Antique Back Roads Magazine for Collectors

in this issue small businesses join forces

Articles on Collecting Insurance & icollect247.com

winter 2012 - Jan • Feb • March

Indy Ad Show Celebration!

New Dealers and New Hours Excitement is building for this year’s new unveiling of the Indy Antique Advertising Show. For the first time in 40 years, the show will be held on Friday and Saturday. This means the customers will be able to shop on Friday (dealer set up day) which has traditionally been just for dealers.

Since its inception in March 1972, the show has built a great reputation of being “The Place” to find the best on the market for antique advertising and this year is no exception. Be sure to visit the website for more featured items.

Many customers and dealers have made the biannual trip to Indianapolis for several years. Gary Metz of Roanoke, VA has been doing the show since 1988. “I have always placed the Indy Ad Show at the very top of my favorite list. As a dealer and auction promoter/consultant, the show is indispensable as a source to meet new buyers and greet existing friends and customers. From a buyer’s standpoint, you could not select a better venue from which to add to your collection. Whether you are just beginning to collect, or are an advanced veteran, the Indy show will consistently offer you a wide array of choices in your hunt to expand your collection. The many exhibiting dealers take pride in showing their best inventory.

My enthusiasm for the show has not waned since my first booth showing in 1988!”

Early 1900’s Red Goose Shoe Store Display. The two children are detachable from this cardboard display.

Volume 1 Durham Duplex Razor Cardboard Fan Hangar 9” W x 10” T.

Rich Penn, Waterloo, IA noted: “Bruce and Donna (promoters) looked at the market, listened to the customers and the dealers and have responded to their needs. They have taken a show that was definitely sliding and stopped the slide. We think it is back on the way to its former glory and they most likely will make it better than it ever was.”

Their hard work and efforts are paying off. In 2011, the dealer count was up 30% for the year and the show had the largest attendance in 10 years. Marvin and Cindy Gardner, Centerville, OH remarked, “The attendance was very strong – one old-time shopper commented to us ‘Holy Smoke! What a crowd of shoppers there is in line outside’.”

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Indy Antique Advertising Show, the first 400 customers will receive a large canvas tote bag filled with great items such as note pads, calendars, tape measures, free subscriptions plus much more!

All the dealers hope to see you at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on March 1617, 2012 and/or on September 28-29, 2012. The Friday Preview is from 2-6pm with admission of $50 each which includes Saturday. General admission is $8 on Saturday with hours from 9-4. Friday preview tickets are $40 in advance and can be purchased through the website at www.indyadshow. com or by calling 217.821.1294.

1930’s flashing glass light-up for Gem City Ice Cream, Cincinnati, Ohio. Made by the George Jones Co. of Jeanette, PA. 12” tall.

Check out more photos at www.indyadshow.com

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR 2013 DATES: March 15-16, 2013 and September 27-28, 2013

Collecting for fun and investment Decor or investment?

Collecting is a very personal thing. No two collectors will buy the same thing for the same reason. Your lifestyle, background, décor and interest make your collecting unique to you.

Collectors who want the outdoors rustic look may buy things that are architectural or have the rusted/worn look. This creates the character they want for their surroundings, for example, their Man Cave. Ladies may look for items they can paint and decorate for a special room, as well as damaged glassware for flowers. They love the “old fashion” look.

Other collectors look at each piece as an investment as well as something to display in their home or office. They anticipate the item to appreciate in value or at a minimum retain its value in the coming years. They get to admire their investment while they are betting on better returns than the stock market can offer.

There is also the middle of the road collector who enjoys picking up things that interest them for no rhyme or reason, other than they just “like it.”

When making a purchase, you may want to consider how the item will be used. If you enjoy the rustic look or plan on displaying it outside, you may want to consider the poor condition or reproduction item. While you enjoy this type of quality, realize that most items in this category will depreciate, maybe even to the point where it has no value.

If you are looking for something for your home with investment quality you would want to consider the piece in excellent/mint condition. Condition and price go hand in hand. In antique advertising, items in near mint to mint condition, which are rare, command a premium price due to limited availabilities, while items in good to rusty condition can be purchased relatively inexpensively.

Here is an example of different 1941 Coca Cola Double Bottle Thermometers that sold online.

Excellent - $325

Poor Condition - $40

Reproduction - $30

The price of any collection is dependent on the current market, trends and most important, condition. This holds true through all types of collecting from jewelry to clothing. No matter what you buy, being aware of what you are using it for can help you either save money or increase the value of your collection.

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insuring your antiques and collectibles Most people think that their homeowner policy doesn’t cover their antiques and collectibles, but it does. Making sure you are covered properly is the key. Knowing the two types of homeowner policies and the way the claims are paid is very important.

