Antique Baseball Cigar Box Labels

Thought I'd share a few of my antique cigar box label BASEBALL images. These are fabulous lithographs from the late 1800s-1910s. The colors are so bright, and the artwork is so detailed.

As I've written before, I am always amazed at the breadth of Arcadia Publishings topics.

They have so much more than just small towns. I just go nuts for all their great books illustrated with antique postcards and photographs.

This week they are featuring BASEBALL books, so that's why I am sharing a few of my Baseball labels with you.

Baseball at Tulane University, LA	Baseball in Washington, D.C.	Brooklyn Dodgers, NY
Detroit Sluggers: The First 75 Years, MI	Little League World Series, PA	Women's Baseball

Today's Treasure: Vintage Lusterware Cruet Set

Here's a lovely item I have on ebay right now:

• MIJ Made in Japan == Luster Ware Lustre
• 5 piece SET :
• Handled TRAY/carrier/holder
• 2 Cruets: Vinegar & Oil
• Mini Condiment Jar with little spoon
• Salt & Peppers shakers
  

Wouldn't this pretty vintage set really make a table look SPRING-y! I feel happier just looking at it!

Today's Treasure: Napoleon Bonaparte Bon Bon Candy Jar

Napoleon Bon Bon Candy Jar

This one's for "Quirky Marie" of CPAPHILS POSTCARDS. She's a quite the Napoloeon fan, as her post today illustrates.

Marie must have been with me in spirit this weekend at the Columbus Bottle Show, because look what I bought! A great big glass candy jar with a colorful paper label picturing Napoleon himself! Now when I look at it, I'll think of her.

Who'll be on my shoulder helping me shop next time?

I Wonder what I'll find this weekend at our local Lions Club Flea Market? Here's what I found there last time.

Today's Treasure: Jackie Coogan Uncle Fester Celluloid Doll Toy

Jackie Coogan Uncle Fester Celluloid Doll Toy 1930s Rare

• Adorable little 5.5" tall celluloid doll/toy/figure showing Coogan as he appeared in 1921 Charlie Chaplin film "The Kid."
• Marked on back with the VISCOLOID mark -- info on Viscoloid mark from this helpful doll reference site. They show a pic of this same mark.
• They say: " 1901 -1930's Viscoloid Company, of Leominster, MA (USA). 1915 they were bought by DuPont., made celluloid dolls, one of their markings is: USA - VCO. "
• From playing THE KID with Charlie Chaplin, to the unforgettable lovable "creepy and ooky" Uncle Fester on THE ADDAMS FAMILY 1960s TV show, and in films & TV shows untill his death in 1984, his career spanned almost 65 years.
• See the list of his performances here on the Jackie Coogan page on Internet Movie Database.

Just wanted to share this fun item I have listed on eBay right now.

Today's Treasure: Newspaper Comics ASHTRAY Moon Mullins

Nodder Newspaper Comics Character ASHTRAY Moon Mullins Germany

• Also called KNOTTER because head is KNOTTED on -- it doesn't "bobble" around -- see close up pic of knotted string in his neck -- head turns to side - knot is firm/tight, head is not loose
• Colorful painted bisque ceramic figurine screwed into orange art deco ashtray / pin tray base -- overall height approx. 4-1/2" -- made with a wooden stick cigar glued in his mouth -- made with a hole in the top of his hat -- why?
• Back is marked MOON MULLINS GERMANY and base marked GERMANY
• MOON MULLINS -- "Moon" was short for "Moonshine", which in the Prohibition Era meant Mr. Mullins was a drinking man.
• Medium: Newspaper Comics // Distributed by: Chicago Tribune Syndicate // First Appeared: 1923 // Creator: Frank Willard
• More info on this excellent website -- http://www.toonopedia.com/moon.htm

Just wanted to share this fun item I have listed on eBay right now...

