Wait... That's Worth How Much?!
Last week, I discussed my top ten best selling vintage items. Most of the items from that list are, in my opinion, things that would obviously have appeal and resale value, such as the Fenton lamps and vintage goblets. But this week, I wanted to share a different top ten with you; my Top Ten Vintage Finds with Shocking Value!
Top Ten Vintage Finds with Shocking Value
When I was first getting started in this fabulous world of vintage and resale, my knowledge of the items, and more specifically their value, was little to none. When family and friends would ask me how I knew what to buy for resale, I told them I "had a good eye" (which was and is true!). While this did help while doing the sourcing for TheVintageVixenShop, it did little to reveal an item's worth. By not knowing the value of the stuff my good eye had led me to, I had no idea of how I should be pricing it, and also didn't know what I should be paying for it! Often with thrifting, the latter is not so much a problem, but as I have gained more experience and learned more about the business, I can't tell you how many times I have kicked myself for selling a rare or valuable item for far less than it worth simply because I hadn't done the research or checked for price comparisons. Don't be like me! You can learn from my mistakes so that when you come across one of these vintage treasures, maybe you will know a little bit more about what you're looking at!
1. 1970s Oil Rain Lamp
When I first came across one of these rare and gorgeous lamps, it was sitting on top of a pile of junk, tossed out by the side of the road at my grandmother's house. She has been in real estate, and been a landlord for all of my life, and had always felt guilty throwing out someone's belongings, even after they had been evicted for not paying rent. Because of this, she had amassed a fairly large stash throughout the years that was now stuffed in her crowded basement. She called and told me to come by and grab what I wanted to try and resell, so that's just what I did. The lamp was the first thing I noticed. I had never seen anything like it, but knew enough to know that was a good sign! I took it home, and casually listed it on the selling app I had been using, and priced it at $44. It sold within 12 minutes of being posted, which was less time than it had taken me to figure out how to hang it and turn it on. I was elated with the quick sale until a couple weeks later when I saw one that had just sold on ebay for $480 plus shipping! I felt sick to my stomach, but I learned a valuable lesson, one worth $436.
2. 1960s Electric Smoking Sailor Clock
This item was another from that same curbside pile at Grandee's house, but thankfully one that I looked into a little more before posting it and selling for $65! Similar to a cuckoo clock, this punctual sailor enjoys a puff from his glowing pipe every half hour. This little desktop clock was also a quick sale and a pretty rare find.
3. Fenton Iridescent Sky Blue Butterfly Figurine
This gorgeous little iridescent critter is a Fenton Glass figurine in a rare iridescent sky blue color. My oldest daughter actually spotted this one on a shelf at our local thrift store. I didn't even know it was Fenton at the time, but the price was $1.51, and it was really pretty, so we took it home. I couldn't believe my eyes when this one sold within the first couple of days of posting for pretty $69!
4. Akro Agate Slag Glass Oxblood Cigarette Holder
A dear friend asked me if I could sell this piece she had inherited from her grandmother. She said she wasn't sure exactly what it was, but knew it was "the good stuff" since her grandma had run an antique shop back in her day. I was skeptical, but I took a few quick pictures of it and promised to post it the next day. After the oil rain lamp, I knew I had better do a quick search for price comparisons before I listed it. Even after seeing the recently sold prices of similar items on ebay, I was doubtful this small, strangely colored swirly red and white opaque glass cup would fetch anymore than $5, but I posted with a price that was closely in line with those recently sold values I found on eBay. The next morning, I awoke to find it had sold overnight for $65! Needless to say, my friend was pleasantly surprised as well!
5. Vintage Electric Stained Glass Lamp
I saw this gorgeous, vintage, stained glass lamp, posted for sale on a local marketplace. It was being sold in a pair, along with another one just like it, for only $10! I couldn't pick it up fast enough, and actually ended up purchasing several other items from the seller, including a groovy 1960s-70s avocado green crackle glass bubble lamp for just $5! I sold each of the stained glass lamps separately for $75 each and both were sold within the first week!
6. 1970s Lucite Grapes
While I have always adored these iconic 1970s lucite grapes, I had no idea the price they would hold. I purchased these from another local reseller for $8 because I had always wanted a set. I held onto them for a while, until I came across another set, in a different color scheme that I preferred. I told myself I did not need faux grapes on every surface of the living room, and decided to sell my first set. I checked price comps and listed it with a price in line with what others were selling it for. Just a few short days later, I was packing up the grapes to ship them to their new owner, who had just paid $54 plus shipping for them. I had already definitely caught the vintage bug by this time!
