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The Collectors Newsletter #871 -- October 2011

The Collectors Newsletter #871 -- October 2011

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1. Work from home selling antiques & collectibles
2. This Week's Survey
3. Stories From our readers
4. This Week's Antique News
5. Your Classifieds
6. Newly listed items
7. Funny Old Stuff
8. Wanted ads. Can you help?
9. A Vintage Recipe
10. A Vintage Recipe Request from a Reader
11. New On line Merchants
12. Helpful Resources For Collectors
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FREE HALLOWEEN EMAIL CARDS JUST FOR YOU TO SEND TO FRIENDS & FAMILY SEE:
http://www.tias.com/cards/Halloween.html
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1. HUGE! Sales & Special Offers For October 31st at TIAS.com

TIAS.com merchants are offering some AMAZING! sales today. Check out today's newest listings, sales and special offers at: http://tias.com/news/ . Remember TIAS.com is the only online antique mall offering the TIAS trusted merchant Guarantee. See: http://www.tias.com/other/trustedMerchant.html

Great prices, fantastic, unique gift items you won't find anywhere else and you can buy with confidence with the TIAS trusted merchant guarantee. Click here: http://TIAS.com to get started.
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2. This Week's Survey
Every week we post a new survey question and the results from the previous week's survey. Survey questions are about anything related to antiques & collectibles. If you have a suggestion for a survey question, email it to me at phil@tias.com and we might use it in the next newsletter.
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Come and visit us on Facebook where you can post comments and photos - see us at http://www.facebook.com/TIASAntiques
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This week's survey question was submitted by a reader...

"With the price of gold and silver reaching new highs what to do with old jewelry? I am the 3rd generation living in the family home. Recently I found several pieces of old jewelry in a box however I have no idea who in my family was the original owner. My children have no interest in the jewelry at present. Should I keep the jewelry and let my children one day decide what to do with it or sell the jewelry for scrap value, approximately $500.00. I don't need the money, but with no secure place to keep the jewelry, the possibility of theft scares me."

It takes just a few seconds to give us your answer to this questions at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B2GZTPC
We'll tabulate the results and comments and publish them in next week's newsletter.
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The Last Survey Question Was....

"Your uncle who was a dentist had a rather peculiar habit of collecting unusual examples of teeth that he pulled, that had gold fillings. He recently died and specifically named you in his will as the recipient of a 10 pound bag of these gold filled beauties. You are simultaneously repelled by them and drawn by the prospect of their value. Evidently his collection is well known among dentists and The National Museum of Dentistry contacts you about possibly donating the specimens to them because it contains some rather rare unusual specimens representing over 100 years of dentistry. So what do you do?"

Here are the answers we received.....
21.9% - said "Give the collection to the Museum"
28.8% - said "Sell the teeth for their scrap gold value"
49.3% - said "I have another answer..."

Here are some of the comments that were posted with the survey...
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a) I'd give the rare specimens with a representative selection of the rest to the Museum. The rest would be pictured and documented then melted down for the gold value.

b) How devoted can you be to a dental museum? I'd go for the gold. The price is at an all time high, and you can tell yourself that your uncle wanted you to have them for their value.

c) The value of gold is quite high and expected to go higher. I would offer the Museum the opportunity to choose a few unusual specimens as a gift, the opportunity to buy more at a fair price if they desire, and then scrap the rest for their value. The idea of of displaying them on the mantle certainly would create quite a conversation piece!

d) If I needed the money, I'd wait until the price of gold was high and sell the fillings. If I did not need the money, I'd give the fillings to the museum.

e) Have the national museum of Dentistry go through the collection and donate the ones they want (take a tax write off). Then sell the rest how ever you want

f) Selling the teeth for scrap gold is a good way to get rid of a morbid collection of old diseased teeth (yuk) that were probably obtained without the consent of the "donor", and get some value in the process. Run, don't walk, to the nearest dealer.

g) Of course a museum would love to be given a free bag of gold! I'd welcome the National Museum of Dentistry to submit an offer to purchase the collection; I'd be happy to get the collection appraised, and then hold an informal "auction" to see which museum or private collection would pay the most appropriate price. It is not uncommon for a museum to raise funds for specific acquisitions, and this collections sounds like the exact kind of thing for which a fund raising endeavor was invented. If this tactic proved to be unsuccessful, I would offer the collection at auction, or I would wait until an interested organization or party came forward. I might keep one piece that struck my fancy the most, or which particularly reminded me of my uncle.

h) I work for a nonprofit thrift store and recently sold some dental gold for the store. The gold recycler gave me a very good price for it. If you want to feel good about it, donate the proceeds to a local charity (mine is the Humane Society) in you uncles name.