( Update = this neat character ashtray got a final bid of $45.75 )

Today's Treasure: Perfume Bottle ~ HIS After Shave ~ Cubist Art Deco Man

Rare Figural Commercial Perfume ~ HIS After Shave ~ Cubist Art Deco Man Shaped Bottle

• Deep burgundy painted glass torso, with off-white plastic (bakelite???) winking cube-head.
• Approx. 6-1/2" tall x 3-3/8" wide
• Label reads: MFG BY AND DIST FOR THE HOUSE FOR MEN INC / AFTER SHAVE LOTION / NORTHWOODS / CHICAGO ILL

Just wanted to share this fun item that I have listed on eBay right now!

( Update = this cool bottle got a final bid of $132.50 )

2009 Fruit Jar Annual -- Price Guide

It's that time of year again. Jerry McCann's latest 2009 FRUIT JAR ANNUAL - THE GUIDE TO COLLECTING FRUIT JARS fruit jar guide book is now available.

This spiral bound book includes current prices, comments on important jars sold privately and at auction, as well as articles by Tom Caniff and Barry Bernas, and a listing of jar collectors by State.

Randy Taylor sells it on ebay.

Or you can get it directly from Jerry, for $35.00.
Send your check to:
Jerry McCann
5003 West Berwyn Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630-1501
(773)777-0443
Fjar@aol.com

Today's Treasure: Art Deco Noritake Salt & Pepper Shakers

My darling little salt and pepper set, on ebay now.

Just wanted to share one of my treasures with you. It's listed on ebay right now. SOOOOO Cute!

• Darling Noritake China with luster finish -- set of 5 little Art Deco Flapper Girl Egg Heads on a Tray
• Tray is marked with M in a wreath, and NORITAKE / MADE IN JAPAN / HAND PAINTED.
• Each little head shaker is marked JAPAN, and they all have their original stoppers, with paper labels that have Oriental characters printed on them.
• Tray is approx. 4-1/4" x 2-3/4" -- and the little shakers are approx. 1-3/8" tall

( Update = this darling set got a final bid of $171.38 )

Name Tags - Part II

I like how the SAMBA Blog thinks.

From one of their recent posts titled The Name Game:

" Throughout the day, every time you interact with a person who has a name tag on ... look them in the eye and use their name.

Watch their ... surprised smile ... humanize the ... day. "

Columbus Bottle Show is Sat. 2-21-09

FEBRUARY 21 - COLUMBUS, OHIO
The Annual Columbus, Ohio Antique Bottle Show (Sat. 9 AM - 2:30 PM, Adm. $2; Early Adm. 7 AM, $20) at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, 17th Avenue (Exit off I-71), Columbus, Ohio. INFO: JOE HARDIN, 594 Layman Rd., New Vienna, OH 45159, PH: ( 937) 371-0264. EMAIL: jkcollectables@gmail.com

The Scott Antique Show is also the same day at the fairgrounds (just across the street), so you can spend the day and hit both shows.

Link to the weather forecast for Columbus Ohio.

Febru-Cherry

Well, if last month was JARS-uary, then this must be Febru-CHERRY!

Seeing the George Washington "Cherry Smash" advertising card yesterday reminded me that that's what a local Lima burger joint, Kewpee Hamburgers always calls February, so they can push their "cherry-cherry-pie".

Here are a few of my pretty vintage treasures in the cherry theme. Mmmm!

Cherry Cheer was made in Sidney Ohio.

Happy President's Day

I remember when our country celebrated presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays on their actual birthdays. That's enough history -- I feel old!

Let's move on to the "antiques" part of our presentation...

Here are just a few vintage postcards that honor some of our past prezzys. I tried to pick a few that you don't see often.

Click the pic to a larger view.

Enjoy the day!

What's in A Name? or Who R U?

I just wrote this blog post for my AVCOSA blog, and thought I'd share it here, too.

Pic from http://www.theterracottage.com/women/women.html


It's about getting folks to share a little more about themselves, and to be more transparent, starting with names. It applies to the real world as much as it applies to social networking, or to antiques dealers.

Remember the Seinfeld episode about everyone wearing name tags? I think it was a great idea! And I'm not the only one - read Social Capital Blog's comments about starting a National Name Tag Day.


Here's my original post. You can just substitute your club, business, or social network for AVCOSA, and it will be about you!

