Home › Forums › Buying and Selling › Selling on eBay › Bicentennial items for the Sestercentennial: Long Tail to the extreme?
Tagged: Bicentennial, Merchandise, oldmanquestion, Planning, Sestercentennial
- This topic has 16 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 12 months ago by
Antique Frog.
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09/11/2019 at 12:41 am #67661
Recently in a local antique mall, I spotted some Wedgwood Jasper pieces with a Bicentennial theme. In 2026, the US will be celebrating its 250th Anniversary (hopefully) which I believe is referred to as a Sestercentennial. Feel free to debate that term. Anyway, I am old enough to remember the Bicentennial and how the Country started preparing a year or two early for the big day. If you doubt me, try to find a US quarter with a 1975 date on it. My question is as follows: Should we start hoarding Bicentennial memorabilia now in hopes that it will go up significantly starting around 2024, or is that too far away for planning merchandising options?
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09/11/2019 at 7:49 am #67666
Silentowl,
I don’t think it is too soon to start looking.
However, you will have to have the additional space to store everything you find. But, what are you going to find that is worthwhile? I have found Bicentennial memorabilia here and there and it has not been worth much. If you find some good pieces, I think you could make some good money with your strategy. I would just do a BOLO (Be On Look Out ) for these pieces, I wouldn’t spend extra time on it.
Mark
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09/11/2019 at 8:19 am #67668
I was too young to remember if 1976 was a big deal or not, though I do see the kitschy vintage decor from that time in thrift stores.
So what kind of items do you think we could find now that would sell well in 2026?
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09/11/2019 at 9:19 am #67670
Mint copy of “Spirit of ’76” by Randy California.
Poster for theatrical production of ‘The Madness Of George III’ (“You wouldn’t believe… he talks to the trees!!!”)
Benedict Arnold commemorative plate by Franklin Mint.
Wall cabinet with 13 miniature porcelain tea chests by Royal Crown Derby.
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09/11/2019 at 5:40 pm #67680
@AntiqueFrog, you’re a cheeky one, you are….
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09/11/2019 at 10:05 am #67672
Antique frog was definitely thinking along the same lines. My list: Paper ephemera (particularly in large matching lots that may be used for decorating or large/bold pieces that stand alone), Silver coins put out by the US Mint at that time, and dish sets/pottery/porcelain pieces. For the latter, I will use Replacements to narrow down which items to look for and Terapeak to determine a good price to pay. The coins I will probably buy on Ebay and sell at auctions in the nearby mountains. That strategy has worked in the past as internet availability is still limited there. Who knows if that will still be true a few years from now. Plus, some people like to physically handle coins before buying them.
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09/11/2019 at 5:34 pm #67679
Huh, I guess I dont know the market for these items. So people near 2026 will want items from 1976?
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09/11/2019 at 8:05 pm #67682
“If you doubt me, try to find a US quarter with a 1975 date on it.”
Could you clarify what you’re trying to get at here? The US Mint says that no quarters were made with the date 1975 printed on it, so that’s why you won’t find one:
https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/circulating-coins/george-washington-bicentennial-quarterAt one point during those years in the late seventies, my family saved all the bicentennial quarters we came across and stored them in this one special drawer. We probably got up to $40 or $50 face value. But then my parents must have decided a few years later that they hadn’t appreciated as quickly as we had hoped (or at all), so we just used them up. I see you can now get those bicentennial quarters on ebay for 2-4 times face value on average. That’s about a 1-3% annual rate of return, so not a great investment. But maybe their value will spike as 2026 approaches as you say? It will be interesting to see. Note: I’m talking here only about circulated (used) coins.
