Advertising Ephemera

Comment

Comment by MadamButterflye on December 24, 2008 at 8:34am

Duh, just discovered the photo icon above - lol! It's Christmas and I've been really sick, sorry yall. Here is one photo but again, I have more on my page. Anyone can view them.

Comment by MadamButterflye on December 24, 2008 at 8:30am

Thanks for your comments and suggestions everyone. Bev, I appreciate your wisdom. I have uploaded photos in a scrapbook entitled, "Watson & Newell....."on my page and just in my photos. I don't know how to post a photo on this page or even if I can.

Comment by Bev Owens on December 24, 2008 at 4:21am

Sometimes it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack when looking for an item's value. Unfortunately, ephemera doesn't have it's own price guide...we usually find values included in other ways. An Advertising Price Guide might help a little but might not have the exact calendar in it.

If I were researching I would look for things by the artist first. You don't mention her name but you do seem to know that she was well known. If she was a popular artist in her day, then part of the value will be because of her notoriety as an artist.

I would also look for items that advertise the same Company or Brand that this calendar is advertising. You don't mention the product or Company, but again the value of the piece will be partially determined by just how collectible items are for that product or company.

1901 definitely falls into the Art Nouveau era and that adds to the value of the calendar. Art Nouveau items, as you know, are collected because of the art involved.

The value may be difficult to pinpoint to an exact amount. An appraiser would probably take all of the above factors into account and come up with a value by starting with a base price that they feel a 1901 calendar would be worth, add some value to it for what that artist's work generally goes for, add some value (if any) for the price that the advertised product generally sells for, and add some value for the Art Nouveau art and come up with a ballpark figure. At least that is how I would determine a value, if I were appraising it.

Nancy wasn't steering you wrong by talking about pricing. The "selling" price of any item is what determines the actual value. If an item consistently sells for $250 then it's value is $250. The value of antiques and collectibles fluctuates up and down all of the time. Something that was valued at $250 in 1988 might only be valued at $25 in 2008 or it might be valued at $2500. It is an ever changing market that is determined by many factors.

It sounds like you are going about your research in the right way. You may never find your exact calendar but by the research you are doing, eventually you should be able to come up with a general value based on the criteria you find after having looked at all of the pieces of the value puzzle.

You have my interest piqued...I would love to see a picture!

Comment by MadamButterflye on December 24, 2008 at 12:19am

Also, the calendar is printed on what today we'd call "card stock"; not the thin paper I've seen on calendars listed on other sites. The illustrator - if she did indeed illustrate my calendar, was well-known in her time and was also a published author. I'll be posting a pic very soon.

Comment by MadamButterflye on December 24, 2008 at 12:15am

Thanks Nancy but I asked about finding its value, not about pricing it. As far as "doing my homework" - I have run into a brick wall and was looking for suggestions on "how" to do my homework. I've researched as far as I know - using the internet, searching different vendor sites, looking up what books may be available, etc. I have found nothing even close to what I have. However, I truly appreciate your time in responding - I guess I'll just have wait for something to "pop up" (as it often does) when I'm researching another collectibe, lol. - Merry Christmas Everyone!

Comment by Tom Murphy on December 23, 2008 at 5:58pm

I'm often amazed Nancy at the prices that Period Paper gets for his ads (ref 1942 ad) .. or at least the prices he "asks" for his ads. I think a lot if it has to do with his packaging. He goes to great extent to package his items extremely well.. and for that he gets top dollar. Perhaps a lesson to be learned there.

Tom

Comment by Nancy on December 23, 2008 at 3:59pm

MadamButterflye
How to price your calendar. First you have to consider the condition, subjuct, and age (we know the age 1901, and how rare is it.
Sometimes what you paid for the items also plays a big part in the price you get for that item and also how fast you wish to sell that item. I have found over the years when I price my paper items I do so with my understanding of the market and what is in demand it that time.
I sell many common CDV Photo's from $1.00 each to $3.00, and sometimes have a hard time even getting that price, but if that CDV is from the civil war I may get $20.00 to well over $300.00. The RARER and Harder to find the faster and Higher the price you get. ( MOST OF THE TIME That Is)

Some calenders may only sell for $5.00 but others may go for a larger amount.
Do your home work!!

I have seen Magazines ADS from the same year and subjust being sold on Auctions sites for $4.99 to $37.00 for the very same AD. 1942 ad WHY?

WELL Maybe Because --- If you do not ask the price you will not receive that price!!! . Some buyers think if the price is to low then the item may not be RARE, and others think the Higher the price the RARER it must be. WE may never KNOW WHY Buyers do what they do.

Comment by MadamButterflye on December 17, 2008 at 11:26pm

Does anyone know how I can find the value of a beautiful advertising calendar from 1901? It has beautiful Art Nouveau drawings in it and snippets of poetry. It's very beautiful but I don't know how to get a value for it. My research turned up nothing on the Web - where can I look at the library? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Comment by MadamButterflye on October 26, 2008 at 6:53pm

Imagine the love your box must contain! That is really cool. I recently purchased a 1901 Watson and Newell Company calendar which I originally bought just because of the Art Nouveau pictures and snippets of poetry for each month of the calendar. I had no idea - well, I did have an inkling, LOL that it might be rare! I've had a difficult time selling things where I live but alas, I think I'd rather keep my "stuff" anyway.

Comment by Bev Owens on October 26, 2008 at 5:42pm

Hi MadamButterflye!
Haven't sold much in the way of advertising ephemera of late, sort of slow in my neck of the woods.

I do have an extensive collection of Whitman's Chocolate boxes and advertising items. My prize possession would be a Whitman's box from the turn of the century with a loving little note from the gal who received it stating the date and the "beau" who gave it to her. It is way cool! The old boxes and tins are pretty neat and have gorgeous artwork.

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