" I have a request for you, my fellow AVCOSANS --- if your sign-in name is different from your real name, would you please put your name on your "My Page"? And when you sign your comments, too. At least your first name. Pretty please?

I think it would really help us to get to know each other. I know it would help me, especially as we are getting so many new members every day.

It'd be great to see a pic of your faces, too.

I know that since Jeff and I started wearing buttons printed with our names, and our bottle club name, whenever we go to any bottle show/event, we have made so many new friends. We are having a much better time in our hobby now.

I always wear a name tag when I attend any antiques show, too, as it encourages conversations. People like to deal with someone they know, and a name is a great place to start.

How many times have you met someone, had a short but pleasant interaction, and moved on. Then you see them at the next event, and think "Oh darn, what was their name?" and they've walked by you before you can speak.

Now we have had so many more conversations with fellow collectors. they are able to say, "so, your'e with that club..." or "I saw your article in the newsletter" -- you get the idea.

If my personal partiality to names isn't enough to influence you (pretty please with sugar on top?), then here's a quote from an article on The Customer Collective about improving sales in a recession by being transparent:


" transparency is the antidote to suspicion. In a recession, bad behavior goes up. Buyers are more suspicious of sellers’ motives. Transparency eases their mind about the motives behind your actions, your words, and your intentions. Transparency helps your sales. "

" the main reason we don’t practice transparency is fear—fear of being taken advantage of by competitors, by employees, and by customers. Now is the time to remember the adage "the best way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him." You receive the behavior you expect. "

And that's my story... --Marianne Dow msdowantiques.com

LOVE Potion -- It's The Oldest Profession

Here's a cute little amber bottle, relatively common and often dimissed by bottle collectors.

But it has an interesting and rather sordid history, and is connected with "The Oldest Profession", if you know what I mean.

It's about 3" tall, and embossed VALENTINE'S MEAT JUICE.




According to the Valentine Museum, now known as the Valentine Richmond History Center (Virginia), Mann S. Valentine, Jr., the museum's founder, made his fortune with the creation and production of Valentine's Meat Juice, a health tonic made from pure beef juice. The Valentine Meat Juice Company used 15 to 20 THOUSAND pounds of flesh from beef cattle a day to make the juice.





What bottle collectors will find interesting is that archaelogical digs around brothels found a great many VMJ bottles. Quote:

" Prostitutes ate better and dressed better than their working class contemporaries. Some of their purchasing power, however, was spent on proprietary medicines such as Valentine's Meat Juice, promoted as a cure for sexually transmitted diseases, aka social diseases. "

AND...

Valentine's Meat Juice figured prominently in a famous murder case.

The Case of Mrs. Maybrick was written about in The Elements of Murder By John Emsley. Apparently the Mrs. killed her husband by poisoning his Valentine's Meat Juice with arsenic!

And I used to think it was such a cute little bottle -- who knew?

Well... anyway, Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Friday the 13th!

Here are some "Friday the 13th" info-tidbits from Wikipedia:

• The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia [say that 10 times fast -- yikes!]


• The 13th day of the month is slightly more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week.


• On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212 days. [my note: 2009 has 3 Friday the 13ths!]
  
• It's estimated that 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day -- & estimated that $800 million is lost in business on this day.

I say FEAR NOT !!! Let's get out there and shop!

Cupid's Dance ~ 2009 Valentine

Here's an experimental video I made (on animoto.com), with images from my gift shop Valentine line, available at www.cafepress.com/msdowantiques

The Curious Tale of Jeff's Jar

Here's an interesting story told by Findlay Bottle Club member Jeff Klingler in his recent post on The Ball Jar Collectors Community site. He tells of finding a treasure he didn't even realize he had, just by going through his own stuff.

He writes " It was like the JAR FAIRY had just put it there!! ... I about fell off my chair! I ran downstairs (with the jar) and ... "

Be sure to read his story to get, as Paul Harvey says, "The rest of the story. " And it's a story that will interest everyone, not just fruit jar collectors.

I can't tell you more -- I don't want to spoil the surprise-twist ending --you don't want to miss it!

