September = Spend, Spend, Spend!

Now that we're through the first week of October, I'm looking back at September and all I see is spend, spend, spend!

I knew it would be like that to some extent, because both Greenmead Flea Market and Michigan Antique & Collectable Festival in Midland, Michigan (affectionately called just 'Midland' by all of us who love it) are in September.  Those are BIG 'merchandising' opportunities.  Thrown into the mix, though, was a great estate sale that I would have missed if my friend Bargain Hunter hadn't text me to ask me about pricing a typewriter...

I was invited this year to go, too, to the Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, Minnesota, but I just couldn't make it work.  I definitely want to visit my friend and fellow picker, Kally, there in April next year!

So I almost had the basement completely organized, but have sabatoged all my efforts by bringing in the sweet things I've bought lately.  But who could resist finds like these?

West Bend Hallite Casserole with great Bakelite knob

West Bend Hallite Casserole with copper lid & handles

I can't resist pennants and I picked up some great old ones!

Two vintage Brownies in boxes.  One has film, too

Can't resist melmac, either.  These are cute little serving pieces

From Midland -- I LOVE this picture of 'Bob', painted by his Aunt Ev in 1951.  She really captured his personality!

From the estate sale -- this is the typewriter I helped price for Bargain Hunter

This is from the estate sale, too -- I'm excited to put it together and turn it on before I list it on Ebay.  I don't think I've ever seen one work -- just as display or for sale in antique malls

This print is really big -- 18x24 or larger

This little kitty holds a pen as his tail

A hard-to-find Teetertot Shoofly bouncer by Delphos Bending Co.  I hope it will sell better than rocking horses do at the mall.  It has a seat, which makes it great for displaying vintage stuffed animals or dolls (but it's NOT for real babies any more!)

Art Deco kitchen clock

Wood shopping list from the 1960s

These flocked cats, made in Japan in the 1950s are wonderful

A made-in-Japan asian planter from the 1950s.  I might keep him, he's just so cute!

Pantry Parade tomato range salt and pepper shakers

These made-in-Japan 1950s cats are great, too.  I see a made-in Japan, mid-century and cat theme developing...

With Spending-September gone, I can concentrate on listing on Etsy to get ready for the Christmas shopping season, which has already begun!  I can also (hopefully) get the basement organized (again)...I'm afraid that will turn out to be a never-ending task.

Maybe I'll even have time to post on the blog more often!

But, before you go, what do you think about Bob -- would you have bought his portrait?  I'm thinking about resurrecting 'Would You Buy It Wednesday' since (I think) Junker Newbie doesn't do it any more.  I would definitely have contributed Bob...

What about Bob -- yes or no? 

Soggy Friday Sales

Last week, I took Thursday night off, which really means that I didn't get anything ready to take to the mall.  Instead of fluffing the booth, I hit a few sales to the south of our town.  It was a chilly, rainy day and the yard sales are almost all gone, so it was lots of windshield time with very little shopping.  I went to an estate sale where everything was super-high, except for the unpriced stuff in the basement (always a good place to dig).

A great old camera -- lovely for display

I filled up a bin with Christmas stuff from several piles in a corner.  The sellers priced the whole bin at $5!  I was pretty happy then, but even happier when I put this little beauty together at home:

This is a 'Crystal Pine' tree from the 1940s.  It's layers of clear plastic 'boughs' separated by plastic tube dividers.  It's wonderful!  

Next stop was a Craigslist sale about a 1/2 hour away.  It was a woman (in her 50s) and her mother (70s) who had a very interesting ad. The opening lines were about how they were both avid collectors and were having a sale so that they wouldn't be on TV in an upcoming episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive.  I can relate.

They had 3 portable car-port tents in their tiny front yard with everything sorted by category & organized (nice), but most of what they had was priced like an antique mall (not nice).  There were a few goodies that just jumped out at me, though:

 This sweet set of Royal Sealy kitties, Made in Japan, from the 1950s:

This Made in Japan Santa.  I love his happy look, but can't figure out what he was made for.  He has slits all around his back and sides and little holes in his hat (like salt & pepper shaker holes).  Not enough room underneath for a light bulb and no place for the cord and too big a hole in the bottom for a stopper.  He  almost looks like one of those napkin lady dolls, but that doesn't make sense on a Santa.  Any ideas?

This was under a table in the kitchen tent -- I was so excited and did the happy dance through the raindrops all the way to the car!

A Pyrex red with gold holly.  AND the serving rack  AND a lid!
I'd seen these in books, but not in person -- I'll definitely be keeping this one!

I had thought these were casseroles -- it's actually a 404 bowl.  

Last stop was Treasure Mart in Ann Arbor, an 3-story resale shop that has really fast turnover and usually has great items.  I was disappointed to see that their prices are getting higher -- almost as high as mall prices.   they have a 10% discount per month on anything over $5, but there were very few things therethat were even one month old.  I did find a few good buys, though:

A custard glass plate with ruffled edge

Metlox Californial Ivy divided relish and a Vernon Kilns salt & pepper set

A Monmouth Pottery Western Stoneware bean pot.  I really had to dig to find out about this one.  Monmouth Pottery was in Illinois and Western Stoneware was one of their main lines.  I like its art deco look.

