Roadsmith
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posted on February 5, 2003 01:17:35 PM new
Can someone tell me the difference between Autumn Leaf Jewel Tea by Hall and Autumn Leaf by Hall? I guess I'm assuming the Jewel Tea thing was a premium, but were they just certain pieces, not the usual dinner plates etc.? Or were both kinds identical, but cake plates just had more decoration on them?
I'm going to an auction Sat. that has 129 pieces of Autumn Leaf. I don't know much about this pattern and have been surfing in it on ebay to see if I could figure out the various nomenclatures.
AND - another question - how high would you go for a set like this, to resell on ebay? I'm sure it would depend on how many unusual or serving pieces there were with it and of course the condition of the pieces.
Thanks in advance for any information you can give me.
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max40
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posted on February 5, 2003 01:37:29 PM new
Autumn Leaf pattern was originally produced as a premium for Jewel Tea Co. Over the years items were added and dropped from the line as demand decreased or increased.
It's pretty hard to list every rare or uncommon piece here, I'd suggest trying your local library for a copy of The Collector's Encyclopedia of Hall China by Margaret & Kenn Whitmyer.
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular
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kasue
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posted on February 5, 2003 02:13:07 PM new
I doubt if they sell it by the set but they might. If you don't want to buy a Hall book and have a newer Schroeders, that will work just fine. In Schroeders, look under Autumn Leaf. I have bought Autumn Leaf numerous times over the past 16 years and have found that usually I can get a better price OFF Ebay. I am sure there are some exceptions to this, but for the most part I get a better price for it at shows and in the mall space I rent. I know that it isn't enough to look for chips and cracks. Autumn Leaf is plentiful enough (at least here in Iowa) that the collectors really look at the amount of utencil marks and wear on the gold trim. Good Luck!
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jensmome
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posted on February 5, 2003 02:27:17 PM new
Really the best thing to do is search the completeds by price and make a list from that. You'll know what sells high and what you want to focus on. But if it's like the auctions around here it will all go as one batch. If you can get a list of what's on sale before you go, you'll be in great shape and know exactly what you want to pay. You might be pleasantly surprised since a lot of people don't want to be bothered with a whole set.
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kasue
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posted on February 5, 2003 02:32:42 PM new
It looks like it depends on area as to whether they lump the Autumn Leaf or not. Better figure it both ways. The auctioneers here like to do choice a few times and then when the price gets low, lump the rest together. Or sometimes they sell all the cups and saucers together, the soups together, the salad plates together, etc.
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Roadsmith
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posted on February 5, 2003 05:33:44 PM new
This auctioneer will most probably lump the whole set. I plan to go an average of $2-$3 per item IF there are several serving pieces in there. Otherwise, I'll have to use my judgment and try not to get caught up in auction fever. I"ll let you all know what happens.
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jensmome
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posted on February 5, 2003 05:47:43 PM new
Do you have someone you could call on your cell phone and look stuff up?
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Roadsmith
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posted on February 5, 2003 11:11:24 PM new
jensmome: We do not own a cell phone! We've been resisting all this time. They came into vogue about the time we both retired and really had no need for one. If I were still working and/or commuting, or if we still had children at home, I'd have one in a jiffy. So far, we've avoided that expense.
That said, I can see why one would come in handy in an auction situation. I see people using them all the time at auctions and yard sales.
So - I"m going to have to handle that auction a different way.
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Libra63
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posted on February 5, 2003 11:21:56 PM new
Roadsmith I am with you. I don't own one and probably never will UNLESS they outlaw regular phones. I find it very offensive sitting in a restaurant when someone next to me is talking on a cell phone and you can hear their conversation. It is something annoying like smoking. Cell phones at auctions where someone is at the other end on a computer I would say thats great. In a car in traffic NO....
Good Luck Saturday.....
[ edited by Libra63 on Feb 5, 2003 11:23 PM ]
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jensmome
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posted on February 6, 2003 04:24:13 AM new
I don't like them in traffic either. But I've had one for almost 10 years and it's saved my bacon several times between car accidents, flat tires and when my daughter was assaulted (she's OK). Plus it did allow mw to pick up some real steals at auction. I call my friend who also sells in different categories. She looks up my stuff ans I tell her what's there she might be interested in and bid for her if she is.
