Are Vintage Mixing Bowls Always "Hot" Sellers? Advice From The Kitschy Collector

The Ups And Downs of Buying And Selling Vintage Mixing Bowls

It seems to me that vintage mixing bowls are sometimes "hot" sellers in our shops and at other times real sleepers. And when we are selling bowls like hot cakes, we load up on even more bowls thinking it's a good idea. But just when we have a wonderful assortment of bowls on hand...the whole cycle quiets down. And those of you who have limited shelf space know what a bummer it is to find places for "too many" mixing bowls, especially very large ones.

The Good, Bad And Ugly
So its probably a good idea for me to tell my readers what I have learned from being in the biz for several decades. The bottom line is that not all bowls are great sellers . Know your bowls!

Good Selling Bowls

1. Patterned Bowls
"Dots" (McKee, Fire king, Hazel Atlas)
"Diamonds"
"Ivy"
"Sailboats" (McKee)
"Tulips" (i.e. Fire king)
"Ribbons" (McKee)
"Kitchen Aids" (Fire King)
"Apple" (i.e. Fire King)

2. 1940's bowls in red, yellow, green, blue
( especially red or yellow) .

3. Complete nesting sets (all kinds priced reasonably).

4. Jade-ite bowls priced right.

5. Bowls with roosters

6. Pink bowls.

7. American Dinnerware (i.e. Pottery Guild).

Harder To Sell Bowls

While I find that bowls in colors such as olive greens, mushroom colors, burnt oranges, golds and browns are harder to sell, I do want to remind you that they are gaining interest.
It seems that younger collectors are re-discovering the bowls of their childhood and these Harvest color bowls are picking up a bit more interest.
How Long Does it take to Sell Olive Green Bowls?

Not too long ago I kidded a friend about how long the Olive green bowls she brought into her retro cafe-shop would sit on her shop shelves with no interest from anyone.

The Buyer Fell In Love With Her Mom's Bowl

Right after I joked about these disco era bowls, a young waitress came over to the bowls and bought them right on the spot. The young gal said the bowls reminded her of her mom's (70's) kitchen.

Proceed With Caution on These Bowls

1. 1970s earth tone bowls.
2. Very large mixing bowls.
3. Frosted bowls.
4. Common bowls which go with mixers.

Some of the photos courtesy of http://www.etsy.com/shop/RetroRevival


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

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Dianne is a member of:
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