Featured What is the best deal you have ever gotten?

Can you post the best bargain you have gotten.
Talk about how you got it please.


I bought this box at a local auction for $20 along with 2 other boxes, it was the last lot and just about everyone had left. I only had one person bidding against me and they dropped out at $20. It is a 18th century captains liquor chest. Here is a link to a similar one in better condition...
https://www.rubylane.com/item/1308205-RL-355/18th-century-Ship-Captainx27s-Travelerx27s-Liquor

 

Measurements and photo of inside please.

 

What I have I can't show.........................because it's film.
I have eleven 50' reels of film shot by one of the guys who built Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis.
Lindbergh is in them climbing the Spirit's frame like monkey bars, the plane test flying, parades, 'Wrong Way' Corrigan, wood track auto racing in San Diego and more.
Priceless.... God knows the value.
May have paid $2.

 

Got this late 1700's English sterling "loving cup" at a professionally run estate sale (in my neighborhood) for $8. I have to assume that the firm did not recognize the marks and thought it was plated. Several hundred dollars in "scrap value" (although I would NEVER do that!)

The picture is pre-cleaning up.

 

Ever,or just recently? I once was given a Tiffany clock /mantle set that was slightly damaged due to a fall. When I took it to see about getting it repaired,the guy offered me $500 and being 19 and perennially poor I jumped on it.Of course it was worth God knows how much,but I was still new to the game.About 15 years ago I found a set of Stevengraphs silk pictures in pristine shape for $1 each,wich I sold for $175 each.Ive been lucky at times and stumbled across some real treasures,like a Scheier bowl for $2 ,but more often than not most of what I buy is just pretty with no real value.Well,no substantial value I should say.But hey,if I pay $5 and its worth $100,thats good enough for me to call a find!

 

a $750 Seiko watch, from Seiko Canada ......for free !

 

My best bargain was about 5 yrs ago, I bought a little picture just for the antique frame, It had damaged corners and had been painted white but it had convex glass and had obvious quality, When we got it home we took out what we assumed to be a print, It turned out to be a signed painting on Ivory, It was C 1850 and French, I repaired the corners and re-gilded it, I kept it for a short time (art isn't my thing) and then sold it for £350.......Very nice profit on a £3 purchase plus a few pounds for restoration.

 

Also. I found a Newcomb College Pottery plaque at a G sale for $10, in the bathroom... It was signed by their best, or one of their best, persons and the label was perfect.
David Rago sold it.
I got $2,500 something.

 

I've mentioned this one before. I have not had very many great finds, but once I bought a framed print that turned out to be a real engraving, probably from the late 18th century. It may have been from an original printing plate of this picture by Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717). Mine has somewhat different hand-painted coloring. After Merian's death her plates were sold to other publishers and were republished.

Anyway, I paid $30 and I think they were charging mostly for the 19th-century frame it was in at the time. An expert on botanical art told me it was probably worth $400-$700. (If it had been printed in Merian's lifetime it would have been worth a lot more than that.)

 

UH OH!!!!
Watch out for Gila!!!!

 

Hmmm, I've been lucky to have quite a few over the years.
One that stands out is this large full Hunter case 14k gold Waltham pocketwatch which ran beautifully.
The thrift that sold it assumed it was costume because they didn't know the back opened where it was fully hallmarked.
I believe I paid $10.00 for it.

 

Another good deal was this Gene Kloss etching. Paid $4.00 and sold for $1200.00

 

At a local auction, paid $1.00 for a box lot that included some Palatnik acrylic figurines. I didn't know what they were at the time but I did my research before selling. All told, I made about $500 on them. My husband and his sister were with me, he was embarrased because I bought such a "scrappy" box lot. After the profits came in, he couldn't wait to tell his sister.

 

The paperweight collection I bought is my best ever deal I spent $8800.00 for the works and was really nervous until they started to sell. I broke the 5 figure mark in sales so far - I kept quite a few as a rainy day fund and still have some to sell. Below is the link to the thead about them.
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/paperweight-auction.4417/

 

I bought a Heisey Cathedral Vase in Moongleem Green for $50 at the 750 mike yard sale. Came back and sold it for $790. Also I paid $3 for a small (5") Alexandrite vase at a FM. Kept it awhile, and then put it on eBay. Unbeknownst to me, it was a Steuben Alexandrite Vase and sold for over $700.
And lastly I had a Vase that I bought at a FM for $10. Showed up in a thread I posted here about my Garage sale, and these kind people informed me what it was and that it was valuable. You'll have to find that thread for the details!

 

I think Gila saw it when I posted it in some other thread, earlier! I might have posted a photo of the one I have. It's hard to get a good photo because it is framed with glass over it.

 

I was PEA green with envy! They were amazing!

 

1823 silver & gilt George IV vinaigrette.

I believe I paid $120, $130. In antique shop, these things sell for about 4-5 times that price. And mine still has the original sponge!

1950s Ball-Record Swiss-made railroad pocketwatch. 21 jewels. 8 adjustments. Fully certified for use on the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

Paid $150. These things sell for about $300-$600.

1860's Toulmin & Gale writing slope in excellent condition.

Paid $250 approx. The last time I saw one of this size and style for sale in an antiques shop (about six months ago), someone wanted $1,850.00 for it. And it was NOWHERE near as good as mine is. One guy offered to pay me $1,500 for the privilege of owning mine. I told him no!!

 

ours was a pair of Georg Jensen sterling silver candlesticks, pd 150 at the thrift, sold them for............ wait for it............... $10,000. On Ebay many many years ago!

 

I hate you! Why can't I find stuff like that at thrift-shops!?? We all hate you now!!

**runs away crying and sulks in the corner**

...were they nice candlesticks...?