Please let us know how you make out with the Autumn Leaf.
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Roadsmith
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posted on February 8, 2003 08:39:22 PM new
Oh. My. Gosh. I promised I'd let you all know how this auction went. I was dumbfounded--and you were right--he sold the regular dishes as a group of 129, then broke out all the serving pieces, some of which went for $200 - $300. I finally, out of desperation, bid on a nice pitcher, which I got for $45 after a dealer sitting with me assured me it's worth all of that and more.
So I got home, checked various sized pitchers on ebay, and they're tanking! $10 - $30 tops. Should I just keep this one for a while and hope it goes for more, say, at Christmas? Maybe place it on consignment with a dealer? What would you do?
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sparkz
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posted on February 8, 2003 08:55:11 PM new
Fill it with a nice Merlot and enjoy!!!
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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Libra63
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posted on February 8, 2003 11:09:14 PM new
Sorry to hear about that Roadsmith. Be lucky you didn't bid on the higher ones. I don't think there is any good or bad time to sell. It all depends on who is out there to buy. One week I had an auction on for $5.99. I had one inquiry no bids at the end. Relisted it with a different heading and I sold it for $15.00. I guess eBay is like the stock market up one day and down the next.
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bigpeepa
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posted on February 9, 2003 06:22:15 AM new
Hello,
I am looking at a set for 8 of Desert Rose with serving pieces tomorrow. If I can't buy the whole batch for about $100.00 I will pass on the set. Maybe the people selling it can list it on Ebay so they can get no bids. If they haven't allready tried.
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jensmome
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posted on February 9, 2003 07:59:30 AM new
Ouch! Sounds like you ran into a flock of "More Money than Brains" bidders. They seem to be everywhere these days except on eBay. Hang on to the pitcher for a while. I think the prices are depressed and you'll do better to wait.
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pmelcher
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posted on February 9, 2003 08:07:37 AM new
At auctions around here, in Indiana, the dealers are 'hungry'. It is unbelievable what they will pay for average stuff. It is also unbelievable that I sometimes get caught up in auction fever and bid too much on things also. I know better, yard sales will start up in another month or two, I do better there anyway. Good luck on the next auction!
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kasue
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posted on February 9, 2003 08:17:27 AM new
Apparently you never took a Schroeders even. This is a real pet peeve of mine. If you don't know what something is worth from past experience, you must have something to draw on. I can't see going out to buy a lot of different reference books, but a Schroeders can and has saved my butt many a time. Many a auction has been ruined for me by novice buyers simply bidding until they get something and THEN doing the research. Once one crop of newbies finally learn their hard lessons, another crop of newbies comes on the scene and does the same thing. I have seen this happen over and over again during the 16 years I have been doing this. I am sorry for sounding so harsh, but I know I don't know everything so I use references as a GUIDE. Unless you know everything, please do your work before you go to the auction. (Taking cover now!)
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Roadsmith
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posted on February 9, 2003 10:00:58 AM new
Yes, kasue - harsh but true. I guess I figured that by the end of all that high bidding they knew something I didn't know. It may also be that some of the high bidders were collectors, not dealers, who don't know about ebay (oddly). Maybe we have more affluent collectors in Southern Calif.? (Well, probably we do!?)
Yes, I learned a valuable lesson - the $45 is part of my ebay tuition. I spent 6 hours at that danged auction, drove 35 minutes each way to get to it down winding mountain road, and concluded that the two items I got were not worth my time. I agree that local yard sales are a much more fertile area to pick up items.
And perhaps those high bids are a reason so many brick and mortar dealers are going out of business???
Licking My Wounds
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kasue
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posted on February 9, 2003 05:01:05 PM new
You can call them "affluent collectors" if you want. We have them here, too. We call them "fools". They prefer to run the price way, way up at auction rather than pay a reasonable price at shows and antique malls. Take that Schroeders or Garage Sale Collectibles book with you next time, Roadsmith. You will be glad you did!
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