Fenton Basketweave

I have been featuring Fenton from a 28 year collection for a few weeks now. The owners are downsizing and have to part with the biggest part of their collection. Take a look at some of the older posts to see several decades of Fenton's beautiful art glass.

This beautiful vintage piece of Fenton Art Glass is a matte blue basketweave design with a ruffled scalloped eyelet edge. This bowl is only 3 1/4" tall x 5 1/2" wide but looks so elegant!

A lovely bowl in a lovely blue color!

Fenton Charleton Bonbon

I have been featuring Fenton from a 28 year collection for a few weeks now. The owners are downsizing and have to part with the biggest part of their collection.

Take a look at some of the older posts to see several decades of Fenton's beautiful art glass.

This is such a lovely piece of Fenton. A Charleton Bonbon that is both beautiful and rare.

The Charleton Bonbon was produced from 1943-1953. The pattern is "Seamist and Roses " and is just so dainty and lovely!

This is another example of Fenton's beautiful art glass.

Fenton Cat Figurine

I have been featuring Fenton pieces from a 28 year collection for a few weeks now. The owners are downsizing and have to part with the biggest part of their collection. Take a look at some of the older posts to see several decades of Fenton's beautiful art glass.

This is a limited edition figurine labeled "curious cat". Luster Blossoms on Marigold Carvinal give this figurine a beautiful finish.

There were only a limited amount of these made which makes this Fenton figurine rare and quite collectible.

Fenton Burmese Diamond Optic Art Glass

I have been featuring Fenton from a 28 year collection for a few weeks now. The owners are downsizing and have to part with the biggest part of their collection. Take a look at some of the older posts to see several decades of Fenton's beautiful art glass.

The Beautiful Fenton Burmese Vase & Pitcher are in the Diamond Optic design. The dainty vase is only 4" tall and very pretty. It is hand painted by J. Curtshaw and Bill Fenton. The raised ribbon on the top compliments the ruffed edge.

The 6" pitcher is in the same design and signed by J. Dowler and Dan Fenton. The pretty roses and little blue flowers would make these pieces a perfect spring display in any home!

Fenton Coin Dot Bowl

I have been featuring Fenton from a 28 year collection for a few weeks now. The owners are downsizing and have to part with the biggest part of their collection. Take a look at some of the older posts to see several decades of Fenton's beautiful art glass.

This wonderful Fenton piece has a coin dot pattern. It is a cranberry opalescent bowl with a ruffled and crimped edge. Fenton produced this pattern from 1947-1953.

This beautiful bowl has a striking Opalescent White Coin Dot pattern on the outside and a gorgeous light Cranberry on the inside.

This bowl displays very nicely, it measures 6 3/4" across and 3 1/2" tall. It looks truly beautiful in a lighted cabinet.

Fenton Carnival Glass

This stunning Fenton carnival glass footed bowl is just as beautiful on the interior as it is on the exterior. The exterior features three orange trees with trunks while the interior is a electric iridescence blue. The effect is literally stunning.

This large bowl measures 10” wide and 5 1/2” tall, it is footed and has scrolled type feet. The ruffled edge has beautiful iridescence and vibrant color.
The identification is a daisy ring on the bottom which is the Fenton logo.

This is just a beautiful example of the best Carnival Glass made.

Fenton Basket

This beautiful Fushia Opalescent Spiral Optic Basket is truly a rare find. This Fenton Basket measures 11” tall and was only produced by the Fenton Art Glass Company in 1994.

Fushia glass was produced by casing Gold Ruby (Cranberry) over Rose Magnolia and was very difficult to make and was discontinued after a short run in 1994.

This Fenton Basket has the number 2077 EH. The Fenton logo is on the bottom along with the number “9” which indicates it's from the 90's.

This beautiful basket is just a stunning bright color and is a great piece of the Fenton Art Glass Collection.

Fenton Connoisseur Collection

This beautiful 6” Vase is from the 1998 Fenton Connoisseur Collection. There were only 1500 pieces made which makes this beautiful vase limited to the world of Fenton collectors.

The Fenton name is embossed in the glass and back-stamped with the Fenton “F” and also has a silver foil label – there is no denying this is a Fenton collectible.

This vase was designed by Martha Reynolds and values at $175. If you weren't one of the lucky 1500 who originally ordered this you might find one on eBay or through a private collector.