We also used to collect these bicentennial paper plates that my dad would get from work (???) with various early American government/revolution scenes pictured on them. That’s where I learned about Patrick Henry and “Give me liberty or give me death”. We ended up with several of that particular design. 🙂
I also remember being taken to a bi-centennial re-enactment of the Battle of Princeton, which unfortunately took place on January 3rd. It was mobbed and freezing and I didn’t really see anything. That’s all I remember. Oh, and I think we got some of those stamp things – I forget what they’re called – these small plain postcards with a special stamp on it that has been postmarked on that exact day – I guess 1/3/77? First day issue or something? Maybe I’ll have to dig those up and find them before 2025 in case they’ll be worth something.
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09/12/2019 at 4:09 am #67691
I was 4 in 1976. I had a red, white, and blue outfit made of a very scratchy polyester. People seemed into the bicentenial, especially around the 4th of July. I remember lots of parades and going to see the Liberty Bell. The security guard even let me touch it! I don’t think they let people do that anymore, lol
I dunno that people will want vintage 1976 patriotic themed things as much as they will want general patriotic themed things come 2026. It might spur another interest in vintage Americana and Colonial style items. There was a lot of really ugly faux Colonial crap around in the 70s. That’s right around when Little House on the Prairie became popular, too, and all those fugly prairie style dresses.
I was not a fan of the 1970s aesthetic, can you tell? lol
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This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by
Liz.
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09/12/2019 at 6:44 am #67693
This is the post Ive been looking for. Stuff from 1976 Bicentennial items are so ugly and poorly made. Why would anyone want them?
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09/12/2019 at 8:54 am #67695
Why do people want any of the weird stuff we sell?
It reminds them of something, a time or place etc. nostalgia is a strong emotion.
I graduated HS in 1976, we were required to wear a red white and blue adornment over our robes.
I would think there might be an uptick in bi centennial items in 2026 but I don’t know of anything else that might appreciate greatly between now and then. -
09/12/2019 at 3:54 pm #67730
Avon seemed to corner the market in ugly, faux Colonial and Americana items in the 1970s. My grandmother sold Avon so we had sooooo much of that stuff.
It was just such an ugly decade, lol. Polyester for miles. Everyone looked sweaty and all the photos from the era are poorly lit. So, so bad.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by
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09/12/2019 at 5:17 pm #67738
Funny, I was recently talking to my mom about my bicentennial polyester pantsuits and she unearthed this photo of me in 1976. https://imgur.com/GNbI89H
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This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by
PDX_Cyndy.
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09/12/2019 at 7:28 pm #67743
I love it, especially paired with the black patent leather Mary Janes and what I will assume are white ankle socks with a lace ruffle. <3
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This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by
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09/12/2019 at 8:01 pm #67745
Just to clarify, I don’t know if it is worthwhile to start searching and buying Bicentennial items. I was a kid at the time, but honestly I don’t remember anyone displaying anything from 1926. That said, no one could conceive of ebay back then either. Kitsch wasn’t as big as it is today. In 1975 Bicentennial fever was such that 1776-1976 quarters were issued (as they were in 1976) instead of a normally dated coin. Overwhelmingly, most of the items were poorly made. Given that, most did not survive. Others fell out of fashion like the outfit posted above (though it did make my smile as I clearly remember clothing like that). Mostly I will be looking for quality items that were issued at that time but maybe aren’t anchored to that period. Collections surrounding the 13 Colonies or those specific States for example. Mostly I wanted to pick others brains for suggestions. Thanks for all the replies!
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09/12/2019 at 11:35 pm #67752
Bicentennial bric-a-brac was mass produced, and was very common.
I am sure there will be an uptick in demand in 2026 but that uptick will also mean that there will be a glut of vintage items pulled out of people’s attics and dumped onto Ebay.
If you can scavenge it super cheap, go ahead and grab it, but I’d list it now at reasonable mark up and let the speculators purchase.
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09/15/2019 at 10:40 am #67794
This Queen Elizabeth II coronation mug by Eric Ravilious is priced at £400. Which maybe is a bit overpriced, but almost any other coronation mug from 1953 is worthless. The high price is probably a combination of name recognition, brand (Wedgwood) and quality of design, rather than the event itself. Maybe some similar items were produced back in 1976.
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