--------------------------------------

The Great BALL Wall of Montana

Larry Munson sent some pix for show'n'tell. He writes " I'm sending
pictures of the wall in my jar house that I am working on--it is a little over
11' high. Just finished putting up the big BALL cutout of the BALL MASON jar and
the 5 pictures on the left side of it."

Click the thumbnails to see the BIG picture.

Fixed Price a Mixed Bag

Time really does fly. This weekend is the Urbanna (Ohio) Antiques Show -- already!

I actually made it to January's show. That's right, Evil-Morning-Marianne was vanquished. We made a day of it. Went to the antique show, then on to several antique malls. Then out to dinner at our favorite fish taco place, Baja Fresh.

I added the 2 Gonder Pottery figurines (at left in the pic) to my collection. I just love that rich deep burgundy glaze, and the Tropical/Shell theme blends with my Victorian seashell boxes, bathing beauty and mermaid figurines, and shell collection/decor.

The crowd at the Urbana show was pretty good for January. Too cold for the outside sellers. I didn't buy much, but as always, I had a great time visiting friends, and chatting with several dealers who were talking about how eBay's changes are affecting their biz. The general sentiment seemed to echo mine. It's not what it used to be -- now it's looked at as a necessary evil. And still the only place to sell online at auction.

Fixed price is another story. It's a mixed bag. Lots of venues, & more every day...

I am a firm believer that the future of antiques/collectibles selling online at fixed price doesn't depend as much on which site you use, as long as the listings get indexed by Google.

We really need to promote the concept of searching/shopping through google, not just through ebay. To explore that concept, I did a mini-study. I searched for Gonder Pottery on several sites, and then through Google Shopping/Products.

At the time I searched items with Gonder in the title, I found:

• Zero items listed on ebid.net or icollect247.com
• 1 item listed on See Auctions
• 2 items listed on Ecrater
• 4 items listed on Bonanzle
• 20 items on TIAS
• 24 items on Ruby Lane
• 56 items on eBay
• 175+ listed in GOOGLE SHOPPING -- Their list included other items with the word Gonder besides pottery, but I quickly paged through the thumbnails, and looking only at pottery items, I quit counting at 175.

The Google list included pretty much all of the same items from the searches I have listed, as well ones from other venues, and individual sites. There was some duplication as sellers list the same item on multiple venues.

Clearly, the winner is Google Shopping search, as it includes eBay too, so you can cover far more listings.

So, from now on, just go to Google.com, click on their SHOPPING link, and you can shop all the Vintage and Collectibles sites at once.

And that's my story!

Vintage Game Boards Project

I subscribe to so many online newsletters, some of which aren't even about antiques. But sometimes world's collide.

The fun photography site, PHOTOJOJO did a piece on creatively re-purposing vintage game boards into Picture Frames -- too cute.


We've all found many a vintage game in not-so-great condition -- missing pieces, raggedy or no box -- sometimes just the board.

Here's a really great idea for using the surviving boards -- turn them into truly unique PICTURE FRAMES!

You can even glue the tokens, cards, and other game parts & pieces to the boards/frames.

To quote PJJ, " Whip out the old X-acto knife and transform that subpar board into a superlative piece of wall candy. "

Check out their site -- they''ll show you how to do it.



You can find game boards all over -- garage sales, antique malls, and, of course, eBay --
Toys & Hobbies > Games > Board & Traditional Games > Movie & TV Games >

Here's the cool ebay search widget showing only items with " Vintage Game Board " in title:

The M. Bright Ball Jar Collection

Findlay Antique Bottle Club member Jeff Klingler has written a great article -- with many pix -- about his recent visit to see long-time fruit jar collector Mason Bright's amazing collection.

Read Jeff's article here.

Here's an exerpt from the article:



I Had a BALL at Mason's


" One of the great things about any hobby, is sharing your chosen passion with others. I have been an avid fruit jar collector for a long time now and hanging out with fellow collectors is one great way to learn things about these jars that date back to the 1850's.

