miab87•5mo ago

That old vase I almost passed on turned out to be worth something

I grabbed this dusty blue vase at a flea market in Austin last Saturday for 5 bucks. Just thought it looked cool, nothing special. Got home and my buddy who restores antiques spotted a tiny mark on the bottom. Turns out it's a 1920s Rookwood piece in good shape. He looked it up on his phone and said similar ones sell for like 200 to 400 dollars online. Totally changed my view on checking maker marks more carefully. Now I'm pulling out my phone every time I see something old and painted. Does anyone else skip items they think are junk but end up regretting it?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

hugo_nelson5mo ago

Actually, Rookwood pieces usually sell for more like 150 to 300, not 400.

5

jason5243mo ago

Wait, are you saying the tiger eye glaze ones are staying around 150-300 too? I saw one with that deep red drip pattern go for almost 400 at an estate sale last month but maybe that was a fluke.

4

derek_ramirez5mo ago

Is there a chance prices are creeping up for the really rare glaze patterns though?

1