Collectors and antiques dealers are discovering that prices for the oldest and finest antique treasures are skyrocketing. In fact, even finding such items is becoming more difficult.

However, many vintage pieces (younger than antiques, but still decades old) are becoming popular with collectors because of the country flavor they add to decor and their availability. As a result, many dealers have turned to these kinds of pieces to fill out their higher-end antiques inventory.

The items on our Top 10 collectibles list for 2007 (in no specific order) are priced within a reasonable range for most fans of country decorating.

Many of these treasures, such as hatboxes, were manufactured; others, such as fishing lures, were hand-hewn and often qualify as folk art. No matter how it was produced, each piece offers a big dose of country spirit.

1. Vintage garden furniture. Difficult as it may be to believe, some of the finest painted 17th- and 18th-century Windsor chairs were created as outdoor furniture for the porches and lawns of wealthy farm and plantation owners. Now, those chairs cost thousands of dollars, are treated with high-end respect and are used solely indoors. Today, vintage and antique wood and metal outdoor furniture is also being recognized as a sought-after commodity. Although the price of these items is climbing, bargains can be found at yard sales, auctions and country shops.

Yard sales still yield vintage wood porch swings for as little as $20. Although Mexican-made imitations of French wire chairs, love seats and planters started to soar in price about 10 years ago, with careful hunting they can be found at garage-sale prices. Bentwood and other Adirondack-style pieces that normally cost more than $100 each are also hot decorating tickets.

2. Vintage hatboxes. Until about the 1960s, men and women dressed to the nines for work, recreation and sports - and hats were a must. Among the remaining accessories of that era are the fabulous hatboxes. These boxes were often decorated with the best graphics of the day; lovely lettering and countryside scenes and cityscapes encircled each box, along with the name of the store or maker. Three of the best known are Stetson, men’s clothing retailer Rogers Peet and hat maker Dobbs. Collectors use the boxes for storage and, at the same time, to provide a wonderful design statement.

When it comes to price, a box’s rarity and condition are paramount. Hatboxes can fetch as much as $75 or $80.

3. Hurricane lamps. Hurricane lamps offer practicality in their use as well as beauty in their design. Any lamp with a glass chimney that protects the flame from wind qualifies as a hurricane. The most common varieties have bases made of porcelain, glass, brass and other metals; some are fairly plain, while others, such as Victorian lamps, are quite decorative.

Although the oldest examples date from before the 17th century, most of the lamps found in antiques shops are from the mid- to late-19th century and well into the 20th century. Prices can range from $35 for the more common manufactured, all-glass forms into the hundreds of dollars for early pewter-, silver- and porcelain-based pieces. Hand-forged or blown lamps have greater value than manufactured pieces.

4. Whirligigs. Like most forms of folk art that began in rural America, whirligigs were developed for practical purposes. To determine wind speed, farmers would often create some kind of propeller system and attach it to a weather vane or insert it into the ground (the vibrations were thought to chase away moles).

Whirligigs were produced in many forms; the most common were figures doing simple outdoor chores. Today, whirligigs have become a much sought-after collectible. Form, color, age, condition, craftsmanship and aesthetic impact are all reflected in the value. Exceptionally fine ones can fetch more than $20,000; more commonly made variations can be had for just a few hundred dollars or less. Although built for the outdoors, most vintage and antique pieces don’t thrive well in that environment.

5. Handmade toys. From colonial times well into the 1940s, many rural families had neither the money nor the proximity to stores to purchase manufactured toys. Instead, parents made toy trains, dolls, dollhouses and anything else that struck their imagination. These toys were fashioned from wood, scraps of metal, old clothes, tin cans, barrels and other available items.

Some were quite simple, while others were done with a good deal of artistic sophistication. Over the past couple of decades, handmade toys have increased greatly in value. These items fall into two categories of collecting: folk art and toys. Pieces that fit into both categories usually have higher values.

6. Metal watering cans. These utilitarian goods are not glamorous or high-end collectibles, but color and shape lend them a special charm. Tucked in among potted plants or garden flowers, a grouping of watering cans adds an old-fashioned feeling and a rustic look. Normally not expensive, they can range in price from $30 to more than triple that, depending on where they are purchased, the rarity of the form and the condition.

7. Fishing decoys. This is another genre of collectibles that can range from $65 to tens of thousands of dollars. The art of creating fishing decoys has been a North American tradition for hundreds of years; examples made by Native Americans more than a millennium ago have been discovered. Handmade and utilitarian, decoys are a pure form of folk art that is highly collected. Although fish decoys have been the mainstay of both ice fishing and collecting, critter decoys (frogs, bugs, snakes, lizards, etc.) have been made only since the mid-1900s. Although they are not nearly as valuable as fish, critters have come to be prized for their intricate carving, painting and whimsy. Generally, it’s unusual to find a critter that costs more than $300, and those priced in the $100 range are readily available.

As with any other folk art or antique, forgeries and reproductions are plentiful. The more it costs, the more cautious one should be about purchasing an item that may or may not be vintage or antique.

The highest amount paid for a decoy fish at auction was $32,000 a couple of years ago; however, decoy collectors have been known to pay more through private sales. As with any antique, attribution to a specific maker often increases the value.

8. Outdoor games. Many of the antique and vintage outdoor games, such as horseshoes and lawn bowling, were made at home or in small cottage-industry workshops. Today, those surviving games are highly collectible because of their aged patina, soft coloration and individuality. What makes them fun to collect is that they are still usable.

It is probably more difficult to find these items at reasonable prices in city antiques shops than at small-town venues and country auctions. A vintage croquet set can still be found for a little more than $50. If you want to use a set to play a game, make sure that it has enough balls and mallets.

Ornate games that date from the turn of the 20th century or earlier can cost between $150 and $225.

9. Stencils. Old general stores kept flour and other dry goods in barrels and crates stenciled with the names of the products on their tops and sides. Today, those old stencils have become highly collectible. Most are made from metal with the letters and logos of the product and manufacturer die cut into them. The lettering, often in the calligraphic style prominent in the 19th century, has a desirable antique look. Stencils can be a great graphic wallhanging for almost any room.

Recently, it seems that more collectors have caught on to stencils’ charm. Even at their most costly, which is based on condition and complexity of the design, stencils can be easily had for less than $150 per piece - many substantially less than that. We see this as a sleeper collectible with a potential value greater than its current market.

10. Vintage sheet music. Generations ago, before the advent of high-tech entertainment, families stayed home together in the evenings, gathered around the piano and sang. People bought sheet music then the way we rent movies today. From the turn of the century, great songs were written by the likes of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Rogers and Hart. World War I made patriotic musical themes popular. Love songs from Broadway shows were also favorites.

Although the traditional use of sheet music is not as common as it once was, collectors of ephemera and nostalgic treasures have come to see an additional value in these old pieces of music: the graphics on their covers. Photography and line drawings depicting the themes of the music inside - and reflecting the lifestyle of the day - are true works of art. Framed and matted (preferably on acid-free material), and hung on walls, vintage sheet music is now noted for its artistic merits.

Collectors’ appreciation of these items is not always reflected in the marketplace, however. A charming piece in excellent condition can be found for as little as $5. Although some of the cover sheets of special songs or particularly popular writers can bring more than $50, this is generally the high end of the market.[via]

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