Old Folks Treasure Trove

Country Style Cookbooks

May 12

Old cookbooks are not just for collecting, but they are indeed fun to collect. I can not say I have any particular sense of reasoning when it comes to my own collection, but I sure have a lot of them. As a great eBayer, I was constantly picking them up for a song and a dance compared to the local shops. It isn't just local shops that sell some pretty great old cookbooks. My favorite spot to find them is at thrift stores. One such book is the 'Country Living Recipes', book by Jean Wickstrom Liles. It was published back in the 80's, and contains some of the best tried and true old country food recipes for familiar, easy, yummy, down home style comfort foods.

Not all cookbooks have to be extremely old to be collectible. This book has easy recipes and also some very good hints for the cook. Hints such as, freezing soft cheese for 15 minutes before trying to cut or shred it. Another tidbit is to place one or two avocado seeds in Guacamole dip to keep it from turning brown. Not all cookbooks can be found easily, but we did find a handful of this one on eBay for around $5 each. If any are available at this time you can just click the cookbook picture and they will appear.

Tags: collectible cookbooks, country recipe book, jean wickstrom liles

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First Belleek Porcelain Mark

May 4

Posted by oldtymer in Porcelain

Q: As a collector of Belleek, I say the first markings are in black, but a lady I email back and forth with says it was different colors. Could you tell us who is right?

A: First of all, for those who wonder what is Belleek, it is one of the best porcelains you can buy. Belleek is fine Parian from Ireland that is highly collectible and very valuable in good to excellent condition. Belleek is still in operation today and very busy with their collectibles and new product lines.

The earliest pieces of Belleek that remain in a home are usually Belleek that has been passed down from generation to generation. They were given as gifts on a wedding day, or handed down from mother to mother.

The marking on the early pieces between the dates of 1863-1890 were either impressed with the word "BELLEEK" or "BELLEEK, CO FERMANAGH". Some were impressed and marked with the Belleek 1st period mark. The color of the mark during this period was normally black but other colors did exist, and were sometimes used, among the colors used were red, blue, orange, green and brown. You may even find some pieces of Belleek also carrying the British Patent Office Registration Mark Mind though, this only gives the date of registration, not the date the piece was actually manufactured. The first mark was as pictured.

Markings help you narrow down the era your piece is from, but colors were used when marking. The design of the mark will help greatly, but the sure fire way to authenticate your piece is to take it to an appraiser and have it authenticated, documented and then, get it insured!

Tags: Belleek mark

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Cast Iron Toys

May 1

Posted by oldtymer in Cast Iron Toys

Cast Iron toys commonly called iron toys have been of great interest to both children and adults since they first came on the scene in 1825, in America. The earliest of iron toys was a simple little iron that rested upon a trivet. You can almost imagine a child pretending to slave over the hot iron like her mommy. Along with the toy iron a few gardening tools were also made.

The 1870's produced a new line, which gave the boys their first cap guns, and all children a way to save money as they dropped their coins in an old cast iron bank. There were a few simple pieces of doll furniture produced as well. Then came the 1880's when bigger and better toys were produced that had more detail and even some moving parts.

1915-1930 were years when a lot of the horse drawn toys were produced. They were extremely detailed and gave the children hours of fun playtime. The iron horse toys are a bit harder to identify the manufacture. It is know that at least six different companies were making them during this time period, and most did not put their mark on them. One company, 'Carpenter', did place their patent mark on the rod between the horses. If your toy has a patent marking with the date of November 16, 1880 or March 20, 1883, you most likely have a, Carpenter Cast Iron Toy in your possession.

Some of the most prized cast iron toys to collect, if you can find them, are the trains and the fire-fighting equipment.

2- 1930's American Flyer Cast Iron Electric Train Locos

US $65.00

27d 12h 39m

Vintage CAST IRON LOCOMOTIVE 50 Antique Train Toy

US $9.99

20d 14h 33m

They top the list for highly collectible cast iron toys, so expect to pay more for these toys. Next comes any iron toy that has moving parts.

Vintage kenton circus wagon cast iron toy horse riders

2 Bids

US $13.50

4d 11h 2m

3 VTG CAST IRON TOY DRIVERS CIRCUS MOTORCYCLE TRAIN ?

US $30.00

4d 12h 43m

Circus toys were once plentiful, and now extremely sought after by collectors.

Another category of iron toys in demand are the comic or character iron toys. These are the iron toys, which come from the comic-strips of the 20th century. With this knowledge, it shows that a cast iron toy may not considered antique, but it is considered highly collectible and of great value.

