The sales are still very scarce this time of year. Well, not as scarce as the last two weeks in December but still very scarce. There are no church sales. Their season has ended and we don't expect to see any more until springtime. There are no garage sales. It is way too cold. Thrift shops are just not the same as they used to be and are always hit or miss (mostly miss). That leaves estate sales and this is one of the slowest times of the year for them. Many of the estate sale companies extend their holidays by taking the first few weeks of January off. And so it goes but it doesn't mean there was no place to go. The sale list was predictably small but we always have hope and, with that hope, off we went!
Why, it's John F Kennedy keeping a watchful eye of the proceedings!
There was a pencil sharpener mounted in the basement and that is always a good sign...even if half of it is missing.
For a sale that did not hold a lot of promise, it was a decent stop. we picked some books, an Irish bar plaque, a honeycomb turkey and a few other things.
Sale #2 was fifteen minutes away. The description of the sale said "vintage mags" and "records" and you never know what you will find. It was a very, VERY large house with large rooms on the main floor and upstairs but the smallest basement we have ever seen. There were no magazines of interest and only a few records but those records were WAY overpriced! We did manage to get one tiki pepper shaker (missing its mate) for $1 and that;s all we took home.
It was almost midday and we made a late breakfast stop. There was only one more stop on the list and, after filling our bellies, off we went!
Our third and final sale was two counties away but we made the trip because the sale description had some nice vintage furniture and the description said "bric brac" and, quite frankly, there was not a lot of sales to choose. We arrived, after a 45 minute drive, at the house. Monica made it to the door before I could take a picture. She is peering out from above the bushes
It was clear, from the moment that we arrived, that the sale had been well attended in the early hours. Much of the great furniture that we had seen in the pictures was long gone. This was a great lamp and it was still there when we arrived. It did not come home with us.
The bathroom was great; pretty much untouched from the house's origin. Pink toilet, pink pedestal sink and a pink tub!
It was the closing hours of this sale and we were rushed to hunt and check out. It was a worthwhile stop as we picked up a great old snack tray/dip dish set, some records, some old greeting cards, a few Christmas things and a few other items and all at a very low price.
Here are some of the things we brought home with us:
Some records
Some books
A vintage pamphlet on menstruation, a vintage "do not disturb" sign and a vintage change of address kit from the post office.
Vintage greeting cards
An Irish bar plaque (from The North Pole, New York) and an Irish cocktail stirrer
A tiki pepper shaker, a ceramic cat (marked Japan), a plastic napkin holder and a Florida snow globe (made in Hong Kong). Rob's grandmother had this napkin holder in the 1970's. It was bought mail order from an American Indian tribe.
A honeycomb Thanksgiving decoration marked Japan
An old Bloomingdale's fruit cake tin and an old Christmas elf (made in Japan)
An old serving tray/dip dish set with its original box and with the original gift card
It may not have been the most productive saling day ever but we did get a few great things and, no matter what we find, the best part of the day is always spending the day together.
It is so wonderful that you both have a passion for saling. I love it that you don't let the weather slow you down.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Granny Annie! As long as it is safe, we'll adventure outdoors!
DeleteI had NO CLUE that Van Nuys did those kind of chip-n-dip sets - WAY COOL!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, svelteSTUFF. This box was buried in a closet in the basement! (Rob)
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