i) In my younger days I did some dental assisting work and that DDS also had a small collection of oddball teeth (maybe 30 of them ) yes they're kind of icky but fascinating at the same time. He gave them to me. I strung them into a fancy necklace and 2 bracelets and a pair of earrings.For many years I was the hit of adult Halloween parties as "The Tooth Fairy" ! Long gown, a set of feathery wings ,a crown, a fancy gilded drawstring evening bag for collecting kids teeth and my fabulously weird jewelry !!! I loved it !! Nowadays, I would probably donate the collection to the Dental Museum. Good question! Thanks!

j) Placing such things in a museum simply gives people something to look at like a two headed calf. There would be no educational value as the teeth would be unique to the person from whom they were extracted. Simply a curiosity.

k) If the Museum donation would qualify as a charitable donation, it would be tax deductible. I would have them appraised and their gold scrap value assessed. If I were financially comfortable, they would be donated. If were in dire straits, however, I'd have no choice but to get the cash. In an auction, the museum could always bid.

l) A 10 pound bag of teeth is repulsive! Surely the NMD won't display all of them so I would offer them a few select examples of their choice and scrap the rest for their gold value. Both parties satisfied and the uncles "legacy" is not compromised.

m) Definitely give the collection to the museum, money isn't always the answer. By donating it the family will get recognition for there good deed, and in their hearts they will know that was the right thing to do.

n) It would all depend on the value of the gold and my own financial situation. If I was pretty well off and the collection not worth all that much, I would probably donate them or maybe even offer them on loan. However if the collection did have value, and I was in serious need of money, I would sell them, but give the museum first chance. Of course, any of this would depend on if I even wanted to sell the collection.

o) If it is ten pounds of mostly gold, sorry, museum, but I am melting it down and selling it for scrap and then going on a l-o-n-g cruise. If the ten pounds is a mix of teeth and other metals, I'd donate it to the museum because really, who the heck else would be interested in something so creepy? And it would be a nice tax write-off, too.

p) Given the high cost of gold, I would consider selling these teeth to this museum at the going rate of scrap dental gold. Let's be fair, with ten pounds of teeth including gold and bone, the value could be significant. It would not be terribly difficult to determine value by sacrificing several less desirable/unusual teeth to approximate average gold weight by tooth, and then do the math to decide on value. Perfectly exact? No. But at this point it becomes a lot easier to place a value on them.

q) This could be a substantial monetary windfall. If the actual gold only accounted for one-fifth of the total weight, that's two pounds (29.16 troy ounces), and at today's prices the scrap value is over 1000. I think I would allow the museum to come in and select some of the rarest items and I would donate them. If they wanted additional ones they could purchase them; whatever remained I would then melt. Obviously my uncle would have donated the entire collection if that is what he had intended.

r) Get them appraised for their gold value. Then meet with the museum. Donate the pieces the museum really wants and take the deduction on your taxes. Sell the remaining, less valuable teeth for their scrap gold value.

s) Take some pictures of them I don't know put the teeth on ebay sell them to the highest bidder take take the money and go on a vacation enjoy life

t) At the price of gold soaring , they are welcome to the teeth, just replace the gold with the stuff they are using today. My dentist replaced my old mercury filling with it . If they refuse , they were after the gold in the first place. Even dentist love money. Jim

u) I would have replicas made and give them to the museum. Nowadays they can reproduce anything and that way my family could benefit from the sale of the gold.
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3. Stories from our readers
We collect interesting stories about collecting. Things like your best find, unusual collections, bizarre collectibles even things that bug you. Anything and everything that is interesting that has to do with antiques & collectibles. We may publish it here. Send your story to Phil@tias.com
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I enjoyed Sheryl's comments about her collection of post cards. I feel exactly the same way. I love the sentiments and the bits of history on the cards and post cards that were actually used. I also collect antique Valentines and I much prefer the ones with a loving sentiment on the back rather than the pristine, never used ones. I have one very gorgeous one that is three dimensional that reads "to baby Sarah, love Grandpa 1901". I often wonder if the ones sent by a young lover ever resulted in a marriage or a real relationship. I also note that on each and ever one Valentine - without fail - the sentiment is never written on the inside of the Valentine; it's always on the back. It seems they treasured them too.
My collection of Victorian photos of babies and toddlers bring out those same feelings in me. Who were they; what kind of life did they live; how did these darling images end up in an antique shop? So - I buy them and give them a home. I keep them in the old cardboard box that she had them in. Written in her hand are the words "Sunday School Cards". I have added my own note to my children - "that these cards are to remain in the family and are to never be separated". If she treasured them for over 80 years then I can surely do the same.
My greatest collection is actually not my own - I have about 100 "Sunday School" cards collected by my grandmother. The oldest one is dated 1901 (she was three years old) and they go through 1926. I was told that each child was given a card every week to prepare for the next week's Bible verse and lesson. Every card has a beautiful colored image on the front and a short verse and a paragraph or two about the story related to it.
A collection seems to bring out different feelings in each collector. Some love the thrill of the "hunt"; others treasure the feelings they evoke. Whatever the reason - they provide us with a tangible link to the past.
Judy S.
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WE NEED YOUR STORY ABOUT COLLECTING. DO YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING STORY TO TELL? SEND IT TO PHIL@TIAS.COM
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4. This week's Antique News
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If you want to tell the world about your antiques & collectibles business, auction, club or upcoming event related to the antiques and collectibles trade, you can post it for free at http://www.News-Antique.com the #1 listing on Google for "Antique News" Your news release will get published online and will also appear in this newsletter so that 16,000 people can read it. To post a release, go to http://www.News-Antique.com
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1. Auction Trends at Prices4Antiques.com
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800793