First is the actual cash value basis for paying the claim. For example, you bought a piece of furniture for $300.00 and it was destroyed in the fire you just had. The insurance company will take that $300.00 figure and allow for depreciation based on its age and condition and write you a check less your deductible.

The way you want to insure both your dwelling and your contents is on a “replacement cost” basis. That same piece of furniture you paid $300.00 for 8 years ago now costs $500.00 to replace. The insurance company will then write you a check for $500.00 less your deductible.

The easy part is done, now comes the hard part; insuring something that is no longer available to be replaced. You now have the total responsibility of making sure your claim is handled to your satisfaction! The first responsibility is purchase price. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!! Secondly TAKE PHOTOS!! In today’s computer world it should be very easy to take photos, keep them on a CD or in a separate folder so that you have visible evidence of the item or items you are asking the insurance company to replace. Without photos the insurance adjuster probably has no idea what you are talking about when you tell him your Coca Cola pilaster sign with the 16 inch button was stolen. Third, which is the most important, KEEP ALL RECORDS SAFE in a safe deposit box, a fire proof box, or leave this info with a relative to keep for you. Obviously if your records are destroyed or stolen all of your efforts have been in vain.

Remember it is your responsibility to make sure your contents are insured for the proper amount. All homeowner policies cover contents but it usually is limited to a percentage of your dwelling value. For example: You have your home insured for $500,000. Usually your contents will be insured for $300,000 to $400,000 at no charge. But you find after doing your inventory that you need $600,000 coverage for your contents. Most insurance companies will allow you to increase this coverage and charge you a small additional premium based on the additional coverage. Remember it is also your obligation to keep your coverage “up to date.” If you happen to increase your collection, increase your coverage.

If after checking with your agent or company you find out they will not provide coverage for your antiques or collectibles you should be able to purchase a separate policy to cover them from a company that specializes in providing this type of coverage. Generally, it would be at a higher rate than merely increasing your homeowner policy but at least you have this option.

IMPORTANT: All homeowner’s policies vary from state to state. Please consult your agent or company to see if the above statements apply in your state.

Gus Brown Dealer: icollect247.com and Indy Ad Show Retired Insurance Agent

Collector to collector Who measures just over 11” tall and is always dressed for work? Who started as sawdust and glue but turned to plastic in the 50’s? Who looks cute and youthful but is really over 80 years old? You cracked the code if you guessed Buddy Lee! Buddy Lee dolls first began to appear in clothing stores in the early 1920’s as advertising store displays for the H.D. Lee Company of Salina, Kansas. Store owners received these dolls to promote the company’s work wear lines as well as their new children’s playsuits. The doll became so popular with customers that the Lee Company soon made them available for purchase either from the Lee Dealers or ordered directly from the company at a cost of $1.50.

Throughout the early years into the beginning of the 50’s the dolls were made of a mixture of sawdust and glue called composition. At the beginning of the 50’s the dolls were produced in plastic until the end of Buddy’s career in the early 60’s. The easiest way to tell the difference between the plastic and composition are the eyes. The faces of the composition dolls are all hand painted. There are no two sets of eyes that were ever painted the same. All of the features on the plastic dolls are screen painted making them all look the same.

There are a few reproductions that collectors should be aware of. Some of the more popular dolls such as Cocacola, Texaco and Shell have been reissued as well as many dolls that were never ever made like Pepsi and Dr. Pepper. A true vintage Buddy Lee doll will always have a Lee tag sewn onto his pants and many times on his hat as well.

Over Buddy’s four decades of production he has sported dozens of different outfits. In the 1920’s and early 30’s he wore coveralls and children’s play suits. The mid 1930’s saw the first of the cowboy outfits as well as overalls both denim and hickory striped. After the second world war and through the 50’s Buddy started to appear in different service workman uniforms like Coca-Cola, Standard Oil, John Deere and others. Although most of these are found on the later plastic dolls they remain very popular with collectors.

If it’s true that clothes make the man, then the same can be said for Buddy Lee. The uniform creates the rarity of the doll. A doll with the rare original uniform brand with matching hat can command top dollar.

The same great uniform on a doll missing the hat can make Buddy a harder sell and it has less value. Just like many other collectables, the collector should always buy complete dolls in the best condition possible. It provides for the best return on his investment, as finding a missing hat for your Buddy Lee doll is nearly impossible.

However, if you love the hatless look there are lots out there to choose from.

James Maley Indy Ad Show Dealer

Reference Guides & Books RECOMMENDED READING:

Laural Schwing and Alva Christensen have a new book out on Buddy Lee entitled An Advertising Doll covering all aspects of this iconic character. Aside from the hundreds of photos of virtually every outfit Buddy Lee has worn over his 40 year career, there is a wealth of information on all aspects of his clothing including vintage photographs and original advertising. The book includes realistic price estimates that will help the collector make smart purchases.

