barnes pedal power jig saw Smith Premier #1 Typewriter Larry & Carole Meeker
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Antique Dealers & Brokers

Purveyors and Dealers of Americana  /  Patented & Mechanical Antiques

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Surveying
Instruments

Transits

Compasses

Levels

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Antique Tools

Planes

Misc Tools

Farm

Anvils

Mining

Traps

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Antique Sewing

Singer 221 Featherweight
Sewing Machines


Patented &
Toy / TSM's
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Patent Models
& Salesman Samples

Salesman Samples

Patent Models

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Mechanical Americana

Cast Iron

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Corkscrews

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Meeker's
Mechanical Nature Antiques
dba / aka
www.AntiqBuyer.com
&
www.Patented-Antiques.com

Antiques Wanted

Below is a general outline of the specific types of antiques and vintage Charles Parker 202 Coffee Millcollectibles we are looking to buy and add to our antique sales pages on our sister sales website at www.Patented-Antiques.com  On the left are pages w/ specific info.

Please visit the past sales archive pages in the right column to view Antiques sold in the past.

Please contact us at AntiqBuyer@gmail.com anytime if you have interesting antiques for sale similar to those you see on the various pages of this website.  Please provide me with a many details as possible. 


Antique
Surveying Instruments & Related Antiques

Gurley Solar Transit

 18th & 19th Century Surveying Instruments * Engineer's  Transits * Theodolites * Wye Levels  * Solar Compass * Surveyor's Compass * Solar Transit * Mining Transit * Sextants * Alidades * Drafting Sets * Planimeter * Plumb Bobs * Surveying Chains * Stadia  Rules *  Octants * Tripods * Plummets *  Etc.



Early Technology / Early Office & Scientific Antiques

Webb Adder

  Antique Pencil Sharpeners * Calculators/Adders * Vintage Staplers * Check Protectors * Slide Rules * Antique Typewriters * Battery Powered & Electric Fans *  Water Powered & Fuel Fans * Early Electric Motors * Antique Light Bulbs * Microscopes * Telescopes * Early Meters *  Scientific Demonstrators * Etc.


Antique Sewing Machines

Foliage Patented Sewing Machine

Pre 1870 Patented Sewing Machines *  Cast Iron Child / Travel Size Sewing Machines * Child Treadle Sewing Machines * Sewing Machines  w/ Built-in Clamps *  Figural Sewing Machines * Sewing Birds & Figural Sewing Clamps * Antique Sewing Related Tools * Singer 221 / 222 Featherweight Sewing Machines & More


Antique & Collectible Tools

Stanley #1 Smooth Plane

Antique Wooden Molding Planes * Patented Metal Planes * Carpenter's Tools & Rules * Early Machinist Tools * Patented Levels * Saws * All Antique Tools *  Related Tool Paper, Images, Hardware Store & Trade Catalogs * And More!


Ironing & Laundry Related Antiques

dion fluting iron

 Fluting Irons * Fluters * Antique Trivets * Unusual Antique Pressing Irons or Sadirons * Liquid Fuel Irons* Pleaters *   Gas Irons * Box Irons / Slug Irons * Salesman Sample or Early Childs Washing Machines * Laundry and Ironing Related Patent Models * Etc.





Americana & Kitchen Antiques

chain drive butter churn

Antique Egg Beaters * Patented Mixers * Butter Churns * Apple Peelers / Parers * Nutmeg Graters * Milk Shake Mixers * Mechanical Seeders * Ice Cream Scoops * Shavers * Coffee Mills and Grinders* Antique Advertising * Can Openers * Cork Screws * Figural Cast Iron * And More!




Farm Antiques

bradley wonder cut out wrench

Corn Shellers * Antique Rope Winders * Patented & Antique Wrenches * Oil Cans & Oilers * Cast Iron Seats * Antique Farm Tools * Early Electric Motors * Steam Related Antiques * Steam Whistles * Agricultural Patent Models & Salesmen Samples


Patent Models / Salesman Samples & Whatzits

salesman sample washer

Salesman or Salesmen Samples * US Patent Models * Patented and Mechanical Gizmos &  Whatsits * Unidentified Gadgets and Much More







A NOTE ON SELLING YOUR ANTIQUES

The process is simple. If you have an interesting antique for sale that you think we would be interested in contact us anytime by email at LCM@AntiqBuyer.com   Please also see our FAQ Page for more information.

