Crazy for My Collectibles

We had to share our very latest AMAZING finds with you all. These are truly INCREDIBLE Black Americana Memorabilia items from a bygone era. It is not often one comes across these kitchen linens that still retain their original tags! These items are so special and so rare – we have not seen these before and do not know when we might find another again. Please visit our other web sites for additional details or our products pages for these vintage black americana kitchen towels and tea towels.

Sports Card, Antique & Collectibles Show
Taylor, MI
2/5/2010 Fri Noon-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm
Gibraltar Trade Center North, Inc.

The San Francisco Arts of Pacific Asia Show
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2010
Caskey & Lees

Brevard Antiques and Collectors Club Meeting
Melbourne, FL
2/5/2010 10:30am
Brevard Antiques and Collectors Club

West Palm Beach Antique Festival Spectacular
West Palm Beach, FL
2/5/2010 Fri noon-5pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 10am-4:30pm
Puchstein Promotions, Inc.

Serendipity! Antique Show
Fresno, CA
2/5/2010 Fri 10am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm
Serendipity! Shows

Antiques Show & Sale
Wakesha, WI
2/5/2010 Fri. 10am-7pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 11am-4pm
Transitions of Wales Ltd.

Urbana Antique Show
Urbana, OH
2/6/2010 Sat. 8amn-4pm; Sun. 10am-3pm
Urbana Antique Show

The Great Lehigh Valley Antique Show
Allentown, PA
2/6/2010 10am-3pm
Valley Rail Promotions

Ilustration Art
Dallas, TX
2/11/2010
Heritage Auction Galleries

Comics & Original Comic Art Auction
Dallas, TX
2/25/2010
Heritage Auction Galleries

Not seeing an event in your area? Visit here for a FULL list of events and locations.

Aren’t these neat? We found these vintage circa 1950s retro collectible Grandma and Grandpa spoon rests recently and just love them. These are listed in the book Price Guide to Holt-Howard Collectibles and Related Ceramicware of the 50s & 60s ~ Walter Dworkin (Author). The Granny spoon rest says ““NO USE CRYING OVER SPILT MILK” and the grandpa spoon rest says “KEEP CONSCIENCE CLEAR, THEN NEVER FEAR”.  Would look so darling in a retro kitschy kitchen.

If you are interested in adding them to your home or collection. Visit here.

Black Memorabilia Black Doll Show & Sale from Johnson Shows

The Mall at Prince Georges
3500 East West Highway
Hyattsville, MD 20782
“Located In The Greater Washington, DC Area”

“Celebrating Black History Month”

–Many vendors with Black Dolls, Doll Accessories, Doll Furniture, and Doll-related items for sale
–Meet the African American Doll Artists and Doll Makers
–Dorothy Dandridge Authentic Memorabilia Exhibit
–An Educational Experience For The Whole Family

Details here!

We all recall the image of Aunt Jemima on pancake mix boxes, you know, the smiling face of a African American mammy type woman who wore a hair-kerchief and apron and appeared so friendly and made you feel so comfortable purchasing the product from her smiling trustable face.

The commercial Mammy image we are familiar with today began as far back as 1889 by a man named Chris L. Rutt who was a business man from Missouri and sold a self-rising pancake mix and when he heard a song about “Aunt Jemima” from a vaudeville group of Baker and Farrell the idea of commercializing Aunt Jemima was born.

There were more than 40 women who portrayed Aunt Jemima for the pancake mix. Nancy Green was one of these women and she traveled with the R.L. Davis Company who bought the original Aunt Jemima pancake mix business form Chris L. Rutt until her death in 1923. Nancy was hired to serve pancakes at shows and exhibits promoting the pancake mix and it is said that in 1893 at an exhibit in Chicago over 1 million pancakes were served! In the early 1920s Quaker Oats purchased the company and brand from R. L. Davis along with the Aunt Jemima name and image and has been selling the pancake mix ever since. Quaker also trademarked “Aunt Jemima” in 1937. Edith Wilson was another long-time Aunt Jemima that was hired during the 1950s and portrayed the image for some 20 years.

The company’s’ that were selling the Aunt Jemima pancake mix had items created like pins, puzzles, dolls, salt and pepper shakers, and recipe books, sugar and creamer sets, six-piece spice jars with rack, and the mammy cookie jars. In 1949 a plastic syrup pitcher was available and was attached to the pancake box as a freebie to entice folks to purchase the product. Also, many of these products were available by filling out one of the coupon cards that came with your Aunt Jemima pancake mix purchase. There were even Aunt Jemima paper hats and Halloween masks that were advertising freebies.

Today, Aunt Jemima and Mammy Black Americana collectibles are becoming increasingly difficult to come by and these items from a by gone era are highly sought after by collectors. Below are some pricing values of what Aunt Jemima items are considered valued in today’s market and can be found in the book – Black Memorabilia for the Kitchen, by Jan Lindenberg (author) for Schiffer Publishing.