You will find many of the vintage or antique cast iron toys still available as homeowners clean out their closets or collectors give them up and place them before the public to buy. A savvy collector of Cast Iron Toys would be foolish not to scout out newer cast toys as they will also quickly become collectible. Antique stores are only one place to find these old toys. Look as just the few we show below that are actively for sale right now on eBay. There are hundreds more for you to see, and perhaps one or two that will fit into your own collection. You are welcome to view them all, and do enjoy the nostalgia of the old cast iron toys of yesteryear.

@@VINTAGE Dutch PAINTED Cast IRON Doll PAN Pot TOY

0 Bid

US $7.99

4h 29m

21 cast iron cars- some tootsie toy

3 Bids

US $1.25

3h 53m

Tags: cast iron, Cast Iron Toys

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Vintage Sheet Music Worth Collecting

Apr 28

Posted by oldtymer in music

Vintage sheet music worth collecting encompasses a large array of different types of music. It also includes everything from historical events to who was famous.

Elvis sheet music sells extremely high, but if it was signed by the musical king, it will skyrocket even higher. Expect to pay a pretty penny for his original works. There are tons of Elvis fans and they are willing to pay the price to acquire his signed works.

Sheet music many both collect and sell for profit are works that have a musical documentation of history. It may be a favorite old Dixie song, or the music that was played at an inaugural event. Historical songs depicting an era or event in history.

The Star Spangled Banner or other music from perhaps a war, such as a famous war march would be very historical. Original works to the music used during any historical event.

Black artists sheet music is also very collectible. It often sells for between $35-$100 dollars a sheet for vintage sheet music. If the cover depicts a particular artist, it may even go higher and if it is signed it will be very valuable. Toss in our artists from specific periods and you have a winner!

Collectors zone in on one type of music, and Jazz is a top contender for Black artists work. Dixieland music has no time limits. It is as popular today, or more popular then when it first came out. Original works are often re-vamped, so to find sheet music by the original musician and in its original score, is priceless.

Disney movie music sells high. Music type is once again a big ticket for collectors and sellers. Waltzes, swing and other ballroom music in their original compositions are hitting the ballrooms like crazy. People are getting back to good, clean fun and dancing is on the list.

Don't sell old papers unless you know what you have. Lastly I would like to advise both buyers and sellers that you may either get a great buy, or give a huge profit away. The picture to the left is an auction gone wrong. The seller did not take time to sort through and market this stack of old papers. Among them you will notice a ton of money gone down the drain. The buyer got a big bonus with this lot. They paid approximately $26 for the whole stack. Among this lot is historical documents,old comic books, old time prints, postcards, sheet music, original pamphlets and more. As I went through and identified the stack, the value should have skyrocketed upward of three to four hundred dollars. Buyers, keep an eye out for this type of auctions, and sellers, divide your stash and see what it is really worth.

What is your sheet music worth? If you have old sheet music, go on eBay and see what the music may have sold for previously. It is easy to do this by registering with eBay for a free account. Then go to the sheet music section and also find the completed auction section. This will bring up and show in green those items that did sell. You can register on Ebay by visiting this link. Just click on the eBay logo and within five minutes you are set to bid, buy or just go snooping for tons of sheet music and other useful items too. It is a fun way to keep track of the sheet music you like and also when it is time to sell the sheet music you already have.

Tags: dixieland sheet music, jazz sheet music, value of sheet music, vintage sheet music

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Historical Cast Iron Uncle Sam Mechanical Bank

Apr 26

Posted by oldtymer in Mechanical Banks

Collecting mechanical banks often includes having to spend just a little bit more to get a true antique bank worth the investment. Uncle Sam holding out his hand for your money may have been a political statement at the time, but it seems to have carried over into history. The Uncle Sam Mechanical Bank from the original run is nearly impossible to find in good condition, yet every now and then one pops up. You can bet when it does the price tag will not have gone down. The Uncle Sam Mechanical Bank is a highly sought after bank by mechanical bank collectors. If you don't know how to find them among all the antiques and auctions, not to worry. If you keep an eye out using old Folks Treasure Trove, you will have access to the ones we find. Presently there is the one pictured and it is in very good condition. It will cost you, but if you are a true bank enthusiast, you already know it is worth every penny to collect this piece of history that has stood the eras of taxation.

Collecting mechanical banks has become a pretty popular hobby. Start out by collecting newer, inexpensive ones. You will find them at flea markets, auctions, antique shops and most likely at garage sales. If you do not want all that running around, just visit the Mechanical Bank section of our store or take a peek at the ones below.