Archive for Collectables
How come my sports collection is not worth more?
Posted by: | CommentsAs with all things collectable sports memorabilia can be worth a small fortune – the problem is finding the one Holy Grail that all collectors want. There is currently a single baseball card up for sale over at Memory Lane Inc which at the time of writing has a bid of over $26,000 with several days left on the auction. This 1869 Peck & Snyder Cincinnati Red Stockings card is just what the collectors want. So is your sports collection worth that much? Here is a piece written by Michael Osacky who is a keen collector and fan himself. The pictures are of Michael with two of his sporting heros.
How come my sports collection is not worth more?
Possessing a vintage baseball card or sports collection doesn’t entitle somebody to significant amounts of money. Listed below are 10 top reasons why your baseball cards and/or sports memorabilia collection might not be worth top dollar.
1. The baseball cards you have are all of “common” players and not the Stars (Mantle, DiMaggio, etc.) The “stars” and “Hall of Fame members” command a much higher price tag.
2. Your baseball cards look like they have sharp corners, but upon measuring each card, it becomes clear that the cards were trimmed (A process used to make trading cards have sharp corners). This is tampering. Buyers don’t like to purchase restored/trimmed cards. They want to buy cards that have the same dimensions as when they left the factory a number of years ago.
3. Personalized autographs command less value than non-personalized autographs. A personalized autograph is less valuable when it comes time to resell the item. A baseball signed by Mickey Mantle personalized to “Bart Smithers” might carry a very high sentimental value to you because you met Mr. Mantle and he signed it for you. To meet an athlete in person, let alone a guy in the Hall of Fame like Mickey Mantle is an experience you will never forget. This is a memory that you will share with your friends and grandchildren forever.
Packard and Ord – Collectable art tiles
Posted by: | CommentsDuring the 20th Century there was a great demand for tiles to decorate homes. Amongst the millions produced there are a small number of artists who produced high quality work which is very collectible today. Perhaps the most prolific decorators of Twentieth century tiles were Packard and Ord.
Packard and Ord Tile
Sylvia Packard and Rosalind Ord began decorating tiles commercially in about 1930. They hand painted pretty decorative designs onto bought in blank tiles . Many of these were issued in series such as Queen Anne, Flowers in circles and Decorative animals.
These tiles vary in size from 4 inch square, 5 inch and 6 inch tiles. Tiles are made up as bookends, set into tea trays, planters and all sorts of other items – these often had wooden frames.
You can see a tiny OR signature on many pieces which helps to identify them as Packard and Ord tiles. The blanks they are on are from a variety of companies – Carter Tiles, Thyne and Pilkingtons amongst others.
The company went though a series of changes – Sylvia Packard retired after the War and H. Robb was brought in as a partner. The company continued trading until it was bought out by Marlborough tiles in about 2000. A quick search on the internet reveals that they still own the trade name but I dont think it is currently in use.
Packard and Ord tiles can be found from just a few pounds with soem of the better decorated pieces fetching £100 or more – A good collectable for the future which are sure to become treasured antiques.
PAckard and Ord Tile
There is a new selection of these lovely tiles in my antiques shop : just click on the pictures to view two examples.
The book 20th century decorative british tiles (J-W) has an extensive section dedicated to Packard and Ord. It was written by Chris Blanchet and is available from my bookshop ( see base of page)
News on Antiques and Jewellery from UK and USA
Posted by: | CommentsIf you take a look at the left hand side of my blog you will see I have added some new features. There is the latest news on Antiques from the UK as found on the BBC . I have also added the latest news on Antiques from the USA as reported in the New York Times. On the far left there are the latest articles on Jewellery from Ezine.
I will keep monitoring these to see how interesting and relevant they are and also try and bring in more relevant information from the internet for example related blogs. Perhaps a page of antique, collectables and Jewellery related videos?
