Anything valuable at this auction?

[ifs]

I'm checking out an auction in Mass tomorrow and I would like to know if there are any items you think would be worth getting. I can only pick up small items since I do not have a large vehicle. If anyone can help me out I will try and pick up an item that you are interested in and sell it to you for the amount that I paid (plus a little extra for shipping -- I am ranked on ebay, so I can set a low "buy it now" price). I am entirely new to antiques and any collectable items in general, so any help would be greatly appreciated! Pictures of the items can be seen here: http://www.wintergardenauction.com/

[regularjoe2]

Welcome to the forum , ifs .

Since the items are at auction , i don't think that anybody here could really tell if an item is 'worth buying' without knowing the unknown auction price .

I will mention that sometimes auctions at the 'end-of-the-month' can be better for buyers than the sellers ( but not always ) .

If nothing else , it's worth the experience of just going to auctions & observing what goes on .

Sometimes an item that you've 'got the hots for' won't get bid on & you can try offering to buy the thing after the auction ends - diplomacy counts for alot when trying this tactic , though....


happy hunting !

[ifs]

I was just curious if anything looked really valuable, so I could potentially get an incredible price on something. Even if it was a buy for $15 and resell for $40 type thing. I went to my first auction the other night and most items started between $10-$20.. some things that didn't sell I'm sure could have been picked up and resold for a lot more. Could anyone point me in the direction of some good reading material to start learning about collectible items? Thanks!

[ironlord1963]

     Hang around this Forum is one of the best learning tools for me.  But have got lots of info from my Books.  Visit your local thrift shop and used book shops and buy a few general books.  But try and get your hands on a few Annual price guide.  My favorite is Warman's, mostly because they tend to write alot about the history and etc.  Schroeder's is Good only for a couple of years, it has prices but not much info.  I have got about 50 books so far, in my almost a year of this, half are reference guides the other are readers.   I have learned alot from this over the past few monts, but the most solid way to learn is to touch feel and research.
    What I do is Simple and very effective.  I buy something from yard sale, thrift shop, take it home Log it, Photo it, research it, then post it.  At first this was a bit hard, but each one makes the next easy.  I now add about 20 items a week, and sell well less then that,  I have a room full of boxes.  All logged and tagged and ready for sale.   This is not exactly a money making adventure for me but more the learning.  I do usually get my money back from a item. but more important is the information.  My files is almost at 1000 items, most worth only a couple of dollars, but will become 100 dollars in a few years.  This is kinda a 401K for me.  Sorry got lost in the moment.  Books right.  If you like to read boring books like me, then buy what ever book you find and hang around here, you will need it on all subjects to keep up with these folks here     

[ifs]

Thanks for the info! I'm going to be checking out some more auctions in the next few weeks and I will post some pictures of the stuff I pick up.

[wendy177]

Please post the things you pick up will be happy to help if possible. Did you go to this auction? Personally I liked the looks of the curly table & would love to know what it sold for. Also liked the parasol but would only have bought it if handle was bakelite  & carved but would need to inspect in person to be able to tell. Dolls looked good but would need to check markers marks. I find with dolls the more hideous the eyebrows are then they are usually french or German and usually bring a good price but always check marks. View auction pieces in advance and do a little research of pieces you find interesting to see if resale on current market is worth spending on. But in my opinion sometimes the ugliest thing sells for the highest prices.  The more you know the easier it will become.  good luck & happy hunting

[ifs]

Sadly I couldn't make it to that one. I'm trying to make it to these 3 auctions next week though:

http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=694063&category=0&zip=06074&kwd=
http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=701108&category=0&zip=06074&kwd=
http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=687445&category=0&zip=06074&kwd=

[luxetveritas]

Welcome to the forum!

First auction:

For starters on the first auction, the Samovar is a great buy if you can get it for under $50. The inkwell set is also a great buy if you can get it for $25 or under.  The Nippon tea set is a good deal for $20 as well. All three German steins are great deals if you can get them for under $30. The victorian era maritime print is perfect for $50. I'd place a $20 bid on the bed warmer. Both violins are pretty valuable, I'd buy them for $40 a piece. The raccoon coat is a GREAT purchase. At least a $30 bid. Everything else in a frame I'd bid $25 a piece on (some I would bid more, esp. the natural scenes- and def. the dutch print, but I don't know how much you want to spend). The amberina glass is a good buy at $10 a piece. Get all the hobnail if you can at $5 a piece. Most any vase and the decanter can be be sold for $15 a piece at least.

Second auction:

The silver certificate is a good buy at $15. I would place a $30 bid on the sterling knifes. I would bid at least $5 a piece for EVERY bill/coin on the list. They could all be sold on ebay for much, much more. If you can buy the morgan dollars for $10 a piece, then by all means do it. That's a good price.

Third auction:

Every clock in the auction is at least a $15 bid. The two lamps with the cranes are $15 bids. The small box next to the weird devil head is a &4 bid probably. The candlestick holders are a $20 bid, as are the lot of perfume bottles. Ignore the chandelier for eBay. The sword is at least a $30 bid. $20 for the crystal above the sword. The mirrors are good at $10 a piece. The table is a $30 bid (worth more, but shipping hurts when it comes to eBay. Perhaps craigslist). The pictures of the Victorian girls is a $20 bid. The chinese lamp is good at $25, but sell without shade. The compass is a $15 bid. The clarinet is good at $15. The tray of silver is a $50 bid if it is all sterling. The first lot of bottles is a $30 bid, the second $15? I know you said you had a small vehicle, but the gate leg table (the ovular one with the intricate feet and rails) is a $300 table. If you can get it for $30 I would. The buttons are good at $15, ESP the lot with the Jackson button and the LB election button. The glass pitcher a few rows down is good at $10. The two glass lots below the pitcher are $20 for the first and $15 for the second (not including the ceramic lot).

I skipped a few that were potential buys that I'm not entirely sure of. Hopefully the latter suggestions will be helpful, and always try to bid as low as possible obviously. I wish you luck! You can make some money on those auctions!

-Lux

[ifs]

Thanks a lot for all the tips and suggestions! I missed the first two auctions, but I went to another and got a couple box lots of little figurines and some other things. I will post pictures soon. I'm going to try and make it to the third auction and see if I can get some of the things you suggested!

[ifs]

Anything good at this one?

http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=707984&category=0&zip=06074&kwd=

[ifs]

I'm checking out this one tomorrow:

http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=592104&category=0&zip=06074&kwd=