C. American clocks and some19th C. Chinese porcelain. I stopped collecting because I got bored with all of it.

R236, god, that’s awful. Beyond the bend awful.