Top 10 collectibles for 2010

Ten years into the new millennium, so many of us collectors remain captivated by antique household items from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. As in years past, we've once again combed antiques shops and collectors' clubs in search of the most up-and-coming items on the country collectibles market. We found that, as with previous lists, our picks for this year's most sought-after collectibles are both historically relevant to the day-to-day trappings of old-time living and a sound investment for collectors with any size pocketbook.

Many of this year's choices fall into the category of kitchenware and food preparation, as collectors continue to be drawn to the old-fashioned feeling of family meals of the past. Objects such as Bakelite flatware, salt and pepper shakers, salt-glazed pottery and transferware have always been popular, and given the current economic times, they're getting an even bigger boost. Like having a hearty meal, this "comfort collecting" takes owners back to the past, if only at mealtime.

These kitchen goods and our six other choices have also made the cut thanks to the relative affordability of most of them - every category contains items that can be had for considerably less than $100 and, frequently, for less than $10. Of course, many of the collectors who have amassed the examples showcased here have been acquiring them for decades; often, they paid pennies on the dollar for them years ago. What it cost to collect some of these pieces back then may not be what it would cost to replace each of them today. However, each is readily available for relatively bargain prices, which has helped these wares grow in popularity and earned them a spot on our list, where they appear in no specific order.

No matter whether you seek decor-friendly pieces - colorful glass insulators, faucet handles and perfume bottles - or more practical objects, such as whisk brooms, antique books or rustic lanterns, there are bargains aplenty to be found near and far.