This lovely vase is a very bright and beautiful example of Fenton's Connoisseur Collection.

Fenton Candle Bowls

These beautiful candle bowls were produced by Fenton in 1959. The Plum Opalescent is a rare find as there were only about a dozen made that year.


The color of the deep purple plum and the accent of the white opalescent finish make this one of Fenton's most strikingly beautiful bowls. Each candle bowl is about 3 5/8” tall and 8 1/4” wide and they look stunning with a candle glowing in them.

In 1959 Fenton had not started embossing the Fenton logo on their merchandise yet so these are unmarked. However, if you know Fenton Glass you can identify them immediately by the ruffled edges and the quality of the glass.

These are just another example of why Fenton is one of the leading art glass companies.

Fenton Drapery Opalescent Bowl

For the next week or two I am going to feature pieces of Fenton Art Glass. Most of these pieces are from a 28 year collection of a couple that are downsizing and are being auctioned off.

Fenton has to be the number one producer of art glass. The pictured Fenton Bowl is a Drapery Opalescent Cranberry Bowl. The ruffled edge is complimented by a rippled effect that highlights and adds to the beauty of this bowl. There are different shades of Cranberry, starting out as a deep cranberry color and gradually getting to a lighter shade.

This bowl measures 9 1/4” in diameter and is approximately 3 1/2” tall. It is a breathtaking work of art, this Cranberry Bowl is the perfect example of Fenton's classic beautiful art glass.

Fenton Murrhina Glass

For the next week or two I am going to feature pieces of Fenton Art Glass. Most of these pieces are from a 28 year collection of a couple that are downsizing and are being auctioned off.

This beautiful piece of Fenton is from the Murrhina Collection. This is a Fenton Murrhina Rose Mist Fan Vase.

This lovely piece of art glass is quite heavy and absolutely stunning. The twisted design fans out, tightly at the base and ends in a ruffled top.

Fenton produced the Murrhina line from 1964 to 1965. This line of Fenton is a little harder to find, while not it was only made for a year. Pieces of Murrhina tend to be very valuable.

Like all collectibles, do your research before buying or selling Fenton, it will benefit you greatly!

Antique Doll Stroller

Take a look at this lovely antique doll stroller. It is wicker and in great shape from the 1800's era. There are a few breaks in the wicker but for the most part this stroller is in excellent condition for it's age.

Can you imagine a little girl pushing her dolls around in this stroller. Any little girl would have been in heaven to be lucky enough to have a stroller like this.

This stroller was probably considered very expensive back in the day. Today's auction was no different, it brought $300 and the lady that purchased it was beaming! It probably brought as much joy to her as it did the original owner!

Chandelier's

Chandelier's hold a certain fascination for many of us. They are beautiful to looks at, I have found the more expensive they are the more beautiful they are. I went to a inventory reduction sale at a lighting store and there were many beautiful and unusual chandelier's at marked down prices. While I thought they were all beautiful they would have been out of place in my home but I sure enjoyed looking at them!

The first Chandelier is from the Versailles Collection has 100% Crystal, it captures and reflect the light of the candle bulbs. The frame is all hand-forged wrought iron.






The Cherub chandelier has 6 arms with a 3 sided cherub in the center. The lead crystal pendants are absolutely beautiful!



This blue themed chandelier has 8 Lights with bule crystals. This Chandelier has shiny reflective blue Swarovski Crystals. Very pretty!

The last chandelier is a two-tier version from the Maria Theresa collection. It is decorated with various hand-cut and polished crystal, it reflects and captures the light of candle bulbs resting in a scalloped bobeche. Absolutely gorgeous!

Collecting Antique Fishing Lures

Antique & Vintage Fishing Lures seem to hold a fascination among anybody who loves to fish. Many of the early lures were handmade from wood and wire from fishermen around the world. Most of these of course are unmarked but a collector will know the age of an old lure just by looking at it.

Collectors look for these old lures at flea markets, yard sales, along fishing banks and in family tackle boxes. If the condition and paint is still good many collectors will pay top dollar.

Early companies that manufactured lures include Heddon, Shakespeare, Eger, Creek Chub, South Bend and Wilson.

I use to get quite a bit of money out of the lures with the glass eyes and those made of wood but like everything else eBay has put an end to those kind of values, so if you want to collect a certain brand or a certain kind try looking there first.

