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

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?

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.

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

• 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.

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.

I have a Michael Jackson autograph that I know for a fact is real because I got it signed in person. How can I sell this without paying to have it verified?

AW says: There are several ways to do this, but here’s a little trick I like to use when selling autographs on eBay.

In my description I state:

“I fully guarantee the validity of this autograph. The terms of the guarantee are as follows. I will fully refund your $ if an eBay recognized certification service claims otherwise.

The cost of certification is the responsibility of the the buyer. “

This lets the buyer know you have confidence in your autograph without you having to absorb the cost of certification. It’s not as good as certification, but it’s a close second.

Other things you can do are to give details on where you got the merchandise, provide a picture of you with the celebrity, provide good photos and links to pictures of other autographs by that celebrity which have been deemed authentic.

See the slide show below for examples of Michael Jackson autographs.

Michael Jackson items up for auction

I really need to sell them fast, what is the best way to do it?

AW says: The reason you’re confused is that it’s a very tricky topic. Right now, the price of scrap silver is so high, that it surpasses the collector value of many coins. However, if you have a rare coin or variation of such, you could be losing a lot of money by scapping them.

The best thing to do, is to pay someone who is knowledgable about coins, a fee to evaluate what you have. DO NOT use someone who is planning on making an offer on what you have. This is like a lamb asking a lion for advice on a roasting pan. 

When the evaluation is done, you need not market the “rare coins” right away, they will hold value. Separate the common coins and scrap those. Then get a coin price guide and see if you can become capable of grading and marketing your rare coins yourself. If not, you’ll have to pay someone to do it for you, or sell them  as is.

I have two places I can recommend. One is www.SeeAuctions.com which is free to list on and is getting quite a reputation for coin listings. The other is eBay.

By the way, when you’re shopping for a scrap buyer, do some comparisons, you can even ask on the phone what they are paying for a troy oz of silver.

There are banks, fry pans, doorstops and more.

(The bank below is a modern reporduction, note the Phillips screw in the
back of head)

AW says: There are a lot of complications, however, it’s easier to confirm a negative than it is a positive, so here are just a few tips:

• If an item has a “Phillips head screw in it, it’s likely a fake or a modern piece.
• Fake doorstops were painted on the back, in general, originals were not.
• If you see heavily burnished seams, this was done by a automatic machine and the item is new or a fake.
• Watch out for bright paint, or repaints. A repainted item can lose up to 90% of it’s value.
• In general, old cast iron will have a very smooth and dense texture and will be heavier than the new. The newer cast iron tends to be more porous.

Read more on cast iron.

What is the going rate to pay an auctioneer as a commission fee?

AW says: Hi Paulette, believe it or not, it’s considered unethical, even illegal in some states for licensed auctioneers to state commission rates. Such disclosure could fall under “price fixing” laws. 

I can tell you that it’s not uncommon for an auctioneer to propose a sliding scale. For example a lower commission percentage on higher ticket items, and a higher commission percentage on lower ticket items.

Hope that helps.

AW

I was at my first auction recently, and I notice that a few times the auctioneer said, “sold, to the left bid” but the item did not appear to be sold to anyone. What does this mean?

AW says:

A “left bid” is an absentee bid. A bid that was placed by someone who is not in attendance. This can be facilitated in several different ways, with the auctioneer or bookkeeper excecuting the bid on behalf of the absentee bidder.

An auctioneer that runs a straight show will usually allow the underbidder to view the contact information of the left bidder to show that things are on the up and up.

If you have a question about antiques or auctions, send it to  ask@auctionwally.com I don’t not answer questions about values of items in this column.