Collecting 101: Haggling New television shows on buying and selling are being produced right and left. They have a huge audience and have brought a lot of new collectors into our market. They have also brought the word “haggling” with them. Every one of these new shows has someone wanting $500 for a piece and they haggle back and forth and the end price ranges between $200 and sometimes as low as $50.

The word haggle is defined as “argue about price.”

That sounds so harsh in any activity you do for fun and relaxation.

These shows are made for TV and are all staged.

Quality dealers know their market and know what an item is worth. The days of getting antiques and collectibles “cheap” are gone. The internet and ebay put an end to that era. Today, dealers have to compete with customers and other dealers to buy good quality items. Common sense would tell you that a dealer who pays $500 for an item would not accept a $250 offer.

Before you insult a dealer with a ½ price offer, you need to know what he has invested in the piece.

Please consider the following:

• Travel time and the cost of gas to purchase the piece.

• Food and hotel cost.

• Show cost including booth rent, travel expenses and time off from their regular job.

• If they are selling on the internet, cost of computers, camera, their time to list and the cost of renting space on the site as well as their time to list the item.

If you find a piece you want to purchase at an antique shop or on the internet, most prices are firm. Some dealers will offer occasional sales and accept offers. Each dealer prices his items differently and he knows what he needs to have out of a piece to make a little profit. Dealers remember good buyers. They will often purchase more items in your collecting field, if you let them make some return on their money. If you are a new collector, keep up to date on where the market is on your area of interest.

You can go to shows, go to antique shops and search the internet. If it is something you have a place for in your collection and you want it, don’t lose it over a ridiculous offer. Be kind to the dealer, it is an important way for you to advance your collection.

Collecting Adventures Have you ever asked a shop clerk for an item and they looked at you as if you had two heads? They have no idea what you are looking for and yet later you find the exact item? The more I surf (not on a board but on the internet), the more I realize that names change and different regions of the country refer to things differently. Pocket books became handbags and now they are called purses. Granite ware is enamel ware and vintage is now something from my childhood.

Through trial and error I have learned to better communicate. Through reference books and talking with other dealers, I have expanded my vocabulary, increased my knowledge and have learned to describe what I am looking for. Whoever said “a picture is worth a thousand words” was really onto something, especially now that they are on my phone! So now I don’t get the odd looks as much when I ask for an item, unlike my parents a few years back.

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Early one morning, Mom and Dad set out for the mall to get some needed items: flip-flops to wear around the pool and a pair of tennis shoes. You see they were going on their dream vacation for their 50th anniversary. A cruise!

After spending several hours in the mall they headed to the shoe department and found the friendliest clerk.

After Dad was fitted with the perfect pair of tennis shoes the clerk asked, “Is there anything else you need?”

“Oh yes,” Mom replied, “we need thongs to wear by the pool.”

With a very bewildered look, the clerk answered, “they sell those in the clothing department.” Mom knew thongs as something you wore on your feet, not your behind. A picture would have been worth a thousand words!

I’m off to look for a suck bucket – I wonder if they know what I want????

Coming in our next issue: Is it a salesman sample, a patent model, a miniature, child’s toy or a store display? Find out in our next issue.

Chiming In Being in the antique business we all buy anything we think we can make money on.

Approximately 7 years ago I started buying old kitchen & mantle clocks to resell. I soon found out that most would require repairs of some kind - broken springs, missing hands, cleaning, etc.

After talking with several friends, I was introduced to Leonard. An 81 year old gentleman, who served in WWII, carried mail for the US Post Office for 35 years, retired, and then drove a school bus. When he was in his 50’s he went to a local college and learned the clock repair business. Leonard is a hard-working man of few words with a small shop in an outbuilding in his back yard.

Each time I would take a clock to Leonard, he wanted me to stay while he worked on it. As he worked, Leonard would talk about what he was doing. One day, he asked me why I didn’t learn to fix them versus paying him. I replied “I don’t know of a school.” With a smirk he replied “What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?” So my schooling with Leonard began and still today, almost every Tuesday, we work on clocks together.

Circa 1900. Black and green marble case with porcelain face and a mercury filled pendulum, pictured with matching candle holders. The mercury acts as a weight to keep the swing of the pendulum consistent. Just as it would in a thermometer, the mercury expands or contracts to “compensate” for differences in temperature making the pendulum more accurate. By the mid 1700 precision pendulum clocks achieved accuracies of a few seconds per week.

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Just like having regular maintenance on your car, clocks need regular maintenance as well. They should be oiled every 4-6 years and cleaned every 8-10 depending upon the environment.

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Clocks need to be level to run. Both side-to-side and front-to-back. Wall vibration can affect leveling.

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Antique mantle, kitchen & wall clocks are very temperature and humidity sensitive. Geographic location and weather patterns may affect the time keeping. Adjusting the pendulum should correct most clocks. If you set a grandfather or wall clock on an outside wall the extreme temperature outside can affect the speed of the clock as well.

