Life is Short — Eat Dessert First!

EAPG cake stands

I turned 50 this year. Yep – half a century old. And instead of worrying about “getting old” I decided to celebrate with a “Life is Short, Eat Dessert First” party!

We hired a bartender to make ice cream drinks. We had 3 chocolate fountains with a gazillion items to dip including strawberries, marshmallows and homemade potato chips. And we topped it all off with a ton of finger desserts including cake balls, mini cheesecakes, brownies, dessert bars and cookies. Of course, I didn’t even think about setting the food out until it arrived…

Ah – Salvers to the rescue!

So what’s a salver? Salver came from the Latin word salvare’ which means “to save.” And in Europe during the 17th century a salva tray – filled with samples of the food that was going to be served – was given to the “taster” before the King took his first bite.

The popular name for a salver is cake stand. And although cake stands were first mentioned in 1620 – in the United States they were manufactured around 1770 when prosperous families began serving extravagant dessert courses that often included a pyramid of footed cake stands filled with candied fruits, nuts, puddings, cakes and tarts.

Cake Stand Pyramid

English author Hannah Glasse describes an example in her 1760s recipe book, The Compleat Confectioner:

“In the middle a high pyramid of one salver above another, the bottom one large, the next smaller, the top one less; these salvers are to be fill’d with all kinds of wet and dry sweet-meats in glass, baskets or little plates, colour’d jellies, creams, & biscuits, crisp’d almonds and little knickknacks, and bottles of flowers prettily intermix’d, the little top salver must have large preserv’d fruit in it.”

Now – I admit I had not read Hannah’s book before my party. Nor was I trying to re-create a 1770 dinner party (I’m not THAT old!). I just wanted to find a way to put out all of my desserts AND make the table look nice. And since I had recently purchased a collection of cake plates – thank heavens – all I had to do was unwrap them, wash them and set the table.

Now I’m hooked. I LOVE cake stands! And I’m searching for them on all of my antiquing trips. So far most of the cake stands I’ve been able to find are round – but I’ve found a few that are square, hexagonal and even octagonal. And I’ve even snagged a purple slag cake stand and two Vaseline salvers.

Square Milk Glass Cake Stands

Green Depression Glass Cake Stands

Ceramic Ruffled Cake Stand

You can pick up most EAPG and Depression glass cake stands for less less than $100. If you run across colored glass cake stands however, like sapphire blue (1870 and 1910) or Vaseline (1850 – 1940) you can see prices that range from $250 – $500.

But don’t think for a moment  that cake stands are only for cake – just ask Martha Stewart.   She suggests that you can use them as
centerpieces, candelabras or even flower stands.

Hmmm.  A functional — usable antique.  Imagine that!

Shake It Off!

A small fender-bender adds up to $5k

I haven’t been in an accident since I was a teenager…  So getting hit was quite a shock.  But I think it was worse for the young woman who hit us.   

But here’s the good news:

• No one got hurt.
• The other driver took full responsibility.
• The Traverse was still drivable.

So all we had to do was wait (45 minutes) for the police to show up to write a report.  And file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company.  While we waited we got to know the young woman who was driving the other car.  She’s 17, just learning to drive and made a rookie mistake.  I think that’s happened to all of us.  And before we finished up with the business side of the accident we met her sister, her mother and her boyfriend — all who came to support her!  Pretty nice, huh?!  

By 8PM Friday night we were finally back on the road and headed to Oklahoma City.  We had another little adventure that night at the hotel involving a different young lady – dressed in a very tight, very small black dress coming out of a hotel room.   But I’ll leave the details of that story out of our G-rated blog!   

The next day was Saturday — and I have to admit that it was not our best day.  There wasn’t a problem with the people we met that day or the places we visited.  I just think we were still a little shook up from the day before and some of the fun had worn off.  So after one stop at 23rd Street Antiques where we purchased a lovely flow blue pitcher and a Blue Aurene Steuben vase we headed back north.

Sunday we stopped by the Overland Park Antique Show.   Wow.  Okay let me say that again.  WOW!

• Okay, it cost me $6 bucks a person to get in. 
• And Yes, there were only about 50 vendors. 
• BUT Talk about high end.  I’ve always said WE carried high end, but these vendors REALLY had HIGH END
• AND  the vendors were willing to deal!  

We saw more Tiffany, Steuben, Loetz, Pairpoint, Flow Blue and Brilliant Cut Glass at this show then we’ve seen in ALL OF OUR BUYING TRIPS PUT TOGETHER.  It was magnificent!  And as I walked the aisles I kept finding things that took my breath away.  Honestly — this show is worth the drive — even if all you are going to do is ooh and aah.   The vendors were VERY knowledgeable and the education itself was more than worth the door fee!

