What could an Antique Desk Tell Us?

When I see an antique desk, I wonder who sat at it and what they wrote.  Did Royalty plan a ball at that Victorian antique desk?  Was part of our constitution written here on this mahogany antique writing desk?  Was it a treasured addition to the room when they brought home the walnut antique roll top desk?  When it arrived at a new home, was it welcomed for the value it would bring?  How many children learned their lessons at the antique school desks?  Did any famous authors sit there at the antique school desks?

The antique secretary desk became popular in the Eighteenth Century.  These were a chest of drawers. The top drawer was quite deep.  It would pull out half way and the front would fold down to make a flat writing surface.  Inside there was a wonderful assortment of small drawers, pigeon holes, and cupboards.  This antique secretary desk was placed in a gentleman's room.  This gave the gentleman a writing desk where he could store all the supplies and have privacy when he did his correspondence.   Underneath the top drawer, he could store his personal belongings.

The American style of antique desk featured different materials at different times.  Oak was popular from 1540 to 1660. Then walnut became the wood of choice from 1660 until 1730. The years from 1730 to 1840 were the mahogany time.  The Victorian era ran from 1830 to 1901. During this time, the antique desk chair matched the antique desk with both wood and style.  Usually, the chair was made from solid wood. Occasionally, caning was used in the center of the back of the chair for accent.

In Europe there were many, many different styles of the antique desk during the last 400 years.  The antique Chippendale desks were made of mahogany and featured the Chinese motifs, scrolls and claws. William and Mary antiques had a distinctive style with woodcarvings with high relief made from maple, walnut or pine. Their period was relatively short, only from 1700 to 1730.

Over the centuries the  different antique desk could be very ornate and inlaid with other woods to create decorations. Some had beautiful hand carved wooden designs, delicate legs, and a variety of woods, including Burr walnut.

Antique desks for sale draw interest from around the world.  These are very popular with collectors and interior decorators who are looking for that special antique to finish a room.  Many antique buffs compete to find a special mahogany roll top desk to put in  the library or an antique desk chair to complete the study.

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Slope Desk Writing Desk Antique Wooden Desk    US $1.04

ANTIQUE Kneehole WALNUT DESKABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS    US $625.00

Antique Desk 6 Draw Solid Quartered Oak File Cabinet NR    US $127.50

Lebus Antique Oak Roll Top Desk    US $51.00

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Of course the ones you see on sale there are the current ones.  What I look for when I go out hitting estate sales, and what many people are now focusing on collecting are the vintage statues.  These are often retired by the companies that make them.  Unlike so many other collectibles, these usually really do stay retired and often, they are retired before hundreds of millions of them are produced.  For collectors who did not get their hands on them during the original run, this can mean paying some premium prices for the sake of completing a collection.

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Vintage Miniature Collie Dog Puppy Figurine Japan    US $10.50

Vintage Pixie stacking Mushrooms Figurine Josef    US $10.50

Vintage Pixie Figurine Japan Laughing    US $4.00

Vintage LEFTON Duck Duckling Figurine JAPAN 1950s    US $2.00

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The good news for collectors of vintage figurines is that you can often get your hands on these for a fair price on eBay if you keep your eyes open and are diligent about checking every week or so.  This can happen when there are not too many other interested buyers at the time you check.

Of course, not all figurines are created equal and not all of them are in demand.  Right now, popular searches for vintage figurines include clowns and dogs made by Lladro, Pendelfin figures (include bunnies or rabbits in your search), Goebel figurines, Snowbabies, and a very wide variety of Willow Tree Collectibles.

Not all of these popular brands are actually old enough to be considered true vintage, but often, people list anything retired with that label attached.  You never really know what someone selling one of these items will list it as if they are not an experienced seller.  For that reason, it can be a good practice to run a couple of searches, including the term "retired figurine" in one of them.