1. Antique booksOne of the wonderful things about collecting antique and vintage books is that they can be had for so little money. Sometimes, a whole boxed lot can go for just a few dollars at a country auction. Exceptions occur if the book is a first edition, or if the author or illustrator is well known. So, although an original illustrated Winnie the Pooh or Little Women can sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars, beautifully bound sets of antique books by relatively unknown authors can go for as little as $2 to $10; this is especially true if the books are in a foreign language. When it comes to displays, old books look wonderful lined up in an antique bookcase or stacked on a mantel. The best showpieces are leather-bound with rich-hued trims. Another benefit of old books is, of course, the reading that can be found between the covers. One collector found a mid-19th century set of Congressional records at a yard sale for the reasonable sum of $10. The large, beautifully bound books now fill an entire shelf in her vintage bookcase - and she has reading material that gives her a fascinating perspective on American politics and culture from 1859.2. InsulatorsDeveloped in the late 1840s to insulate telegraph wires, glass and ceramic insulators were produced more and more frequently from the early 1900s to the 1930s to aid in the transfer of currents over telegraph, telephone and electrical lines. Today, there are thousands of collectors of these objects, which come in all colors, sizes and shapes.Insulators can range from the more ordinary aqua-color piece worth just $4 or $5 to rarer versions worth thousands of dollars. At $100, the white insulator with black and gray swirls has the greatest value of the ones shown here; it is actually a well-made reproduction that commemorated a meeting of the National Insulator Club of North America. The original from which this one was replicated would be worth about $400. The collector of these pieces, insulators expert Ed Dumire, says the most expensive insulator he is aware of is an extremely rare teapot-shaped piece from the 19th century that brought $25,000 at an auction. Intricate, colorful insulators can be discovered at flea markets, antiques malls and other places where bargains still exist. However, Dumire says there are many forgeries; for example, bright red insulators were never manufactured by insulator makers and therefore red examples passed off as genuinely old are not considered authentic. Also, reproductions are often painted or stained instead of uniformly colored all the way through. As with other vintage or antique items of value, it is always best to buy from a reputable dealer.3. Miniature whisk broomsThere is something wonderfully whimsical about this collection of little brooms that were bought for $5 to $15 each. Because of their diminutive stature, the collection's owner believes that they are smaller versions of normal-size whisk brooms; early handmade brooms that are a little bigger than these have prices that run about $35. Even smaller brooms than these, such as toys or salesmen's samples, also exist on the market. Those pieces usually date from the turn of the 20th century and into the 1940s, when brooms were being sold first from horse-drawn carts and then by salesmen traveling in automobiles.Like many other pint-size collectibles, whisk brooms can thank their stature - a characteristic that makes them easy and fun to display in the home - for their popularity among collectors. From a decorating perspective, small brooms draw the eye with their interesting shape and unique texture. They look beautiful when tucked into a bowl or a basket set on a table or in a bookshelf arrangement. They could also be tacked directly to a wall in an interesting grouping.4. TransferwareOne of the wonderful things about transferware is that you can collect a full range of dishes for table use, decorative purposes or both for almost any amount of money. For anywhere from a modest amount to high-dollar figures, you can get lovely antique items that add great design elements and historic dimension to your tablescape, walls or hutches. The transferware process (a method of transferring a pattern or a design from a copper plate onto a ceramic item) was developed in the mid-18th century to satisfy English consumers who couldn't afford individually painted dishware. The pattern or design, the color, the maker and, of course, the condition are all elements that determine a piece's value. As a rule of thumb, brown transferware is the most common and the least expensive; green, black, purple (or mulberry) and red (called pink) fall in the middle of the pricing scale; and yellow is the rarest and the most expensive. Beautiful and rare pieces can reach into the multi-thousand-dollar range.Due to its popular blue color and pristine condition, the pitcher shown at right has a value of about $175. On the other hand, despite its wonderful hues, the tricolor, handle-less teacup shown at far right in the table setting is worth only about $15 because of a minor chip-but it serves well as a decorative piece.5. Bakelite utensilsBakelite is a form of plastic that evolved from celluloid, an early type of plastic made in the 19th century. However, celluloid was quite flammable, and Bakelite was created as a polymeric plastic made from a phenol formaldehyde resin that is much safer. The material's popularity reached its peak in World War II, when wares featuring its boldly colored good looks catered to a consumer market that was drawn to inexpensive and attractive products during the hardships of wartime.Bakelite was used in a variety of objects, including jewelry, flatware, kitchen utensils, radios and even telephones. However, its most popular form is flatware, thanks to the utensils' attractive hues, comfortable feel and great look, which was more appealing than stainless steel and considerably less expensive than bone, ivory or silver.The flatware shown here generally can be purchased for as little as $8 to $10 per piece or $50 to $75 per table setting. Some items that have an art-deco look or other special appeal can command much higher prices.6. Salt-glazed potteryAlready a staple in many primitives collections, this form of pottery originated in Europe in the 1400s and came across the ocean with the earliest North American settlers. Salt in the glaze mutes and softens the color; the glaze also gives the surface its orange-peel texture. Examples of this type of pottery, which usually take the form of pitchers, bowls and covered dishes, are most often found in blue tones, but there are also a fair number in green and other colors. With careful shopping, these objects can still be found for as little as $50 or $60, but prices can go into the hundreds of dollars. Age and condition determine price, but luck could also have something to do with it. You can stumble on salt-glazed pottery (or any other antique) for below-market prices just by being in a shop that doesn't specialize in these wares; often, shop owners would rather sell an oddball piece for a small profit just to get rid of it.Most collectors don't really care if the pieces have minor damage, such as tiny chips and cracks, especially if they are solely for display and not for everyday use. The items in the collection shown above were acquired over so many years that their owner says she doesn't recall what she paid for the pieces.7. Antique lanternsAs in the case of so many other country collectibles, handcrafted lanterns had their origins in Europe, where they were made by small-town artisan tinsmiths. Immigrants brought the idea to the United States, where the general public started using lanterns around the turn of the 18th century; tinsmiths continued to make them until the mid-1800s, when the Industrial Revolution introduced manufactured versions. The pieces in this collection date to the late 19th century, but kerosene and oil lanterns have been around for centuries; earlier ones also had a place for a candle. Each of the examples above is made of tin with glass panels or globes. They are still working lanterns, and the collector often uses them as part of decorative table settings. When not in use on the dinner table, he says, "I love to display them on an antique textile with a textured wall behind them because that background adds to their exotic, but rustic, look." Original antique lanterns made by New England crafters can command as much as and even substantially more than $200 in shops and at auction. However, they can often be found for much less in other venues. For all of their suggestion of country style, they cost relatively little. These lanterns are part of a longtime collection; the one at far left was $35, the one at far right was $60, and the rest fit into the middle of that range.8. Faucet handlesWhen it comes to decorating, it is helpful to think about these vintage plumbing items not as what they were, but what they could be. If you look at the great sculptural designs and colors of these objects and let your imagination run with it, you can come up with any number of potential design uses.These plumbing handles are often found in box lots at auctions, in bins in antiques malls (mainly in the stalls where "guy" things - vintage tools and the like-are sold) or at shops that specialize in architectural remnants. Available in an almost endless supply of sizes, shapes and colors, these handles are easy to find if you know where to look. And, there is no need to pay design store prices-faucet handles shouldn't cost more than a buck or two apiece. But, for the design possibilities they can bring to a bathroom or a kitchen, they are worth many times that. If you are handy, you can attach a pair of handles to a dowel for use as a curtain rod; or, you can just hang them on a blank wall as a design element. If you find a bunch of them for a song, buy them now and figure out what to do with them later.9. Salt and pepper shakersManufacturers started making novelty salt and pepper shakers in the early 1900s, and thousands of different ones have been produced annually up until the present. They are one of the easiest collectibles to find, which can make a decorative difference in one's kitchen or table setting.Typically, shakers are most often collected by theme (food types, figures, manufacturers, animals, etc.). Although shakers are fun to find and add a whimsical dimension to table settings or knickknack shelves, some collectors are a bit more serious about examples that have an increased value due to their age or maker. Those that are of a specific era, such as art nouveau or craftsman styles, or those produced by a specific maker - for example, Lenox, Fitz and Floyd, or WWII-era Japanese manufacturer Otagiri - can be somewhat pricier. The collector whose salt and pepper shakers are pictured here began his collection about 20 years ago "just for the fun of it." Now, he says, he is inundated with these little novelties - friends and family keep bringing him more and more. "They just keep coming!" he declares. The donkey pulling the cart would command a price of $45, and the halved fish, because of its whimsy and large size (about 6 inches), would bring about $65. Generally, however, most of the others shown are quite affordable, running from about $5 to $25 per pair, contingent on where they were purchased.10. Antique and vintage perfume bottlesFeminine and nostalgic, antique perfume bottles are the perfect collection to display in a bathroom or a bedroom. These lovely objects fall into two categories. The more elegant-style bottles typically are crafted by art-glass companies, such as Steuben or Lalique, and later filled with perfume by the consumer. Others are bottles made by perfume companies, such as Lanvin or Prince Matchabelli, that fill their pretty containers with their own product. Each type has its own value and market, and both are considered highly collectible. Pricing for these aromatic vessels varies greatly. One might come across a great perfume bottle in a $5 or $10 box of contents at a country estate sale; the same bottle might go for as much as $100 or more in an antiques store that specializes in such items. Usually, though, one can buy vintage perfume bottles in the $10 to $35 range. This country decorator felt that her collection, displayed on a pretty tray, gives her otherwise rustic bedroom a nuance of elegance. In her grouping, the most expensive piece is the tall art-glass bottle that is valued at around $200; on the other end of the scale, she found the tiny rectangular bottles for $5 each. bull; Story and photos courtesy of Country Sampler January 2010 issue. The magazine can be found at countrysamplermagazine.com.False18971270Miniature whisk brooms False