Please contact me with something good, reasonably priced that I have an interest in and I will buy it!!

Buying & Selling Antiques
The Short Answer

If you have antiques and collectibles previously discussed please contact us with details including the price, and we will work out some sort of a deal.  That is the short and simple answer.

carbide mining lightVague descriptions like I have a "mining light" are you interested? to describe the "TIP" miners carbide lamp at the left are not going to work. There are similar looking carbide lamps that sell for no more than $20. Some can sell for $200 or more. A few carbide lamps will sell for $2000 or more.  I need to see, or know what is you have in order to know if it is of interest.

The TIP carbide light on the left is worth approx. $100 in nice condition.  Beat up, dented, or otherwise damaged it would struggle to go $20.  Mint in the box, it might bring $200 or more.  The end value of antiques and collectibles is all in the details.  In order to determine the condition of an antique I need to see it. Your idea of great condition could be a bit off when looked at with a critical eye. Some sellers are notorious for wearing rose colored glasses, or may not knowing something is damaged, or that a critical part is missing from something.

This is not, as some suppose, a game of cat and mouse. That is not how I operate when buying and selling antiques. Of course there is sometimes a negotiation process, and I can not always just say yes, or be able to help you, but I am a serious, knowledgeable dealer and seller of antiques and collectibles.

The Longer Answer / Appraisals / Offers

I do not offer appraisals as a paid service anymore.  I do not respond well to casual requests, or demands, for what isMuller #16 Toy Treadle Sewing Machine / TSM my XXX worth without complete information, and some sort of an indication you read this page. I do respond to most info requests that are nicely worded.

If you have an antique or antiques that you want to sell outright and feel we would be interested in, but do not know what you want for your antique, or are just curious as to its value while researching your antique, please read the FAQ / Questions page for further information before contacting us about your antique(s). 

primwashYou can research current values, asking prices, and past sale results for many given antiques by checking eBay.  It is important to note those numbers are oftentimes two completely different numbers.  It should also be noted that many of the inflated results seen on Ebay are not valid.  Canceled sales and shilled auctions account for many of the bogus results you will see there. 

There is also the outfit called Worthpoint where to see past sale results spanning over the years on eBay, all you have to do is give them your credit card info.  The downside is many results found there do not reflect current values they are so old.  Pic-Click has eBay results that are current and go back further than eBay saves.  Many large auction houses also promote their services by allowing access to past results these days.  That is actually a good resource.

Antique Consignment Sales

Consignment sales are an established method of selling antiques. Many antique stores Niels Jensen Patented 1908 Plumb - Level Inclinometer Levelclaim they offer this type of service. Those sales are typically to a very limited and localized audience and not to a worldwide audience our antique sales websites cater to. In addition to our website traffic, we have a sizable client mailing list that we can offer select pieces to privately.

For consignment sales, we are mostly interested in higher quality rarer pieces as opposed to volumes of "stuff", but can discuss any or all pieces, collections or situations with prospective clients.

In a consignment sale both the owner, and me, the end seller, are working together to realize the best price for your antiques or collection. The consignment sales approach eliminates the adversarial position in the typical buyer / seller situation with me trying to buy your piece or antique collection as cheaply as possible in an attempt to realize the lions share of the profit or proceeds. It also eliminates the uncertainly and hassle of the auction approach with wildly fluctuating prices and uncertainty involved in that venue. In a consignment sale, you the seller, realizes his /parker2.jpg (29286 bytes) her asking price, or nothing happens.  If there is no sale, there is no fee or cost to you the owner, and no commission fee.

To give some examples, I have been selling antique tools from a large and diverse tool collection (over 15,000) for one consignor for over 10 years. We are finished handling another antique collection related to general store, ironing and advertising for some folks in OR. That took several years. We have handled several other collections sad or pressing irons for consignors. We sold over 300 antique and collectible sewing machines for another party on consignment. We sold 2 collections of antique Bootjacks for different consignors. Another collection we sold focused on antique mine lighting. In addition to these large and small antique collections we are also helping numerous individual owners sell antiques and collectibles related to our many areas of specialty.

Gurley Solar TransitThese arrangements have worked out well for all parties, and there are advantages in taking this approach for you the seller. There are certain restrictions and standards to be met. Please see the FAQ page for more info on this. The main downside for the seller is some consignment sales can take a long time.

