So what do you do with an old bowling ball? A sphere of rubber or plastic with 3 holes drilled in it. You could use it as a planter. I have seen people paint them and use them for lawn ornaments. Cannonball? Boat Anchor? Pretty much a useless item unless you have dreams of one last 300 game before retiring it.

They don't sale at garage sales, auctions or flea markets. They are too large to be used in boccie tournaments. They make lousy cat toys (even with a little catnip sprinkled on it ). So what do you do?

Trash, Trash Trash! Two great ways to get rid of them. The first one is simple put them out at the curb. Your trash man will hate you for putting such a heavy item out but oh-well. Second, go out and bowl one last game with it and accidentally forget to take it home with you. The bowling proprietor just loves getting free bowling balls so make sure you go to a place where the chances of anyone recognizing you are zero. One exception wooden balls (not to be confused with brass). So if your balls are made of wood make sure you have someone check them out before put them into the trash.

Willie Stargell signed baseball

Spread some chicken on the hill and get out your green weenie! Alright not all of us were fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the 1970's but these would have been some of the things that you would hear when listening to Bob Prince announcing a Pirates game. Willie Stargell was one of the most prolific home run hitters of the time. In a day prior to steroid accusations when baseball ruled the airways, Willie, was a baseball hero.

As a kid I would listen to the games on a daily basis. Bob Prince announced the games in a way that was Pittsburgh all the way through. But it wasn't just Pittsburgh. Every team had its Willie Stargell, every team had a Bob Prince. Ball players would sign bats, balls and just about anything that a fan would offer. Sometimes they wouldn't.

Many baseballs (or anything signed for that matter) were not signed by the players. These items could have been signed by anyone from the bat boy to the team secretary. Why? The players just didn't have the time to sign every item that was presented to them. So the duties were passed on to the next available person.

So, how do we know if it is a real signature or not? Well if you were the original owner and you are willing to verify that you were present when it was signed is one way. Another way is to purchase a ball from a reputable company that deals in only authentic balls. The first is free, the second can be very pricey. The real problem is that the reputable companies that sell the signed balls weren't around when Willie was playing.

About the only other way to verify the signatures is to send the signed items to a company that verifies that the signatures are real. I checked online and found several that will verify, grade and provide a certificate of authenticity for around $20.00. You will also have shipping costs to add to this making the total closer to $40.00.

What is Willie worth? If it is authenticated and graded reasonably high, the price would be around $100.00. Unauthenticated baseballs sell for around $40.00. The question comes down to is it worth it to get the ball authenticated? The answer sometimes. My real response would be it is worth while only for the top players on the most popular teams. Willie was enormously popular in Pittsburgh, not so much in Cincinnati. Another Willie, Willie Mays would fall under the category of top player on one of the most popular teams and signed items by this Willie should be strongly considered for verification. Oh yeah, there is a possible negative outcome and that is your signature is not real. In this case you spent money to find out that your coveted baseball should be used as a dog toy. Sometimes we do lose on our gambles, stay tuned next week we are going to talk about how to loose money.

Fans are fickle. If a team is having a great year, guess what, the value of any collectibles for that team go up dramatically. If the Pirates have a great year this ball will be worth more. If they have a bad year less.

For the time being I'll probably hold on to this ball. Not only was Willie a childhood hero, but the last couple of years the Pirates were pretty bad. So, GOOOO BUCKOOS! So that someday I'll be able to sell this ball.

STASH IT.

The Whiskey Jug

Sometimes the most significant moments in your life occur without your ever knowing it. This old whiskey jug was one of those moments for me. As silly as it may sound this old piece of pottery may have been the beginning of a lifelong passion. The whiskey jug purchased long ago was really the first exposure that I had to the antiques business. So here is the story.

Aunt Gladys

Aunt Gladys (my mothers sister) in a crazy way, is the reason that I'm in this business. My father passed away in a professional drag racing accident when I was 6 years old. When this happened in the 1960's women's liberation hadn't quite taken hold yet. My mother had to retrain and reinvent herself from housewife to worker. Since daycare was still a future luxury my mothers family stepped in to help fill the gaps of raising me. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncle's all helped in raising a somewhat independent young child.

Aunt Gladys was quite an interesting person. She believed in aliens, ghosts and Ouija boards. She smoked like a chimney, could swear with the best of them and had a family with 5 children. When the time came to help out with a young nephew she was always there. School days and summertime's were spent under her care. Crazy philosophies aside, she also had during the 1960's a passion for collecting mason jars and stoneware pottery. I was often taken along on the jaunts out to a local flea market called Theron's. At the time it seemed as though we were going on trips to the end of the world. The drive to Theron's seemed to take hours ( it was really about 20 minutes ) as an adult I would complete that same trip hundreds of times.

At Theron's we would peruse the booths for the rare and unusual. I can recall seeing my first nickelodeon there. I can still remember a clear as day the endless display cases filled to the top with some of the greatest treasures that a young kid could imagine. We would spend hour after hour viewing all of the great items and after careful inspection the days purchases would be made. On one of those trips the a stoneware whiskey jug was obtained.

Being only 8 years old at the time of the purchase I was not allowed to ever touch the coveted jar. Although it was only worth a few dollars we were taught to treat it with the respect that it deserved for surviving to such a ripe old age. From the day that it was purchased I was enamoured by that piece of pottery. I would watch the whiskey jug as it was moved from place to place in the house. In summertime it would find itself on the front porch, fall would find it decoration the kitchen, winter usually meant storage in the basement and spring would bring about its annual rebirth towards its summertime vestige. That old stoneware jug just always seemed to be there.

