Their trash . . . My treasure!!!!!!

Collage of Treasures came into being because I wanted to share memorabilia from my own past, and that of my family, with other like-minded souls who like to take the occasional trip down Memory Lane.  Slowly, my eBay hobby became a business and, while I still sell items from my own collection (you can only keep so much stuff!), I now offer items from estate auctions and other similar sources.

Below I will tell you a little bit about some of the types of items you will find in my auctions and eBay store as well as the fascinating people who share my passion and purchase my items.

Postcards

Postcards have become a huge part of my business and a continued source of learning on my part.  I particularly enjoy working with linens from the 1940's and 1950's, specifically those portraying old Mom and Pop motels, restaurants, and local establishments that have long since been replaced by convenience stores and parking lots.  Frequently I receive an email from a customer telling me that the card they purchased holds a special place in their heart, a memory from their childhood -- sometimes because the picture shows a business formerly owned by their family or a school attended years ago that now no longer stands.  Black and white photo postcards are my personal favorite.

Postcards serve other purposes to some of my customers.  Some purchase them for inclusion in pieces of art or collages, and others collect  them by theme (churches, covered bridges, schools, street scenes, waterfalls, etc.)   There is also a great deal of interest in postmarks, especially from obscure little towns and railway post offices.

Ephemera

Collectible paper spans a huge range of items including travel brochures, programs from special events, letterhead, billhead and receipts, ticket stubs, and personal correspondence, just to mention a few categories.  My customers include collectors looking for specific people and places, museum curators, book authors, historical societies and genealogists who are researching family names.  Ephemera is a great source of information for family tree research because it provides a way to verify where people may have been and when (sometimes even why), churches or schools attended, organization affiliations, even what they purchased and from whom!!!

Vintage Housewares and Glassware

Some of my favorite eBay stories have to do with customers who have purchased china or glass items from me.  One gentleman was preparing a hope chest for his grandaughter, filling in a china pattern that had been passed down in his family for generations.   I made several other eBay friends when selling some pieces from a perfume bottle collection that my aunt and I had built over the years through our travels.  While I kept all my favorite pieces, I gained a great deal of enjoyment from learning how my customers were going to display their bottles.  A real eye opener and rewarding experience has been the process of learning to identify glass patterns and knockoffs of popular patterns.  My customers have been very gracious in teaching me along the way but I still have much to learn.   

Railroadiana

Both of my grandfathers and my husband were railroad men, all affiliated with the Western Maryland Railway.  I have sold many items from my grandfather Simon Elmer Barnhart's collection.  He was the stationmaster at the Thurmont, Maryland station until it's closing in the mid-1960's.  Train enthusiasts and railroadiana collectors are among the most passionate eBay enthusiasts I have learned to know and I understand why.  Some of the fondest memories of my childhood involve steam engines, walks on winding railroad tracks, and days spent sitting in that old train station playing with telegraph equipment.  Nothing brought me to my feet like someone shouting "Here comes the train!"

To those of you who now own pieces of those memories, thank you for sharing.