7. Antique 1800s Glass Wine Bottles
These black glass antique wine bottles are circa the early to mid 1800s, and were part of one my very first sales on Etsy with TheVintageVixenShop. I had found these bottles, along with many others, in a Rubbermaid tote that was being thrown out during a clean-out of one of my grandmother's rental properties. Having already sold some of the other bottles, I did fortunately realize their sales potential, and had taken the very best pictures I could manage with my iPhone, and posted them up on Etsy for sale. While I had expected the bottles to fetch a nice price, I had no idea what they would lead to. One day, shortly after listing them on Etsy, I received a message from a person inquiring about the bottles, and whether or not they could be shipped quickly to Hawaii. Eager to make a sale, I quickly responded to the message, answered her questions about the bottles, and assured her I would ship that same day to ensure a quick delivery. This was exactly what she wanted to hear obviously because it led to her asking if I had any more bottles like these. She explained that she was working for the T.V. show, Magnum P.I. Hawaii, and was looking to buy lots of antique wine bottles for an episode of the show that was to be set in a wine cellar. I ended up selling her every bottle of this type I had, for a total of almost $500! I was ecstatic.
8. 1960s-1970s Fostoria Glass Ashtray
This funky, 1960s-1970s, avocado green glass ashtray by Fostoria is large and heavy, and just so beautiful to me. I discovered it "in the wild" at a local thrift store. The tag read $2.02 and so into the cart it went. I had sold one of these same ashtrays previously in a different color, and hoped this one would sell just as easily. It did sell quickly as I had hoped, and for a price of $48! I have since sold several of these in my shop, and I am always pleased to find another one!
9. 1930s Anchor Hocking Pretzel Jar with Lid
This was another piece I purchased from a local reseller, for just $20. This huge, glowing green glass jar was advertised as a vintage glass candy jar. It had been listed for nearly a year before I gave in and bought it. Seeing it in person, I cursed myself at being so stupid for not buying it sooner. What if someone had beat me to it?! I wrapped it up carefully in bubble wrap, and placed it in the cardboard box I had brought along and set it down gently in the seat next to mine. I remember turning the key in the ignition, and the sound of the car's engine roaring to life suddenly made me feel the need to be very protective of this huge bundle of neon, green glass and so I buckled the box into the seatbelt for extra protection during the less than ten minutes' drive back to my house. After doing some research, I determined it was not actually a candy jar, but rather a very rare, depression glass pretzel jar that had once been part of a set that came with matching mugs for beer. I also learned that finding one in such excellent condition, that also included the original lid, was extremely rare. In fact, I couldn't even find another one with a lid listed for sale anywhere online. This left me unsure what to price this piece at, but I knew the value was drastically cut when selling a covered dish without its cover, so I checked to see what just the jar without a lid had been sold for recently, and priced mine, with the lid, at double that price. It sold the very first day it was listed for $185, and remains the one item I wish I had kept for myself.
10. 1980s Real Butterfly Taxidermy Display
This vintage, 1980s beauty was another local thrift shop find, and one that I purchased simply because I thought it was pretty and the price was reasonable enough. I brought it home, and put it on the end table by the couch in the living room. I thought it looked perfect, and was also a really cool find, worthy of being shown off. When my husband came home from work that day, he was horrified to see, what he referred to as "a box of dead bugs", just sitting there in the living room. He is used to me bringing home weird things, and so he cautiously asked if "that thing" was being sold or kept. He tried to hide his excitement when I told him I wasn't sure yet. When the kids got home from school that afternoon, all three had similar reactions to their father's, and my girls were especially displeased with the cruelness that had been involved with killing these pretty butterflies, just to put them in a glass box to be used as decoration. Not wanting to hear the woeful tale of these poor butterflies each and every day, I decided I would check price comparisons and list it for sale. I was shocked at the recently sold eBay prices of similar items, but knew better than doubt the value of these vintage treasures. I sold this one within a week of listing it for $69!
I have had so much fun discovering yesterday's treasures and learning their history, and of course, I have enjoyed the profits of reselling them in my Etsy shop. I am hopelessly addicted now and hope I will be treasure hunting, and adding to this list for many years to come!
Comments
Post a Comment