Yesterday I was on an adventure with a friend of mine.  Destination?  A packing supply store.   I know what you’re thinking.  She really buys packing supplies at a retail store?  The answer to that is yes, and no.

Normally, I recycle.  I have numerous things coming in, therefore, I store the peanuts, the bubble wrap and most importantly, the boxes all this stuff comes in to use when shipping things out.  It keeps my overhead down, and saves a tree all at the same time.

Every now and then I have an overstock of boxes, and while I stack them one inside another, the pile of boxes can start to add up.

So think back to when I scored that pair of Louis Vuitton suitcases a few months ago.  The box that the trunk came in was “put together” if you will by my picker.  By the time I got the trunk out, the box was totaled.  I figured no big deal. I planned to sell the big trunk locally.

As luck would have it, I couldn’t find a buyer for the trunk locally.  So after several failed attempts I reached out to my client base in New York.  SCORE!

Fast forward to Friday where I spend the day driving around Houston looking for a box that will fit a trunk 32” x 21” x 11”.

One of my favorite places to buy packing materials when I do have the right size is Half Price Boxes.  I’ll never understand how this company turns a profit.  Walk in, walk out with 20 brand new cardboard boxes for $20 or less (not each, for all of them!)

So of course, this is the first place I look.  Denied!

Next..FedEx Kinkos. They have a packing department so I thought for sure…NOPE – try again.

I ended up at UHaul buying a small (optimum word) garment box. You know the kind with the metal pole inside to hang your shirts on when you move?  That’s the one.

Sadly, it almost didn’t fit in the back of my car, and I hadn’t even unfolded the box to build it.

Once I got the beast errr I mean the box home and unfolded it, I realized there would be no way this was going back into my car.  I’d have to think of a backup plan when it comes time to take it to UPS.

It was really the perfect size once I got the trunk inside. It had about 3 inches on each side, enough for me to pad the sides with cushion in case it gets tossed around.  Who am I kidding?  No one will be tossing around a 36” tall, 30 lb box.

Bubble wrap is lightweight right?  Well, the trunk weighed 24 lbs, and by the time I had the sides cushioned in-between the sides and the trunk itself, it weighed 30.

I can’t wait to see what the ground shipping cost is going to be.  I’m sure the $45 I charged will be nowhere near enough!

Lessons learned from this experience:

1.       Keep all packing material, not just some of it. You never know when you are going to need to ship a trunk.

2.       Own a truck, SUV or vintage Lincoln Towncar that has lots of room for packages for times like these.

3.       Only buy small items.  Easy packing and cheap shipping!

I’d love to hear any suggestions you have for cost effective shipping, packing materials, or unique ways to ship collectibles worldwide!

Happy Hunting!

Reyne

DENVER, Pa. – The selection just keeps getting better in Dan Morphy’s Premier auctions, the next of which is slated for Oct. 15-16 and will feature the extraordinary Cristol/Glickman family’s doll collection, the advertising clocks of longtime collectors Jerry and Millie Maltz, and part II of the Michael O’Hearn vintage toy collection. The 1,850-lot auction will appeal to those who seek “fresh-to-market antiques with deep provenance,” said Morphy’s founder and CEO, Dan Morphy.

The opening session will feature an extensive lineup of toys, many coming from the collection of retired California architect Michael O’Hearn. The grouping includes more than 100 Japanese windup toys, 400+ Japanese car lots, 75+ character toy lots and more than 75 examples of pressed steel.

Circa-1954 lithographed-tin Ford Sunliner friction toy made by Haji, Japan, book example with original box, estimate $4,000-$6,000. Morphy Auctions image.

Among the toy highlights are a boxed, tin friction Ford Sunliner, estimate $4,000-$6,000; and many other boxed 1950s-’60s Japanese versions of Oldsmobiles, Plymouths, Buicks and other brands in near-mint condition. The wide-ranging O’Hearn collection also includes space toys, such as a boxed Moon Patrol Space Division No. 3 car, $1,800-$3,000; and a Bandai Space Patrol Super Cycle, $3,000-$6,000.

Within the comic character toy category, bidders will find a rare boxed Schoenhut Barney and Spark Plug figure in unplayed-with condition, $2,000-$3,000; and a windup Howdy Doody Band, near mint with its original box, $2,000-$3,000.

The fleet of pressed-steel vehicles includes all the big names, including Buddy ‘L,’ Wyandotte, Keystone and Steelcraft. A pressed-steel Lincoln made by Turner is estimated at $2,000-$4,000, while an example of the always-popular Buddy ‘L’ Transportation Bus is expected to cruise to a winning bid of $2,500-$3,500.

Day two will open with approximately 350 lots from the comprehensive 50-plus-year doll collection that was established by the late Martha Cristol and later jointly maintained with her collector-daughter, Merle Cristol Glickman. The collection is unique in that it was initially formed from mail-order purchases starting as early as the 1950s, with later acquisitions coming from Chicago-area auctions and tag sales.

