New Blog on www.RIpicker.com

We are pleased to annouce we now have a new blog located directly on the updated www.RIpicker.com website. From now on all posts can be found on RI Picker.

Thank you!

Do you have Junk in your basement or attic's?

If you are in the Rhode Island and Massachusett's region and would like to make some money off that old junk hanging around in your basement, attic, barn, or garage please contact me at Sales@RIpicker.com. We pay fair prices in cash.

www.RIpicker.com's Ad in the Valley Breeze

We now have an advertisement on the Valley Breeze newspapers website (www.valleybreeze.com). This is a local Rhode Island newspaper that covers current events in Northern RI. You can find the ad by visiting the link below:
http://yourquickads.com/valleybreeze/browse/?section=27

Remember to visit www.RIpicker.com for great deals on antiques toys, old tools, collectibles and more!

Saint Joseph's Church - Woonsocket, RI Flea Market

Saint Joseph's Church in Woonsocket, RI 02895 will be hosting a flea market inside the gym at Saint Joseph's/Good Shepherd School located on Mendon Rd. The flea market starts June 23rd 2012 at 9am.

Precious Blood Church - Woonsocket, RI - Flea Market

Flea Market Alert!

Precious Blood Church in Woonsocket, RI will be having a flea market in their church hall on June 16^th 2012 from 9am to 2pm. The church is located on Hamlet Ave.

RI Picker's Current eBay Auctions!

Our current eBay Auctions can be viewed by going to: http://myworld.ebay.com/ripicker1/

The Lowdown: ‘Antiques Roadshow’ appraises Norman Rockwell painting

A Norman Rockwell painting of a young Vermont school kid eating Kellogg’s Corn Flakes could pay off big for Melinda “Chickie” Murphy.

 Paintings of the southern New Hampshire woman and her brother, Gene, who posed for their dad’s painter friend when he was commissioned by Kellogg’s in the early ’50s, were rejected by the Battle Creek, Mich., cereal company.

 Over the weekend, Melinda, now 65, was bowled over when the folks at PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” appraised the one she still has by the master of Americana’s painting at $40,000 to $60,000!

 “(Kellogg’s thought) we were too pretty,” Murphy (nee Pelham) told the Track at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. “They wanted red hair and freckles!”

 But not all antiques aficionados, hand-me-down hoarders and yard sale scavengers are as lucky as Melinda, who said she’s going to hang onto her Rockwellian breakfast scene for the moment.

 Appraiser Colleene Fesko, who specializes in American paintings from the 18th through 21st centuries, said that more often than not, folks who come to her thinking they’ve found a masterpiece are generally mistaken.

 “It’s because of the accessibility of the Internet,” said Fesko, who once was approached with a painting signed by “Winslow Homer.”

 Upon a quick analysis, Colleene knew the painting was no work of art.

 “It was painted three or four weeks ago!” she told the Track.

 Among the masses of eager New Englanders who packed into the convention hall on Saturday was Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who brought along an Aldro Hibbard painting rescued from the attic at the Mather School in Dorchester. It’s been hanging in the Parkman House.

 “I heard everybody said its worth a lot,” the mayor told us.

 And he was right. Fesko appraised the winter landscape scene, a classic example of the artist’s post-Impressionist style, at $50,000.

 But don’t expect Hizzoner to sell off the Hibbard for some quick cash for city coffers.

 “No, no, no,” said Menino, who plans to insure the painting. “We know how special it is.”

Source: www.BostonHerald.com

Overpriced Flea Markets & Yardsales

This past weekend I visited about a dozen or so yardsales/garagesales/flea markets. For the most part I saw items for sale for $1 or so. However, it amazes me when I pull up to a yardsale and see everything tagged. Once I see these yardsales I know I am not going to buy anything there. The owners seem to want outrages prices on their products they are selling. People who go to yardsales do not intend to pay retail. Just because you paid $10 for it in new condition, does not mean it is worth $8 in used condition. If you have stuff you truly want to get rid of, than you must price it to sell. If you want to try to get full value or what you perceive is a "fair" price, then put it up on eBay.

A shop on a mission

LIMERICK – For the past two years, Heather Labbe has made Labrador retrievers her life, running a rescue operation from her Limerick home and, she says, saving more than 600 animals from being euthanized at out-of-state shelters.

“I realized, ‘Oh, I can make a difference,’” she said.

Now, Labbe, 61, is looking to give the effort, called New England Lab Rescue, a more permanent home, and has taken an innovative approach to doing that. She has bought a 19th-century house in town that she converted into a new antiques shop, Custom House Antiques. Part of that building, Labbe said, will be used as office space for the nonprofit rescue, and a barn in the back will be converted to help house a small number of dogs waiting for adoption.

