July Muncie Fruit Jar Show

It's almost here-- the July Muncie Fruit Jar Show!

• What: Midwest Antique Fruit Jar & Bottle Club's Show & Sale
• When: July 13, 2008 (room hopping starts July 10th)
• Where: Signature Inn, Muncie, Indiana

Here's all the show info from their website:

" The Show and Sale on Sunday, July 13, 2008 will be the culmination of several days of fruit jar-related happenings. Some people will start arriving at the Signature Inn, 3400 N. Chadam Lane, Muncie (765-284-4200) as early as Thursday to get their rooms set up and start room-hopping. If you haven't been room-hopping, you don't know what you have missed. Dealers set their jars up in their rooms and you can hop from room to room in the motel, looking for that special find. Thursday and Friday nights will be the prime time for action in the rooms. You must make your reservations by June 10 to get a room on the first floor. The Fruit Jar Get-Together and Auction also will be held at the Signature Inn. "

Events:

• Saturday, July 12, 2008
• Jelly Jammers Meeting -- At 10:00am in the Conference Room on the second floor of the Signature Inn. Buy, sell and show jelly jars and related items. Everyone is welcome.
• Fruit Jar Get-Together -- At 1:30pm in the Conference Room on the second floor of the Signature Inn. Collectors from all over the United States and Canada show off their latest finds, and what they are putting up for auction.
• Fruit Jar Auction -- Immediately following the Get-Together, the jars put up for auction will be sold off to the highest bidder. Here's a chance to find some jars that you won't find on a table the next day.

• Sunday, July 13, 2008
• MAFJ&BC Show and Sale -- Horizon Convention Center is in downtown Muncie, at 401 South High Street.
• Displayers set up at 6:30 am
• Dealers at 7:00 am
• Doors open to the public at 9:00 am.
• Show lasts until 2:00 pm.

For more information about the show, including dealer tables, contact Dave Rittenhouse, 1008 S. 900 W., Farmland, IN 47340, 765-468-8091.

Antique Clocks -- Top 10 List

The antique clock at the auction last week was very pretty. Clocks are something I know nothing about, value-wise. But I can tell by these recent completed ebay auctions that these high priced 3 are gorgeous! But just like with the beaded purses, you can see the artistic differences as the prices drop.



This beauty brought $4,000.00



This ornate lovely brought $3,800.00



Whereas this wood case, ornate as it is, only brought $1,375.00.

Collectors Weekly has done a great job with their CLOCKS page gathering lots if info and links if you want to learn about clock collecting. And, they have a great new concept called Super Browse. Be sure to check it out on their Current eBay Clocks Auctions Super Browse page -- you can see the current and completed prices for 100s of ebay clock auctions -- nice!

Here's the neat little ebay Search Widget for items with "Antique Clock" in the title:

And here's the ebay TOP 10 List for: Antiques > Decorative Arts > Clocks

Top 10 List -- Antique Beaded Purses

After seeing that pretty framed antique beaded purse at the auction the other night, I thought I'd look at some more beaded purses on ebay, to compare and learn what to look for. Wow! There have been some gorgeous examples. Just look at these, the highest-priced 4 that sold recently.



This lovely bag brought $2315.00! The scene continued all the way around. Can you imagine the time spent putting those 1000s of teeny tiny beads on there?



I adore this dramatic colorful peacock purse that sold for $2000.00.



This Venice Gondola scene bag brought $1500.00.



This colorful bag brought $1400. As pretty as it is, you can definitely see the difference in artistic value between the top 2 and the next 2 -- it's more than just the $1000.00. Believe me, you'll know a good one when you see it. I hope you get a deal on it!

Here's a page that lists some great reference books about beaded purses.

Check out this pretty and informative website: Exquisite Antique Beaded Purses by Jo Addie

The quality, and thus the drop off precipitously after the top few, as is usually the case with most categories. That's why the rare, better pieces bring the better prices. I think this is another example of the Pareto's 80-20 rule that is often referred to in evaluating collections. The top 20% of the items represent 80% of the value. I try to edit my collections, and improve the quality. You know - sell off the bottom, keep the cream, so someday it's all "the good stuff".