Glickman recalled that it was never her mother’s intention to be a specialist. “She favored diversity and preferred to collect dolls of all types from all parts of the world,” she said. Antique French dolls, character dolls, and dolls made of wood, cloth, composition and hard plastic all found a welcome home in Martha Cristol’s collection. Some went on to become blue ribbon prizewinners at UFDC conventions.

Exquisite Bru Jeune bébé, French, circa 1880s, 15½ inches, bisque socket head marked Bru Jne 4, marked bisque shoulder plate, kid body, wood upper arms, bisque lower arms, estimate $18,000-$22,000. Morphy Auctions image.

The wonderful array of dolls to be offered in this session includes an exquisite Bru Jne bebe, $18,000-$22,000; and a Jumeau bebe, $6,000-$9,000. A rare circa-1910 Simon & Halbig fashion lady could fetch $3,000-$4,000. Additionally, bidders may choose from more than 30 Lenci dolls and 30 Madame Alexander dolls in near-mint condition, plus many other coveted types.

European tin toys are led by a fine Marklin steam-powered boat manufactured expressly for the French market, estimate $10,000-$15,000. “This boat is from the first series, and has a unique hull and four original lifeboats,” said Morphy’s CEO Dan Morphy. “It might well end up being the top lot of the sale.” Other European toys include an Ernst Planck #421A live-steam brewery in very nice condition, $2,000-$3,000; penny toys, 10 Noah’s arks and an assortment of German tin wind-up Lehmann toys.

Topping the list of mechanical banks are a beautiful, near-mint example of a Lion Hunter, $15,000-$20,000; and a near-mint-plus Boy Scout bank, $12,000-$15,000. Still banks include a J.M. Harper Nesting Dove, $2,000-$3,000, Shimer Toy Co. Electric Railroad Car, $3,000-$4,000; and a J. & E. Stevens Battleship Maine, $3,000-$4,000.

The antique advertising section of the sale offers a large selection of desirable porcelain and tin signs, and several rare Coca-Cola items. A large 1904 red-version Lillian Nordica poster is estimated at $4,000-$8,000; while a large 1908 World’s Fair Coke serving tray in near-mint condition is expected to make $3,500-$5,500.

Advertising clock created by Baird to advertise its own company; book example, considered “king of all advertising clocks,” estimate $20,000-$30,000. Morphy Auctions image.

Many collectors are eagerly anticipating the chance to acquire rarities from Jerry and Millie Maltz’s magnificent 34-year assemblage of Baird advertising clocks. The Maltzes are experts on the subject of early advertising clocks, and the 27 specialty clocks to be auctioned are actual examples pictured in Jerry’s 1998 reference book titled Baird Advertising Clocks. “This is a connoisseur’s collection,” said Dan Morphy. “The Maltzes left no stone unturned in their quest to find the rarest and best examples.” Among the highlights are an 1897 Baird Coca-Cola clock with double-spring Seth Thomas movement and Chicago label, $15,000-$20,000; and the most coveted of all advertising clocks – a design that Baird created specifically to advertise its own company. In 100% original condition and retaining its original key, the clock ($15,000-$20,000) is believed to have been displayed at Baird’s executive offices in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Other clocks in the Maltz collection represent a panorama of products including – to name but a few – Chief Bonus Tea, El Caza Honeymoon Cigars, Venus Soap, Ghirardelli’s Chocolates, Mischler’s Herb Bitters and the Toledo Blade newspaper, as well as many other goods and clothing retailers of a century ago.

Additional sale highlights include a Caille Eclipse 5-cent floor model standing slot machine, $15,000-$18,000; and an all-original 1960s Bowden bicycle, $3,000-$5,000.

All forms of bidding will be available for this sale, including live via the Internet through MorphyLive or LiveAuctioneers.com. For information on any item in the sale, call 717-335-3435 or e-mail dan@morphyauctions.com. Visit Morphy Auctions online at www.morphyauctions.com.

Show & Sale Open to the public $15 tickets available at entrance

Sept. 17th – 19th, 2010

After 40 years of supplying invaluable information for the antiques and collectibles market, Collector Books is closing its doors. With the release of its last 14 titles this fall, Collector Books will cease publication, though it will stay open through 2011 to sell out its remaining inventory of over 235,000 books.

Collector Books, a division of Schroeder Publishing, began in 1969 when Bill Schroeder saw a need and filled it. This simple want ad, “We buy & sell old fruit jars. Send $1.00 for complete list. Refundable on first transaction. Schroeder’s, Rt. 4, Paducah, KY.”, didn’t generate many sales, but it drew dozens of inquiries from owners interested in information about their jars. Bill compiled a booklet called “1000 Fruit Jars with Current Values” and by 1974 had quit his day job so he could devote all his time to Collector Books.

While Collector Books has published over 1500 different titles on antiques and collectibles, it is their price guide that set an industry standard. Published annually since 1982, Schroeder’s Antiques Price Guide had been the ‘blue book’ of the antiques and collectibles market for almost 30 years. But the current wealth of information available for free on the internet, coupled with the technology to access it immediately even from the most remote locations, has made such price guides obsolete.

