As seen in this picture. They're English silver plate, retailed my Abercrombie & Fitch probably sometime between the 30s and 60s. But what are they for? Some kind of cocktail thing? Each is about 4 1/2" in length - on the small side.
posted by YoungAmerican
on May 17, 2013 -
20 answers
I'm helping a friend liquidate the contents of his mother's apartment, and we have two weeks to do it. I have some antiques dealers coming over who will make offers. I have questions.
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posted by kimdog
on Mar 15, 2013 -
4 answers
I need help finding a gift for somebody who is a constant state of labeling and cataloging his collection of antiquities and pottery. What would help him? (more inside)
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posted by Raichle
on Dec 16, 2012 -
5 answers
Help me identify uniforms worn in an antique pencil watercolor. And maybe a guess as to where it was recorded.
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posted by WickedPissah
on Dec 14, 2012 -
9 answers
I'm fascinated by unusual
jewelry with a history —
medieval memento moris,
ARP whistles from the Blitz,
Victorian nude stanhopes, that sort of thing. I don't care
at all about precious metals and gemstones (real or fake), but rather about the story behind them. Cheap, mass-produced mementos and handmade crafts seem to carry more history than high-end jewels, but they're difficult to search for. Boring, pretty things always swamp me when I search for "costume" or "antique" or "estate" jewelry. Other than
Monica Laughlin's excellent series of Hairpin posts, where can I discover more history-through-jewelry?
I'm hoping for book recommendations, websites, stories, articles, or online shops.
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posted by you're a kitty!
on Aug 7, 2012 -
7 answers
I have an item I'd like to sell to a local antiques dealer. It's a mid-century modern piece and the dealer recently listed a similar item for $1200. Mine would need a bit of refinishing, but what's a fair offer?
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posted by jabes
on Aug 2, 2012 -
9 answers
How best to value and sell a beautiful, large, fragile antique desk in the suburban Chicago area?
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posted by Frowner
on Jul 12, 2012 -
1 answer
I have just inherited about one hundred boxes full of 40-100 year old stuff from 2 or 3 generations. I can't really use any of it and some of it may be very valuable. How can I best assess the values of the thousands of items so that I can sell/donate/throw out everything?
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posted by meantime
on Feb 23, 2012 -
8 answers
Antiques Metafiltershow: Can you help me identify any of these wild, weird, artsy household features?
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posted by raztaj
on Dec 13, 2011 -
4 answers
My mom has a lot of stuff to sell, and she doesn't want the hassle of a do-it-yourself approach. What kind of people should we involve? We're thinking maybe an ebay broker for the small stuff and an estate person for the big stuff. (Or else maybe a place like Sotheby's?) Know any good ones who serve Westchester, NY? How would we find good people?
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posted by daisyace
on Jul 24, 2011 -
9 answers
What restrictions (if any) are there in the UK on selling antiques that contain ivory trim?
I have a couple of old silver teapots that I inherited from my grandmother that I would like to sell. Both have small amounts of off-white trim that I presume is ivory.
Are there any restrictions on my selling the teapots? Will I be challenged if I take them to a silver dealer? The teapots are quite obviously old, but I don't have any paperwork for them.
I have read the guidance for antique dealers linked on
this page of the DEFRA website but I can't figure out what it means for me. (One sub-question: if the teapots were made before 1947 does that satisfy the legal requirements even though I, the current owner, was born after 1947?)
posted by anonymous
on May 15, 2011 -
5 answers
What antique stores/dealers in Austin might be interested in buying vintage kitchenware such as Pyrex, and various small pieces of American art pottery (Roseville, Sascha B, Van Briggle, etc.)?
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posted by xenophile
on Apr 22, 2011 -
3 answers
I am looking to sell some "antique" items and I am not interested in doing so online, for various reasons. I am looking to sell them at one of the many "antique malls" in southeastern Pennsylvania and am looking for recommendations.
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posted by godshomemovies
on Feb 1, 2011 -
5 answers
Need reliable shipper for art. I need to ship two framed paintings from Connecticut to Seattle. These are family antiques that I could not bear to lose. I already had a wooden crate made. I need to get the crate shipped.
Criteria:
- Highly reliable and insured
- Speed and delivery date are flexible. I can arrange to be available to receive shipment on short notice.
- size: the crate is about 2' x 3' x 1'.
- Cost... looking for lower cost options, but reliability is key.
- The paintings have not been appraised, nor do they have any documentation. I'm sure they are worth money, but the real value is sentimental. I'd rather not go to the expense of having them photographed and appraised.
I've already requested a quote from
Art Logistics. I haven't heard back yet, but I suspect the cost will be very high. And I'm not sure they ship to and from private residences.
fyi...
an earlier thread about shipping art.
posted by valannc
on Nov 13, 2010 -
5 answers
My grandparents were avid doll collectors. I have acquired some of their collection. I am at a loss as to how much one particular set of dolls is worth.
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posted by morganannie
on Nov 12, 2010 -
11 answers
In the cabinet of my grandmother's ancient Singer, I found an attachment for the machine which had been mailed to her from Chicago, Ill., to Yakima, Wa. It was mailed in a small manila envelope, and the postmark is unreadable, except for the postage meter "stamp" which says 3 cents. The instructions inside have no copyright notation. My question is how would I ascertain what year this was mailed to her?
posted by ljoct
on Sep 14, 2010 -
12 answers
Anyone have any idea who made this plate? I recently found a beautiful plate at a charity shop, but half of the maker's mark has worn off. It is cream with 3 hand painted orange-red poppies and a green edge, and I think it may be from the 1930s. I don't think it's particularly valuable, but I'd like to see if I can find anything to match it. There are a few pictures on my
Flickr page. I've tried Googling, but haven't found anything yet.
posted by bibliophibianj
on Sep 9, 2010 -
8 answers
I'm in Madrid this semester, and would like to pick up an old rangefinder camera (film) or similar for around 20 euros. Is digging around antique shops and similar my best bet? Do you know a place? Or are there actually some not-terribly-expensive used camera shops in this big pretty city? Are there secondhand shops/thrift stores at all in this town? Aware of El Rastro, tried once with no luck and will probably try again Sunday. I'll also be in London next weekend and am not opposed to buying it there if you know a place.
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posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew
on Feb 11, 2010 -
4 answers
I'm looking for a unique, artisan gaiwan to add to my tea set. Specifically, I want one that isn't (or wasn't) mass-produced, that's hand-made and hand-painted, and that isn't just a replica of another gaiwan. An antique would probably be good. Where could I find one in the Bay Area, or online?
posted by archagon
on Jan 31, 2010 -
2 answers
We've inherited a wooden sea chest from 1827 along with accompanying provenance and documentation. That's the good news. The bad news is that it stinks.
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posted by imjustsaying
on Nov 5, 2009 -
20 answers
Mysterious Urn Filter: What is the intended use of this ceramic thing i picked up at an antiques fair?
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posted by softsantear
on May 7, 2009 -
12 answers
Attention Antique Experts: I bought this marble/mold Cameo at an auction for .99 cents, anyone know anything about it, age, etc?
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posted by MMALR
on May 2, 2009 -
2 answers
Is there a term for the rising popularity of new things manufactured to look old, such as relic guitars, faded jeans, and worn picture frames?
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posted by relucent
on Apr 15, 2009 -
34 answers
I recently came into possession of some family heirlooms. I don’t know the back-story on these items so their sentimental value is minimal. I’m interested in selling at least some of them, but don’t know the best way to assess their value.
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posted by NormandyJack
on Jan 1, 2009 -
10 answers