I can and will help you sell your quality antiques on a consignment basis from our sales site www.Patented-Antiques.com or I will list your antiques on eBay for you if that is the way you want to go. I have two Ebay IDs, TheAntiqueMerchant & Patented-Antiques.com.  Take a look.

If you have antiques you are interested in selling outright, or on consignment, please contact us at AntiqBuyer@gmail.com with all pertinent details and we will happily discuss it with you.

Offers for Antiques

Consignment sales not for you?  Don't know what to ask?  Want a quick sale or an offer for your Antique?  Read On.

James Leffel Double Oven Stove Patented 1849 Springfield Ohio Cast Iron StoveIf you want to sell your antique but cannot name a price, and you want me to make you an offer, I will.

But there is a catch.

After determining I have an interest, from the detailed information,you provide,  including pics, we will arrange for you to ship your piece to us.  After examining it and determining its real condition and determining a reasonable value I will make you a fair and reasonable offer.  If you are not happy with that offer I will re-pack it and send it back to you at my cost.  Or I will try and help you sell from my website for the amount you did have in mind, if within reason, and neglected to reveal when you said you had no idea what you wanted for it.

If you do not like my offer you will be out some time and the cost of shipping one way if you have me ship it back to you.  You get a free appraisal, and a purchase offer, for the cost of shipping one way.  Fair enough?  Contact me if you want to go that route.  I am just an email away.  AntiqBuyer@gmail.com.

Don't like the sound of that? Put a price on it and lets go.

We Buy / Sell & Deal
in
Quality Antiques & Collections of Antiques

Collections of antiques and collectibles have a special meaning and presence in the world of antiques. Seemingly Collection of Antique Desk & Hotel Bellsmundane individual items can take on new meaning and significance when placed in the context of a well-focused and thoughtfully assembled collection. 

Antique collections can be used to demonstrate how a particular idea or object evolved through its different stages of development, or as a powerful and interesting visual design statement, or simply as a means of preserving a portion of our heritage for future generations to enjoy, view, and learn from.

Over the years we have bought and sold numerous collections of antiques from all over the country ranging antique lamp fillersfrom tool collections, collections of irons and laundry-related antiques, collections of antique pencil sharpeners, a collection of antique hotel / call bells, several collections of antique sewing machines, bootjack collections, collections of patent models, salesman sample stove collections, washing machine collections, and more.

We have helped sell portions of several large antique collections and collections in their entirety for collectors downsizing or refocusing their collections after years of enjoying their antique collections.  We have also provided our services to the heirs if the collector waited too long as happens all too often.

We are experienced and well positioned to take on the task and the considerable work involved in properly dealing with this sort of endeavor.

The Situation Today

At every imaginable venue, antique shows, antique shops, auctions, etc. where quality antiques use to be offered there Antique Solar Transitis now nameless insignificant stuff that's not even as old as I am, and junk that is simply ordered new from catalogs being offered up as antiques and collectibles. Or the newest rage, things, or assemblages of nameless unimportant stuff offered as antiques, or "repurposed" nothing called antiques. 

General line auctions around the country, where great antiques and stuff use to routinely show up, are now full of Dico Corkscrewthis nameless insignificant fill and fluff.

We heard this refrain from dealers and collectors alike ever since we have been involved with antiques. That it was all gone, and there was nothing left.  That is going on 40 some plus years now.  We use to chuckle as old-timers complained about how it was all gone while we were still buying and selling some great stuff back in the 80's,  90s and even early 2000s. You just had to work harder.

Sadly, we now we feel that it has finally come to be true and is certainly true for those types of antiques that are of primary interest to us.  The supply of true antiques, as they use to be gathered, or acquired, has about dried up. 

We have come to the conclusion, and now reluctantly admit, and truly believe, that the vast majority of quality antiques we are interested in are already in collections around the country. vintage wire clothes hangers

vintage wire clothes hangersThe days of quality antiques, and "good stuff" coming out of the attic or being dug out of the basement or garage are pretty much over. Over the years we have consistently bought the majority of our best and favorite antiques out of collections and from private collectors, individuals, and fellow dealers around the country who recognized the significance of the piece a long time ago. The common thread is that the vast majority of the great pieces that come to market today always seem to come from older collections or accumulations purposefully assembled over the years.

