What is this piece of farm equipment called?

Beth asks:

Walt, would you have any idea what this piece of farm equipment is called?  My brother came across this piece while cleaning out an old barn in Arkansas and we were wondering what it is so that we could get some kind of idea how old it is and the value. 

Thanks so much for your time!

Beth, I have to admit I don’t know what this is called. But I’ll bet someone who reads this blog does! What do you say folks, does anyone know what this is called?

What kind of mirror is this?

Hi my name is Robert L. I just moved into a house in upstate NY. I found this mirror in the basement. Any ideas what kind it might be?

AW says: This is an Eastlake style mirror made in the American Victorian period, circa 1870-1890. It’s frame is made of Black Walnut.  Your’s appears to have the original finish.

Best of luck and thanks for your question.

How do I get my old newspapers out there?

Daniel asks:

I have tons of old newspapers starting from the 1930s and 40s. They are all original copies and i was wondering how i could get them out there. Or if you were interested. Anything helps.

AW says: 

Hi Daniel, if by getting them out there, you mean selling them, there are a few ways you can do this. 

First, make sure what you have is interesting enough to spend time on the process. Many old newspapers are very common and worth little. Visit this page for a guide to what may be valuable. Historic sporting events are among top sellers. 

Next, if you’ve found some that are worthy of selling, take some good clear pictures of what you have, and list them on eBay. Be sure to use good keywords in the title and description as this will help your papers to get found by more potential bidders. 

I don’t recommend trying to sell your papers to a dealer.

Best of luck,

AW

How can I tell if April 15th, 1865 NYT Lincoln Assassination newspaper is a reprint?

Mary asks: 

We have a copy but not sure if reprint re: assassination of President Lincoln…how can we find out if it’s real & original? Appreciate any assistance…

AW says: The first and most obvious choice is to look for the word reprint or a phrase such as …reproduced by etc.  Believe it or not, most reprints actually have an indication that they are a copy on the front page in plain sight. However the absence of such an indication does not automatically qualify your paper as an authentic one either. Size, texture and coloration are all things to take into consideration when authenticating such a piece. 

Since you didn’t send a picture, of the paper, there’s very little to go on. After reading my statement above, if you still have thoughts that your paper is legitimate, you’d need to bring it to an expert to view it in person. 

There are hundreds of thousands of antique newspapers around, some a very valueable, some are not. There are some basic rules of thumb you can use to find out if what you have is worth anything.

Good Luck,

AW

What is an absolute auction?

An absolute auction is one which the item is sold to the highest bidder without reserve. They are a bit of a gamble, but by far the most popular type of auction with auction buyers, and have the highest sell-through rate. 

Although some sellers are leery of selling via the absolute method, it is the absolute method that, when advertised and conducted properly, will bring the highest auction price the market will bear. 

I found this in a storage auction. What is it worth?

Can you tell me what it is i have. I got this from a storage unit and do not know its worth.

 

Thanks

Kristi

AW says:

This is called a “console”. It’s circa 1960s and looks to have a fine maple cabinet. In it’s day, this was quite a desirable piece. It’s no longer it’s day. These units are not very salable anymore, but sometimes those with a creative bent will salvage the wood cabinet to make another piece of furniture.

Good luck,

Walt

Why must this doll lose it's head?

This is an antique 18” Kestner doll #167 Made in Germany, and I have to decapitate her.

Having four older sisters and no other boys in the family except for my Dad,  I’m sure at one time or another, I must have separated one of their beloved Barbie doll’s head’s from it’s body. Maybe even more than once,

BUT… I wouldn’t do such a thing today, …at least not out of anger;)

Take a look at this Doll. Do you know WHY I must separate it’s head from it’s torso?  (Hint) It’s not because of anything you can’t see in the pictures.

The first person with the correct answer will win an evelelpe with vintage ephemera. Enter your answer in the comments section below.

Now of course, I’ll need a way to get that package to the winner, so I’ll contact the first person with the correct answer to get your snail mail addy.

As I said earlier. the prize is a neat collectibles surprise envelope which includes things found in a recent estate purchase I made. Things likely to be in said envelope are vintage postcards, ephemera, books, old photos and who knows what?

(The contest is free, but you must a AW newsletter subscriber to win. )

What is it? Heywood Wakefield piece info

Amy asks:

Hi Wally,
I can’t tell you much more than the pictures show.  Really old Heywood Wakefield piece that I’m not even sure what it is called! My best guess is that is was some sort of work bench or knitter’s seat. It has a pull-off organizer tray that exposes compartments and a pull out drawer.  It does have the branding inside as the picture shows.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!!
Amy Frasard

AW says: I Amy, I know exactly what that is. It’s a “Cobbler’s Bench” it’s made of Maple and is a Colonial revival piece that HW made in the 1940s.