When I was eleven years old when one of those fateful announcements of change was set upon me. Aunt Gladys, Uncle Bill and Skip my cousin would be moving. Times were hard in the construction business that Uncle Bill worked in. The rumors of employment in the construction industry in the state of Florida prompted the move. They first visited to confirm the rumors. Once confirmed the plan to move was put into action. A date was set for the final move and it was dicided that a garage sale would be held to get rid of everything that could not be taken.

And there it sat. That coveted antique that had been so carefully purchased 4 years before. I was now a 12 year old future entrepreneur with a dream of owning my very own whiskey jug. I eyed it wistfully hoping that somehow it would be mine. The price, a whopping $2.00 was well beyond my meager means. I paced, made countless inquiries and had the saddest looks that I could muster on my face. Finally my Aunt to took notice. She wouldn't just give it to me but she did reduce the price to the now affordable .25. The journey to my stash of cash was immediate. I produced a dime and three nickles for payment and that great treasure was now mine. I ran home and immediately and put it into my room, ecstatic over finally having it all to myself.

The whiskey jug has been with me ever since. A few years ago the handle was broken. It has been used as a bank and as a home decoration. It has spent time in the limelight, and it has been housed in the garage. It is one of the few items that I have never considered selling or giving away. Its current value on a good day would still be only a few dollars, but to me it is priceless.

It has been over 40 years since the purchase and I can still remember it as if it had occurred today. I am writing this because Aunt Gladys passed away this morning. I wish that I could step back in time and relive those trips to the flea market, but even though I can't the memories created from looking at an old jug are golden. I can't help but wonder how much different my life would be without the trips to the flea market, without the purchase of an old jug and without having her around to influence my life. Today, what seemed to be such an insignificant event at the time ultimately put me on the path to being in a business that I love so much. That old jug today is full, of memories. I have never been completely sure about the definition of a family heirloom before today, but now I am. Is that jug worth a million dollars, I don't think so, but it is priceless, absolutely. Aunt Gladys will be greatly missed.

Bernard Bloch Amphora Vase

What a weekend! I held two antique appraisal fairs, worked two major auctions and was interviewed for a morning television show. Today's story is about amphora pottery. A piece very similar to this turned up at the weekends appraisal fair. I was able to identify it as amphora and I properly appraised it $6-700. The question was raised on one of the marks found on the bottom of the vase. The unidentified mark was a simple BB. Although I did not know exactly what the marking was I assured its owner that finding out would be very simple.

There are days when it is beneficial to be lucky instead of good. The very next day while performing the auction duties at a very prestigious auction being held by Boardman Auction Gallery, guess what turned up...an amphora vase with the same exact markings on it. As luck would have it the auction company had already done my work for me. The piece was identified as being done by Bernard Bloch. Bernard was actively using this marking in the late 1800's. Then to make it even easier yet, the vase sold for $700 virtually assuring me that my appraisal was correct.

Dumb luck? Most likely. Sometimes it is great when things just work out. CASH IT IN at a high quality auction house to get the best results.

Spice Sets

Spice sets like the one pictured were standard kitchen items from the early 1900's to the 1960's. This set dates to the 1940's and would be considered a good find because of its condition and completeness. Over the years I have seen very large sets containing 25 individual bottles and many loose bottles that were the only remainders of previously full sets. Single bottles although easy to find can be difficult to sell. Typically the singles will bring $3-5 each. Sets however are a different story. A set such as this in this type of condition will sell for $40-50. Larger sets command even higher prices. Watch for these types of spice sets. They are typically quick sellers and should be considered CASH IT items.

BF Goodrich Advertising Ash Tray

The tire companies must have produced as many of these novelty ashtrays as they did tires for your car. These can be found just about anywhere, anytime. They are typically "box lot" items at most auctions due to their relatively low value. There are a very few exceptions to this rule: Michelin Man Ashtrays, World's Fair Ashtrays and early (1920's & 1930's) ashtrays. But even the exceptional ones bring minuscule amounts of around $30.00. So when you come across advertising ashtrays such as these don't pull out your checkbook! If they come free or almost free you will be OK. These are boarder line trash it items. Most trays like this one sell for between $3-10.00. Good luck hunting and don't be awestruck when you run into these.

RS Prussia Berry Set

RS Prussia is a name that evokes strong memories for those of us that have been in the business for a long time. It is the name of a type of porcelain that for years was among the leaders when it came to value and collectibility. In more recent times it seems to be a type of collectible that is beginning to show signs of fading.

This fine pair of berry bowls dates back to a time when high quality hand decorated items imported from Germany dominated the U.S. market place. These items were eagerly purchased by the discerning home owner to decorate their homes "in only the best" in the early 1900's. The modern heyday for collecting RS Prussia occurred in the 1970's to the early 2000's. During this time frame any item having the coveted marks would bring absolute premium prices whenever it showed up. In the year 2010 the results are slightly different.

Today we just don't see the excitement for these items that once dominated the market. Economy, changing tastes, availability and lack of quality pieces are among some of the reasons for the decline. But even with that, these particular pieces would still fetch a tidy sum if they were offered for sale. In today's market these hand decorated bowls would bring around $150.00 each. If they were presented in their original form of 6 bowls and a master berry bowl the total price would jump up to the low thousand dollar range.

I would not wait around in the hope that prices will increase on this type of item. History has shown time and time again that the buying cycles for collectibles like this are very slow and they may never actually acheive the prices that they commanded in the past. So CASH IT!