Our Role

Collections of antiques oftentimes need to be dispersed in a different way from that in which they were Antique Ice Cream Scoopsoriginally assembled, and it takes a special knowledge and acumen to properly catalog, identify, appreciate, and properly redistribute some of these larger collections of antiques.

For example, a broad tool collection, or a collection of diverse office antiques could well hold more significance and interest when broken down and re-focused or re-assembled upon specific segments or themes. For example, say just the woodworking planes within a large antique tool collection, or the mechanical pencil sharpeners or typewriters from a1865 Patent Model Washing Machine collection that was focused generally on office antiques.  The same end retail buyer is almost certainly not going to be interested in buying both the collection of antique electric fans, and pencil sharpeners that one collector of office related antiques assembled. Certainly not at anything approaching retail prices.  A dealer might show interest, but it would be at pennies on the dollar of the actual retail value, and in many instances that general line "antique" dealer would have no idea as to the actual value of the individual better pieces in the collection.

Another consideration is that in any collection there is always a small percentage of the whole that is much more antique oil cansdesirable or valuable than the bulk---this can't be avoided given the nature of collecting and rarity or value of the given pieces in a collection.  A general rule of thumb, for valuing most collections of antiques we use what we call the 80-20 rule where 80% of the value is amassed in 20% of the volume.  This is an important concept to understand when you call somebody in to buy a collection and they show interest in just a few things.  In the trade it is referred to as getting creamed, or creaming the collection, and you do not want it to happen to you unless you know you are getting top dollar for that small portion of the collection you are being asked to sell. 

We are willing to take and sell the good and the bad, (or more common) and everything in between in order to acquire the key pieces ofPatent Model Combination Washing Machine / Wringer the collection as part of a package deal. This arrangement works to the benefit of the owner / seller who is not faced with the dreaded task of what to do with the "fluff" or lesser items that are always left over after the top pieces from a collection are sold.   An important consideration.

Take for example the iron and laundry collection that we handled which included over 3,000 antique pressing or sad irons and laundry related antiques.  There were also over 60 full size washing machines, 200 or more washboards, and 1000 or so trivets included in this collection.  This large and diverse collection had to be carefully sorted and inventoried, then strategically broken down and re-distributed into a number of smaller collections before it could be resold.

Antique L. Lehman & Co. Stoneware CrockWe identified, inventoried, categorized, and cleaned this massive collection, and then carefully and methodically distributed it into other more focused and smaller collections.  By analyzing which items should be sold at which venues we were able to resell this collection for full maximum benefit.  Some pieces sold for as little as a $1 and other antique irons sold individually for thousands of dollars.  The theory was to enhance the value of the upper end items by not "diluting" their value by selling them in the same venue, and at the same time, as the lower end more common items.

The entire the entire collection's dispersal was accomplished in a little over 6 months.  A collection should be handled according what is the best way, not just what is fastest, in order to realize full value.  This concept is all about the downside of dispersing a collection like this at most auctions.  Lotting up and selling a collection might be quick and easy but guaranteed, a lot of money that could have ended up in your pocket will be left behind. 

We are interested in buying antique collections, be they large or small, diverse or tightly focused.  We buy entire collections, as well as partial segments of antique collections or even special individual pieces from collections.

If you have interesting antiques or a collection similar to what I have pictured on this or other pages to sell please contact me by email at LCM@AntiqBuyer.com.  If you are not able to send emails call me at 530-748-7297.National Specialty Mfg. Co Philadelphia #2 Size Coffee Mill / Grinder

Universal 9410 Heart Electric ToasterTo see examples of the caliber, condition and quality antiques that we have sold in the past, please visit the past sales archives through the links at the right.

To see related antiques that I have for sale now please go to our sister site at www.Patented-Antiques.com. and visit the numerous sale pages you will find there.

We will buy, or can help you sell quality Antiques
Contact Us.

Our current offering of Antiques for sale are at our sister Website Patented-Antiques.com.

PLEASE NOTE

Due to time constraints, a full time work schedule, and the large volume of free appraisal and general information requests that we receive everyday, it is not possible for us to respond to all individual requests for general information about every item, or give free online evaluations / appraisals of your antiques that are not for sale.  Please see the FAQ page for more info on this.

Thanks for understanding!!

Thank you!!
Larry & Carole


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Larry & Carole Meeker