If you are a person looking to buy these up in bulk at estate sales, educate yourself first.  There are a couple of ways that these sales sometimes go.  One is when sellers just want to get things moved along to clear an estate or prepare for a move.  These folks will sometimes be happy to cut a deal to get everything moved out at once.  The other side of the coin is people who are probably having second thoughts about selling the collection at all.  They often will price things rather high to begin with and then not even be willing to strike a bargain for buying in quantity.  It would probably be best to just walk away from that situation unless you know that there are some really valuable pieces included in the lot.

Some people really go all out with their collectible figurines. Here is a great video that shows how someone did more than just store their collectibles on a shelf. It's beautiful!

I don't know a lot about them in particular.  I tend to mind my own business and never would even think about them if they did not catch my attention by some other means.  In this case, I noticed them because Masonic items are quite popular on eBay and they generally sell quite well.  Vintage Masonic items in particular are much sought after collectibles.

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45 Pocket Watch Fobs AW Co Simmons Masonic MOP    US $153.49

1920s MASONIC Triangular Pocket Watch Replica NR    US $3.25

A HEAVY POCKET WATCH CHAIN WITH UNUSUAL MASONIC FOB    US $48.55

UNUSUAL COLLECTION OF MASONIC POCKET WATCH CHAINS    US $108.06

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I should say that just finding one of these will not guarantee a huge selling price.  This one was extremely rare.  It was one of only 1500 fourteen kt gold watches made in the series produced by the Dudley company back in the 1920s.  A good thing for potential buyers and sellers to note was that this watch was in an unreconditioned state and was not even running.  A lot of times, sellers at estate sales will let non-functioning items go at a deep discount, even if they know it is very old.  Although a professional seller might know the value of this watch, if you find something like this at an estate sale being run by non-professionals, you might be able to pick up a nice deal.  Whether your consience will allow you to do that or not is up to you.

Vintage pocket watches in general are pretty popular.  I wouldn't spend too much without researching them a bit though.  Not every old pocket watch will sell like this one did.  In fact, this one stood out as a clear exception and was much higher than the nearest pocket watch that sold.  That watch, also Masonic, sold for about $1,250.  Still nothing to sneeze at, but prices dropped off sharply after that.

If you are going to buy one of these on speculation, always get as many details as you can before buying.  Also, don't pick such items up and recklessly start moving and twisting parts around.  You may find yourself paying for something that you managed to break.  Some of them can be very delicate or might have already experienced some type of prior damage.  Ask the seller to demonstrate what the watch can still do.

If you are a fan of antique pocket watches, you will enjoy this pocket watch video. It is quite a collection!

Antique Wall Clock

The first time I realized how valuable and expensive an antique wall clock could be, was at an estate sale that I visited.  I think the gentleman who owned the estate had been some type of top level executive in a major national corporation.  The house was beautiful.  It was filled with unbelievable hand carved wood everywhere.  It looked as though he was a serious art collector as well.  Rooms were just overflowing with what looked like museum pieces as they tried to show off every item to possible buyers.  I could tell just by looking around that prices were going to be out of my league.

There were actually two antique wall clocks that hung in separate rooms.  They were both beautiful, but they were noticeably different in style.  One was much bigger than the other, both were made of wood and we're very well maintained.  I asked the gentleman who seemed to be in charge to tell me about the large antique wall clock.  He gave me many details, but to be honest most of them went right past me because I am not any kind of serious clock collector.  I just liked the clock.  He explained that it was an antique German wall clock and that it had been made sometime around 1890.  He said it would most likely sell for at least $1500.  Without my asking, he went on to tell me that the other clock I had seen was actually older.  It was a Seth Thomas regulator made from walnut.  I only remember that because I had heard of Seth Thomas clocks before and the "Regulator" name stuck in my head.  The gentleman predicted that the Seth Thomas wall clock would sell for slightly less than the other one.  I just nodded and grinned because I knew that I could not afford either one of them, but they sure were nice looking clocks.

