Flea Market Finds - Fabulous Carnival Glass

I have real life get in the way of my blogging again, lol, but I did want to share the beautiful glass I found on the way home from Miami. We only stopped at one flea market but it was a goodie! I found this gorgeous Imperial 474 water set, circa 1915 and this fabulous Dugan Floral and Grape pitcher, circa 1910. My very first old carnival glass finds, how exciting is that?

For more information on these pieces, please visit my Ruby Lane store

More Thrifting and Some Actual Work ;-)

When I visit my mom, I try to do a couple of things for her while I’m there. This trip we decide to revamp the “garden” aka weed patch by her patio. This pic is post weeding. She has had some medical issues over the last year and the yard has gotten away from her. We pull the weeds; add a fountain and some new plants that are supposed to like full sun and voila! a beautiful patio garden with the soothing sound of trickling water. I also tried my hand at a faux finish on her bathroom walls and I think it came out pretty well.On my numerous trips to the Home Depot, I drive right by a Salvation Army Thrift store and for some reason my car always automatically pulls into the parking lot. I have found some little treasure each time – a pink Dogwood dinner plate, an amber Diana dinner plate and this last time, a Candlewick saucer and two green Depression glass cups.
My only other score in Miami is this way cool lamp made from 2 metal boxes in the 1940's judging from the non-polarized plug. We plan on traveling back to Ohio on the weekend so I'm hoping for better luck at the flea markets than we had on the way to Miami.
Next: Finally! A good flea market!!

My Adventure in Heiseyland - Annual HCA Convention

On June 17 - 20 2009, The 38th Annual HCA Convention was held in Newark, Ohio. HCA stands for Heisey Collectors of America and Heisey lovers from across the country make the annual pilgrimage to Newark, which they fondly referred to as Heiseyville, for the four-day event.

My adventure started when my DH Alan told me about a large auction of Heisey glass he had seen in the paper and agreed to go with me to Newark despite the fact that he has only the most casual interest in glass. Whoo-hoo, road trip! Now I must digress for a minute to tell you how I met my friend James. I had listed a creamer with Quilted Diamond and Wampum in the title and stated in the listing that it was a quilted diamond pattern similar to Wampum. James being a vigilant Heisey lover took issue with my description and went on to carefully and kindly explain the difference between Heisey’s Quilted Diamond and Wampum patterns and to point out that mine was neither. Although I only meant to point out the similarity between my piece and the Heisey designs, I conceded that the listing could be misleading and changed it. Out of this first encounter grew an online friendship with this very nice gentleman and long time Heisey collector.

Being excited about the auction I wrote to James to tell him about my upcoming trip only to discover that he and his wife Bobbie were going to be in Newark for the Convention! I decided that my time would be better spent on Saturday when there was a flea market and glass show. The Flea Market on the Square opened at 8:00 but since I can’t drag my lazy patootie out of bed early enough to get to Newark by eight James and I arranged to meet at 9:30. My sweet husband drove and I slept for the 45-minute drive to Newark. Of course, as soon as I arrived at the flea market I was wide-awake and ready to look at some Heisey! It’s always exciting for me to see some glass that I’ve only seen photographs of before and there it was… tables and tables of glass sparkling in the sunshine.

Almost before I had a chance to start looking my phone rang and it was James, I looked around and saw a tall distinguished looking gentleman talking into his cell phone and since his lips were moving in synch with what I was hearing I determined it was James. After a short meet and greet chat his lovely daughter Karen arrived. Here is the tall and slender HCA V.P.

Karen is the newly elected Vice-President of Heisey Collectors of America and an extremely knowledgeable Heisey collector. She graciously spent over 2 hours giving me the “educational tour” at the flea market teaching me things that I would never have known without her. This is me with the white legs - I need to get outside once in awhile!

I learned where to look for markings, to look for the bumps on Plantation, Heisey colors, common fakes, rare pieces, common pieces, and much more that I’m sure is stored away in my head somewhere. A dealer shows us his wares.

This was just the beginning of my Heisey adventure – coming up next – the Heisey Museum.

How can I tell if this is a reproduction?

Whether you're planning on selling or starting your own collection there are some steps you should take to avoid reproductions. I will speak about glass as that's my specialty but the principals apply to any collectible.

