The Smart Collector By Danielle Arnet Tribune Media Services
Q My grandmother had a huge collection of Avon scentbottles, bought over 30 years. Some are empty, some full. All areshaped like something — cars, golf balls, chess sets, etc.How do I find value? Do collectors want part or all of thecollection?
— Cathy, Tucson
A Avon is not the hot collecting category it was when yourgrandmother amassed items. Prices have peaked, but there are stillloyal collectors out there. The shaped bottles, called figurals,are a collecting category within Avon collecting.
The most prized Avon collectibles, the Mrs. Albee manager'sawards, named for the company's first saleslady, were not availablefor sale to the general public. Made in limited numbers, they wereawarded at annual conventions and sales meetings. And they are thepriciest Avon collectibles.
The bible on book prices for Avon products is Bud Hastin's "AvonCollector's Encyclopedia: 18th Ed." (Collector Books, $29.95). Isuggest you look it over; perhaps your library has a copy.
To sell, your best bet is online auction. You need to find apool of motivated buyers, and Avon collectors hunt online. First,check completed sales on eBay, with a special watch for items youhave. Results show the real state of the market.
I've observed that sale results tend to be lower, across theboard, during the summer. Of course there are exceptions, buteverything slows down for July and August.
I'd keep the chess sets together, selling each as a unit.Otherwise, buyers pick out the most desirable, leaving you with therest. Depending on your feel for book values and completed salesonline, cluster other pieces and sell in lots. Very desirablepieces rate individual listing.
Q Looking for info on a blanket made by the St. MarysWoolen Manufacturing. Co. in St. Marys, Ohio.
— Jack, Wapakoneta, Ohio
A Founded in 1871, the St. Marys Woolen Manufacturing Co. wasonce famous for its woolen blankets. The company lasted until 1957,when Fieldcrest, an umbrella company that made linens, towels,blankets and so forth for Chicago retailer Marshall Field, acquiredit.
In the world of collectible mill-made blankets, Beacon andHudson Bay dominate. St. Marys remains a regional brand, mostlycollected where the company operated.
One would have to comb through local historical sources ororiginal company catalogs to find the exact blanket in the reader'squery. As an area resident, he can best search by inquiring at alocal library and/or historical society. In smaller cities andtowns, both are a gold mine of local history.
Smart collectors know that local brands generally sell bestwhere they have a history. Or post the blanket online, where aformer resident with sentimental ties to the area can find it.Nostalgia sells.
» AUCTION ACTION
Listed in a Pop Culture auction at Christie's New York, severaloutfits worn in the HBO series "The Sopranos" brought big bucks.Expected to go for $2,000 to $3,000, a white Jockey tank top(including fake blood), George Foreman black and beige short-sleevesport shirt and black pants by Zanella sold for $43,750. All theitems were worn by James Gandolfini in Season 6, Episode 1 whenUncle Junior, in a fit of dementia, shot Tony. Tony's striped robe,boxers, tank top and slippers brought $21,250. The sale benefitedWounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit that helps soldiers wounded inIraq and Afghanistan.
●Send e-mail to smartcollector@comcast.net or write Danielle Arnet, c/o Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Please include an address in your query. Photos cannot be returned.
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