If you’re not interested in vintage guitars, fishing lures or iron doorstops, you must be surprised at the high prices serious collectors are paying for these items. Each is a special collecting niche and has its own group of collectors.
They sometimes make great buys at house sales, because the average person can’t even imagine a doorstop worth more than $70,000, a fishing lure for more than $100,000 or a guitar that sells for more than $900,000.
Vintage guitars that belonged to popular musicians sell very well, but even one used by an unknown musician will bring a high price if it’s unusual or of exceptional quality. Recently a Gibson Explorer electric guitar made about 1958-1963 sold at a Skinner auction in Boston for $611,000. Its unusual shape, special features and, of course, Gibson’s reputation as a guitar manufacturer led to the high price.
Don’t assume your old musical instrument has little value. Check with a local music store or online.
Old toilets sell for premium prices today because they use the old forceful flush that’s much stronger than the water-saving flush of new ones. The claw-foot tub would be of interest to collectors. The tubs are so popular they are being reproduced. Most 1940s claw-foot tubs we’ve seen sell for $50 to $100. The sink may attract interest from someone redoing a bathroom in a vintage style. Try selling the fixtures locally.
You can try a couple of things. Put a few timetables in your microwave oven and “cook” the paper on low power for 30 seconds at a time. This is a good method for killing mold and might get rid of the odor. But be sure there are no metal staples in the timetables. They can spark a fire. Another option is to bury the whole collection in a mound of kitty litter for several days. Then just dust them off.
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Mary Poppins Paper Doll and Activity Book, four dolls, Golden Press, 1964, 16 pages, $40.
Milk bottle, Bartholomay Co. Inc., Rochester, N.Y., raised print, cream top, 1925, quart, $65.
Parasol, carved ivory handle, top finial, beige silk, 1880s, 221/2 inches, $115.
Madame Alexander Beth doll, hard plastic, Lissy face, clear eyes and lashes, brown wig, blue print dress, 14 inches, $175.
Fenton glass rose bowl, cranberry opalescent polka dots, 1955, 5 inches, $180.
Rookwood bookends, blue rooks on matte-blue glaze, marked, dated 1939, 51/2 inches, $230.
Shaker box, covered with wallpaper, rectangular, cotter-pin hinged lid, interior lined with 1833 Temperance Agent newspaper, 9 x 191/2 x 93/4 inches, $345.
Yellowware window props, molded lions, c. 1820, 51/2 x 4 inches, pair, $395.
Coca-Cola radio, cooler shape, red, Point of Purchase Display Co., Chicago, Model 5A410A, 12 x 91/2 x 8 inches, $1,155.
Apothecary chest, hanging, bird’s-eye maple, three-panel bottom splash board, two doors, key lock, 1840s, 29 x 18 x 63/4 inches, $3,350.
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