Kitschy Vintage: Box Lots

Box lots: who doesn't love them? They're the junk equivilant of a wrapped gift! You can root through them a little, but usually don't have the time (or space) to take everything out and examine it, so it's always a surprise.

I've gotten several box lots lately and have had mixed results. By far the best buy was the one I had the least hopes for. I could see a bunch of small picture frames, a bottle or two and a Prince Albert tobacco tin.

It was early in the buying day, so I went for it. Here's what was in it:

Lots of little liqueur bottles
An ashtray from the old Copacabana in New York City!
Lots of little pictures and frames

An old metronome with a white bakelite case

Here's one of the most interesting things in that box lot -- a receipt for the purchase of a used car in 1938! If you zoom in on it, you can see all the details -- they bought the car for $835 and got $75 for the trade in of their 1928 model. Love it!

The next one was a lot of barware that included a mid-century tray, some 1950s or 60s bar towels and glass stuff. I was a little disappointed in what ended up being there, but that's okay -- as my friend Bargain Hunter says, it's the thrill of the hunt.

Here's what I found inside...

The Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide is from 1941. The towels are pretty cool and the stir-spoon has a bakelite knob. I love plastic stir sticks, because they're often from restaurants and clubs that are long gone.

This was in an envelope in the tray -- it's a dial-a-drink-recipe Christmas card. That's Christmas 'spirit' of a different kind!

Finally -- on the same buying day -- I got a box lot that I didn't even know was a lot until I got it home!

This is what I thought I was buying...

I thought I was buying a bottle brush wreath in its box and got a bonus layer of stuff underneath (most of which is just junk (real junk, not cool junk). Maybe a box lot you aren't expecting is even better than a wrapped gift...it's more like getting a gift bag that has 2 or 3 presents inside!