These are very durable and useful to a great many crafters. The tray on top would be for the various size nails a cobbler would use, the drawer for tools.

What is it? Antique hand tool

Morgan asks:

Hello
My husband found this old farm implement while cleaning out his grandfathers quonset. Can you tell us what it is and what it was used for, and possible dating?
 
Thank you

AW says: This is a Stanley no 45 combination plane. It was used for moldings and trims of different sizes. It’s circa early 1900s.

Thanks for the question!

How to get that musty smell out

Hi Wally,

I just sent a question about magazines, but here’s another magazine question. What can I do about musty smelling magazines?? Will it affect the cost?? I’m trying to air some out but to little avail.

Thanks again,

Sue

AW says: Yes it will affect the value. One of the best ways to get the smell out of magazines and almost anything else, is to put them in a plastic bag with fresh charcoal. The charcoal is a great odor absorber. You may have to suffle the pages somewhat every few days. But it usually works pretty good.

This is a great method for clothes, but I’ve had success with it on old books too.

Good luck

AW

What are vintage magazines worth?

Hi Wally,

I have a bunch of vintage magazines and was wondering what makes one more valuable than another? I know a few basic things that do make a magazine valuable such as the cover illustration and how well-known the illustrator is. What else can you tell me about the valuations of magazines?

Thanks,

Sue

AW says:

Boy that is a answer that could take up pages, but I’ll see if I can provide a few of the basics.

• Life and Look before 1975 have SOME value. Issues with the Beatles and Elvis are good.
• Condition is very important
• Address labels detract from value
• Attractive ads inside ad value
• Runs are good. For example a complete year of publication
• Some people collect attractive magazines from their birth month
•  Primary colors are a good thing. Those bright yellows, blues, greens and reds from the 30s-50s are great.
• Early rock and roll, hot rods, muscle magazines from the 1950s are good.

Another good source would be Vintagegoodness.com a site that my friend Mitzi Swisher maintains.

What is this brass contraption?

Allyn asks:

hey wally. im wondering if you can identify and date this brass and wood instrument. it has a small metal clasp that says made in italy. i thought it may be a sundial, but have not been able to find a pic of anything like it. it has roman numerals on the right side going from 1 to 12 and on the curved part going from 0 to 100. any info is greatly appreciated.

allyn

AW says: This is a model of an early astronomical instrument (probably something invented by Galileo ). The tag which indicates it was Made in Italy, dates it post WWII.

Thanks for your question and good luck!

What's the story on this Wedgwood plate?

William asks:

Hello,

 

I have a plate that is a bit of a mystery. This is a Wedgwood 1878-1900 (found on google that the vase stamp without three stars under it is this date). The back is completely glazed but the front looks like it is only glazed over the hand painted peach tree, which is off center quite a bit. The plate also has gold initials on it I can’t find anywhere.

The plate appears to be bone china because we can see our hand through it behind a light. The painting looks like it is not finished in some spots. We are interested in knowing more about it and possibly what it could be worth.  

 

Thank you,

 

William

AW says: William what you have is a plate that was originally produced by Wedgewood as a blank. These were manufactured to entice housewives to create their own art on them. Several factories  did this including Wedgwood, Limoges etc. 

Your plate is hand painted and could really be painted by anyone. From the quality of the art work, and subject, I’d have to say the value is nominal.

Thanks for your question, and good luck!

What is this silver plated item?

Jamie asks: What is this, is it a butter dish.

AW says: Yes, that’s a silver plated butter dish. Circa late 1800s.

What will this Woman's diamond ring sell for ?

Test your knowledge of fine jewelry. Can you guess what this diamond ring will sell for? 

See what the bid is at here:

Description:

Diamond count: 1 PRINCESS CUT Diamond weight: 0.85ctw Diamond color: F-G Diamond clarity: SI2 Metal: 14K White Gold Ring size: 6.5 Availability: 3 Business days, ready to ship ; MSRP: $10817

Rules:

Hey everyone, it’s time to try a fun game of:  ”What is this going to sell for?”

The rules are as follows: You must be on my email list to be a winner.

 (Yes, you can join after you send the answers in. As long as you have joined before I pick the winner.)

The first person to email me with the correct answer, or the one who comes closest to the final hammer price without the buyers premium, (over or under) will be the winner.  