Aunt Jemima Oil Cloth Dolls – $500-$600 for set (Includes Aunt Jemima, Uncle Mose, Diana and Wade. Please check our products page for an available rare set!)

1950s Aunt Jemima & Uncle Mose Sugar and Creamer – $200-$400 (F & F Mold Co. Dayton, Ohio. Yellow, Greenish Yellow, Light Blue rare)

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We here at Crazy4Me have received an explosive response to our recent two-part article “3 Steps to Figuring Out: What it is, What it’s worth, & How to Sell It!” and we have enjoyed working with so many of you that have contacted us for assistance on identifying your items that we are pleased to announce our Valuation Information service. Now, Crazy4Me can provide you ALL with an informative valuation and reference information on the below items:

1. Kitchen Collectibles
2. Salt and Pepper Shakers
3. Cookie Jars
4. Pixieware
5. Black Americana Kitchen Collectibles
6. Black Memorabilia Tablecloths & Towels
7. Black Americana Aunt Jemima, Mammy, Pappy Items
8. Vintage Mermaid Collectibles
9. Vintage Vanity Collectibles
10. Figurines
11. Dinnerware
12. Tablecloths and Linens
13. Animal Figurines
14. Sterling Silver-Hotel Silver
15. Depression Glass
16. Majolica
17: Collector Plates
18. Apple Computer
19. Handheld Computers
20. Designer Accessories

We need from you:
1.    3 Photos of the item
2.    Measurements of the item
3.    Brief description
4.    How you obtained the item
5.    How long you have had the item
6.    Condition of the item (how much damage?)
7.    Your Contact Information & Email Address
Your informative valuation will be sent to you within 72 hours via Email.

GET YOURS NOW!

DISCLAIMER: Please note that Crazy4Me valuations are based on the information that you send us and therefore hypothetical in nature. Although our valuations are based on the most current sales results available they should not be used for Insurance, Estate or Tax purposes. Our valuations are provided for their educational value only!

DETAILS HERE!!

Mark your calendars for the Black Memorabilia & Collectibles Show on April 17, 2010 in the greater Washing, D.C. area Gaithersburg, Maryland.

FEATURING AT THIS WORLD FAMOUS LOCATION:

Vendors with Black Memorabilia and Black Americana Collectibles for sale including historical artifacts and documents, books, figurals, art, autographs, stamps, advertisements, toys, prints, paintings, textiles, dolls, political and civil rights memorabilia, kitchen collectibles, jewelry, postcards, cookie jars, sports memorabilia, photographic items, posters, coins, entertainment memorabilia and much more. Details here.

We receive many inquiries from folks about Rita Hayworth collectibles and although we currently do not have any available items, we thought it would be fun to share some fun-facts and information with our readers about just how much in demand Rita Hayworth has remained for all these years.

Rita Hayworth is one of the most beautiful and famous pin-up girls of the 1940’s. She was born in 1918 as Margarita del Carmen Cansino and began her career as a dancer. Rita Hayworth’s father was from Seville, Spain and a flamenco dancer and her mother was of English and Irish decent. Rita’s grandfather, Antonio Cansino was a famous dancer in Spain and had a renowned studio is Madrid where Rita received her first introduction into the world of dance. Rita originally had a head full of black hair and it is said that when she signed with Columbia Pictures at age 19 she was given a complete transformation that involved electrolysis to remove 2 inches of hair from her hairline and it was then colored a rich red and her name was changed to Rita Hayworth. Rita appeared in over 61 films and had four husbands; she passed away at age 68 in 1987.

Rita Hayworth is still today a very collectible icon of the golden age of Hollywood.  It is something so special for a collector to obtain a costume, movie, or photos to name a few items of their favorite actress, and Rita Hayworth is one of the top stars whose memorabilia is in huge demand today and commands top dollar.

1. The world famous Bob Landry picture of Rita Hayworth that appeared in Life Magazine in August 1941, p. 33, made her the number 2 soldier pin-up of World War II, just behind Betty Grable. Rita’s photo sold over five million copies.

2. The blush satin with black lace trim nightgown Rita wore in the famous WWII pin up photo taken by Bob Landry for Life was sold in an auction by Planet Hollywood for the sum of $22,500.00.

3. Rita Hayworth appeared on the cover of Life Magazine 5 times.

4. Some legends say the Margarita cocktail was named for her when she was dancing under her real name in a Mexico nightclub.

5. The 15” inch Rita Hayworth as Carmen doll, composition, socket head, blue eyes, red lips, red hair, red gown commands upwards of $700 today.

6. A collector paid over $33,000 for a highly coveted 1946 Gilda movie poster.

7. The gorgeous gown that Rita Hayworth wore in the movie Gilda went on the auction block not too long ago and was estimated to bring  $30,000-$50,000.