Don't Let the "American Gothic" look fool you. These two are a HOOT!

I have to admit at first glance we assumed everything was going to be out of our price range.  WE WERE WRONG.  Yes, there was a lot of high end art glass.  And high-end art glass is not cheap.  But we found that the majority of the vendors were very reasonably priced.   

Mom found out that this was the place for a Good Deal and a Good Time!

We also assumed that prices would be “firm” in this kind of venue.  Once again, WE WERE WRONG.  We found that with very little haggling we were able to negotiate a discounted price. 

This show was GREAT.  And no doubt about it…we WILL BE BACK in 2011!

So that’s the story of our 2010 Fall Buying Trip. 

• We spent 5 days on the road together.  
• We opened the door to build relationships with 4 more dealers. 
• We learned a ton. 
• And we purchased 97 new items.   

All-in-all, even with the Wham Bam  I think it was a valuable way to spend our time and money!

Wham Bam!

Yep — It’s been an adventure!

Keepers Antique Mall

We spent Thursday in Missouri.  The day started with breakfast.  We found a “joint” outside of Harrisonville that had a pork chop breakfast special.  Awesome! 

At 8:45AM we followed the staff into Keepers and started shopping.  It was a nice first stop.  We picked up four candlewick dinner plates, some salts and a great Geisha cobalt chocolate pot set.    Then just around the corner we found a HUGE Blenko vase at Trade Fair.  

A short drive down I71 took us to Faithful Peddlers in La Mars.  What a wonderful place – and the owners are AWESOME.  This shop has two floors and Mom decided she was going to start up stairs.  And of course, she found the good stuff including a Victorian Brides Basket and a nice RS Prussia bowl.   On a personal note — I found a very unusual Spaghetti Santa Nodder — and NO, it is not for re-sale.

We found ourselves having pancakes in Joplin, Missouri on Friday morning. 

• Mom tried pecan cinnamon
• Dad had one pinapple pancake and one peanut butter pancake
• And I went with an old stand-by — blueberry pecan

But by 10AM (based on a recommendation from the good folks at Faithful Peddler) we were roaming the aisles at Southside Antiques.  Three hours later we had two more boxes to  put into the truck that included:

• Red Behemian Cut Glass
• Vaseline
• American Fostoria
• Viking
• Fenton
• Loetz 

Hidden Acres

Then based on another recommendation we headed off to Hidden Treasures.  This is a neat little one-owner shop.   He specializes in crystal, colored EAPG and Asian-ware — and while he didn’t have any moriage – during the hour we spent there I learned a ton! 

At that point we ran out of recommendations — so we went back to my internet research and decided to stop in Claremore, Oklahoma.  As we drove into town we found a bunch of stores.  After a quick drive-by we decided to stop in at the Hudson – Metcalf Antique Mall . 

Good decision!

I found Christmas presents for two VIPs.  And after a quick conversation they sent us down the road to Tulsa to the I44 Antique Mall.  Specifically, they suggested that we visit “Marcia’s” booth.   And for the first time during the entire trip I wished we had more money for inventory. 

Can you guess what Marcia is holding?

Marcia had Gold Aurene, Tiffany, Irridescent Bohemian. Cameo Glass, Brides Baskets, RS Prussia,  Victorian Vaseline, Blenko, Mary Gregory ..do I need to continue?

With an hour to go before closing we identified our “like-to-have’s” – prioritized the items — and chose a cut-off point.  Unfortunately I think I’m going to remember the Blenko we left behind.  Then after a full day we headed off to dinner. 

The next thing we knew — Wham Bam — a young driver smacked into my truck!

On the Road Again

It’s that time of year!  Yep every fall we go on a buying trip.  Two years ago we headed east and spent some time in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.  Last year we spent most of our time in Kansas and Nebraska.  And this year we’re headed to Oklahoma.

To get ready we’ve:

• Completed an inventory — so we know what we currently have in stock
• Ran customer purchase reports — so we know what we’ve sold in the past 24 months
• Ran profit reports — so we know where we’ve actually made money
• Reviewed our client wish-list — so we know what people are still looking for
• Scoured the internet looking for out-of-the-way places to pick up antiques
• Planned a “potential” route

Now comes the fun part.  Wednesday afternoon we hit the road.  Our plan is to get south of Kansas City by dark.  Thursday morning we’ll go to our first “official” stop…and from that point on all bets are off.   

At every stop we’ll ask the same question to everyone we meet including the gas station attendant, the waitress, the shop owner and even the woman walking by on the street.  What’s the question? 

“In this area — who should we be talking with about antiques?” 