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Antique Banjo Wall Clock Converted To Electric    US $41.40

Antique Sessions Regulator E Oak Wall Clock    US $73.00

ANTIQUE NEW ENGLAND CLOCK CO SHELF MANTLE WALL CLOCK    US $51.00

Antique Skeleton Mechanical Wall Clock    US $95.00

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Checking out the completed listings on eBay for these old clocks was really interesting.  I found that there was a large regulator wall clock from Czechoslovakia that sold for $10,000 recently.  That is one heck of a clock!  I really only expected to see clocks made from wood when I started my search, but I found that there were also several antique French wall clocks made from bronze.  They also seem to be quite popular.

If you are in the market to buy an antique wall clock, the prices were at least comparable to what I came across at the estate sale I mentioned.  It would definitely be worth your time to take a look.  My advice would be to contact the seller so that you can be certain about the shipping method that will be used and what precautions will be taken to make sure that the clock arrives at your home safely.  You may want to note that eBay now has a policy, if I'm not mistaken, that puts the responsibility for insurance on the seller's shoulders.  Be sure to ask about that.

If you are looking to sell an antique wall clock, do your research.  Include as many details as possible about the clock and its history.  If you know the year that it was produced, include that in your auction listing.  People may be spending a lot of money on the clock you're selling and it is your responsibility to provide them with as many truthful details as possible.  As I mentioned in the last paragraph, as the seller of such a valuable piece of merchandise, you will need to make sure that it arrives safely at its destination.  Before I ever listed it for sale, I would talk to local clock makers as well as a professional packing service to find out what requirements would be necessary to keep the antique wall clock safe and sound on the trip to its new owner.

I found this video of an antique wall clock and thought I would include it here. It was shot specifically to show off an eBay listing. The clock is probably long since sold, but it brings up the fact that with digital video so readily available today, many sellers would be wise to include a short video with their auctions. Especially when moving parts are involved, it can be really make or break a deal. If you are a buyer, consider asking the seller to post a video if they haven't thought of it on their own.

Wedding

Both the bride and groom want their wedding day to be perfect, but I think most people would agree that the bride spends a lot more time thinking about that ashes growing up.  Many women picture that day from the time they are little girls.  Some women have very specific visions of how the day will be including the flowers, the music and of course the wedding dress.  There are a lot of ladies today who are choosing to wear vintage wedding dresses on their big day.

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VINTAGE 1940 S WEDDING GOWN GOOD CONDITION SMALL SIZE    US $45.00

Vintage Priscilla of Boston wedding gown    US $100.00

1950s Vintage EMMA DOMB short lace Wedding Party Dress    US $148.78

Vintage Southern Belle Wedding Gown Size Small    US $10.60

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When I look for items that catch my attention on eBay, I do not look for reasons why people buy those things.  The fact is, vintage wedding dresses sell pretty well on eBay.  Vintage wedding gowns can also be found at specialized outlets as well, but you will probably see prices that are higher than you will find on eBay.  I think the problem that most women have with those outlets, is that the prices can be very high and the selection is often quite limited.  Once again, with eBay you have the chance to explore an amazingly vast list of possibilities.  Any retail outlet would be very hard pressed to provide the selection available on such a huge site where individuals can list their own vintage items for sale.

Vintage wedding dresses are actually one of the smaller groups of listings that have caught my attention.  I heard some people talking about them the other day and thought I would look them up on the site.  At the time of this writing, there are currently 682 vintage wedding dresses listed for sale.  Although this is a relatively small number of items for eBay, it is still a much larger selection then you would find almost anywhere else.

For as beautiful and elegant as these vintage dresses are, they are surprisingly affordable.  I think that might be what surprised me the most.  Many of the dresses, which were absolutely beautiful, are sold for $300 or less.  What was even more surprising, maybe even stunning, was the number of beautiful wedding gowns that sold for prices well under $100.  I've got to say that actually shocked me.

