What We Left Behind: February 2014

Vintage Mormon Books 1900s-1920s

A few of my grandparents antique and vintage books about and from the Mormon/LDS church.

1906 Sunday School Hymn Book
Sixth Edition
Published by The Deseret Sunday School Union (Headquarters for all Church Publications) Salt Lake City, UT

1906 Sunday School Hymn Book

1908 Deseret Sunday School Song Book
A collection of choice songs for the use of sunday schools and suitable for primary associations religion classes, quorum meetings, social gatherings, etc.
Published by the Deseret Sunday School Union Salt Lake City, Utah 1908

1908 Deseret Sunday School Song Book

1909 Deseret Sunday School Songs
A collection of choice songs for the use of sunday schools and suitable for primary associations religion classes, quorum meetings, social gatherings, etc.
Published by the Deseret Sunday School Union Salt Lake City, Utah 1908

1909 Deseret Sunday School Songs

1917 What It Means To Be a Mormon
Written for The Deseret Sunday School Union by Adam S. Bennion
Published by The Deseret Sunday School Union Salt Lake City, Utah

1917 what it means to be mormon

1917 Pearl of Great Price
Divided into chapters and verses with references in 1902 by James E. Talmage
The Deseret News Salt Lake City, Utah

1917 Pearl of Great Price

1918 Songs of Zion
A Collection of Choice Songs
Especially Selected and Arranged for all Meetings, Sunday Schools and Gatherings of Elders and Saints in the Mission Field. Copyright by Joseph F. Smith, Trustee-in-Trust, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1918. Published by the Missions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

1918 Songs of Zion

1922 Joseph Smith's Teachings
Fourth Edition
The Deseret News Salt Lake City, Utah
A Classified Arrangement of The Doctrinal Sermons and Writings of the Great Latter-day Prophet
Compiled by Edwin F. Parry
6"x4.25"

1922 Joseph Smith's Teachings

1925 Scrapbook of Mormon Literature Volume I
& 1925 Scrapbook of Mormon Literature Volume II
Religious Tracts Published by Ben E. Rich
Press of Henry C. Etten & Co. Chicago
Inscribed: "To My dear daughter Hilda with fondest love Xmas 1925"

1925 scrapbook of mormon literature

1927 Latter-Day Saint Hymns
A Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs, containing words and music, for use of Choirs and Congretations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Published by the Deseret Book Company Salt Lake City, Utah
Copyrighted 1927 by Heber J. Grantfor the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Press of Zion's Printing and Publishing Co.
Independence, Jackson County, Mo.

1927 latter-day saint hymns

10 Tips for Selling Vintage Items

A peak inside portions of the garages before we got started.
At a glance, looks like junk, right? Wrong! There were many hidden "treasures."

I always thought that when we went through the thousands of items in my father's home - it would be after he passed away (since he has previously had a hard time letting things go). The general consensus between my sister and I was that most of his things were junk and we'd just have a garage sale and throw almost everything away.

Quite fortunately, I am able to do this project with my father - and also quite fortunately (and patiently), sorting through items one by one, hearing dad's stories about them, then taking time to research everything to determine the value. Most items include a debate concerning perceived value and the real value before we hit a happy medium on initial asking price.

I'm grateful to be doing this with him despite the tremendous patience & time it consumes. That being said, I've come to value many items as he and his parents did. Which makes me feel that in order to do the items justice - they deserve the love and consideration that their previous owner's bestowed upon them (so much "love" they were kept for over 70 years). A big part of that "keeping" mentality was from my father & grandparents living through the Great Depression. The fear of "I may have nothing" became as instinctive as today's consumers' "I can replace everything" mentality.

Anyways, while this seems daunting & I sometimes get too excessive in my research, at the end of the day - we just want the items to go to homes will they will be equally treasured.

Here's some of the tips I've learned along the way.

Rules to Live By When Selling Vintage Items

It might look like junk, but it might be valuable. It might look valuable, but it might be junk.

Research everything. Assume nothing.

Do not clean. Do not polish. Do not restore. UNTIL you have done your research, and even then perhaps not.

Many items lose value if cleaned. And sometimes, that patina and dirt ADD to the value. Don't think you will get more money if you clean or restore an item unless you are absolutely certain of it. Check with an expert before you get carried away with a restoration project.

Do not throw away the original box because it is damaged, worn, dusty or anything.

A lot of times the box IS the valuable part of an item no matter what condition. Post it with the item.

Know YOUR value.

If selling on ebay - set the MINIMUM you are WILLING TO ACCEPT for the item as your starting price. Don't think just because you start the bidding at $0.99 that you'll be one of the lucky ones who has a crazy run on the auction and you see the price hit an all time high. If you start the bidding at $0.99, you may only get $0.99. Then after all the fees - you get what - $0.75 give or take - is that worth the time it took you to research the item and post it?
Weigh how much time you have to spend researching a vintage item and posting it and shipping it against the value of the item. Some things are better sent to Goodwill or Salvation Army.

