Religious items such as Vintage Missals are selling well on eBay now

Generally speaking, I have done well with selling some religious items over the years. Lately I have had some luck with vintage Missals (a book containing the text used in catholic mass throughout the year)

This one pictured was from the 1930s and was loaded with inserted items like prayer cards, images, even a paper item regarding converting Russia. It sold for about $40 and I paid 99 cents for it.

I sold another Missal the next few weeks for about $25. 

Just reflecting here for a second , I have been writing on this blog since about 2005 !! 14 years! Not sure if anyone reads much about eBay lately but it has been a long journey for sure! Recently, and sadly , they sold off Stubhub (or are in the process of it) ending my long standing dream for an Ebay Local site to be developed (as was announced then ditched in 2007 or so).

In any case pictures of the missal! And good luck to anyone still selling (I am !)

Melplus Melamine Trays Made In Italy

Sometimes while out hunting for stuff to resell you come across some pretty quality made items you have to research because you have not heard of the name before . Melplus made Melamine trays , often with wildlife themes and they sell pretty well. Usually these can be picked up for a few dollars and sold in the 15-20 dollar range. This is one I sold for $15.99.  The quality is really good and the images are very good. This was made in Italy

Cities of Palestine T Nelson & Sons 1868 Amazing Illustrations

One of the recent items I listed I have actually owned for a while. I picked it up about 4 years ago at an indoor flea market. It is a book called Cities of Palestine and was published in 1868 by T. Nelson and Sons.  It contains some of the most amazing color illustrations I have seen of different cities in what is now Israel. One book collector commented that there might be only 10 or so of these

known to exist in book collections.

 Here is the Ebay listing for this item and ill share  some pictures below.

Cities of Palestine - See Book on Ebay

The Ultimate Leonard Nimoy Star Trek Fan Collectible

Picture below is a fan publication by the Leonard Nimoy Association of fans.
It is chock full of interesting tidbits, rarely scene photos and even fan made comics.
It was created in 1975 and really lets you know the man behind Spock in the Star Trek series

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PEACE-LIVE-LONG-AND-PROSPER-LEONARD-NIMOY-STAR-TREK-1975-LNAF-BOOK-PHOTOS-COMICS-/253048485206?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Vintage Mexican Silver Jewelry with Semi-Precious Stones

I do not often sell jewelry but found this piece at a church sale at a good price. These chunky style necklaces/bracelets sell well on Ebay, especially if silver . This one is marked .925 on the back.

Really cool looking stones!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-BOLD-CHUNKY-MEXICAN-STERLING-SILVER-925-NECKLACE-SEMI-PRECIOUS-STONES-/371751360857?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Paul Bonhop Toy Fire Engine Wood Puzzle from the 1950s

This is an interesting item and pretty rare. No current solds on Ebay or anywhere that I could find. It is Wood block puzzle by Paul Bonhop who made Children's toys in the 1950s. One of his items is in the Smithsonian Institution . It is much more interesting than current flat toy puzzles.  Given that this item might be missing a piece (the empty hole on the top left of the board) I started it out low on auction so someone can enjoy it. The link is here Paul Bonhop Wood Fire Engine Puzzle

Vintage Paragon Wildflower Napkins Crewel Embroidery Kit

I have sold many sewing/stictchery/embroidery kits over the years but this is the best looking one I have found . In this area it helps to have a bit more expertise than I have but I do pretty well with these type items. I look for really nice designs, sealed packages and pre-1980 dates if possible (however 80s sells well also if a bit rare).

I really like the design of the wildflowers on this kit.  In terms of picking these up for sale a good "buy" range is in the 1-4 dollar range with 4 being about the most you would want to pay for a very good quality item sealed in package. Selling prices can sometimes go high but generally fall into the 10-40 dollar range. If you are out hunting for these for resale try smaller thrifts, church sales and other areas where people with some age would drop off items. There are a number of amazing sellers on Ebay that have huge amount of kits listed so if you like these and find one, make sure to save them to your favorite sellers as they do a wonderful job and have tons of experience in the area. here is a link to my item and some photos!

PARAGON-WILDFLOWER-NAPKINS-CREWEL-EMBROIDERY-KIT-CREATIVE-STITCHERY-SEALED-1974-/371672824854

Selling Tervis Tumblers

Tervis Tumblers are really popular on Ebay and almost always sell. These are insulated plastic cups , many times with patches or other design work in between the layers. The ones Ill picture below are a set I sold which included patches from the Bitter End Yacht Club. The most popular ones to look for are the New Years once with confetti in them. Be on the lookout for those as those sell for a lot! A good buy price for these mugs is 1.00 each or less. Sales are decent when in nice shape. See my current items at Onceuponabid - Ebay Store

Selling Vintage Electronic Chess Games on Ebay

I have never had an electronic Chess game I couldn't sell! These are pretty popular on Ebay. There are some that are more desirable than others (do a completed item search and sort by highest to lowest to get an idea). But pretty much everything sells. The best "buy" price is somewhere at 3 bucks or lower but occasionally you can go a bit higher to buy one that you know will be a great seller. Here are some pictures of the IGOR Talking Chess Computer I sold.
Check out other great items in my store at Onceuponabid - Ebay Store

Vintage Atomic Bomb Games

One thing to be on the lookout for to sell are Vintage Atomic Bomb games. Made by AC Gilbert in New Haven there are a number of variations and few have survived. The one below which I have recently listed is pretty rare. It already has a bid and numerous watchers and sometimes these can fetch some pretty good money... http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ATOMIC-BOMB-DEXTERITY-GAME-AC-GILBERT-NEW-HAVEN-WORLD-WAR-II-/251982960118

