Ask an auctioneerhttp://auctionwally.com/ask/en-US2010-09-03T02:04:46ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.5 (http://www.squarespace.com/)What is the origin of this pie safe?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/9/1/what-is-the-origin-of-this-pie-safe.htmlAuctionwally2010-09-01T19:59:04Zask auctionwally furnitureGabrielle asks:

Wally,

This piece was purchased in an antique store in the Hamptons in the 1980s for $1800. I have had it for awhile and just found out that it is a pie safe.

It is in beautiful condition, I even have the original key for the lower cabinet. The screening is in very good shape except for a hole in one of the circular, lower side vents. It is lovely and I have become curious about it’s origins. Anything you could tell me would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Gabrielle

front antique pie safe

side of pie safe spoon carving on doors

Hi Gabrielle: That’s an American made pie safe, circa 1880s or so, the design on the front is done by a method referred to as, “spoon carving”.

It appears to have the original pulls, or at least they are period pulls. The wood is probably be Chestnut.

Pie safes are very collectible pieces of kitchen furniture, and are fairly rare.

]]>Can anyone help identify this NFL football?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/8/23/can-anyone-help-identify-this-nfl-football.htmlAuctionwally2010-08-24T00:15:08Zask auctionwally

Denise asks:

You previously helped me with a victorian ginger jar….and I’m hoping you can help me out with this one….it’s quite different.

I obtained, at an estate sale, a Leather Football marked: NFL 100, Officially Licensed. On the other side is marked: Korea 01000. It also has the NFL logo. There is no team name. There are no white stripes on the ends. I was in contact with Rawlings Official License Division and the guy there said he has not dealt with these type of footballs, so he couldn’t help me. He said they usually name the team name on them. He said the professional balls do not have the stripes.

I found it interesting that he could not give me any info on this, since he works for Rawlings. He forwarded my request on to someone else, but didn’t say who….said he would let me know if they provided any info.

What I also found interesting is that I find NO such football on ebay or anywhere on the internet. There are lots of Wilson NFL balls. A couple Rawlings, but no NFL 100 Rawlings. Also interesting is the Korea….it doesn’t say Made In Korea….just Korea 01000. I know there was some type of NFL going on during the Korean War. I wondered if this might have something to do with that…from the early 1950’s.

I’m hoping this is something really rare and valuable…obviously. But at this point, I am just intrigued about the origin of this football, age, etc…particularly since Rawlings wasn’t able to provide me with it.

I’m attaching photos….let me know if you need anything further. Thanks again.

Denise

AW says: We’ll Denise, I have to admit, I’m stumped on this one. So let’s see if the community can find out anything for you.

What do you say folks? Does anyone know anything about this football? If so, please leave your answer in the comments here, or email me directly at info@auctionwally.com

If someone can help us out with a definitive answer, I’ll send out one of my prize envelopes I reserve for my weekly newsletter contest winners.

]]>What to do with chipped and broken china?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/8/17/what-to-do-with-chipped-and-broken-china.htmlAuctionwally2010-08-17T16:42:54Zask auctionwally pottery and porcelainKristi asks:

Will you please talk to me about broken, chipped, crazed china? I know that “it decreases the value significantly”, but what does that mean, exactly?

I’m in a situation where I have inherited about 250 pieces of china and glass, none of which has any sentimental value to anyone in my family. I have no space for this stuff in my house—I’m literally climbing over boxes of it to get to things I need. I am trying to get all of these pieces photographed & cataloged so I can attempt to sell them, and several pieces have chips, cracks, or have been broken and glued back together (poorly).

For example, I have an RS Prussia cracker jar that is beautifully hand-painted & appears to be worth about $100; but, one of the handles was broken off and was glued together. The glue has turned yellow & looks terrible but is otherwise in pretty good shape.

My question to you is, under these circumstances, is it worth it to hang on to these pieces & try to sell them, or am I better off tossing these items to gain some space.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

AW says: In my opinion, it’s better of to rid yourself of the. I’ve never had any luck w/ broken porcelain. When I have boxes of it that accumulate, I look for crafts people or jewelry makers to give it to. It just doesn’t seem to ever sell for me.

The exception to the rule may be if you had a high end item that has damage, such as a Roseville jarinere etc. you can get a small fraction of it’s original value.

Thanks for your question,

]]>Can an auctioneer bid on an item at his own auction?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/8/1/can-an-auctioneer-bid-on-an-item-at-his-own-auction.htmlAuctionwally2010-08-01T18:33:43Zask auctionwally auctionsBill asks:

I was at an auction where an auctioneer annouced that he was bidding on an item. Isn’t this illegal?

AW say: No, not as long as it’s NOT his/her item. It’s in poor form if they do it often. For example on a rare occasion when there are no other bids, I’ll place a bid on an item, but I almost never compete against my audience.

]]>Who is this? Can you identify this Victorian gent?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/4/3/who-is-this-can-you-identify-this-victorian-gent.htmlAuctionwally2010-04-03T05:06:59Zask auctionwally what is it?Jeanne asks:

Can you help me identify this gentleman? At first I thought he was a younger Mark Twain, but I found out he is not.

AW says: I’m sorry I don’t know, but let’s see if anyone in my readership knows. If someone can positively identify this, please email me at picture@auctionwally.com and cite your source. If you identify it and can prove your answer, I’ll send you one of my vintage prize packages reserved for my weekly newsletter contest winners.

Thanks for looking!