Look closely.

Every little detail on your item will help you identify it. Look for dates, maker's marks, copyright, wear, tear, color, discoloration. It all helps you find like items and determine worth.

If you can't find it online - it DOES NOT mean it is worth more.

It just means that no one has mentioned it yet or you aren't using the correct search terms. Find an expert in the field of the item and email them to ask questions.

Age does NOT equal value.

Sure, a 100 year old book in good condition seems like obviously it should be worth a mint. But not true. Items are only worth what someone is willing to pay. And if no standard has been set, it makes it harder to determine value.

Don't be afraid to ask.

There are lots of experts out there willing and able and often excited to see the item you are trying to sell. Send them an email with a clear subject line, include details of your inquiry and ask if they are willing to look at an item. If they say yes, then send them a picture or a link.
** Keep in mind their time is valuable and they are doing you a favor. **
Don't wear out your welcome. Be concise. Don't send images without permission as your email might just be deleted rather then read (because attachments can contain viruses, some folks are hesitant to open them when receiving an email from a stranger.)

Be considerate of everyone

The people you email to ask questions, the tools you use, the buyers and sellers of the world are all as important as you are. Their time is valuable, just like yours. Treat everyone the way you'd like to be treated.

Be patient.

All of the above takes time. If you want to get rid of something fast, sell it cheap or have a garage sale and let the negotiating begin.

Stay tuned - more tips to come...

Vintage Games of the 1930s & 1940s

Back before video gaming, the Internet, smartphones & tablets hosted a plethora of Apps (you remember those days don't you?), folks played with a little something called board games. Board games were a tactile thing with components that you could physically move around a board vs. clicking and tap. Games were about chance and strategy or a combination of the two. They were fun. And you played them with friends or family members experiencing real social interaction with people in your immediate proximity.

Can you imagine? Playing with someone sitting next to you instead of a stranger on the other side of the planet? What a concept. Of course - there were also games of skill, strategy and just good old fun that you could play by yourself.

Yes, those were the good old days. And these, are a few good old games from my father's childhood.

1930s Milton Bradley Bingo
#4127-S Complete with all the wooden counters. B-I-N-G-O
Still beloved today in homes, casinos, churches and everywhere. I love the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

1930s Milton Bradley Bingo

1937 Dick Tracy Playing Card Game

1937 Dick Tracy Playing Card Game

1940 Gilbert Boxed Problem Puzzle Games

Chock Full of Fun! These are puzzles of skill and ingenuity amusing - fascinating fun for everyone.

A Product from the Gilbert Hall of Science including: Ring A Tail, Ball and Gear, Hungry Pup, Ring A Peg, Radio Tube Trick, Topsy Turvy Rivets

Sold.

1940 Gilbert Boxed Problem Puzzle Games

1940s Junior Bowling Ten Pins

A fun home version of bowling with beautiful wood pins.

I'm a little puzzled by the old one-shoed man using what appears to be a shotgun as a crutch - but the gnomes? look to be having fun.

Sold.

1940s Junior Bowling Ten Pins

1939 Home Version of Roullette (better known as Roulette)

Milton Bradley Table Game

I'm not sure if this was a misprint or done on purpose - but someone over at Milton Bradley got carried away with the LLs on the box cover and regained their senses when printing the instructions.

1939 Milton Bradley Roulette Table Game

1940s Shoot-A-Loop

Wolverine Supply & Manufacturing Company Pittsburgh, PA

Marbles were all the rage in my dad's childhood and he loved this play it yourself or challenge a friend game.

Sold.

Wolverine Shoot-A-Loop

1936 Jamboree - The Sky's The Limit

A Trading Game - No. 43 - by Selchow & Righter Co. New York City NY

Is this the original mash-up of Life & Monopoly?

Average playing time for eight players is two hours. Everybody remains in the game until the end.

1936 Jamboree The Sky's the Limit

Vintage 1930s & 1940s Valentines

Do you remember the last time you exchanged Valentines with your classmates?

Bull dog Valentine Made in USA
(cover) Bull-ieve me Valentine
(inside) I'm not tied down
Let's Go Places!

I never considered my father much of a romantic, but for some reason, he held on to a few boxes full of old Valentines. He was so excited to find the box they were in and was quick to share stories about all the individuals that had given them to him. A few of the folks were still around today, so he re-gifted their Valentine this year.

It's been hard to dig up details on the origin of most of these - but there are a few useful websites out there that helped us understand which one's might be of value. With all the information on the Internet, I was pretty surprised to only find a few websites dedicated to vintage Valentines. Where's the love?