Vintage Pal-Bell Brass Metalware Made in Israel

Keep an eye out for these high quality brass items made in Israel  in the 1950s and 1960s or so. They will be identified by the name Pal-Bell . Their collectible value has been increasing in recent years. The ones I found were a set of 4 with only one being used. Identifying info is usually on the back within a square box and they are usually made of brass with green aging looking paint /patina. Here is a link to my current listing and some pictures .. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1950S-PAL-BEL-ASHTRAY-LOT-OF-4-MADE-IN-ISRAEL-BRASS-JUDAICA-TOBACCIANA-/371215014571?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item566e239aab

Carved Wood Sculpture Bamboo Twirlers of Sangley Point Naval Station Republic of the Philippines

Just listed this interesting item on Ebay.
Had to do quite a bit of research on it!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BAMBOO-TWIRLERS-SANGLEY-POINT-NAVAL-STATION-DANCE-SQUARE-DANCING-WOOD-SCULPTURE-/371214361675?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

12 inch tall 4 inch wide WOOD CARVED SCULPTURE
Subject : Beautiful Filipino Woman
Most likely dates from the 1960s (references in early 1960s Square Dance Publication called "Sets in Order")
Sculpture has three drilled holes in bottom possibly were used to stand it on something or connect to something unknown.
Metal tag on side appears to say:
Adelaide -Sangley Pt, R.P (Republic of the Philippines)
Cool item with a bit of history!
This is an interesting piece which took me some time to research. Apparently, the Bamboo Twirlers were some kind of dance group in the Philippines in or around the Naval Base there at Sangley Point. A US Navy pilot named Bill Locke stationed there (and from Texas) was the "caller" of this group. This the term used for the person that directs the dance. Apparently this was a big deal as people from the dance group visited after Bill died in a plane crash there. You can find various tidbits on the internet about the Bamboo Twirlers and Bill Locke.
Some tidbits from the internet possibly regarding this item or for background purposes :
"A hand carved plaque was delivered to the Monday Nighters Dance Club yesterday from its sister-city club, the Bamboo Twirler Dance Club of Luzon"
(The Monday Nighters Dance Club was in Texas)
ALSO:
"Luzon, P 1 Kalaayan Jr.-Sr. High School at Subic Bay Naval Station, Luzon, Republic
of the Philippines was the site of the first joint
meeting of all five square dance groups in the
Philippines. On December 3 about 80 people
assembled, including members of the Jeans 'n'
Janes of Clark AFB; the Bamboo Twirlers of
Sangley Point Naval Station; groups from the
San Miguel Naval Facility and the U.S. Embassy
in Manila and the host Bataan Twirlers
of Subic Bay and Cubi Point. A varied program
of squares and rounds was presented by
callers Mrs. Madge Gordon, Chuck Merritt and
Walt Jessup. "Guest callers" on tape and record
added a stateside touch. An impromptu meeting
was conducted by President Jerry Myers
of the host club to discuss future meetings.
—Bill Locke"

Selling Art Books - THE SOLITUDE OF RAVENS MASAHISA FUKASE

In recent years I have had more luck selling ART books on ebay. These are books about artists  compilations or exhibition guides to their work or books about collections of art. It is really hard to relay what to look for but I have moved more towards more modern artists, photographers etc. I also look for things which look interesting and have a following but aren't overloaded with supply of them on Ebay. Cost of books is generally from FREE to about 2 dollars. I rarely go over this level. One of the most interesting books I have found is the Solitude of Ravens by Masahisa Fukase. He was a Japanese photographer who slipped into a coma after creating this amazingly dark book of photos that somehow just grabs you from the minute you open it. This work is extremely rare. Copies on the popular booksite Abebooks for for 500-900 dollars. There is on on ebay for $1200 or so, but one recently sold at 399.00. I priced mine at $349 and it is accumulating watchers. I usually don't price things this high but I am the lowest copy out there and I can always reduce it later. It is a great book and I feel confident it will get exposure at that price! Here is the link to my listing but also some pictures below .. http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-SOLITUDE-OF-RAVENS-MASAHISA-FUKASE-FIRST-US-EDITION-BEDFORD-ARTS-/371202627429?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

 

 

Tavern on the the Green - New York City - Central Park Ornaments

Well there is some good news! The amazing Tavern on the Green, a New York City landmark in Central Park has re-opened! The prior operators had gone under a number of years ago. A client of mine made their Christmas ornaments and when they closed was stuck with a small stock of them! Luckily he gave them to me to sell on Ebay :) They are pretty cool looking! I have to admit I love Central Park and the whole Tavern thing. I also love the chess boards made of concrete outside in the park and the music. Such a special place! Here are some pics and the listing for the ornaments I have for sale http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAVERN-ON-THE-GREEN-NEW-YORK-CITY-NYC-RARE-CHRISTMAS-ORNAMENT-LOT-HORSE-CARRIAGE-/251662404362

KUBASTA POP-UP BOOKS

It has been way too long since I posted to this blog! I just approved some comments that were waiting and appreciate the people that took the time to leave one! I had to post this one however as I acquired a great lot of Pop-Up books called THE FLEET OF COLUMBUS . The illustrations are done by the famous Czech artist  Vojtech  Kubasta. He passed away in 1992 and these books are just awesome. The one I have might be the last one published as it was published in the year he died. Ill post some picture and a link to the my ebay listing where I am selling them! This is such a nice item! 
Kubasta Fleet of Columbus