Game, set and match. When you hear that phrase, do you think of Len Deighton’s 1980s Bernard Sampson espionage trilogy (read it if you haven’t) or of the Wimbledon championships? It will shock you that we think of vintage. There’s the game of finding a set, the set itself and finding a matching buyer for it. The mouse orchestra in this week’s fresh to market vintage is a delightful set. It is also a vintage seller’s dilemma.
When you find a grouping like that, do you sell it as a set or do you sell the pieces individually so others can complete partial sets. That’s determined by value and demand. It takes as much time to list a set as it does to list one individual piece. So will the financial return on your time be sufficient to warrant the time to list each piece separately? Also, is it the kind of thing where many people have partial collections and are looking to complete their set–will there be demand for an individual piece.
The mice are a really good vintage value as a set and it is not terribly likely that someone might be looking for an individual piece. But a group of Star Wars figurines? Those would probably be sold individually as you might have a Luke and a Han but need a Leia.
If you see that a seller is selling many pieces from the same collection, like vintage china for example, it is perfectly appropriate to contact that seller and ask if a discount is offered for the purchase of multiple pieces. More often than not, the answer will be yes. They win because they have to pack fewer boxes, and you win too.
Do you collect any of the other picks from this week’s fresh to market vintage? We’d all be happy to add to your set.
Red Poinsettia Enamel Brooch
Lately, I’ve had Christmas in July on my mind. Perhaps it’s due to all the advertising I’m seeing this month. For whatever reason, the idea has been haunting me. I’m seeing holiday decor everywhere I go. This enamel brooch fits the bill perfectly. I found it along with a group of other vintage enamel pins. Its bright red and green color with dots of orange and yellow is so cheerful I couldn’t pass it up. Do you shop for Christmas in July?
Enamel Poinsettia Brooch, $28.95
Pam, Vintage Renude
1950s Gonder Pottery Vase
Gonder Ceramic Arts is one of the lesser-known mid century pottery companies, but their pieces, when you find them, are quite lovely. Specialties were flambe, drip and crackle glazes, like this gold and turquoise vase. Lawton Gonder operated his factory in Zanesville, OH from 1941 to 1957. The Gonder Collector is a well done website with lots of photos and information about this maker of really nice ceramics during the golden age of American potteries.
Gonder Ceramic Arts Crackle Glaze Vase, $35.
Laurie, NextStage Vintage
Set of Six Mouse Musicians
When I bought these mice a few weeks ago, I knew one of my buyers would want these sweet little anthropomorphic mice for their collection. I also think of the person who is letting them go. Have they outgrown them or outlived them? Are they downsizing to move to smaller quarters and did they need to winnow them out? I’d like to think that whatever the reason they are now in my possession, the former owners will be happy that someone else will give them a new home.
Six Musical Mice, $59.99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
American Woven Wicker Posy Basket c 1920s
I love this sweet little basket that to my way of thinking was designed to hold a summer nosegay. Constructed of wicker and splint, the unusual looped handles and the elaborate trim indicate it was woven by a craftsman, perhaps for someone special.
Vintage Woven Wicker and Splint Basket, $75
Linda, Selective Salvage
Thinking of collections, a collection of seasonal enamel flower pins would look awesome in a frame. And the little handmade antique basket could be the catalyst for a collection of small vessels. Can you imagine how pretty it would be filled with antique millinery flowers? You might also think of collecting Gonder vases. What a sport that would be–more challenging than finding McCoy, Roseville and Shawnee, for example.
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We mentioned McCoy pottery (and we love it). One of the early products, Brush-McCoy Dandy Line pottery, was designed for function in the kitchen. You don’t see Dandy Line that often, but if you read our post on it, you will be able to spot it in the wild.