“To have an actual building (for the rescue) is a really big thing,” she said.

The building itself is huge, with three stories, including a ballroom on the top floor that Labbe hopes to rent out. Labbe said that the portion of the whole building dedicated to the rescue will be small, and the barn will be closed off from the rest of the building.

No animals will be allowed in with the antiques, and Labbe said even once the barn is fully renovated, she only imagines two to three animals staying there at any one time. The rest, she said, will live in foster homes run by volunteers, just as the rescue has always done.

“It’s a very, very short-term visit,” she said.

Meanwhile, the rest of the building will be dedicated to showing off antiques for sale. Kathy Braley, a volunteer who is helping Labbe find antiques sellers, said that in less than a month, Custom House has found about 12 vendors who are renting display space for their items, and the building could accommodate up to twice that many.

With those renters, Custom House already has a full first floor, and part of the second floor is also spoken for. There is everything from plates, candleholders and fireplace pokers to furniture such as couches, chairs, tables and cabinets. Braley said she ran an antiques shop in Limington for years, and knew how to help Labbe find sellers to rent space in the new shop.

“I have a lot of stuff, and a lot of friends with stuff,” Braley said with a laugh.
Labbe’s husband, Gary, said the building, located at the intersection of routes 5 and 11 in Limerick, dates back to 1803, and was known as a bed-and-breakfast until about 20 years ago. After that closed, he said, the building was home to an interior decorator’s shop, but the decorator moved out about three years ago. Since then, it’s been empty. The selling price, Heather Labbe said, dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars before the Labbes bought it a month ago for $112,000.

Heather Labbe said she and her husband came to Limerick in 1999, moving from Windham, where they had lived since coming from Cape Cod, Mass., in 1996. Gary Labbe noted that his wife already runs the Clipper Merchant Tea House, which is also in a refurbished 19th-century house, which went a long way with convincing the locals that the Labbes would be treating their newest acquisition right.

“They were thrilled to hear that we were now in this building,” he said. “They knew that it would be in good hands.”

Heather Labbe said she started the lab rescue informally about two years ago, when she learned via the Internet that a shelter in North Carolina was planning to euthanize a dog because no home could be found for it. Labbe bought the dog, and would have kept it had she not found someone right away who wanted to adopt it. Since then, she said, the effort has grown into an official nonprofit organization, with full licensing and vetting from the state.

As to why she wants to use an antiques shop to support it, Labbe said she has grown to love history and historic buildings, and it seemed a natural move for a building that has been a fixture in town for more than two centuries.

“We decided the town could use an antiques building,” she said. “The history is very rich here.”

The shop is open, but Labbe is planning a formal grand opening on July 1. She said the shop already is making enough money in rental income to sustain itself, and in time, she expects it will go a long way toward supporting the rescue, which has existed so far on grants and donations that can be hard to come by.

“It’s a way of supporting the rescue in the long run,” she said.

Source: www.Keepmecurrent.com

Antiques Fair is an Old Favorite

The Grafton Historical Society has announced its 45^th annual Antiques and Arts Fair will be held Saturday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the Grafton Common. About 50 antiques and collectibles vendors will have their wares on display.“The annual Antiques and Arts Fair has become a defining event in Grafton,” said Linda Casey, Grafton Historical Society president, in a prepared statement. “It is such a pleasure for us to keep this rich and wonderful tradition alive. We hope everyone will come and join us for what is sure to be a great day of fun and enjoyment.”
In addition to antiques and collectibles booths, there will be live music on the gazebo, antique appraisals, and a wide variety of food vendors. The fair also will feature a variety of crafts demonstrations.
Admission is $5. In case of rain, the fair will be held at the Grafton Middle School, 60 North St. For more information, call 508-839-0000.

Source: www.Grafton.Patch.com

New England Antiques Journal - Review

I ordered my subscription of the New England Antiques Journal in March through their website. After a month went by and I didn't receive the magazine I decided to call. I was told their website subscription area didn't work, so they never received my order. I then gave the lady my credit card and shipping info over the phone and was told I should receive it around May 5th. I was also told she was going to send me April's magazine for my troubles. May 5th came and went and I still didn't receive the magazine. I called again and was told I should receive it in June. The department handling the circulation is very poor. I am looking forward to post a real review of the content. Hopefully, the magazine will get to me soon....

