The antiques and collectibles trade in 2008 is very different than it was in 1993. The changes have been earth shattering. Change is inevitable. This may be life’s only truth; everything else is speculation. What follows is my speculation about where we are and where we need to go. Whether you agree or disagree is not important; that you think about it is.

A bit of trivia from PBS.org on Mark Twain and his "Aquarium" pin.

QUESTION: I have a 1964-65 World’s Fair US Royal Tires Ferris Wheel battery-operated toy. It is made of plastic and still works. However, the battery compartment is somewhat corroded. I have the box in which it came and, to the best of my knowledge, it is complete. What is its value? – JK, Willoughby, OH, E-mail Question

In celebration of Ruby Lane’s 10-year anniversary we are offering another 10-Cent Tuesday to our shops, where the Listing Fee is only 10 cents instead of the usual 30 cents. The promotion begins this Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time and ends 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. For all items added to your shop during this period, you will only be charged a 10 cent listing fee (5 cents for Charter Shops).Your Ruby Lane account must have a positive balance of at least $1.00 to participate.

Ruby Lane Customer Care & Share: Focus on Possibilities

“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got,
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came….”

These words from Gary Portnoy’s and Judy Hart Angelo’s theme song for Cheers are especially cogent as the antiques and collectibles industry enters the final three months of 2008. Many in the trade, especially those buying and selling on eBay, are rapidly coming to the conclusion that no one knows their name or cares.

In Part I we laid out some common definitions of what most people consider the “value” of an antique or Collectible and how this depends on the intended usage of the evaluation. In this section, we will look into several practices available to Collectors and Dealers to appraise their items, starting with the formal or official Appraisal and then describing several other methods that cost very little and are usually faster.

According to Webster’s College Dictionary, an Appraisal is “(a) The act of estimating or judging the nature or value of something or someone, (b) a valuation, as for sale or taxation, (c) an estimate or considered opinion.”

Designer of the Month - Schreiner

We are pleased to announce that along with the Lanes you currently know, Ruby Lane has just expanded some of the larger categories of items on the site to become their own Lanes! Now you can shop more of your favorite categories while remaining in the same Lane, ensuring a more targeted, effective and thus successful item Search.