With developers rewriting the history of Baristaville nearly every day, vintage images of our towns become all the more valuable. In fact, a certain antiques writer we know has actually made a study of it, despite the fact she lives in Ohio. Susan Cramer writes in with a tidbit on the resale market in postcards from Baristaville, and -- for our readers -- a contest.
In the high stakes, cut-throat world of vintage postcard collecting, Baristaville looms large as a major player. Well, maybe not, but eBayers do seem fond of views of the Bloomfield Public Library.In an effort to understand the shadowy world of Baristaville memorabilia, antiques and collectibles columnist Susan Cramer conducted a three month, exhaustive and in-depth market place study. (Yes, it was exhaustive even if I never had to actually get out of my chair). The results may shock you:
eBay Sales Results for November, December & January
Bloomfield Postcards- 19 listed, 19 sold Montclair Postcards-30 listed, 7 sold Glen Ridge- 2 listed, 0 sold<.li>
According to our analysis, these figures indicate that folks from Bloomfield have inordinate levels of civic pride, folks from Montclair are just plain cheap, and those from Glen Ridge, completely uninterested. Figures don’t lie, especially when they support market trends. It is interesting to note that the single highest price was achieved for a real photo postcard of 263 Bloomfield Ave. I bid on it, but its hefty $6 price tag was well above my means. I bought instead, a view of Mountain Slope North of Bloomfield Ave circa 1906, and a 1929 view of The Garden Theatre in Back of High School, Montclair NJ. This fabulous prize worth $7 can be yours. Visit my column here and answer the question, Baristanet employees, Suite101 employees, relatives, and Baristanet employees who are relatives may not participate in this contest.
Ok, Susan, we have a question for you. What would have happened to the value of a postcard of, say, 354 Orange Road between Wednesday of last week and today?
Comments (14)
I've bought postcards of GR from ebay; one of them shows the house right across the street from me (24 Woodland Ave) circa 1910; another shows Woodland Ave looking W from the present high school at about the same time. I know that the GR Historical Society has obtained many, many of these postcards (including those two) over the last several years in the same way. It's a great resource, but after a while you notice that you're seeing the same few cards over and over again.
I've been collecting post cards of Montclair and Essex county for years - there is a Garden State Post Card Club - meets monthly - I think in Springfield NJ - not sure - and several annual post card exhibits and sales each year - post cards are easy to store - and collect and there are some great collections that Montclair Residents have.
Someone once posted that they were curious to know what was once across the street from 24 Upper Mountain Ave, where the garden apartments are now. This postcard shows the two vintage houses that were torn down (on Claremont, north side between Upper Mountain & North Mountain)The third white Victorian behind them is gone too, the property is now part of MKA's soccer field.(This is all ancient teardown history!) That's a great view of Kip's Castle at the top of the hill. Oh well...now back to skating at Edgemont Park!
Nice postcard! Great view of the work of some early, money hungry developers.
Hey, how many mature hardwoods did they cut down to build those two huge houses in the foreground?
No doubt, they built those two monstrosities on top of a Native American burial ground.
That same pic is in the ladies room of Sunrise Bagles
I do not think people from Montclair are cheap! I believe that was stated above. I think one of the reasons the postcards sell less from Montclair are because collectors like myself already have all the ones listed on ebay!
What a load of crap.
What it means is that there is somebody out there buying Bloomfield post cards.
-or- perhaps somebody is overcharging for Montclair and Glen Ridge postcards.
In any case, the extremely small numbers of post cards do not send any such message.
And no one has blamed the Van Notes for this postcard disaster. You people are getting soft!
I agree with Patrice. I used to buy postcards from Bloomfield on E-bay all the time but now that I have over 100 of them I find the ones that are posted are usually ones I already have. It's a great hobby and I highly recommend it! And I've spent a lot on some of the cards - once I got into a bidding frenzy and actually spent $40 on one of Watsessing Center that I was determined to get!
As an avid post card collector over the years, I have found postcardguy@aol.com to satisfy my quest for PARIS, LAS VEGAS and MONTCLAIR, NJ. I am fascinated at how many views I have of the MHS AMPITHEATRE that were taken by photographers over the years; Montclair is, I beleive, the only high school in the United States with a brook that flows through it...named Tony.
Not too long ago I attended a post card show in Ocean Grove with over 50 dealers and all of them had different cards from my home town: prices were swift, easy and a joy...stop complaining it only gets better. Go for it.
As an avid post card collector over the years, I have found postcardguy@aol.com to satisfy my quest for PARIS, LAS VEGAS and MONTCLAIR, NJ. I am fascinated at how many views I have of the MHS AMPITHEATRE that were taken by photographers over the years; Montclair is, I believe, the only high school in the United States with a brook that flows through it...named Tony.
Not too long ago I attended a post card show in Ocean Grove with over 50 dealers and all of them had different cards from my home town: prices were swift, easy and a joy...stop complaining it only gets better. Go for it.
Be sure to click on the link ("here" in the entry above) to read Susan Cramer's column and enter her contest. She presents an informative series of short articles that will interest other collectors of postcards.
There's so much buzz concerning area redevelopment while preserving historical character that it would be nice to create an online compilation of postcard views for Baristaville. This showcase of memorabilia could also serve as inspiration for residents, builders, and visitors alike.
Sunrise Bagels in Watchung Plaza does Montclair proud with their fine postcard decor. Likewise, Valley Cafe & Deli in Upper Montclair offers a great display of Vincent Tango's artwork depicting colorful nostalgic scenes about town.