2. Stevens Auction to hold inaugural sale at new branch in Flomaton, Ala., Nov. 12
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800791

3. The Wikicollecting.org Top 10 Most Expensive U.S Coins
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800790

4. Moran’s November 15th Antiques and Fine Art Auction Highlighted by 20th Century Bronzes & Metalware
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800770

5. Moran’s Announces Luxury Auction: Shoes, Handbags, Jewelry and Clothing
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800769

6. Asselmeier & May "Muskopf" Antique Estate Auction (11/05/2011)
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800767

7. Wikicollecting Top 10 Items of Horror Movie Memorabilia
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800764

8. Historically significant Titanic archive brings $100,570 at Philip Weiss Auctions
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800762

9. Deigner Couture, Rich Historic Collections and Mid-Century Modern at Clars in November
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800760

10. The Multi-Million Dollar Prospero Collection
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800759

11. Skinner to Host Fine Musical Instruments Auction in Boston
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800752

12. Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. -– October 29, 2011 – Estate Treasures Auction – 1:00 PM
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800751

13. Internet-only auction ends Nov. 18 at Gordon S. Converse & Co.
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800750

14. Rago's Hosts a Talk on American Silver by Newark Museum Curator Ulysses Grant Dietz on November 29
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800749

15. November 2011 Santa Clara Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800744

16. HALLOWEEN COLLECTIBLES—WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800742

17. Early Bobby Jones’ golf medals, Walter Hagen’s 1925 PGA Championship medal at Heritage auction
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800736

18. The Wikicollecting Top 10 Most Valuable Rolling Stones Collectibles
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800735

19. Now Live on iGavelAuctions.com: Fine and Decorative Arts Auction
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800734&keys=iGavel-Nye-silver-ivory

20. Estate of Actor John Crawford Crosses the Block on Proxibid
Click here: http://news-antique.com/?id=800733
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Check the latest news headlines about antiques and collectibles at http://www.News-Antique.com
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MANY more stories are added several times a day. You can read the latest news about antiques & collectibles now at:
http://www.news-antique.com
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5, Your Classifieds...
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Royal Doulton Wedding Cake Topper Figurine
http://pages.tiasexchange.com/1416070/PictPage/3923914392.html

Latest Trinkets and Treasures
http://pages.tiasexchange.com/1356466/PictPage/3923912620.html

Do you have antiques or collectibles you are just itching to sell? A simple classified ad in this newsletter might just be your answer. Over 16,000 readers subscribe to this newsletter. One of them just might be able to help you out. Place your ad today at: http://tinyurl.com/39eulu

Want to know what our advertisers think? Check out the testimonials at: http://tinyurl.com/8xqyw
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6. Newly listed items for your online shopping pleasure for Monday October 31, 2011 Stop by and check out today's fresh inventory at:
TIAS.com - http://www.tias.com/showcase
CollectorOnline - http://cgi.tias.com/showcase/?groupKey=7
AntiqueArts - http://cgi.tias.com/showcase/?groupKey=3
Earthling - http://cgi.tias.com/showcase/?groupKey=6
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7, Funny Old Stuff
This is our humor section. These are humorous family stories and comments that are sent in by readers. If you have a submission you would like to share, please send it to newsletter@tias.com and we may run it in the next issue.
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Now you're going to have to trust me on this story about our daughter Laura. When she was about 4 years old we had been driving in the car for awhile and she was working on a puzzle book, in the backseat with her sister, Kristin. We had just passed a billboard for an Adult Bookstore at the next exit. Next thing I hear is Laura asking, "Mommy, what does F-U-C-* spell??"
(It's up to you how you want to type this out) I was flabbergasted, but managed to reply, "Why, honey?"
"Well, it's the answer to my puzzle. I put in phone, F-O-N-E and it's supposed to spell something used in hockey." When we realized her spelling error with PUCK, we all got a big laugh out of it. She's much better at crossword puzzles now that she's 26. Lia
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Do you have a funny family story you would like to share? Make someone feel good by sharing it with us. Send it to newsletter@tias.com and we may publish it here.
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8. Wanted ads. Can you help?
Here are the latest wanted ads from the TIAS Exchange. Can you help someone out?
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GET YOUR WANTED AD HERE! Just $10 and we'll send it out to 16,000 people who get this newsletter. Go to http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/submitClassified.cgi
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Looking for something? Place a "Wanted" ad in this newsletter. Over 16,000 subscribers will see it. It's easy, go to: http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/submitClassified.cgi
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9. A Vintage Recipe
Be sure to check out our vintage recipe archive online at: http://www.tias.com/newsletter/topics/A%20Vintage%20Recipe.html Over 1200 wonderful vintage recipes are listed.

