Picking Fun With Flatware Know Your History!

One of the most fascinating things that I find about my career as a "picker" is the history that I pick up when I have to research different pieces that I find in the field. I am a history buff anyway and always was keen to soak up quirky facts and figures about different things, so this is right up my alley! I have learned many fun facts about flatware or silverware as most of us call it.

Who does not remember going to Grandma's house when they were young for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and having the good silver brought out as well as the china? My grandmother had a wonderful set of Rogers Adoration 1847 International plated silverware that she got in the 1940's that was kept in a chest in the dining room except for special occasions.

For years, we thought as many people do that the silverware was "sterling" due to the fact that it was made by Rogers. Many people make this mistake today. However research will tell you that most of the flatware that was produced after the turn of the century was silver plated. If a piece does not state sterling or  is not marked .925 on the piece, chances are it is not sterling. The only exception to this rule is pieces that were produced in Great Britain that contain British sterling hallmarks.  To find out more about these, google sterling or sterling silver hallmarks. You can find which marks have been used and can identify pieces through these pages easily. Don't discount flatware pieces due to the fact that they are not sterling. They still have value! It definitely does not detract from the beauty or durability of these pieces and many are still being used in dining rooms and kitchens today.

Rogers is one of the most popular flatware companies that is coveted by collectors today. They made hundreds of different patterns over the years.  One thing that is common with all the pieces is that they are all heavy duty and they are all of great quality. I believe those are two great reasons that they have withstood the test of time and are still desired so highly today.

In order to be able to "pick" flatware, you have to know a bit about the history of the Rogers company or companies as it may be. William Rogers started as a silversmith in the mid 1800's. He produced awesome sterling pieces that are still around today. Later he was joined by some relatives and the name of the company has changed over the years. To muddy the waters even more, two other companies have actually bought very similar names Wm Rogers and Sons (purchased by International Silver in the late 1800's) and Wm A Rogers which was purchased by Oneida who produced silver plated flatware in the same time period that Wm Rogers flatware was being produced.

1847 Rogers IS flatware is made by the original Wm Rogers company.  Flatware made by Wm Rogers and Sons or Wm A Rogers are made by other companies as stated above. It is good to know which company makes the pieces that you collect or sell.  As stated above, you have to know your history.

The next fun step in picking flatware is to know how to find what pattern your flatware is. Some patterns sell well while others are more obscure and may sit for awhile and be harder to market. Finding patterns can be a chore as stated above Rogers made hundreds of patterns alone. This does not even account for patterns made by Oneida, International Silver, or any other company out there.

Stay tuned for my next post. I will tell you more about how to identify individual patterns in flatware. Want to see the vintage flatware I have for sale right now?  Check out my store!

Ebay Home Runs What Keeps Me Running!

We all need those special scores in order to keep the adrenaline pumping and keep the thrill of the hunt alive. It also makes it exciting to hear about what has been a "home run" for someone else. What we call a home run in the business, is something that we have found in the field and purchased then resold for a good price!

Needless to say, home runs don't come along everyday. It would be wonderful if they did!   However, if that  was the case then hunting new things would become routine after a while. This way "home runs" or "scores" are still what makes a treasure hunter get out of bed every morning and hunt!

So I am going to share a few of my home runs with you as I know how much fun these are!  I am going to try to do a home run posting at least once a week and would love to hear others home runs as well. I will put information on how to get your home runs published below.

One of my recent home runs is when I researched I found to be very highly sought after by collectors. Harley Davidson merchandise, especially vintage Harley Davidson merchandise is usually sought out by collectors. There are a lot of Harley Davidson collectors out there as well!  Harley items will bring in good money if you find it in good condition. This even includes the tee shirts! 

I found a vintage 1988 Harley Davidson pewter belt buckle in excellent condition at an auction a while back and placed it for sale on Ebay.   I have included a picture of it above. It sold very quickly for $100.00.   I was thrilled! I definitely call this one a home run!  If you want to see more treasures like this, come visit my store, Kim's Kreations & Rare Finds!

So tell me about your home runs! Send me your information with your closed listing and I will include them in my next home run blog post! I want to hear all about them. Lets share the wealth! 

Vintage Anchor Hocking and Indiana Glass Midcentury at its Finest!

Some of the best, most beautiful and fun finds that I see on a frequent basis are Anchor Hocking and Indiana Glass. Anchor Hocking has been in business in the US since 1905. They still produce wonderful glass products today. Some of the most gorgeous midcentury glass sets in my humble opinion were produced by Anchor Hocking.

I love the quality and color of the kitchen ware that was produced by Anchor Hocking in the 1960's and the 1970's. The fabulous emerald greens and deep blues are colors that can still be displayed proudly in kitchens and dining areas today and never look dated. I absolutely love the deep greens that they produced and picked up these Manhattan Tartan drinking and juice glasses recently that I think are just divine!

Take a look at them here! 


I also love Indiana Glass and the cube design of their Whitehall line that they produced in the 60's. I have found and sold several sets of these. They are a gorgeous dark green color and some people mistake this line for American Fostoria. The designs are similar but Indiana only made the dark green line. They still have a following and are hard to find for the average consumer so if I am lucky enough to find a set I always pick them up!

Check the out here!

Both of these sets are for sale in my Ebay Store Kim's Kreations & Rare Finds!