Brighten Any Room In Your Home With Mickey Mouse Collectibles

We may not remember exactly when it was that we first saw Mickey Mouse.  But we probably do remember the joy of being a child, savoring the beginning of the weekend by getting ourselves a big bowl of cereal and milk and sitting down in front of the television to watch Saturday cartoons.  Mickey and his friends were no doubt a jovial part of those Saturday mornings, and thus we have a soft spot in our hearts for Disney's beloved mouse. 

You can continue to remember those happy times into adulthood and put a smile on your face each time you look at your collection of Mickey collectibles.  You can also get a child off to a great start with Mickey by giving him or her Mickey Mouse figurines, watches or rings as a memento of a simpler and happier time when it did not take much to make us happy.

There are many types of Mickey Mouse decorative objects that are available.  For those who like wearable designs, you might select from Mickey Mouse watches or Mickey Mouse.  Mickey Mouse watches originated in 1933; due to the early popularity of the comic mouse, who was loved by millions, the Disney company began manufacturing accessories featuring his likeness. 

Today, you can find replicas of these lovely vintage watches that feature Mickey Mouse on the face of the watch, with his arms and hands in use as the watch arms. There are other Mickey likenesses also placed on the wristband.  Rings, bracelets and necklaces feature the lovable mouse as well.  A Swarovski Crystal charm bracelet shows all of the incarnations of Mickey Mouse through the years as he has been depicted in cartoons and Swarovski also features their stunning crystals in a necklace pendant that showcases the face of Mickey with his winning smile.

Figurines featuring Mickey and his female friend, Minnie Mouse, are available through the "Precious Moments" collection line, which shows a little girl Precious Moments figurine with the characteristic teardrop-shaped dark eyes, who is sitting in a chair with Mickey and Minnie, reading a favorite book.  Mickey dressed up in an Elvis Presley outfit, Mickey driving a John Deere tractor, and a Mickey Mouse telephone, which is also a music box, can make wonderful additions to anyone's Mickey Mouse collection and offer stylish ways to dress up your home.

Source: www.Articlesbase.com

Street Rods for sale - Do a lot of research before buying

If you are in the market buying street rods then you might feel that choosing one amongst the plethora of cars is a daunting task. These automobiles are different from the ones that are driven daily and there isn’t a concrete price structure for buying these cars. These automobiles are mostly the ones which belong to the times of 1930s and 1960s and they don’t have a lot of resemblance to the original model. There aren’t any conditions or options for comparing in price guide and you will have to do a little bit of homework for finding true value regarding what kind of street rods you can buy with the amount of money that you have to spend. Some of the vintage cars aren’t even original models; they are just built using the kits that you can purchase today for building your own rods. Just like other collector car or classic car out there, you will have to do a bit of research beforehand and it will certainly improve your experience when you drive the automobile.

If you are purchasing hot rod, then there are few basics that you need to know about cars. You can also visit club meets of Street Rods and read some of the car magazines that are out there, they will be really helpful. You can also talk to owners at car shows or meets and you will find out everything that you ever wanted to know. There are cars that have been bought in the past and some people have more than one vintage cars in their collection. There are also some people who are offering vintage cars for sale. You should ask questions to the owners and they will tell you all that you need to know. Don’t be shy about, the more questions you ask, the more you will get to know about the vehicles.

There are also a lot of online forums from where you can gather information. You can also ask questions here. It is often seen that there isn’t any substitute to having an owner close to his side; you will get to know everything you want from here starting from the looks of the car to the engine inside. There are plenty of wheel rods for sale out there which will certainly make you drool by smell of exhaust and loud engine roar. If you aren’t intrigued by these sounds; then these automobiles aren’t made for you.

Source: www.Amazines.com

Meg's Secondhand Store - Uxbridge, MA

I recently paid a visit to Meg's Place on Quaker Hwy in Uxbridge, MA. This is a small but neat place to find some great picks. They have furniture, books, tools, and other odds and ends. The lady behind the desk was great to negoiate with. I got some great old tools for a bargain. The inventory is alwaysbturning over since the owner bus out estates and cleans out houses. They are located in a very small strip of stores, but should be easy to find.

eBay bringing down profits and bastardizing the marketplace

I started buying and selling on eBay since the beginning. But over the last 10-12 years the marketplace has become saturated. Antique and collectible stores now have to try to compete with this juggernaut. This means that in most cases, slashing your prices by 50% to 60%. What does this mean to the average collector? Your prized comic book collection is now worth only a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand. This is great for the average collector that wants a few pieces at a bargain price. But if you have been collecting for decades and planned on using your collection to either put you through college or help buy your first home, you are out of luck.  In the end eBay can be a great outlet to quickly get rid of a few things you have no need for. But it has been destroying the antique market many many years by bringing down profits of the seller’s that have searched for that prized action figure you have been looking for.