I’m a junkie. I love small pots and bits of unusual pottery. I especially like earth tone glazes and Eames Era urns and vases. I feed the monkey at yard sales and thrift stores, and pay anywhere from .25¢ to $1.00 each.
Most are 5” and shorter, making then easier to display. 
Reverend Sharp tongue is at it again. During a debate, he links Mormons with infidels, a remark which ranks right up there with his infamous, “if the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house," rant.
Reverend Sharpton said, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation."
Perhaps the good Reverend misspoke. I read his explanation. He said, "What I said was that we would defeat him, meaning as a Republican."
Huh?
I don't get it. But what I do get is, if you make a career out of throwing stones, you shouldn't live in a glass house.
For the bibliophile, nothing is more satisfying than a bookcase full of reading material, and collecting books can be as fulfilling as reading them. A collection can be built around specific authors, genres, subjects, publishers, bindings, editions, or autographed copies. And books can be purchased for as little as a quarter at local thrift stores and yard sales, or for several thousand dollars from dealers of rare and antiquarian books.
After deciding what type of books to collect, the novice collector should learn... Read more
Just because its costume doesn't mean it's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Costume jewelry has come a long way since the 1940's, and today the pretty pieces of glass and plastic, set with the basest of metals, are hip with the in-crowd. Faux is fabulous, so forget about Diamonds and Rubies. Show me the Rhinestones and Bakelite, baby.
When it comes to costume jewelry, it's all about vintage. Those pretentious baubles' from the Eames era are hot. And the designer pieces are once again setting the collecting world on fire. Should you decide to accessorize your wardrobe with these fashion flames, do so now, before competition gets behind the wheel and drives the market out of sight.
The name is the name of the game. Certain designers are coveted by collectors. Pieces by Mazer, Kramer, Eisenberg, Trifari, Miriam Haskell, Chanel, Weiss, and Sherman are perennial favorites.
Bakelite pieces, be they bangles or beads, are highly desirable. The chunky, carved bangles absolutely sizzle. Prepare to pay a bundle for Polka-dot bangles. Prices can easily exceed a cool grand.
Diamonds may be forever, but Rhinestones are now. And ostentatious rules, so go gaudy.
If Pit Bulls set the scene for the new millennium, poodles ruled the fifties. Poodle pins can set you back a Grant and the price is sure to rise.
Size matters, so go chunky, monkey. The thick, heavy pieces of costume jewelry are where it's at. Heavy hoop earrings, bangles, bracelets, and necklaces are bringing premium prices.
Red might be hot, but black is scorching. Black glass and plastic is trendy among the fashion elite.
Unlike Platinum or Gold, costume jewelry can still be found in less prestigious venues. You can still dig through yard sales, mine thrift stores, and pan auction houses for these fabulous bits of colored glass and plastic. But if you want to find strike gold, stake your claim before the next gold rush.
For the bibliophile, nothing is more satisfying than a bookcase full of reading material, and collecting books can be as fulfilling as reading them. A collection can be built around specific authors, genres, subjects, publishers, bindings, editions, or autographed copies. And books can be purchased for as little as a quarter at local thrift stores and yard sales, or for several thousand dollars from dealers of rare and antiquarian books.
After deciding what type of books to collect, the novice collector should learn the terms of the trade.
First Edition: The first time a book is printed. Subsequent editions occur when major changes are made to the text.
Printing: Additional runs of the same edition.
Number Line: A series of numbers listed on the copyright page. These are usually shown as 1 through 10, or 10 to 1. If the full sequence is show, the book is a first printing. If the number line starts at 4, it is a fourth printing.
ISBN: International standardized book number. Usually ten digits long.
Boards: Refers to a books cover.
Book Club: Less expensive copies, often cheaper in quality.
Book Plate: The printed label of previous owner usually found inside front cover.
Bumped: Damage to corners of a book.
Chipped: Refers to damage to dust cover.
Cocked: An uneven book.
Deckled Edge: Uneven, rough edges to pages which occur when book is bound.
Dust Jacket or Dust cover: The printed cover which covers boards.
End Papers: The first and last pages of a book which may, or may not, be decorated.
Ex-Library: Previously owned by a library. Usually has library stamp and pocket glued inside rear cover.
Foxed: Pages are discolored by brown spots.
OOP: Out of print. Only secondary copies are available.
Rubbed: Wear to covers.
Tanned: Pages are uniformly darkened by age.
Nothing affects the value of a book like condition. Lack of a dust jacket for a modern first edition may devalue a book by as much as seventy percent. Copies which are badly foxed, cocked, or worn should be avoided unless they are rare.
First edition, first printings are generally the most sought after, and as a result, the most expensive copy of a book.
As with any other collectible, rarity and demand has great impact on the value of a book.
Whether you collect as an investment, or solely for the pleasure of having something to read, book collecting is a rewarding hobby for both the novice and the serious collector.