I always try to take a magnifying glass and see if I can find a manufacturer's name on these old lures, from there I can research the Internet for type and age. The boxes above are a collection of lures that I have picked up from swap meets, flea markets and yard sales.

Their value has gone down considerably but I do like to have a little of everything to offer in my flea market booths.

Watt Pottery

I recently went to an auction that featured vintage pottery. There was quite a few pieces of Watt Pottery which is quite collectible among country antique lovers.

Watt Pottery produced pottery from 1922 - 1935 in Crooksville, Ohio. This simply decorated yellow-ware pottery looks great in a country kitchen. I had few Watt Collectors in my Flea Market that would pay top dollar for any piece that I came across.

Patterns include Apple, Autumn Foliage, Cherry, Dutch Tulip, Morning-Glory, Pansy, Rooster, Tear Drop, Starflower, and Tulip.

Many of the pieces still bring top dollar, the mixing bowl brought $85, the little creamer brought $100 and the cookie jar (not pictured) brought $300 at the auction. Watt Pottery is a great example of vintage quality pottery

Antique Koch Barber Chair

Look at this wonderful antique Koch Barber Chair from the late 1800's. It is upholstered with red velvet and trimmed in oak and brass. The chair swivels when the pedal in the back is pressed. The headrest also moves to tilt the customer for shaving. The foot rest pulls out for customer comfort.

This chair appears to have been re-upholstered, the material is in to good of shape to be original but I do believe the chair is in great shape for it's age.

This chair is comfy and looks great. I can see it in a Barber Shop amid a collection of antique barber equipment or perhaps a themed family room. Very cool find.

2009 City Wide Yard Sales in Maryland

2009 City Wide Yard Sales in Maryland

Below is a listing of all the City Wide Yard Sale I have for Kansas. If you would like me to post your Kansas Yard Sale please email me with the dates, city, times and a contact number.

2009 UPDATE

Ocean City, MD - Part of the Coast to Coast US 50 Yard Sale - May 15-17, 2009

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2009 UPDATE

Salisbury, MD - Part of the Coast to Coast US 50 Yard Sale - May 15-17, 2009

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Collecting Political Buttons

Political buttons are a relatively inexpensive collectible. Most candidates give out free political buttons during the length of their campaigns. These are free for the asking at any Republican, Democratic or Candidate Headquarters.

You can collect many of the older buttons without shelling out a lot of money. There are a country full of political and history junkies out there that both buy and sell this campaign memorabilia so they are pretty easy to find.

William McKinley was the first US President to give Campaign Buttons out in 1896. The pictured button is one of the first of what now is considered a traditional political give-a-way. McKinley became our 25th President, Garrett Hobart was his running mate and became McKinley's Vice President during his first term.

William Jennings Bryan ran for President in 1896, 1900 and 1908, he never did win a presidental election but eventually became secretary of state. I’m not sure which year this button was from but that makes this button a least a hundred years old.

I like the Kennedy button the best. It flickers between two pictures, one that says “The Man For The 60’s” and John F. Kennedy’s profile and name.

Richard Nixon has assorted political buttons which are very collectible.

Jesse Jackson ran for President in 1984 and again in 1988, the featured button is of course from the 1984 election.

Political buttons are given away in almost every political election. Future presidents, governors and mayors give these away in hopes of getting your vote. Many times there are more than one style and size per candidate. Who can forget the last election, the Obama button pictured is only one of several different styles made.

If prominently displayed in your home Political Buttons can be a good conversation piece or more than likely a good argument starter. Regardless they are a piece of US history that can be handed down from generation to generation. Happy Collecting!!!

Hall Jewel Tea Autum Leaf

In 1933 The Jewel Company contracted with the Hall Company to produce a set of dishes to be used as a premium. Salesmen would entice housewives on their routes to buy these dishes for everyday use. The Jewel Tea Autumn Leaf Pattern was a instant hit with many of the housewives who bought their wares from these travelling sales men during the early years of its production.

Everyday dishes, bowls, canisters, salt & pepper sets, tea sets, coffee pots, water jars, candy dishes, every imaginable piece produced was very popular in many kitchens throughout the United States.

It's run from 1933 to 1976 sold millions of pieces and although it tried unsuccessfully to make a comeback in the late 70's the early pieces have never lost their popularity.

