Featured Finds Thread

Went to not one but two estate sales today. avoided a professionally run one with "designer" merch in a high rent district. One was run by a real estate guy and prices were good. Spent $22 on nothing crazy. Except...a bag of junk. They took out some family photos I was happy to see go, but didn't realize the junk in one envelope was all scrap sterling from a jewelry class! $45 scrap value right now. Nothing much to look at, but it'll melt down for reuse just fine.

The second sale was a mix of cheap junk and $tupidly overpriced "nice stuff". I got some Cloissone Christmas ornaments for a local antique store looking for pretties for their Christmas trees come November. Those are out in the trunk. The old stuff was sky high, such as it was. I could have bought a newish glass ornament shaped like a mosquito (same size as the Florida State Bird too!) for $3, but couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger.

The overpricing dude at the second sale had a little sterling wine pourer thing with a .950 mark. "It's (town) and sterling so..$40?" I said no so fast it's not funny. He threatened to scrap it but I said that's what I was thinking too. With the cork and interior steel full melt was probably $25, tops. Hard pass. Oh well.

 

At the first sale I bought a graduated bead necklace with a paper with "amber" written on it in its plastic baggie. "Amber" said the lady. "Amber plastic anyway" said I. Yep - amber bakelite! I just tested it and stinky formaldehyde. Yup.

 

Brad-You've got a super eye (great pottery & glass knowledge) & for those prices I'd be picking 7 days a week.You live in a timewarp -make the most of it while you can !

 

I went to my first estate sale of the year. We don't get a lot in our small town. A boatload of Pyrex in pretty good condition, several amberina pieces, some glass shoes (for some reason those seem to sell well! ), a pair of watercolors of birds and a 1954 book full of aerial pictures of farms and businesses and churches in the county I live in. The sale runner is new to me but I took his card and plan on watching for his sales. I made a pile of my things and he quoted me a sum and i6 said SOLD! There were things that were priced, most of them to high for me but I might stop over tomorrow for half price.
Now to wash everything.
Oh, sonny boy is the one that directed me to the sale, he found a handful of sterling spoons, sterling cream and sugar and salt & pepper and a very nice sterling belt buckle which may be signed. It's made in Mexico but really nice.

Made for a fun morning!

Linda

Edited misspelling

 

Brad-Do you ever hit garage or estate sales in your town ?

 

I went to two today. The junkier one had higher prices on some nice things than the good one did. Go figure. There was a "designer" one too, but I skipped it. One good thing - the couple who can't stand me showed up at the first sale. They saw who was in line ahead of them and bailed. Thank you Jesus!

 

Loving the Waterford, but loving the boxes even more.

 

I had a good day, so many stories for one day. That's what happens when you get up at 5:30 am. First stop was a church sale. I was the first to get to the jewelry. I was grabbing left and right....then someone else joined me. She had a loupe out...she found an 18 kt necklace, but the cashier caught it. She didn't want tobsell it to her, don't know how that turned out. They wanted more for their silver than the gold. I did find an 18kt cameo pendant on a costume chain. Another 14k cameo necklace with GF earrings was $10. A lot of sterling, a lot of costume....I ended up spending $162.

Then I stopped at a thrift I just stopped going to because the volunteers were taking everything first. I dragged the big chair up to the register, it was marked $10. The lady said "Furniture is half-priced today, so it's $5." It needs some repairs (I'll take a basket weaving class), and I ran back for the little $5 chair which was now $2.50.

 

I will show the jewelry all at once. Then a stop at another thrift, picked up a beautiful MOP, pearl, marcasite sterling brooch, $8, and there are hoop earrings made of natural material. Blue lucite cufflinks for brother $3 for them. The next thrift had some great sterling, got a sterling marcasite and CZ piece for $5, sterling earrings for $3 each. I got a vintage Clark's and Coombs sterling and 10k moss agate ring for $12. I got more than jewelry, have to photograph. While I was there, an older couple sang a beautiful duet for us.

 

I did thrift the Michael Kors bag yesterday. $20, I think it’s authentic.

 

Jewelry time!

A lot is costume here. FW pearls, and bracelet has a lot of rutilized quartz.

Sterling. The Morgan dollar is for my brother.
Below, the cameo necklace is 14k. Cameo pendant in the middle is 18kt. Cameo on the right is sterling with marcasite. The larger CZ earrings on the card are 14k Diamonique. Fan necklace is Alexis Bittar. Bracelet on bottom is GPlated, genuine garnets. Butterfly Mexico sterling, has an eagle with a 3 in it mark. GF cameobearrings at top. Beneath them, sterling turquoise pendant combo, stetling earrings next to it. Sterling marcasite earrings below that.

 

And my favorite find and story of the day comes from the church sale. I grabbed this necklace on my second look around, was so excited because it was lightweight and the stones were not uniform in shape. The clasp was etched sterling, with a pink rhinestone. Woo hoo, Whitby jet!!!


Except when I got in my car and looked at the necklace, I got this surprise.


Victorian or Edwardian dark cherry amber.

 

yay! Not a total loss. I get nothing at estate sales anymore. I can't wait in line for two hours for over-priced objects here. There is an annual yard sale I will hit up next weekend, hit or miss. Tons tomorrow, but I have other plans.

 

when I get up at 5:30......... it's a mistake.....
nice finds..

 

a few Little NA pieces huh..!

 

When I get up at 5:30 I pay for it for the next two days. Doesn't stop me.

That dark amber is a score! I've never seen it that dark.

 

If Im up at 530 Im either still up from the night before or I had to pee !

 

Thanks, I haven't been lucky like this in quite awhile.
I have to get up at 6 am tomorrow for a sorority state meeting. They elected me second vice-president of our chapter. We are going to Grounds for Sculpture and having lunch at a French restaurant. I can do it, but will be napping Sunday. Now three days in a row is a big fat NO.

 

I have to be at a church meeting on Sunday, but fortunately can go to the service itself on line.

 

@Marko- Didn't you bang your head a few days ago,you seem to have regained your energy !
IMHO the Whitby Jet & 14 and 18K Cameos more than make up for the chair-although AJ may tell us it's a Javanese King's chair.