“Good For” advertising pocket mirrors aren’t something you will find on a regular basis, but when you come across one there’s a good chance you will be able to pick up an easy $200 or more.

Pocket mirrors were a popular advertising/promotional give-away item in the early to 1900s and have a wide collector following. Most dealers realize their value and most advertising pocket mirrors you see in shops or at shows are priced two or three times what they would bring on eBay.

The good news is that, for some reason, most dealers seem to think that “Good For” advertising pocket mirrors are much less valuable than other advertising mirrors and price them significantly lower providing you the opportunity to make a nice profit when you come across one. I’ve bought several for between $4 and $30.

You will find them in antique shops and malls, at flea markets, antique shows and estate auctions and they can often be bought for $50 or less. They normally sell on eBay for between $200 and $500 although I’ve seen some reach the low four figure range.

“Good For” advertising pocket mirrors usually will several common characteristics:

• They are usually circular and approx. 2.5″ in diameter
• They are usually made of celluloid
• The majority either have the bust of a pretty woman or a child on them
• They usually promote cafes, saloons, or bars
• The words “Good For 10 Cents In Trade” will appear on the left side of the mirror
• The right side will have the name of the business, it’s street address, and the town it’s located in on the right side of the mirror

When buying them you should pass on any that have:

• Crazing or cracks to the celluloid
• Darkened or extremely faded areas to the design
• Broken mirrors
• Excessive blackening to the actual mirror’s surface

A few other things to keep in mind when you find one:

• “Good For” advertising pocket mirrors from bars or saloons normally bring more money than those from cafes or other businesses.
• A few were made with nudes in the design. These will almost always bring more money
• A few were made that advertise houses of prostitution. These are the one’s that normally end up selling in the four figure range. These aren’t alway obvious, but a good clue you may have one is if they are good for 50 cents or 1 dollar in trade.
• Nearly any “Good For” pocket mirror will bring more money if you take a little time and research the business so that you can give a little background on it in your auction description.

“Good For” pocket mirrors aren’t something you find everyday but they are around and I usually buy a half dozen or so each year.

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