What’s amazing is that 1)  People actually know and 2) People will tell us!  And based on those conversations we may head to an area antique store.  We may end up in someone’s attic.  Or we could get invited to a local dealer’s home.  But no matter what — it’s  an adventure.

One of my favorite adventures was when we visited a dealer’s barn.  It was located right on a gravel road and everything was COVERED with gravel dust.  Seriously — it was so thick everything in the barn was grey.  And our first thought was THIS IS A WASTE OF TIME!  But we walked through, picked some pieces off the shelves, wiped them down and found a couple of low-end pieces that were priced right. 

As we were paying the man we asked if he knew anyone that had high end Victorian Glass that they might be interested in selling.  And all of the sudden we were ushered into heaven. 

The dealer took us through a door that lead to a great room where he lived.  What a difference.  The place was clean as a whistle.  There were actual lights that highlighted everything.  And three of his four walls had built in display cabinets full of RS Prussia, Brides Baskets, Pickle Casters, Pigeon’s Blood, Old Amberina, Vaseline and Cameo glass.   

He was protective and VERY selective about what he was willing to give up — but we made a deal on four stunning pieces! 

You know, at every show customers AND vendors ask us ”where do you find such good stuff?  And this situation is a perfect example.

• We’re not afraid to ask questions.
• We treat people well — even if we think we’ve been sent off on a wild goose chase.
• And we do our best to be personable.  

This dealer does not advertise.  His place was out in the middle of nowhere.  And we couldn’t have found him even if we knew how to find a needle in a haystack.  And yet — we were able to buy four pieces from him THAT WERE NOT ON THE MARKET.  

“In the good-of-days” (that many antique dealers like to reminisce about) all you had to do was know your stuff, go to garage sales and Goodwill and then simply put out your merchandise at a local antique show or flea market.   In those days even rude and obnoxious dealers made money.

My have times changed!

1. It’s much harder to find quality antiques
2. There is more competition then ever before
3. What took years for many dealers to learn is now readily available on the internet
4. Customers KNOW what things are worth

So really — how do you find quality antiques?  How do you make money?  And how do you stay in business?  

• We’ve found out that it pays to be curious. 
• We found out it pays to do your research.
• We found out it pays when you willing give information to others.
• We found out that it pays to listen. 
• We’ve found out that it pays to be kind.  
• We found out it pays when you don’t have to sell something for “what it is worth.”
• And we found out that it pays when you treat people well.  

Lucky for me — that’s sounds like the kind of values my parents taught me years ago.  Thanks Mom & Dad!

RSP Auction

Hi. This is Michael – and I thought I’d tell you about the RS Prussia auction that I attended.  This is my first ever blog so bear with me.

This trip started when I saw the auction advertised on Woody’s site.  It was the R.S. Prussia auction being held in conjunction with the International Association of R.S. Prussia Collectors Convention in St. Louis.  I’ve developed an increasing interest in R.S. Prussia Porcelain – and I saw this as a great opportunity to see and learn more as well as hopefully buy a few things for the booth and maybe even for me.

Unfortunately the auction coincided with a visit from Tammy’s sister and brother-in-law to her parent’s house in Spirit Lake. So we decided I would go on my own and she would go see her family. After lots of preparation (i.e. research) and conferring with Walt and Lois, we came up with a short list of the items from all that cool stuff that we thought our customers would like that I was going to bid on for us. I had an even shorter list of things that I was going to bid on for myself.

So after my day job on Friday I hopped in the car and took off for St. Louis. I arrived around midnight, got a good night’s sleep, got up and had a terrific omelet at the breakfast buffet. Then I went to the auction room and set up ‘base camp.’ Then it was time to start looking.

Holy Cow! Everything was spectacular!

But I had to focus and get down to business. I VERY carefully examined each and every piece on our list for damage or flaws. I KNOW that Woody’s does their very best – but it really is the BUYER’S responsibility to ensure the condition of items they are interested in. So I tried to ignore all of the pieces that we were not interested in s—and spend my time concentrating on the 12 items that we thought we might have a chance to add to our collection.

After an hour or so I finished with my examinations and called Tammy. Based on my look and touch test – I suggested we drop a couple pieces. And since I couldn’t totally control myself – I found a few new pieces that I suggested we try to buy. After a few minutes of debate I headed back to ‘base camp’ to check my assumptions via some RS Prussia resource books. Then with 30 minutes to spare before the auction – I took one last walk – to ooh and ahh over the beautiful pieces that I was NOT going to be able to take home. .

The auction started right on time – and people were not shy. Within the first 30 minutes four of the items we were interested in went up for bid – and I didn’t even get the chance to lift my hand before the bids blew by me faster than a speeding bullet!

