Friday, September 13, 2013

9/13/13 Report - Now Two Hurricanes But No Immediate Threats and Collectibles Receiving Most Interest



Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.\


National Hurricane Center Map Last Night


Today's Map.


We now have two hurricanes and one tropical depression,  Last night there was another weather system (in yellow on top map) that had a ten percent chance of becoming a cyclone.  Evidently it faded away for the time being.

There is a lot of action in the tropics now.  Things are rapidly changing.  Systems are forming and sometimes disappearing just as fast.

Gabrielle is too far north to affect us, and Humberto appears to be headed north too.


Fred D. said the tapir jaw that I posted yesterday was indeed found by him.  That is what I thought.  He offered to provide photos of other fossils when I need to show them.


 The Kovels.com Top 20 list indicates the current interests of collectors who visit the website. During August 2013 antiques enthusiasts were busy researching:

I've found a few of those over the years.  You probably have too.

Occupied Japan items are often clearly marked.  I believe I've posted pictures of one small ceramic doll that was marked occupied Japan.

Coke collectibles include key chains, pins, etc., which you might have found with a metal detector.

I've found a few pieces of carnival glass in the past.  They sell easily.

I also think I once showed a Wedgewood tea pot that was found.

Anyhow, watch out for all kinds of things.

Some guys who are very good at finding things are not so good at selling them.  If you are somebody who sells finds, you should know that if you are good at selling you can often get two or three times as much out of your finds.

One key to selling well is to know the market.  Running out and selling everything and anything to a pawn shop will not get you the top price.  They'll give you as little as they can.  People often sell perfectly good jewelry for scrap value.  In my opinion that is a big mistake.  The pawn shop is going to mark it up and try to sell it for a lot more than you sold it to them.  If you make the effort you can sell often get that retail price yourself, especially with ebay and other web sites like that.

You should learn to evaluate your items.  I try to help you with that in some of my posts, such as the recent posts on diamonds.

You won't be able to evaluate everything yourself, so get to know some experts and find some web sites and resources that will help you get a good estimate of an item's value.

One good way to get a good idea of what an item might be worth is to look up similar items on sites like eBay and see what they are selling for.   I'm not talking about the asking price.  Many items do not sell because they are over priced.  See what similar items are actually selling for.

If you learn about the market for collectibles and research your items you can make a lot more from the items that you choose to sell.

If you don't know about a lot of different types of items and their market, you can actually throw away some very valuable things without ever realizing that they could be valuable.

All the time there are stories about valuables being found in a dumpster or sold for a few cents.  Don't throw away or cheaply sell perfectly good items.  The fun of selling items well is putting them in the hands of people who will appreciate and cherish them.  That is one reason why you should try to find the best buyer for your items.


 Michael H. told me of a new metal detector TV show on the Travel Channel.   I think it airs on Wednesdays if you want to watch for it.


There is a new portable tool that can tell you the source of lithic items like points.  Previously that had to be done in the lab.  Technology moves on.


On that topic, we are well on our way to a cashless society.   Disney now gives guests a bracelet to wear that carries the guest's account information and acts as their park admission ticket, room key and charge card.  You touch the bracelet to the reader at the gate, for example, or the reader on the hotel door.   You can also use it to charge items to your account when purchasing things.  Even before this they could tell you what time you entered which park and on what date.   I won't be surprised if all money is digital before long.  As far as security, your bracelet is linked to your finger print so nobody can use your bracelet.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net