Usually the most common ground for such a gathering would be at local bottle club meetings or the various bottle shows held all over the country. But one of the best ways to see examples of jars not usually found "in the wild" is to make a visit to another long time collector's home.

Findlay Antique Bottle Club members Richard Elwood, Marianne Dow and myself did just that a couple of weeks ago. Mason Bright had extended an invitation to come and see his jar collection a year of so ago, and finally we found a weekend to make the trip up to Michigan and see his fabulous Ball Jar Collection. "

Read the entire article here. You'll be wowed by all the photos. Good job, Jeff!

I Loves Me My Auctions

Another newsletter that I subscribe to, and recommend, is Craig Stark's BOOKTHINK.

This week he wrote an article titled "Reviving Your Business". He talks about how he had drifted away from eBay selling, and had been focusing on fixed price selling venues. He said he found he has been pricing higher, and waiting however long it would take to find a buyer at his price.

Finding his sales in a bit of a slump (the economy, don'tcha know), he turned back to eBay auctions, and was pleasantly surprised at the results. The part I related to was that watching the bids, and realizing higher-than-expected prices got him excited about selling again.

That's why I am always saying I loves me my auctions.

Here's an excerpt, but treat yourself and read the whole article...

• " Two things happened almost immediately. The first was that two of this group of books sold quickly at my BIN prices. And the second (and more important) thing that happened: For the first time since I could remember I actually watched my auctions, daily - and it was fun! I'd forgotten how much fun it was to watch things get bid up. This had the additional effect of inspiring me to put even more auctions up, and before I knew it, I had more active eBay auctions running than I'd had in years. I not only felt revived but fully engaged in my business again, and stuff that had been collecting dust on my shelves because I'd sort of written it off as not quite worth bothering with was now, once again, starting to look as though it had value.


• Something else. A few of my items did close out at mildly disappointing prices, but the majority of them exceeded my expectations. One particular auction closed at over $500 more than I thought it would! It's always difficult to explain these things, but in tough economic times buyers do look for bargains, and auctions with low starting bids very much are bargains - until they get bid up, that is. But even when they get bid up, the bidder's sense of getting a bargain often remains because it's the bidders who are setting the price, dictating the outcome, not the seller. "

And that's my story... (well, Craig's story)

Arcadia's Black History Books

February is Black History Month

Check out these selections from my favorite book publisher, Arcadia.

Their books are illustrated with vintage photos and postcards.

African Americans of Denver, CO	African Americans of Petersburg, VA	African-American Entertainment in Baltimore, MD	Black Artists in Oakland, CA
Charleston, South Carolina	Cleveland's Gospel Music, OH	Lincoln in Black and White: 1910-1925	Politics, Civil Rights, & Law in Black Atlanta, GA

Wish I Still Had ESP

I was reading a post on the AVCOSA site, which had a couple of the "top searches" lists that pop up -- one from TIAS and one from KOVELS.

I always find these Top Search lists interesting. I think we should note that the majority of the time, people are searching items they have, and are attepting to value. Many of the categories named in these lists are fairly common, and not high value items, or used to be more popular, and are now "soft", price-wise.

By the time something is "hot" ebought to be a trend -- well -- you're too late. Everyone's snapping them up at thrift shops and garage sales, and listing them as quickly as possible.

If we want to know what's the NEXT hot trend... we need to have ESP!

Guess I should have kept my 1966 Kreskin's ESP game...



The best thing to do is to buy quality items. The good stuff always sells. Do your homework -- go to shows and talk to dealers who have great displays of treasures and see what makes this example better than that one. Read price guides and trade publications -- you can read so much online, so cost is not a consideration.

If you are familiar with your category, and with the state of the marketplace, then you can expect to make better buys. And when you find something rare, you'll know it.

And that's my story... Marianne Dow

Phil Says "Six More Weeks of Winter!"

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so winter to continue... surprise!

Find out all you ever wanted to know, and more, about Groundhog Day at http://www.groundhog.org/ ... or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day

Personally, I love the 1993 Bill Murray / Andie McDowell movie. But that's not vintage enough for this page, so here are a few pix of vintage Groundhog Day items for your amusement.