]]>Why do auctioneers talk so fast?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/3/31/why-do-auctioneers-talk-so-fast.htmlAuctionwally2010-03-31T14:58:10Zask auctionwally ask auctionwally auctions how toDave asks:

I want to become a licensed auctioneer and have a good business knowledge and I know antiques. My question is: Why do auctioneers talk so fast, and do I have to learn how to do that well to become a good auctioneer?

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get that tounge-twisting talk out of my mouth!

AW says:

No worry Dave, you don’t have to call bids in the rapid fashion that many of us do. There are many great auctioneers that talk at a normal cadence. In fact, some of them sell faster than the auctioneers that bid- call with a chant.

Concern yourself with selling 2 items a minute as a goal. You’ll find you can do this at a normal pace quite easily if you stay focused.

Now, there are several reasons why an auctioneer talks fast. One is to cajole the bidders, two is to keep them from getting distracted, and 3rd is to keep the flow of the auction going.

An auctioneer’s worst enemy is interrupion, but this can be avoided with other tactics. You just have to find what works best for you.

Good luck!

]]>What is this black glass thing for?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/3/6/what-is-this-black-glass-thing-for.htmlAuctionwally2010-03-06T19:03:40Zask auctionwally what is it?Megan asks:

This is a 3 piece set made in black glass. It stands 4 1/2”, the jar itself
2 1/2”. No makers marks. I’ve guessed myself all out!

Thanks!

Megan

black amethyst glass

black glass pestal

AW says:

Wow! This one has me stumped. It looks like some kind of mortar & pestal type of unit, but it’s not. I really have no idea, so let’s ask my readers here, and I’ll feature it as my weekly contest question in this Sunday’s newsletter… What is it folks?

]]>How much should I charge for finding antiques?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/3/2/how-much-should-i-charge-for-finding-antiques.htmlAuctionwally2010-03-02T14:43:51ZHow to ask auctionwallySusan asks:

Hello,

I was looking over your website trying to find out how much to charge a shop owner that wants me to do some picking for her.

I used to run my own antiques booth, but am not sure how much I should charge her for finding a lot of furniture and housewares for her new shop. She wants me to take pictures of items that I think she might like and text them to her and she can say yes or no. Just wanted your input on this. Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Susan

AW says: Susan, as an auctioneer, this is an easy one for me. I advocate working on a commission based rate. That way, the better you perform, the more you make. It’s hard to get a set rate per hour on a job like this, but it’s perfect for a commission based fee.

I suggest that you ask 10% of the buy price, of course you’ll only be paid for lots the dealer is actually successful in purchasing. I will always pay a finder’s fee of 10% for lots that I am able to purchase. Sometimes more depending on the lot.

The antiques business is a great word of mouth business, and if you’re into networking online there are a lot of great ways to get paid for you endorsements.

Hope that helps!

By the way dear reader: If you’d like to become a finder for me in the Central or Western Massachusetts area, give me a call at 978-636-3101 or fire off an email to: finder@auctionwally.com

]]>What is the best way to boost Google page rank?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/1/24/what-is-the-best-way-to-boost-google-page-rank.htmlAuctionwally2010-01-25T03:40:32Zask auctionwally Joe asks:

Hey Walt what’s up? Any advice on how to get a good PR on Google? Thanks Joe L.

Hey Joe:

The word is that Google keeps much of this a mystery, and the rest is common sense and good SEO.

I suggest the following practices for boosting your Google page rank:

Produce as much fresh content as possible.
Work to get as many links into your site from quality sites as possible. This takes work and relationship building, but you’re probably already doing those things on the Internet.
Keep in touch with people and websites that study this issue.
Build links within your OWN site. While this may not directly affect SEO in the short run, if you’re linking to relevant content within your own site, your getting eyes to stay at your URL longer. Better for page rank in the long run as the user is more likely to bookmark and re-visit a site they’ve gone deeper into.
Bookmark, rate and share articles you are interested in. Odd are that you’ll be commenting on some of these sites. By boosting them, your building a stronger circle of friends and backlinks to your site. Google definitely puts value on who you hang out with online. The more juice you give to relevant sites within your niche, the more that comes back to you.

Keep in mind that these are only a few tips, I’ll add more as they come to mind and if anyone has more tips, leave them in the comments section along with a link to your web site, and perhaps this post will grow.

]]>What are the best sites about antiques and collectibles?http://auctionwally.com/ask/2010/1/10/what-are-the-best-sites-about-antiques-and-collectibles.htmlAuctionwally2010-01-10T17:28:11Zask auctionwallyRene asks:

I can’t go anywhere online without bumping into something you’ve written about antiques or auctions. How do you keep up and what do you think are the best sites about antiques and collectibles ?

AW says: Thanks Rene, that’s very flattering of you to say, it’s nice to be noticed.

Wow, there are so many answers to your question. Here are just a few of my favorite sites to keep up with the antiques & collectibles industry.

Kovel’s Komments The Kovels invented the antiques price guide. What better source for information?

Thingsandotherstuff.com My friend Cliff Aliperti is one of the most knowledgable blogger I know of when it comes to vintage Hollywood memorabilia.

The Collector’s Weekly a phenomenal source for all things collectible.

American Antiquarian Society Factual and interesting.

eBay’s antique filter - This simple tool is a great way to see what’s hot and what’s not in the industry.

…perhaps some day I ought to do a comprehensive list.

http://www.collectorsweekly.com

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