Here's the ebay search widget for all the current ebay auctions with "Antique Beaded Purse" in the titles.

And here's the Top 10 List of Most Watched Antique Purse Auctions on ebay now. The one's that the sniper's have their eyes on:

Antique Auction Goodies

Here are some highlights from Myer's Aucion's nice antique auction in Wapakoneta today. I photographed these last night at the preview. That was a nice treat for me, a chance to preview the auction in the evening, without having to get up early.



This was a lovely antique beaded ladie's purse, nicely framed.



This ornate shelf clock was so pretty, with the carving at top center, and the cherub figures on the sides.



This was a nice big-size Atkinson Fox print, with bright colors and original period frame.



This ornate majolica pitcher centerpiece was one of my favorite things there.



I don't know if you can tell by my blurry photo, but this is a tall Austrian portrait vase, which was just gorgeous.



This old hardware store nail cabinet was in amazing condition.



I would have loved to put this big Seller's cupboard in my farmhouse kitchen.



No Lima bottles for me, but there was a scarce (rare?) aqua blob top qt. beer embossed KOLTER & KOCH BREWERS WAPAKONETA OHIO.



This was the lot of amber fruit jars. Wish there'd been more variety there.

So, I didn't add anything to my personal collections, but did see some quality antiques, and of course enjoyed visiting with my fellow auction enthusiasts. I'm looking forward to the many interesting auctions coming up this summer. I'll be keeping you posted. You never know what I'll find!

Ball Jars Search Widget

Here's the search widget with ebay itmes that have BALL JAR* in the titles --as requested by the BALL JAR COMMUNITY

Root Beer Chat

We had our Findlay Antique Bottle Club meeting recently, and most-generous fellow member Tom gifted me with a Lima bottle for my collection.



It's a big root beer syrup jug with a paper label for Phillips Drive-In in Lima. Thanks, Tom!



Coincidentally, just the day before I had picked up 2 vintage glass root beer mugs, one etched BOWEY'S OLD STYLE ROOT BEER and one embossed ROCHESTER ROOT BEER.



While we're on the subject of Root beer, then, here's my SWALLOW'S OLD STYLE ROOT BEER (Lima) bottle, and cardboard advertising bottle topper.



I guess I have developed a mini root beer collection. I also have a couple of neat embossed Root Beer Flavoring/Extract bottles. One dark amber, embossed BRYANT'S ROOT BEER, Detroit Michigan. The clear one's embossed with a nice foamy mug, and THOMSON AND TAYLORS "IT FOAMS".



I've always thought that Hire's Root Beer had some of the best images on their antique advertising trade cards. I love all their Victorian children lithographed cards.





To learn about the history of Root Beer and Sarsaparilla:

• Dr. Root Beer -- great vintage root beer advertising
• Root Beer World
• Wikipedia: Root Beer

• Here's the link to ebay's listings (under collectibles) with Root beer in the title.

Here's the new ebay search widget, but it searches all ebay listing with Root Beer in the title:

• Note to my local readers: Myers Auctioneers have a couple of good antiques-filled auctions this week. Here's their calendar page with all the info: Myers Auction Calendar

The Devil Made Me Buy It

Last week when I went to the mall to stock my booth, I saw this way cool wood shipping crate with the colorful graphics for PLUTO French Lick Mineral Springs Water.

It would have been a nice addition to my mini collection of Devil advertising/bottles/tins. I get a kick out of the bizarre images used on these products.

You can learn a little about French Lick Indiana's Pluto Water, a once very popular product and health spa resort, on wikipedia. And here at French Lick History.

Digger Odell's bottle website has some info about the neat Pluto Water Bottles. Besides the colorful paper labels, they are embossed with the Pluto Devil on the bottoms. The bottles are harder to find with the paper labels, but abundant with no labels. My 2 little bottles are not as old as the ones pictured on these colorful vintage postcards.