For brides-to-be a who may be working on a tighter budget, I can not imagine at least looking at what is available for sale on eBay.  I suppose that some of these are dresses being put up for sale by ladies who either do not want to store the dresses any longer or whose marriages may not have ended up quite the way they had expected.  As I said, I do not know.  Sometimes people include stories with their auctions, you could certainly check those out as you look through the vintage wedding dresses for sale.  They are definitely worth checking out.

One of the neatest vintage items I ended up coming across in my adventures in eBay selling was the vintage lunch box.  Collectors of vintage lunch boxes are often quite serious about their hobby.  The way I found out about it was by almost making a purchase on a whim at a moving sale that an older couple was having in my area.  Yes, I said almost.  Let me explain...

There was a bit of a sad feel to the tiny house as I entered it. The moving sale was being held by an elderly couple who moving in with the family of one of their six children and they seemed a bit upset by the idea.  They started talking to me about how they hated to sell off everything, but that the move was necessary and they felt that they had little choice.  Most of what they had on display was common household stuff and some knick knacks that had filled the shelves of their home.  There were a few things that qualified as vintage, but nothing they had for sale was an actual antique.  I suppose they probably had packed away most of what they considered valuable already for the move.  It really didn't look too promising.

I would have left in about two minutes after doing a courtesy walk through, but the couple seemed quite happy to have someone listening to them and we ended up talking for a little while.  When I mentioned that I was looking for older items from the 80s or earlier, the old man's eyes lit up.  He got himself up from his chair and told me to follow him as he moved slowly down the hall, leaning on an old wooden walking stick.  He made me nervous as he went down the creaky old steps to the basement, but he assured me that he was fine and that he had something he thought I'd get a kick out of.

I silently was hoping that whatever he wanted to show me was something that I would be able to act excited about.  There have been many times when people thought they had some unbelievably rare collectible to show me which then turned out to be a pretty common find.  I liked this elderly gentleman already and I didn't want to show any disappointment if what he had, fell into this category.

As it turned out, I didn't really need to worry about that.  When we got to the bottom of the steps, he pointed to three home made shelves he had mounted on the paneled wall.  They were filled with old school items from when his children had attended school.  Some of it was rather common.  There were a few vintage yearbooks, a row of trophies and some school pennants (which might have actually been worth a bit of money), but what caught my eye were the old lunch boxes that stood next to each other in a row.  He asked me to take them down so that we could look at them more closely, so I did.  There were eight vintage lunch boxes in all.  I set the lot of lunch boxes down on a worn out formica card table and we each took a seat to check them out.

I could tell right away that someone had taken a lot better care of their lunch boxes than I ever had as a kid.  I wasn't a bad kid, but I do remember kicking my metal lunch boxes around once in a while during the walk home from school.  Why?  I don't know.  I just did.  My mom never mentioned it, but must have wondered how I managed to scratch them up so badly.

These collectible lunch boxes showed some light wear but were in very nice condition overall.  Like I said, at that point I had never researched how much they were worth, but I had enough experience to know that they looked like a sure seller to me.  The collection he had was a mix of old plastic lunch boxes and what I figured were tin lunch boxes.  I didn't know for sure what the metal boxes were actually made of at that point.

I asked him how much he wanted for them and he asked me what I thought would be a fair price.  I had taken wild guesses many times before and burned myself.  My garage full of junk was proof of that.  I asked him if I could get back to him later in the day about them and he was fine with that.  I wasn't really worried about him selling them to someone else because the sale was about over and I just had a gut feeling that he did not really think that they were very valuable.  I left and went home to check out how these things sold on eBay.

If you are reading this, you surely know what I found out.  Some lunch boxes are very valuable.  Antique lunch boxes and vintage lunch boxes command some pretty high prices.  It may or may not have been the intelligent thing to do, but I printed out the prices I found for items that were similar to what the old couple had and I went back to their house.  I know that I probably could have purchased the entire lot for fifty dollars from them.  They probably would have wondered why I was giving them so much.  When the old man showed the boxes to me, I know that he wasn't thinking that I was reselling them on eBay.  He assumed that I collected old stuff.