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Adjusting the pendulum. Up for faster / down for slower. Allow the clock to run several days before adjusting a second time.

The biggest secret I have learned is that clocks can be just like kids – some are more temperamental than others. There’s no rhyme or reason – it just is.

Here are some secrets I have learned: • One of the biggest “wives tales” is to wind a clock too tight. Clocks are made to wind until the key can no longer turn. What I find most of the time is dried oil has hardened in the movement and in the gears so that it no longer turns.

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Avoid putting clocks near heating and AC ducts to keep from drying out the oil. Wood burning stoves & wood burning fireplaces as well will dry them out and affect the running.

www.antiquebackroads.com

Bruce Weir Timber Ridge Antiques Dealer on Icollect247 & at Indy Ad Show

Blind Man’s Clock by Edward and Sons, Glasgow & London.

Circa 1850’s. Carved wood case with tin dial. These shelf clocks are made to chime on the quarter hour to assist the vision impaired.

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If you are not familiar with the icollect247.com web site, you are missing out. It is different from other online antique malls. Our dealers only offer vintage items dating before 1979 and there aren’t “Limited Edition, “Reproductions” or “New Homemade” items to have to sift through. The site is four years old and growing by leaps and bounds.

With over 100 dealers and over 18,000 vintage listings you are sure to find something of interest.

From antique lighting to collectible toys, from vintage advertising to sports and textiles our dealers offer a unique and wide range of items. You may use the Search box to find something you collect, or use the many different categories and subcategories on the left. You will even find a whole category for Household Items.

A complete list of dealers can be found under the “Shop Directory,” as many of our dealers do participate in shows and perhaps you are familiar with what they carry. You deal directly with the dealer, know their names and their store policy. You may ask questions about a piece

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or put it in your shopping cart to revisit. But don’t wait too long, as sales have been great and “New Listings” don’t last long.

If you have not visited our site recently, you need to take a few minutes to see all the new categories we have added. “Candy Gum and Nuts” is a new category as well as “Textiles” and “Medical and RX.” “Banks” and “Western Collectables,” now have their own categories.

We hope that you will bookmark our site and check out the “New Listings” daily.

Carter & Irene Davis Owners, icollect247.com

Small Businesses Join Forces Irene Davis of icollect247 and Donna Weir of B & D Promotions have teamed up to bring you Antique Back Roads. Small businesses co-oping on projects make perfect sense and are able to compete on a larger scale with the big companies. It’s a natural fit for them to work together – while they are both in the antique industry, they do not directly compete against one another. Icollect247 has dealers selling online and B & D Promotions sponsors the Indy Antique Advertising Show.

With the current antique related reality shows on television, there is a resurgence of interest in antiques. By pooling their marketing dollars, both companies will be able to reach a wider population. Now is the time to ride the wave and become more involved with helping people discover their interests in antiques. The reuse / re-purpose generation is continuing to evolve and antiques are certainly a part of this.

Irene’s passion for helping small business, combined with Donna’s passion to build business, makes this a natural fit to work together. “We feed off each other and have a good working energy together,” said Weir.

“One night while sharing libations, we discovered we both wanted to develop a special type of newsletter. We were looking to promote our businesses, support the antique dealers that work with us, and elevate awareness in the antique industry.”

Antique Back Roads’ goal is to fill a void in the current trade periodicals. It is a collector-tocollector approach rather than being filled with advertising and press releases. It is designed to be a quick read: informative on a wide range of subjects with a bit of humor tucked in. “We take our jobs seriously but not ourselves,” added Weir.

Icollect247 and B & D Promotions are the only sponsors so you won’t see the typical advertising; except a plug now and then for icollect247 and the Indy Antique Advertising Show. Antique Back Roads is available online. Go to www. antiquebackroads.com to sign up and continue receiving a free subscription. Yes you can still get something of value free in America and not be asked for anything in return.

Let us know if you enjoyed this publication – peanuts for the work monkeys is always good.

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Indy Ad Show - March 16-17, 2012 Items Dealers will be bringing to the Show:

Embossed Tin Imperial Garage Automobile Sign

1920’s Eskimo Pie Countertop Cooler

44”x54” Canvas Poster 1934 Coca Cola Wallace Berry Jackie advertises “Red Diamond Cooper Foldout Window Display Brand Union Made Overalls.”

Bavarian Vitrolite Beer Sign Covington, KY.

1902 Lithograph (18x24), Batchelder & Lincoln Company, Boston, MA. Artist F.M. Lamb

1950 Coca Cola Fountain Service Sign single sided porcelain

Wallie Dorr Co Child’s Pool Table 1901 Lithographers Ball Poster (15x22)

1920’s/30’s Tin Snow King Bag Holder 16” tall, 11” wide

We Look Forward to Seeing You There!