Buying thrift shops, flea markets and property gross sales might be overwhelming. With the sheer quantity of stuff, how are you aware the place to start out? How do you notice gems amid all of the junk?
As an expert reseller who has been combing via thrift shops for the higher a part of 30 years, I can assist. If you happen to’re prepared to chop your buying time in half, rating greater bargains or stroll away with brag-worthy finds you possibly can flip for money, learn on.
From hard-to-find home items to resale money-makers, every little thing featured on this collection qualifies as a BOLO (“be looking out” for) merchandise. If you discover it, purchase it!
Featured discover: classic Fireplace-King espresso cups
The following time you’re thrift buying, make a beeline to the collection of espresso cups. Hidden among the many chipped memento mugs, you simply might discover a Fireplace-King cup.
Launched in 1942, Fireplace-King was an intensive line of oven-proof dishware from the glass big Anchor Hocking. Many items have grow to be sizzling collectibles, however Fireplace-King espresso mugs are a favourite thrift retailer rating of mine. They slip via the cracks at most secondhand retailers — priced for a greenback or two and added to the jumble of cast-off cups.
Since Fireplace-King cups is a reasonably broad class, let’s slender our focus and outline precisely what sorts we’re speaking about:
- Milk glass: Most Fireplace-King cups had been made from milk glass, a dense, opaque glass. White cups had been typically used for promotional functions and printed with numerous firm logos.
- Jadeite and turquoise glass: Opaque like milk glass, Fireplace-King’s jadeite (jade-ite) cups are inexperienced and its turquoise cups are gentle blue.
- Restaurant-ware: Fireplace-King designed a line of heavier dishware for eating places. A restaurant-ware cup is about twice as thick as a normal cup.
Why purchase it
Fireplace-King was fashionable as a result of it was modern and sturdy. Items may face up to excessive warmth and had been virtually chip-proof — an enormous promoting level in an period when shopper plastics weren’t as frequent as they’re now.
Right now, individuals purchase for one in all two causes:
- Fireplace-King cups are the right accent to a easy, fashionable aesthetic. They’re practical and sensible, however distinctive sufficient to get seen.
- Fireplace-King hits our nostalgia nerve. My grandparents had a set, and I vividly keep in mind the cups my mother and father used till the Nineteen Eighties.
For resellers, that nostalgia fuels a robust market. This single milk glass cup promoting Stuckey’s comfort shops not too long ago bought for $710 on eBay. And this lot of jadeite restaurant-ware mugs introduced $330.
These costs are much more spectacular when you think about that classic Fireplace-King is pretty plentiful within the secondhand market. Final month at a yard sale, I discovered two Fireplace-King cups that includes characters from the Peanuts cartoon. I paid 50 cents for every and flipped the pair for $80.
Professional tip: The oven-proof high quality of Fireplace-King glass might deteriorate over the many years. Keep away from placing mugs within the microwave.
What to search for
As with all glass, situation is every little thing. Keep away from items with a boring or tough floor; they’ve possible been uncovered to excessive warmth and heavy detergents within the dishwasher.
Professional tip: It’s powerful to identify cracks in opaque glass — particularly jadeite. Before you purchase, maintain the cup as much as a window or vivid gentle. Cracks normally happen the place the deal with meets the physique of the cup.
If you happen to’re shopping for to resell, keep in mind: Not all Fireplace-King is created equal. Patrons pay a premium for:
- A number of matching cups or full units
- Cups that publicize nationwide manufacturers corresponding to Bazooka Bubble Gum, Coca-Cola and Burger King
- Distinctive kinds and colours (like this Kimberly diamond sample set in an iridescent end known as Moonglow)
- Restaurant-ware
You will discover the impressed Fireplace-King mark on the underside of every piece. In a single model of the emblem, the phrases “Anchor Hocking, Made in U.S.A.” encircle a picture of an anchor entwined with the letter “H.” Beneath the anchor, are the phrases “Fireplace-King Ovenware” or “Fireplace-King Ware”.
In one other model of the mark, the phrases “T.M. Reg. Made in U.S.A.” encircle an all-caps “FIRE-KING” with out the anchor.
Copy alert: Fireplace-King’s reputation has impressed new traces of jadeite merchandise. This three-piece jadeite set by The Pioneer Lady is obtainable at Walmart. Whereas modern items by different makers could also be helpful in their very own proper, they’re not the identical as Fireplace-King originals.
Disclosure: The knowledge you learn right here is at all times goal. Nevertheless, we typically obtain compensation while you click on hyperlinks inside our tales.
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