Anyway, I showed the couple how much the vintage lunch box collection was actually worth and told them that they should probably let their kids know about it.  They were shocked to say the least.  I left the printouts with them and drove home.  To be honest, I wrestled with whether or not I did the right thing for days on that one.  I really could have made some money, but it just didn't feel right.

I don't remember exactly what all was in the lot now, but I do remember that there were a couple of dome lunch boxes.  I think that one of them had the Jetsons on it.  There were also a couple with different popular characters that I only sort of recognized.  I remember looking up "horse lunch boxes", so there was a horse on at least one of them.  There were also two Mickey Mouse lunch boxes, and some others.  I definitely remember that there was one with the rock band KISS on it.  That one sticks in my mind because I really liked that band.

So, if you are a collector of vintage lunch boxes, you probably haven't really learned anything new here today.  I apologize for that.  If you just stumbled across this site looking for information about vintage and antique collectibles that sell on eBay, well, now you have something else to keep your eyes open for when you hit the sales.

Here are a few of the vintage lunch boxes currently selling on eBay. I don't find these too often at any of the sales I frequent. I've never seen a collection like the one that couple had unless it was being sold by someone who realized their value. Most times, what they were asking was way out of my price range. I don't collect them myself, so I really only want to buy them now if I can turn a profit on them by selling them to someone else.

Vintage Lunch Boxes for Sale

Here are a few of the popular vintage lunch boxes selling on eBay right now.

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VINTAGE ROUGH RIDER MOTORCYCLE DIRT BIKE LUNCHBOX    US $13.50

VINTAGE DRAGONS LAIR METAL LUNCHBOX    US $9.99

VINTAGE 1968 GENTLE BEN METAL LUNCHBOX    US $16.50

VINTAGE 1962 PETS N PALS METAL LUNCHBOX    US $9.99

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Here are a couple of videos showing off some vintage lunch box collections.

These are vintage 70's lunch boxes

Here is a video showing off vintage 60s lunch boxes...

You can also find a lot of really interesting information about old lunch boxes by clicking here.

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Vintage Doll House Furniture Plasco Toys Coffee Table    US $5.99

Vintage Renwal Clock Coffee Table Dollhouse Furniture    US $4.95

Vintage Mattel Modern Coffee Table with original box    US $.99

Antique Vintage Pine Trunk Shabby Chic Coffee Table    US $32.89

1

People often look to eBay for second hand furniture for at least a couple of reasons.  Some people are looking for cheap vintage furniture.  They like the look and figure that it might come cheap because it isn't new.  Others scour sites like eBay and Craigslist looking for one particular piece of furniture that would be just the right touch to finish off their home decor.  These folks are often the people who are ready and willing to pay whatever it takes to get the look they desire.  For some pieces of vintage furniture, prices can get quite high.  This can be a real hit or miss item.  Really, anything vintage is that way, but older furniture is something that people specifically search out.  People will spend months, or even years looking for specific antique desks or china closets that they simply must have.  After all of that searching, paying a price that is on the high side becomes a little bit more acceptable to them.

If you are looking to sell, well, you might be in luck.  As I mentioned, often, people are looking for just the right coffee table to put into their homes.  If you happen to own something that captures a lot of attention, you could find yourself rewarded handsomely.  I don't know that I'd recommend sellers putting a starting price too low for a vintage coffee table.  There is always a chance that no one will be all that interested and then you could end up having to deal with the hassle of  shipping a 99 cent coffee table across the country.  Keep your starting price reasonable and fair, but realize that many of these old coffee tables sell with just one bid in on them.

Vintage Candy

I think it is safe to say that many people who decide to collect something do so as a way of remembering an earlier time in their lives.  Of course there are other reasons, but I think the "memory thing" plays at least a part in the building of many collections.  Vintage candy and vintage gum fall squarely into this category in my opinion.

People build some immense collections around this one and there are different directions that they follow.  Some people like vintage candy jars.  The kind found in the old fashioned apothecaries that have for the most part been taken over by pharmacy chains now.  These old glass containers came in a great variety of shapes and sizes.  I would imagine that displaying such a collection would take up quite a bit of space, but tying it together with other vintage candy collectibles could really make it into something special.