I've been picking up so much more American pottery than I used to (Franciscan, Vernon Kilns, Metlox, Monmouth, Paden City).  I'm going to have to learn more about it!

I LOVE Rummage Sales!

I'm still catching up on old posts, so jump into the Wayback Machine and pretend that this one was posted 2 weeks ago (if you're too young to get that reference, click here ).   

I have to admit, I never met a junk vintage sale I didn't like, but it seems like the best bargains are at rummage sales (and church sales are my favorites)! 

Two weeks ago, I went to a local church's big fundraising sale of the year -- billed as the BIG Barn sale.  I've gone there the past few years and always find some good stuff.   This year, I got there before they opened and stood in line -- there were already 30-40 people in front of me!    It's always hard to know where to go first -- they have the stuff divided into the usual sections (holiday, books, linens, etc), but they also have a 'collectables' (translate: more expensive) section and a back tent that's the 'bargain basement' of the sale.  I headed there first, rather than the collectables.  Except for collectables, everything was priced at $7 a bag and I loaded up one bag pretty quickly.   The second bag was barely full, so they gave that one to me for $2.  I got some good buys -- some of it has already gone to the booth, but here are a few of the goodies:

4 place-settings of Harmony House melmac dishes -- square (so cool)!

Some Christmas napkins and a FILTHY DIRTY rotary phone (the cord didn't match -- it was black, not tan -- so I took it off)

A super slim Pyrex starburst carafe and a large strainer

 These were from the collectable area, along with a bakelite-handled frosting spreader,  a vitrock shaker and some Made in Japan salt & peppers (all already gone to the booth):

Two celluloid picture frames -- the monogram is either a J or an I.

I was heading to the checkout when I saw the box for this beauty under the holiday table!

A 6' aluminum pom-pom tipped tree!  The ladies gave it to me for a super-good price, too!

Right above it was a box with these 12 Made in Japan Putz houses in it.  I'm a little addicted to Putz houses, so I'm not sure that all of them will make it to the booth or Etsy this year...

They're tiny (each about 2-1/2" wide) -- they came with a white light cord and I think were supposed to be hung on a tree.

It's never too early to think about vintage Christmas!

To buy or not to buy...

Selling on Etsy and at an antique mall (and the buying that goes with it) has definitely been a learning curve.  Each new experience teaches me something.  Like the one I had today...

I have lots of people ask me about selling on Etsy, and I often help them out with it.  I had been writing my email or cell phone number over and over, so I finally had some business cards made up that had all the important information.  The mall lets us put cards up in a central area for customers to take, so I mine there, too.  Because of this, I get lots of calls from people who want to sell things to me.

I think everyone who likes old stuff or who has old stuff has seen Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars or American Pickers.  AND they all think they have the next hidden treasure!  They seem not to notice the part where the Pickers tell the seller they have to 'leave some meat on the bone' so they can sell it at a profit!  Anyway, most of the calls I get are for fancy glassware, upscale Victorian items or expensive appraised jewelry, none of which are my thing.  So I always thank the caller and politely decline.

Secretly, I'm relieved that they have things I don't want -- how's that for being a smart business woman!  I'm so afraid of cheating someone, though, or offending them or hurting their feelings, that I've been a nervous wreck just thinking about these meetings.  Last week I got a call from a lady who had 50s kitchenware.  Really?  I couldn't pass that up and went to see her today after work. 

The kitchenware she had was, indeed, from the 1950s.  It was NOS (New Old Stock) from the gift shop of her grandfather's motel up north.  It had never sold and he couldn't throw it away, though her grandmother begged him to.  The seller told me she wanted to get rid of it because 'it's just gathering dust' (I'll add:  and grease and grime, too)!    I have to tell you that I prayed my way to her house, asking for wisdom and that I a) wouldn't offend her and b) wouldn't get taken and spend more than I should because I felt sorry for her or was embarrassed!

I liked what I saw and I offered her what I thought was a fair price for her and me and purposely left some wiggle room for her to sweeten it (so she'd feel like she got me to pay more).  She came back with a significantly higher amount, which I countered by upping mine a little.  Well, I bought 4 pieces. The lesson I learned is this  -- start lower!  If the seller is going to come back with the moon & stars anyway, you may as well start lower so you only have to go up a little at a time!  That's for next time...

Here's what I bought -- what do you think?

Enesco 'Made in Japan' Humpty Dumpty oil shaker (from a vinegar & oil set), a Humpty Dumpty Cookie Jar and a Humpty Dumpty Teapot -- all never used & all grimy

A Stanfordware corn teapot -- never used and really dirty!

 On the way home from her house (which was about 15 miles away  -- on my gas, which PROVES that I'm a smart businesswoman!), I stopped at 2 or 3 garage sales and picked up these things:

An Argus camera & case

A little (4") white dog figurine that, though damaged, was just too cute to pass up.  Thankfully, he was priced right!

A sewing machine drawer with some interesting old-man-added features

So, that's my adventure in private buying!  I went, I saw, I bought and I lived to tell about it!  Do you think I did okay?