You may submit an answer any time up until the close of the auction!  

The winner will be posted here. 

The winner will get.. a neat collectibles surprise envelope which includes things found in a recent estate purchase I made. Things likely to be in said envelope are vintage postcards, ephemera, books, old prints, old photos, Compact Discs, DVD or who knows what?

Photos courtesy of iCollector.com

Update on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 2:24PM by Auctionwally

Bummer. The auction house that sold it did not disclose the winning bid amount. No fear, no worry, we still had a winner: Brian T.   sent in the first and only guess, so he’ll get the prize envelope when he sends in his snail mail addy.

Thanks Brian!

What is this bucket for ?

Mario says:

 I was hoping you might be able to help me identify the attached photo.  This is an 8 sided cast iron item that was found in my grandfathers house and we don’t know what it is.  Any help would be much appreciated.  

Thank You in advance
Mario

AW says: That’s a coal-hard or a coal sifting bucket, I believe. You would empty the  red coals fro a stove into this bucket and the ashes would fall to the bottom to be dispersed as the top coals burned out. I’m pretty sure that’s what it is, I’ve never seen one like this before. Let’s see what my audience has to say.

Does anyone know for sure what this is? If so leave your answer in the comments section.

What's the deal on this vase?

Jennifer asks:

Hello, my name is Jennifer and I have an antique bud vase that I need some information on. The only identifying mark on it is on the bottom. It simply says made in Italy. I’m not even sure what its made of. Any help you could give me would be great.

Thank you, Jennifer

AW says: Jennifer, it appears that this is a silver-plate vase circa early to mid 20th century. Italy makes many nice colletibles and while the vase is lovely, the European country is not famous for it’s silverplate items. 

Can you identify this picture?

Brenda asks: Can you tell me about this picture?

AW says: This apprears to be a print of a pencil sketch. It’s European, and obviously by an artist that went by the name of E Wessel. 

I couldn’t find such an artist that had any major showings or sales, but that is likely to matter little because your print is in such poor condition. 

It’s a very nice looking piece, and if it has sentimental value to you, you may want to consider cropping away the damage and having it re-framed.

Thanks for your question.

Please identify these antiques

Steve asks:

Hi Walt,

I found your site while trying to identify 3 pieces of furniture from my parents house now that they are in assisted living.  Can you help me in identifying them please so I can decide what to do with them?

 Thanks,

Steve

AW says:

The first item is an Empire Period game table. It’s made of veneered mahogany.

The second item appears to be an original period Chippendale or Chippendale style side chair.

The third item is a Pembroke table.

If you use those keywords when researching and marketing them, you’ll have success.

Good luck and thanks for your question.

How much is old sheet music worth?

Anytime one is asked how much is this old “this, or that” is worth, the question really has to be narrowed down in order to provide an answer with any merit. A lot of people have old sheet music, so naturally I’m often asked, “How much is my old sheet music worth?”

Before giving specific values on examples, let’s look at some reasons for which pieces are collectible (thus valuable) and why. 

Collectible because: 

• Pieces are in excellent condition
• Have unusual artwork
• Are by a desired publisher: E.T. Paul pieces are some of the most sought after pieces in the genre.
• Association: When the artist or event on the cover is collected, so will the sheet music be collected. IE: Beatles and Elvis, world’s fair, circus etc.
• Aesthetic beauty. Pieces with pretty women adorning the covers will always be popular.
• Autographed pieces: Back in the day, sheet music was a favorite medium to have autographed. 
• Classic themes such as Black Americana, Indians, Trains and Fire Engines will always find collectors. 

Despite it’s popularity, sheet music is often one of the most affordable collectible genres in the market. Often it’s contemporaries, postcards and bookmarks will out value sheets from the same era. 

Most pieces fall into the $3-$10 price range, but it’s not uncommon for some Beatles, Elvis and E.T. Paul and other rare sheets to bring $25 and up. (Looking at the cover of an E.T. Paul piece is to look at a piece of art. These Victorian era sheets have beautiful artwork )

Some Examples and prices:

(All examples are originals, not reprints)

 

Black Americana / $17.50 + $3.50 buyer’s premium

 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow, from The Wizard of Oz / $35 + $5.25 buyers premium

 

Mona Lisa /  $2 + .20 buyers premium.

 

My Foolish Heart / $3 + .30 buyers premium

Vintage lot of sheet music / $20 + $3.60 buyers premium.

 Find more information on antique sheet music at iCollector.com