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VINTAGE 2 SHARKS CANDY CONTAINER WITH LABELS    US $.99

Vintage 8 Strand Red White Candy Cane Necklace Earring    US $7.84

red devil head plastic candy container topper{vintage}    US $2.99

VINTAGE Cast Iron GINGERBREAD MAN Candy Handled Mold    US $6.00

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As collectibles go, these vintage and antique salt shakers are quite popular.  They are certainly a very convenient size for collectors who like to display their treasures.  They also lend themselves nicely to following particular themes.  If you are using them as a decorative display in your kitchen, finding several sets to match your decor is a piece of cake in most cases.

Other people go for a more eclectic mix of vintage salt and pepper shakers when they build their collection.  They may be more interested in purchasing items that come from some particular period of history or which commemorate something that is important to them.

Mammy salt shakers show up a lot on eBay and they are sometimes bid to amounts that are quite impressive by Black Americana collectors.  I see these a lot at garage sales and estate sales, but word must be out that they are collectible, because they usually seem to have a price tag that is noticeably higher than other shakers being sold.

Others still, may collect by a particular maker.  Some names that sold well during a recent check of eBay listings were Steuben, Lefton, Stieff, Tiffany and Cartier.  This is definitely not an exhaustive list though.  You also shouldn't assume that just because an old set of shakers carries one of these names that they are worth substantial money.  Much depends on the particular set you are looking at and its rarity.

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Vintage 1950s Las Vegas Vic Howdy Salt Pepper Shakers    US $4.99

4 VINTAGE ETCHED GLASS SALT PEPPER SHAKERS PEARL TOPS    US $.99

Vintage Pr PYREX SALT PEPPER SHAKERS 1960s 1970s    US $3.25

VINTAGE ANCHOR HOCKING RED POLKA DOT RANGE SALT SHAKERS    US $27.00

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Before buying any antique or vintage shakers, always examine them closely.  These are one of those items that often get a quick repair during their lifetimes.  Sometimes they get pressed right back into service.  Look for hairline cracks that indicate repairs or small chips that may have been colored in by the original owners.  This isn't to suggest that they are trying to pull a fast one.  They may have just been trying to keep a favorite set of shakers from the trash heap.  If you are a regular at low priced selling events like garage sales, you can often walk away with a great instant collection of vintage salt and pepper shakers!

Vintage Collecting

Personally, I love dealing with collectible merchandise.  I like to go out exploring estate sales and auctions, I enjoy researching the particular vintage and antique items and looking for what sells well, and I like re-selling some of it for a profit when possible on eBay.  There are also a few particular items that I enjoy hanging on to and just can't bring myself to part with regardless of how much I could get for them.

The New York Times ran an article recently that reported that the collectibles market is actually a good place to invest your money.  What I liked about the article was that they basically have the same beliefs as I do about collecting.  If you love the stuff, you are much more likely to take care of it, hold on to it and not panic by watching its value if the market seems to be going up or down.

The market for collectibles is not nearly as volatile as other areas of investment.  Things move much more slowly.  Most people who collect things don't necessarily do it for immediate financial gain.  In fact, if you talk to many collectors, they say that they plan on passing their collections on to loved ones.  What those heirs will do with it is anybody's guess but most likely, they would not be in a hurry to turn a quick profit on it either.

That leads to one of the problems with seeing collectible items as an investment.  They can be so hard for people to part with when the need or desire for money comes along.

If you are a collector of some particular item, but you are still interested in making money from the collection, there may be some options.  You could act as an expert consultant for other collectors if you really know your stuff.  You could also sort of rope off an area of your collection that is untouchable to you.  Keep it as your core collection and use some other items from your collection for trading, selling and generally building up your collection.  You can always add to your "exclusive" collection at any time.  That can be what gets passed down to others when the time comes.