And here's my new favorite search widget:

New Ebay Search Widgets

I was just checking out eBay To Go™ (beta), where you can make a variety of attractive little search widgets to put on your blogs, or any web page.

Here's the one with my current ebay listings, some of my beautiful 4th of July Framed Tiles:

Here's the one with the current Lima Ohio items -- mouse over the tiny pic, and it will show you a little bigger thumbnail, and at the bottom you will see the item's title, and how long the auction has left. You can click to go to the auction. Lots of info in these tiny boxes.

And here's one showing current Milk Bottles --

I have a feeling you'll be seeing many of these little widget boxes in my future posts. I think they're a "Good Thing".

Top 10 List - Milk Bottles

Today is Show'n'Tell day. I picked up a couple of nice treasures to add to my collections.




One is a plastic store counter display for Pierrot Gourmand Candy Lollipops. This is the 1st plastic Pierrot G. display I've ever seen, and, happily, I won him on ebay for only $25.00!



I have just a couple of other Pierrot Gourmand items, which I have displayed with some of my clown items. I have a colorful cardboard sign, and a marvelous ceramic piece that is the ONLY one I've seen that is 2-faced (the same sweet face on both sides).

You see the single-faced counter display on ebay quite often. The last one brought over $200.00, and there is one on ebay now.



I remember several years ago I was reading a decorating magazine, and saw this darling clown Pierrot Gourmand piece, and thought "Hey, I want one, too!", so immediately went to ebay, and found mine, bid on it, and won. That was pretty nifty. He's had a place of honor on my shelf ever since. And now the plastic one will be up there with him.



The other really great thing I got was a 1/2 gallon Acacia Dairy milk bottle from Huntington Beach, California. Definitely scarce, dare I say rare? I love the cow on the front on, and the cute little baby on the reverse. I want to thank Ed for trading with me at the Mansfield Bottle Show. He has some amazing bottles -- check him out on ebay -- he's BOTTLEWIZARD.

Be sure to check The Collector's Weekly site's great MILK BOTTLE page, with their killer-app. widget that shows you the highest priced Milk Bottles on ebay WITH BIDS, and will show you highest COMPLETED prices, with bids, too.

So, let's finish off today's post with, you guessed it -- the TOP 10 List of Most Watched MILK BOTTLES on ebay now.

Top Ten List of Antique Decorative and Portrait Plates

Wow-- May was busy and fun, and now here it is June. Don't forget the Urbana(Ohio) Antique Show is this weekend, June 7 & 8th. Chance of rain, but it'll still be a good show.

Lots of auctions coming up. Check out the Auction Zip Calendar to find one near you.

I found all kinds of stuff packed away when I was getting ready for my garage sale, so I am still sorting and playing with it all, trying to get organised and get a ton of things listed on ebay. I used to take the summers off from ebay selling, and it still may be slower than in the winter, but I'm betting there are buyers all year round. At least there are when I'm bidding on treasures!

The current Antique Week has a cover story on Antique Portrait Plates, or what I call my "foo-foo" plates. I collected some back when I first moved here, so I dug out that box, and am putting them up on ebay this week. My favorite one is the pretty pink bowl with the mythological scene. I think it is Poseidon, with one of his many lovers. Another pretty one is a portrait of Queen Louise of Prussia. She was beautiful, and there are many versions of this plate.

Just like the vintage sewing patterns I dug out last week, my plates are not the rarest, most desirable ones, but I am sure they'll go to a more appreciative collector, as I have moved on to other collecting categories.

If you want to see some really good, rare fancy Decorative and Portrait Plates, here's the TOP 10 Most-Watched FOO-FOO Plates on Ebay now:

Free Shipping for my Online Store!

I have an exciting announcement:

Right now, on June 3,4, and 5, you can get FREE SHIPPING on any order of $60.00 or more from my SCRAPBOOK ART ANTIQUES online shop!

So now's your chance to save some $$ and get a few of those t-shirts, notecards, and other gift items illustrated with the beautiful illustration art from my antique postcard collection.

Just in time for Father's Day gifts, and to get ready for the 4th of July!

Be sure to enter the coupon code: THANKSALL