Pretty soon it was obvious that the prices were out of my league – and the guy next to me struck up a conversation. Turns out he was a knowledgeable collector and former member of the Association. We exchanged pleasantries and he introduced his wife and daughter. Real nice people. He pointed out the 4 or 5 deep-pockets buyers in the crowd to me who were buying many of the best and most valuable pieces. Oh don’t I wish we had $5K to spend on one piece!

Now I’m more than half-way through the auction – I still haven’t made a purchase. But a couple of items on my personal wish list were coming up. And since I was willing to spend a little more money (since these items were not for resale) I thought maybe there was hope.

Yahoo! I finally made a purchase. A gorgeous Castle Vase in browns and yellows!

And my luck started to turn. One after another I picked up:

• 10” Schooner Bowl
• 10” Peacock Bowl
•  Stippled Tankard

Not bad for a day’s work!

After the auction I found out that a lot of convention attendees display items for sale in their rooms. BONUS! They put flags on the wall and/or doors to tell people to come on in! I wish I had know earlier – because I dawdled after the auction – and by the time I started looking many of them had closed up shop.

I’ll know better next time!

But here’s what I found. RSP collectors are a friendly bunch! They love showing off their collections, telling their antiquing stories and sharing their knowledge. It was wonderful to learn from a group of long-time, experienced collectors! And I decided – based upon some expert advice – that I need to:

• Expand my RSP toothpick collection beyond florals
• Join the Heartland R.S. Prussia Collector’s Club, Inc., based in SW Iowa.
• Convince my wife that the Peacock Bowl would totally work in the living room!

All in all – it was a great auction. I touched and felt items I had never seen before. I learned a lot. I found two pieces for my collection. I picked up a piece for resale. And that night – I headed off to bed with visions of RS Prussia dancing through my head…

Lights, Camera, Action!

We LOVE Oronoco Gold Rush.  Why?  Three reasons:

1. We talk with customers from sun-up to sun-down.
2. We banter all day long with many of our neighbors.
3. We always meet someone who has something to teach us.

But this year we had a BRAND NEW experience.  B-B Entertainment stopped by and decided to make us TV stars! 

oronoco video

►

It started Thursday morning.  During set-up a camera crew started filming us as we unwrapped.  The next thing I knew B-B Entertainment producer Deborah Raguse stopped in to explain that they were filming a new show for the History Channel called “Antique Show: Life on the Road” and asked if we would be interested in being “on the show.”  

Deborah was looking for eccentric dealers, vibrant personalities and a carnival atmosphere.  Of course we volunteered!

The series is intended to be a combination of ”American Pickers and Pawn Stars with a show and tell component with antique apprasials.    The host is a man named Mike Kozak of Youngstown, Ohio.  He specializes in stained glass windows and chandeliers — and has traveled the antique circuit for most of his adult life.  

B-B Entertainment stopped by to film us several times during the weekend.  We quickly learned that Mike was a character.   He flew into our booth like a hummingbird and rushed from one display to the next.  He obviously LOVES antiques — and he was pretty excited about our inventory.  I’m not sure if he preferred the Steuben over the RS Prussia — but I know he fell in love with our Nippon!

Mom took a video of them video taping us!  Take a look.

Bohemian Iridescent Art Glass

Last week we picked up a couple of new pieces of art glass.  When we made the purchase – we assumed they were Loetz vases.  But like always — we dug in to do our research.  A couple of clicks later we found out that we had purchased pieces that belonged in the Bohemian Iridescent Art Glass family — but that they were not all Loetz pieces.  So what is Bohemian Iridescent Art Glass — and how is it different from Loetz?   

Loetz Aeolus 1902

Some of the big names in American Art Glass would include Tiffany and Steuban.  But North America was not the only innovative place in the world.  And during the Art Nouveau period — there were some fantastic glass designers in and around Czechoslovakia.  This body of work is called Bohemian Iridescent Art Glass.  Most of these pieces are NOT marked — and many dealers mis-identify the entire genre by calling it Loetz.  But just like not every piece of Aurene glass is a Tiffany — not every piece of Bohemian Iridescent Art Glass is a Loetz.  Other master designers included Kralik, Rindskopf and Pallme-König.   And their work is just as significant and beautiful as Loetz — just less expensive. 

So how do you tell the difference?

I’d start by going to www.loetz.com  This site does a great job of identifying the surface treatments and decorations that the various designers used.  Then I’d visit Loetz and Glass.  The pictures on this site are VERY helpful.  Finally I’d check out the resource list that Alfredo Villanueva-Collado has put together. 

So what did we purchase?

One Loetz.  A pair of matching Kralik vases.  And a Rindskopf!

Kralik Rough Crackle

Rindskopf Pepita 1900-1905