Do your research
Books - There are many good books on almost every type of collectible and many are available used or at your public library. All of the glass books I have list known reproductions with descriptions of the differences.

The sugar on the left is a "reissue" of the Depression glass pattern Madrid using new molds. This was sold by Federal and called "Recollection" . When Federal went bankrupt Indiana bought the molds, removed the '76 and produced crystal and pink. The plate on the right is original Madrid and is a lighter and clearer shade of yellow amber. There is also a '76 on some of the Recollection pieces and some differences in the handles in all of the new mold pieces.
Internet Resources- Discussion groups are especially helpful. I belong to two groups where authors of popular glass books are regular contributors and will answer questions. And, trust me, they know about reproductions. There are wonderful sites dedicated to just one area i.e. Candlewick, Carnival Glass or Indiana patterns where the site owners have dedicated hundreds and hundreds of hours and dollars to share their knowledge and passion for their particular collectible. The good ones will have information on reissues and known reproductions. See 'My Favorite Links' in the side bar for links to some sites.
EBay - Don’t use eBay listings as a source of reliable information, but the community board is very helpful. This swan is a modern Asian import. It's a copy of the Vallerysthal covered swan dish and the mark on the bottom is a dead giveaway.
The pink mark, from the swan, is not Heisey although it is somewhat similiar. The clear glass mark, courtesy of ddoty.com is a genuine Heisey mark. The fake shown above is Hsinshu Taiwan for AA Imports. As you can see, the Heisey mark is a narrow diamond while this Asian importers mark is square.

What the heck is this?
If you don’t know what you have, it can be very hard to determine if it’s vintage or not. EBay is a great place to start if you have no idea. Start with a general search such as ‘vintage milk glass bowl grape pattern’ and find a listing with a name for the pattern and then use the name to search the web and try to verify the pattern. Don’t use eBay listings as a reliable source of identification.

There’s no substitute for experience.
Handle as many known authentic items as you can. It doesn’t take long to get a feel for the real thing. Here are some suggestions on where you can examine vintage items without getting your hands slapped.
Antique shows and shops are helpful as long as the dealer knows their stuff. Even if they don’t have specific ids, it’s likely that most of the items in their stores are vintage or they wouldn’t be in business long.
Auctions are fun. You can examine everything during the preview and you can find out what’s authentic by seeing how high the bids go. Just sit on your hands until you know what you’re doing. It’s way too easy to catch auction fever, your hand will jump up in the air all by itself and you’ll have paid too much for who-knows-what. I have to admit that I have done this, and not just once or twice. :P
Thrift stores and garage sales are good places to find vintage items. If you have a good feel for something and it’s cheap buy it as a research piece and then you can always resell it at your garage sale. I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes - and had some big garage sales, lol.
Museums are wonderful. Ohio has tons of glass museums and I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t been to any but I’m planning some trips this summer.

Is it in like-new condition?
An item that is in brand-spanking-new perfect condition is probably not vintage. It could be the find of the century, but probably not. Unless you know your stuff or want a research piece you should probably pass.

Is there more than one?
Unless we are talking about something that comes in a set - plates, glasses, candlesticks, where you would expect to find more than one – beware! If there are three identical marmalade servers, or seven candlesticks – same pattern and size, they’re probably a knock-off, especially if they’re in pristine condition. There just aren’t that many vintage collectibles around in mint condition.

What about eBay?
As far as glass goes, reproductions and look-a-likes are getting to be a real problem. Oriental imports and even one American company I know of are making new glass in very similar designs to old patterns. There is new glass that will even pass the black light test. However, there are dealers on eBay who list these items, some of which are very nice, as new. Search for vintage style new.

Another Asian import. This is one of many depression "style" items sold at http://www.denofdecor.com/. They are honest about what they are selling but some of their resellers either don't know any better or intend to deceive. Unmarked.
Use completed listings to see what items sold for a decent price – probably authentic; most collectors know their stuff. Use this as a starting point only; don’t ever count on eBay listings for accurate identification!

Did I mention research?
Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to know what you’re buying, especially if it’s something you might resell. In addition, it’s fun to figure out what you’ve found and learn about beautiful things from the past.

Happy Hunting!

By way of introduction - a day in the life slide show

Thanks for visiting! This is my first entry so I thought I would give you a peek into a somewhat typical day. Enjoy!