Holiday Gifts : Collectspeak

Circa: The approximate date, plus or minus 10 years or so.

Go-withs: Boxes, instructions or anything else that relates to the collectible.

Hairline: Shorthand for hairline crack, a small fracture not always visible to the eye. A good way to spot a hairline crack is to hold the object up to the light. Serious buyers won’t buy a piece with a hairline crack unless it is extremely rare.

Manufacturer’s mark: The name of the maker stamped, impressed or applied as a label on an object. A collectible that’s marked is easier to date and is more likely to increase in value.

Marriage: When two or more pieces are joined to form a single item, such as a top of one cookie jar with the bottom of another.

Mint: Pristine condition, no visible signs of wear.

New-old: Better than mint. Never used, still in original packaging.

Patina: The worn surface of an antique or collectible, developed through age, use and abuse. Patina is good.

Played with: A piece that’s either been married, had parts removed, been repaired or repainted. Played with is not good.

Repro: A reproduction of an original piece. Serious collectors avoid repros like the plague.

Tole: A type of lacquered or enameled metalware popular in the 18th century, and reproduced on trays, lamps, etc. in the 40’s through today. Desirable now are the floral trays in black and dark-green .