Thursday, April 30, 2009

Christmas Hutschenreuther Bell Ornament


I'm new to china and porcelain, and am still learning! I picked this bell up at a local estate sale. It is a 1978 bell by Hutschenreuther labeled 1978 Lappland Mond-Ren. I learned that Hutschenreuther is a line of collectible German porcelain. I had no idea! Pretty neat to know.

This bell sold for $128.05.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

A Coke and a Smile -- The 1953 Annual from the Art Director's Club of Atlanta






















I have purchased books from several local estates recently ... I was lucky enough to find two copies of this insanely rare book. It is a 1953 Second Annual by the Art Director's Club of Atlanta. What makes it particularly interesting? Art work, illustrations and more tying in to Atlanta places and products ... specifically Coca Cola. A number of beautiful Coca Cola advertisements in early form, with artists' attributions here. Really, really nice.






Wednesday, April 15, 2009

CDs - Unique Is What We're Looking For











Although I consider my main eBay selling interests children's books, cookbooks, and ephemera, I do enjoy selling music as well. I always pick up vintage sheet music and song books, and I like CDs -- if they are unusual. A few examples of CDs that have done well for me:








- Radio station CDs like the 94.9 lite music Atlanta radio station Christmas CD pictured








- Uniquely produced CDs made for a company - see photos of the CDs for Barnes and Noble bookstore and for Heineken








- Smaller run CDs produced for stores like Williams Sonoma, Starbucks, Restoration Hardware, etc.








You can find an example of these CDs in my store at:




Saturday, April 11, 2009

Yard Sale Season!


Hooray! Yard sale season is back again -- and I could not be happier!


It was a beautiful Spring day here and I was finally able to get out and yard sale. Since it's Easter weekend, sales were slim. I still managed to find a few goodies:



  • Lost - Season 1 and Season 2 - great like-new DVD sets (I'm keeping these! It's one of my favorite shows.)

  • Rod Stewart - two of the Great American Songbook CDs (these are for eBay)

  • Fleetwood Mac - Rumours on CD (okay, probably keeping this too ... sounds of my teen years!)

  • Fabulous vintage coffeetable book about Bob Hope and his USO shows (for eBay)

I usually yard sale with my best friend. His interests are art, architecture, and design, and mine are fun vintage items for eBay ... so we don't overlap often! Today he found an arts and crafts style linen chest (for a whopping $10!).


I'm glad that the thrill of the hunt (for Shiny Brite ornaments and Liddle Kiddle dollhouses) is back.

Friday, April 10, 2009

"As Is"

Good day, eBay friends!

It's a gray Spring day here, and I've spent a little time browsing eBay auctions. I am seeing a lot of auctions with items in "as is" condition, with no returns offered. This troubles me, and needless to say, I skip by those auctions. Why do sellers include this in their terms? To me "as is, no returns" means:

"I am just putting this lot of books out and photographing them. I haven't gone through them to see if there is highlighting, or missing pages, or even a piece of gum stuck between pages. You need to send me a list of 20 questions to answer if you care about condition."

I just think this is very, very bad business. As a powerseller who also buys on ebay, this policy does not inspire confidence.

Any thoughts on the "as is" policy?

Monday, April 6, 2009

I Still Heart Vintage Valentines











Well, it's now April, and antique and vintage Valentines are still selling! They were one of my best sales categories the last three months. I absolutely love vintage Valentines and enjoy scanning them, researching them, and listing. A tip for sellers or collectors -- maker of Valentines is all-important. If the Valentine is an older Carrington or Beistle or Whitney, collectors will want to know this. With newer cards, you will want to mention A-Meri-Card or Hallmark.
Here are my Valentines, if you'd like to take a look: