Posted by Where I live in Silicon Valley, we went from summer to winter overnight. Still I am grateful that there will be no more of those super hot days and rain is on the horizon! And in a few weeks the popular holiday of Thanksgiving will be upon us–a day given to the overeating of sumptuous food, watching football games and yes, thankfulness. Though this year has not gone according to plan (for anyone!) or as I would have desired (our trip to Scotland is postponed indefinitely), still I have much to be thankful for–not least of which is my little vintage business and readers like you. Thank you friends!
November is usually a strong Etsy sales month for me, typically one of the best, but so far it’s been disappointingly slow. So I’m limiting my buying and focusing more on listing things from my backlog –which I should be doing anyway!
My few previous listings of vintage lab glassware sold quickly so I’m hoping it’ll be the same with this attractive eclectic lot that’s ready for flowers or libations. (I think this is the last of the lab glass in my backlog.)
I’ve also decided it was time to cull my personal vintage postcard collection, which is not being enjoyed or appreciated but stored in a shoebox in my closet. Pointless really. So I’ve been pulling together the best cards into little lots based on location or subject matter.
These cool Chinatown San Francisco, lot of vintage Stanley Piltz linen postcards are all unused and in wonderful, vibrant condition.
I listed a lot of eight vintage linen Arizona postcards. Most of these were from a great uncle, but I’ve decided just to save a few and sell the rest.
I’m also listing more of my personal jewelry–lovely pieces that I just haven’t worn much. Older bohemian garnet jewelry is a passion of mine, so it is with a bit of a heart wrench that I listed this one.
This Polish silver and egg yolk amber pendant was part of a large amber lot I bought four years ago from a nun’s estate. The Sister, originally from Poland, had last visited in the 1980s. I’ve been slowly adding more of her pieces to my Etsy store…like this one!
Years ago I bought several lots of antique (mid-1800s) pages from “The Grammar of Ornament” book by Owen Jones.
First published in 1856, The Grammar of Ornament remains a design classic. Its inspiration came from pioneering British architect and designer Owen Jones (1809–1874), who produced a comprehensive design treatise for the machine age, lavishly illustrated in vivid chromolithographic color. Jones made detailed observations of decorative arts on his travels in Europe, the Middle East, and in his native London, where he studied objects on display at the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in 1851 and at local museums. His aim was to improve the quality of Western design by changing the habits of Victorian designers, who indiscriminately mixed elements from a wide variety of sources.
Google Books
These oversized chromolithographic pages are wonderful framable works of art, but I’d rather forgotten about the ones I’d bought until a couple I had listed (a long time ago) recently sold. A light bulb clicked on and I remembered I had quite a few more languishing in an archival box in my closet. Time to get them listed!
Here’s a closeup of one of my favorite designs from page “Egyptian No. 4.”
Here’s a pair of Greek No. 2 and No.3 pages in shades of terracotta, rust and black.
Current online prices for the antique “Grammar of Ornament” pages range from $10 to $200 a page, but typical sold prices range from $15 to $50 a page.
I used to have a separate Etsy book store and it did well for a while and then it didn’t. So I closed the shop several years ago and have been slowly going through the stock and adding the best, most interesting books to my “regular” store. This is one of them! It’s a 1949 version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” designed and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. But best of all it’s inscribed and signed by Virginia. (Virginia is best known for children’s books like “This Little House” and “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.”)
Here’s one thing I did buy this month at my neighborhood thrift store–a handsome mid-century George Zee, Hong Kong, wood and brass jewelry box. Other than missing its locking pin for the front clasp, it’s in wonderful condition.
So I’m keeping busy, but with Covid19 numbers rising in our county (and country) again, I’m going to limit my errands and out-and-about activities. I’d rather be safe than sorry!
Happy hunting in this difficult time,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 