The Vintage Valentine Museum
Guide to Vintage & Antique Valentines (a post on ebay)
Remembering Romance with Vintage Valentines (a post on About.com)

Types of Valentines: flat, dimensional, honeycomb, mechanical, stand-up/pop-up and anthromorphic.

Also - I strongly recommend running a search on ebay before you list an item and set your price. Filter by items SOLD then Sort by Price: Highest First. That will give you an idea of what items (based on your search terms) hold the highest value to buyers. Then run a search on ebay with the Sold filter unchecked, and that will give you an idea how many like items are sitting out there.

A Few From My Dad's Collection

1930s or 1940s Vintage Valentine - Boy Rider on Horse

Made in USA. Used (signed). Mechanical - rider rocks

Valentine. Mechanical. Made in USA
In love's race, just you pin
All your faith on me to win
My Valentine

1930s or 1940s Valentine Cute Maid
Mechanical - her apron string moves to raise her hand and reveal message in dish
Made in USA. Used (signed on back) SOLD

1930s Vintage Valentine Made in USA Mechanical Cute Maid
(Front) Valentine Greetings
You see, I'm
"Giving Notice"
In Serving up this "line" -
That I'm just "Maid to Order"
To be your Valentine!
(inside dish) You're Just to My Taste

1930s or 1940s Valentine Cute Rollerskater
Flat. Made in USA. Used (signed on back)

1930s Valentine.
Be Mine. Love. Valentine. I'm skating to you.

1930s or 1940s Valentine Surly Pirate
Flat. Made in USA. Used (signed on back)

Vintage Valentine Pirate
To My Valentine.
I'm a pirate
Bold and bad
Love me or you'll
Wish you had.

1930s or 1940s Valentine Girls Reading Newspaper
Flat. Made in USA. Used (signed on back)

Valentine Edition
Valentine Greetings

1930s or 1940s Valentine George Washington
Dimensional. Made in Germany. Used (signed - though very faint in pencil on base)


Vintage George Washington Valentine Fold up reads: To My Valentine Never! Oh never! Another can be, for gentle, so kind; and so smiling as thee.

A Few Old Books

You can learn a lot about someone looking through their book collection. Who they were, who they aspired to be, what they believed... If I had more time & space on my hands, I'd hold on to all of my grandparents books and read away to discover such things. So, I suppose not wanting to keep them says a lot about me. I'm ok with that. My generation doesn't hold on to much of the past, we surf for it on the internet.

As always, it's been fun sorting through the books with Dad. Each one he picks up and reads a few pages, flips through it, talks about it, reads a few passages out loud. And about 15 minutes later announces, "Keep it" or "Sell it" or "I'm not sure, Keep it until later." As you can imagine - with about 100 (one hundred) books to filter through - this is a rather time consuming process. But like all these moments sorting through old family "treasures," I'm enjoying it.

The books we uncovered ranged in age from the 1880s to the 1960s - most will be up for grabs on ebay at some point, or email us if you see something that interests you.

Themes in the collection centered around: well being, religion (especially Mormon as both grandparents were active members of the church), adventure (dad's childhood escapes), self improvement, morals and government.

Here are a few - many more to come:

Coopers Works
John Fenimore Cooper.
Random fact: He was honored on a US commemorative stamp issued in 1940

Coopers Works by John Fenimore Cooper

The Compendium
A Compendium of the Doctrines of The Gospel
by Franklin D. Richards & Elder James A Little
Revised Edition. With original dust jacket. Book is in excellent shape.
Published by Deseret Book Company 1925


A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel Front Cover Dust Jacket 1925 Revised Edition


A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel Front Cover of Book

A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel
Side of Book

Dave Dawson on Convoy Patrol by R. Sidney Bowen
In original dust jacket

Dave Dawson on Convoy Patrol by R. Sidney Bowen

Vital Speeches of The Day
Vital Speeches was a magazine that presented important speeches from recognized leaders of public opinion. It was established in New York in 1934 by Thomas Daly. They are still in business today and you can subscribe on their website at www.vsotd.com

Grandma held on to these six issues:

March 1, 1952 - includes speeches by Winston Churchill, Pope Pius XII & Henry B. duPont
June 15, 1953 - includes speeches by Queen Elizabeth II & Winston Churchill
July 1, 1953 - includes speeches by Dwight D. Eisenhower President of United States
July 15, 1953 - includes speech by Joseph W. Barker on Faith in an Atomic Age
August 1, 1953 - includes speech by Herbert Brownell Jr - Citizenship Education: Juvenille Delinquency
August 15, 1953 - includes speeches by Dwight D. Eisenhower President of United States