Collectors no longer have to cart around a milk crate full of books when they go hunting. All they need is a cell phone web browser. The ‘information super highway’ has made it possible to access price information instantaneously. And gone, too, is the thrill of the hunt. Where collectors once had to search high and low for rare items, the internet has brought them right into the palm of their hands, causing an overall drop in antiques prices as well.

And so, the 29^th edition of Schroeder’s Antiques Price Guide will be the last, and as Bill Schroeder has said, it’s the end of an era.

Telling his employees that the company would be closing wasn’t easy. “I’ve been in just about every facet of the business since I was thirteen,” said Schroeder. “It’s one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make and it’s emotional”, he said in an interview with WPSD, the local news station. “We’ve tried every avenue we could. Forty years. That’s a long time.”

Collector Books employs about 50 people. Although 8 have already been laid off, Schroeder has said that most will be transferred to Schroeder Publishing’s other division, the American Quilter’s Society. (Bill & Meredith founded the American Quilters Society in 1984, and built what is now called the National Quilt Museum in 1991.) The company will continue to publish quilting guides as well as their two magazines, “American Quilter” and “Quilt Life”.

“The Glass Cupboard” for Antiques.com

In this epidsode Reyne interviews reknown home organizer Janine Godwin of TLC’s “Hoarders: Buried Alive” who demonstrates several smart ways to store your valuable antiques and collectibles.

Auction Sept. 27th, 2010

Los Angeles and San Francisco

Auction Sept. 18th & 19th, 2010

Featuring Fine European & American Antiques, Lighting, Paintings, Rugs, Jewelry, Bric-a-Brac, and Objets D’Art

Modern ans Contemporary Art

American and European Art

Auction Sept. 12th, 2010  12pm

Show Opens Sept 15, 2010

Gustav Stickley and the American Arts & Crafts Movement, organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and nationally premiering at the Newark Museum, is the first exhibition to focus on the career of one of the most influential figures to arise within the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States in the early 20th century.

The Emporium, which is home to 130 dealers offering antiques and vintage items from all over the world.

The city of Frederick lies 49 miles northeast of Washington DC and 48 miles west of Baltimore. Founded in 1745, Frederick is considered the heart of the American Revolution, for it was here that the first act of rebellion against English taxation occurred when, on November 23, 1765, the Twelve Immortal Justices issued their declaration against the Stamp Act. It is a city that boasts George Washington and Benjamin Franklin among its earliest visitors. Today, tourists to the historic district of this second largest city in Maryland find themselves in an antique collector’s paradise.

If you’re arriving via I-70, take the East Street/Market Street exit and begin your shopping at the Old Glory Antique Marketplace on Urbana Pike just outside town. Old Glory is one of those wonderful multi dealer malls where you can find just about anything – from vintage fishing lures to sterling flatware. If you’re looking for furniture, this is the place to shop as Old Glory boasts one of the largest selections in the area.

Head north and Urbana Pike becomes Market Street and will lead you to the center of Frederick. Once you’ve reached East South Street, turn right, then left on South Carroll Street and prepare yourself as you’ve entered the zone. There are literally hundreds of antique dealers in dozens of stores within an 8 block radius of where you stand.

Cannon Hill Place Antiques should be your first stop. This oldest antique mall in Frederick can be found in a beautiful stone building that was built in 1780 by Hessian troops. After the war (Revolutionary, that is), it was converted to a grain mill and has since been known as the Old Stone Granary on Cannon Hill. The two floors are filled with offerings from over 40 dealers who specialize in “Urban American Goods at Vintage Prices”

As you continue down South Carroll Street, you’ll come to Revival Consignment Exchange. While the term “consignment shop” might conjure images of baby clothes and toaster ovens, you won’t find any here. Revival Consignment features the finest estate arts and antiques. Items that have been there longer than 60 days are marked in red and discounted by 25% – but you won’t find many of those. The prices are so good that most items sell during the first week.

Revival Consignment Exchange is housed within the grandest of Frederick’s antique malls: The Emporium, which is home to 130 dealers offering antiques and vintage items from all over the world.

To truly appreciate the Emporium, you should enter through the front door on East Patrick Street (that means exiting Revival, walking to the corner and turning left). The Emporium occupies a 55,000 square foot warehouse that was built in 1912.  As you walk through the massive oak doors, the wood floors, transom windows and cavernous tin ceiling complete the feeling that you’ve stepped back in time. And you can literally lose track of time as you wander through the Emporium, which stretches behind other storefronts on Patrick and Carroll Streets.

When you do find your way back to the front desk, make sure to pick up some home made preserves along with your other treasures. The cherry butter should give you enough energy to visit the at least a few of the dozens of shops still to discover in Frederick.

The Glass Cupboard for Antiques.com

http://www.theglasscupboard.com