Today Jewel Tea pieces are quite collectible. I recently went to an auction that featured several pieces of this Jewel Tea Autumn Leaf pattern and every piece offered went quite high.

If you are a collector you can find it in many antique stores and flea markets throughout the country. There are also several online antique stores and of course eBay has several pieces for sale.

This pattern makes a great display in a country themed kitchen. If you are willing to pay the price there are many sources and opportunities to add to your collection.

Nintendo System

Back in the 80's Nintendo was a big thing and one year we bought our kids a Nintendo NES console system as a reward. It was the beginning of summer and they had earned good grades throughout the year. Back in those days we were always strapped for cash so this was a real treat and a surprise as well. I had put it on Lay-a-way and on the last day of school we took them out to dinner and then went and picked it up.

They were ecstatic, it was really cool back then and they conquered Mario Bros and Frogger, and on to the more complicated Zelda and many others. They loved playing it and took turns playing it and fighting over who's turn it actually was.

They would blow the dust out on a daily basis and play for hours. Life was good. Nowadays, kids seem to have several versions of electronic games. X-Box, Play Station and Wii to name a few. This past summer I found a Nintendo NES at a yard sale for $10 and for old times sake bought it. Every time I come across Nintendo games at yard sales I buy them up, we are building a library of old games.

We hooked the system up for the grandkids who by the way love it, especially the 5 year old, he has a blast playing the games. My 30 something son even suggested we have a Nintendo game marathon which sounds like fun but he was always the best player and his turn never seems to end so I don't know if it will be that fun or not. What I do know is it was well worth the ten bucks I gave for it! It is a special memory to us. It must be special to many others as well. I see tons of these games on eBay and they all seem to get bids.

If you do run across any Nintendo games or the console units in your travels you might want to pick them up. They do seem to sell well both on eBay and in my flea market booth. If you are not a player you could make a little extra cash selling it to the people who are either nostalgic or addicted, either way it would be a win-win situation!

Collecting Aprons

Most households have at least one apron in the kitchen if not several. Over the years the styles of aprons have changed. They have gone from full length to short mid-waist style to full dress style and even fancy party aprons were very stylish back in the 1960's.

There are antique apron show's/siminars periodically around the country that are fun to attend. It's always fun to see how the styles evolved and changed over the years.

Kansas State’s Historic Costume and Textile Museum in Manhattan, KS has a very a impressive display of the earlier Handy Dandy Aprons which were patented in 1925. If you are into Aprons and in the area you'll want to check it out.

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There are also many collectible events in the United States, many featuring vintage aprons.
I know of one show this year in Pocahontas, Arkansas in August. The dates are August 11 - 16, 2009. The Vintage Apron Show is at the Pocahontas Randolph County Heritage Museum. They will have a large variety of vintage aprons to view and this event is free so if you are in the area check it out.

There are ton's of vintage apron collectors in the world and many of them have blogs. Just Google in vintage or antique aprons and you'll have several to pick from. These blogs are fun to read, informative and cute but be careful they can become addictive.

2009 City Wide Yard Sales in Kansas

Below is a listing of all the City Wide Yard Sale I have for Kansas. If you would like me to post your Kansas Yard Sale please email me with the dates, city, times and a contact number.

2009 UPDATE

Agusta, KS - Citywide Garage Sale - June 19-20, 2009 & Oct. 5, 2009 - (316) 775.6339

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2009 UPDATE

Alma, KS - Citywide Garage Sale - (785) 765-3327

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2009 UPDATE

Flint Hill, KS - City Wide Garage Sale - September 19, 2009 - 8 a.m. - (620) 767-5442

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2009 UPDATE

Fort Scott, KS - City Wide Garage Sale - April 18, 2009 - (620) 223-0550

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2009 UPDATE

Horton, KS - City Wide Garage Sale - June 19 - 20, 2009 - (785) 486-3321

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2009 UPDATE

Phillipsburg, KS - City Wide Garage Sale - April 25, 2009

2009 Citywide Yardsales in The United States

I don't know about you all but I'm craving a yard sale, withdrawal symptoms I guess. I get this way every winter.

Last year I listed citywide yard sales on my blog by state. If you look back through my older posts, I will update the dates as soon as I get the current info.

Today I updated several in Kentucky. Anybody who wants to send me citywide or community yard sale information and/or dates I will be glad to include it on my blog.

Just a few more months and we'll all be out there yard-sailing. Hope to see you soon!