In the last issue Benny requested a recipe for "Crescent Rolls". We received the following...
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Ingredients
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from side of bowl. Knead dough, then cover it and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1-1/2 hours).
Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread with butter. Cut into 10 to 15 wedge. Roll up the wedges starting with the wide end. Place rolls with point under on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 12-15 minute or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter when they come out.
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Buy a Vintage Kitchen collectible from us. We've got lots of them here: http://www.tias.com/showcase/1/Kitchen_Collectibles/1.html
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10. A vintage recipe request from a reader
As with collectibles, people also have very strong feelings about foods from their past. Sometimes these special recipes get lost. This section is to help people who are looking for lost recipes from their past. If you submit a request, please include the geographical region where you had this recipe.
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Does anyone know how to make candy "Sugar Skulls" for the Mexican celebration of the "Day of the Dead"? Carlos
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If you can help this reader with this recipe, please forward it to recipes@tias.com . If you have a vintage recipe request send it to recipes@tias.com and we might just publish it here.
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Be sure to check out our vintage kitchen collectibles section online at: http://www.tias.com/showcase/1/Kitchen_Collectibles/1.html
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11. New Online Merchants
Be sure to check out all of the fresh inventory offered by these new merchants at TIAS.
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Tabby Cat Collectibles
http://tias.com/stores/cattabby
Tabby Cat Collectibles has an eclectic mix of collectibles for everyone. We carry jewelry, Cookbooks and Book, Barbie Dolls, Collector Plates and some Pottery and Porcelain...so please come in and take a good look around!

Vintage Forward
http://tias.com/stores/vintageforward
Vintage Forward is dedicated to bringing you unique finds & unearthed treasures. We search for "fresh" estates to buy so shopping here will be diverse, including books, old paper, art, photographs, and vintage memorabilia of

Northern Lights Antiques and Collectibles
http://tias.com/stores/nlt
Featuring a variety of vintage advertising including recently added coffee tins, spice tins, oat boxes, childrens books and toys, tobacciana, soda products and dairy items.

Camp Tecumseh Pickers
http://www.tias.com/stores/camptecumsehpick
We offer many unusual & unique items-come on into our store & check out our specials! You just never know what you may find at Camp Tecumseh Pickers!

Wine and Windows
http://tias.com/stores/wineandwindows
New collectibles and vintage items including toys, glassware, clothing, and unusual pieces. Check back often for new items.

Penn Country Exchange
http://tias.com/stores/penncountry
Wilkom! (Welcome!) I carry Pennsylvania Dutch items, vintage china, porcelain, glass, silver, jewelry, baskets and much more, with new items added daily. I've been in business for many years and enjoy talking with my customers.

Vintage Autographs and Collectibles
http://www.tias.com/stores/rkindred
We specialize in Vintage Entertainment, Sports and Historical Autographs and Collectibles. Our store is new, so check back frequently for new items.
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12. Helpful Resources:
1. Find an antiques or collectibles club. Nearly 2000 different clubs listed. Take a look at: http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/clubs.cgi
2. What's it worth? Try Kovels' free online price guide to over 600,000 antiques and collectibles. It can be found online at http://www.kovels.com
3. Make money with your Web site. Join the TIAS.com affiliate program today. Go to http://www.tias.com/affiliates/
4. Get an online appraisal. For just $9.95 from "What's It Worth To You?" http://www.whatsitworthtoyou.com/tias.htm (Not affiliated with Kovels.com)
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Thanks for reading. Feel free to forward this to a friend. To subscribe to this newsletter go to: http://www.tias.com/subscribe Please note that stories and recipes from readers are not checked for accuracy. They may be edited prior to publication. For questions or comments, you can reach us at newsletter@TIAS.com ©1995-2011 TIAS.com Inc.

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