8. Rita Hayworth Paper Doll book of Carmen averages $75.

9. On eBay right now there is a Rita Hayworth GILDA ORIG FILM NOIR MOVIE POSTER 1946 for just under $10,000!

10. On eBay right now there is a very interesting item of memorabilia and it is Rita “THE LOVE GODDESS” Hayworth – SIGNED CONTRACT for around $4,500. Rita Hayworth signs a document with William Morris Agency to represent her for one year.

Recommended: A great article with tips for those interested in collecting Hollywood Memorabilia. Read Here.

Continued Part 3….

We have previously covered 3 Steps to Figuring Out What it is and What it’s worth. Continue reading below to Figure Out How to Sell It-

How to sell it?

Congratulations! Once you have made it to step 3, you should know what the item(s) is and what it is worth and have formulated some type of description for the item so you can sell it……you will also need to take some photos of your item(s) as a photo really is worth $$$ when selling the item online.

You need to decide how you plan to sell your item. Will you sell it at a garage sale, estate sale, consignment shop, eBay, Etsy, Online Mall, Amazon, Newspaper, Craigslist, etc. as each method yields different results. Hopefully when you spent all that time performing research on your item you were able to determine what the demand for your item is and if it is considered a “hot” collectible or something that is“not currently in demand”.

Selling at a Garage Sale:
Okay, first things first, you are ready for your garage sale! We will assume you have already researched the ordinances in your community and city and know the rules pertaining to having a garage sale and placing signage around town and your street advertising the garage sale. You have probably also placed ads online and in your local newspaper too. NOTE: After your garage sale has ended, remember to take your signs down and pick them up from all the places you put them. Since you have researched the ordinances in your area you already know if fines apply to leaving your signs up.

Loose all emotional connection you have with the item(s) as people shopping your garage sale will not treat your item(s) as lovingly as you have as they are not emotionally attached to it and will negotiate the pricing.

Alright, let’s get to the main point here and it is PRICING. How do you price your items for a Garage sale – is the question? A good method to determine pricing is the item should be priced “at a third of what it would cost if buying it brand new”. And if your item has damage then pricing it much lower will help sell it. Be prepared, as no matter how fair you have priced your items, someone will always want to negotiate for a lower price.

TIP: If you are selling electronics or appliances then have an electric cord and electric outlet nearby so potential buyers can test the item(s) out and they will ask if they can test it out to ensure they are operating.

If you are selling clothing, then be prepared for folks to negotiate as they will say they are not able to try the item(s) on so they should get a discount.

Be sure that you are selling items that are clean (no major grime, bugs, dirt, food stains). Items that are not too damaged (you can always have a “free” pile). Selling items that are not in the worst condition will encourage buyers to shop your garage sale and not run away!

If you have attended garage sales and yard sales you know that things priced in the .25, .50, $2.00 range are what sells. Garage sales are not the place for your high-end collectibles as buyers are looking for bargains. But, if you do decide to sell your more expensive item(s) that (appear in books, magazines, or catalogs, or online web pages) because it is a very collectible item, a tactic you may try is printing out the information and photo of the item from that book or online website or wherever you have the information and attach it to your item at the sale, you may have a better chance of getting the price you are asking as individuals will see it is an “in-demand” item. Good luck!

Selling Online:
In this portion we will discuss the three most popular online venues for sellers- eBay, Etsy, Online Malls.

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Even though the Internet has been around for many years and actually the concept was being worked on back in the 1960s and the project was called ARPANET, many people today think only about eBay when it comes to the antiques and collectibles market on the Internet. eBay is certainly a great resource for buying and selling items as well as a place to conduct research but it is not the only place as there are numerous other resources like collector’s clubs, online malls that specialize in items you are interested in,  and antique and collectibles shops as many items are already identified and valued and a description of age and purpose can usually be found right on the item’s tag or label. Also, eBay is indeed a great place to sell your items but as you keep reading you will see that there are also many other options for selling your treasures too!

Identifying what you have
For many the first step to selling an item is figuring out what the heck it is.  Is it a figurine or something that looks like it should be in a kitchen, or a piece of furniture? Perhaps it is a book or a collection of ephemera. What if it could possibly be some tools – but are they for a garage or kitchen? What if you have clothing, handbags, or jewelry? Yes, identifying the item is the very first step!

Step 1. How to identify what your have:
The first thing I do when I have a new item in my hand is to look on the bottom for any possible identifying makers marks, patent numbers, country where item was made stamp, tags or labels, and then I also look the item over to see if there are any signatures. Also, this is the time to check the item condition for damage, repairs, chips, cracks, crazing, dings, flea bites, tears, rips, holes, stains, smells, discoloration, etc….

If your item has any of the above identifiers then you are in some luck as you can now take the information and proceed with researching it. But, if your item has none of the above ways to identify it, then you will need to do even more research in the hopes of identifying it.

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