Featured Finds Thread

Thanks! It's nothing special, just a simple greenish-white glass ball on a brass mount.

@Marko, neither have I. The 925 mark is sooo small you can barley see it with the naked-eye.

Unmarked as far as I can tell. My guess would be early-20th C., American, Whiting and Davis Co. judging by the style and decoration...



We also picked-up another early-20th C. Edward F. Caldwell & Co. New York humidor similar in design to the one we purchased back in Jan. 2014. We sold that piece I believe if I recall correctly for nearly $1.8K Will post images a bit later.

The purse and humidor were $200.

 

Ohhhh, that's a nice mesh !!
What's under the disc on the top ??

 

Lots of miles for little stuff. The only semi interesting item to me was this quaint dime store oil lamp font.

 

Thanks! It's a small compact. Should have held a powder-puff and mirror.

 

I was wondering too, beautiful
Sounds like my luck Terry the sales around here have been a bust
Sucks when you can't find a thing worth flipping in all the miles looking....
I bought a few jewels today but had to pay for them....nothing old, will post later
Im done with the highenders upscalers clothes and garbage, sticking to my side of the MoKan border. But even here, hope this is just a dry spell

 

I've seen roses like that. Russian, German/Eastern Europe and even Italian.

 

$5 total...

Dan Parker bronze ($3), Willard Morse Mitchell (Canada, 1879 - 1955) miniature watercolor painting ($1) and a vintage or antique Billy-club ($1).

 

Looks like a slapjack (sap) rather than a billy club...

~Cheryl

 

Not much out there this weekend for me, either. I did go to a yard sale and find some beautiful Irish linen tea towels never used, tags were on. Unfortunately, I am now washing them, smoking household, but a good wash, drying outside on the clothes line a few days in the shade so they don't fade will do the trick and then I will starch and iron them. I love old linens! I went to an estate sale and it was really really bad.... people must have had dogs that did their business in the house..... wall-to-wall carpeting, too, couldn't even stay. Somebody grabbed a huge bin of old silver-plated utensils for $5, fabulous buy. They were even polished. There must have been a ton of jewelry there by the looks of the empty boxes, but newer stuff and didn't look like it was cheap to start with. Someone asked me last week where I go hunting, I have to say I am pretty serendipitous anymore, don't like to spend a lot on gas. I do like to travel to Cape May via route 9 and the yard sales are hit or miss anymore. I like to trawl antique malls and outdoor shows and festivals. I pick from Cape May to Philadelphia.

 

What do you all look for at sales that you like to keep? Obviously, I like to keep some of my jewelry. But I look for old every-day linens, love finding the old dish towels made in the USA, new old stock or gently used. They are so much thicker and really hold up. I also buy the old chantilly? tufted bedspreads, have a pink and white one on my bed now that I got for $5. Had a small hole, no biggie, stitched it up. I got an older stainless Oneida set today for $5 (hubby is always using our flatware for home-repair projects, always buying more at yard sales.) I will be on the prowl for older cotton sheets, the kind that make you feel cool when you sleep on them. I don't like the newer sheets. There is a whole blog dedicated to this subject, people looking for "granny's sheets." I also like to look for old Corelle dishes and casseroles.

 

Oh geez. Thank you so much for the word, Skeez. I was even looking in the dictionary, but hadn't gotten to the che's yet!

 

Yes, Skeeziks. I still like them for summer. My friend got a great peacock one at a house sale I dragged him to. Sent it to his sister. I like the white and pink. Find a fair amount in my travels. I think they went with the shabby chic movement, which I still like. I kinda decorate in an eclectic vintage/modern/bohemian mix.

 

It is early in the season here. Things and sales get swingin' after Memorial Day. I do have to say with the closing of some casinos here there are a lot of household goods/clothing type sales. People are trying to move.

 

Yep those are some great flips!!!
There's no shortage of sales here but sure a shortage of much good
When we have sales we don't do clothes old shoes, first off they never sell here, who wants your old shoes? but I guess there must be a market because they are big sellers at my local swap....
I don't really have too many things that I keep for myself. I always did like interesting face or head pieces, doesn't matter what kind, of course prefer only old. I had a old 20's style large chalk bust years ago and regret selling it, head and shoulders large
To keep I like nice old frames for my loved ones...unusual things, of course neat music boxes I don't have hoards of anything anymore, but the Asian items are of interest to me, always were but I always thought they were worthless. I no doubt have passed some nice Asian pieces over the years

 

I burned through some gas today, and tanking up cost more than any other stop. Of course, CT gas is ridiculously expensive. Found some sterling chains for a buck each - $15 in scrap weight for the pile, but no huge scores. I got up before 6AM to get to a sale on the other side of the CT river, a library/museum tag sale, only to be told "Oh we sold all the jewelry while we were setting up yesterday." ARGGH.

 

I hate when they tell ya that just don't tell me... I went to lake lotawananananan today outa desperation Not something I would usually buy but 8.00 little Lansglow childs desk Little odd oil lamp, cast turtle on base, the first lot of jewelry about 20 I paid 65 for the silver jewelry, little high but can still make some.. Some misc mini's I think the perfume would be a goodie but it has a large chip

 

>Little odd oil lamp,<

Sharona, that odd little lamp is a Vapo-Cresolene Vaporizer Lamp, used for medicinal purposes. Yours has most of the original apparatus, but the type of shade that fits this Olmstead burner.

Vapo Cresolene was established in 1879 but was still being sold in the 1920s - 30s. It was used as a medicated vapor inhalant. You would pour some thick gooey Vapo-Cresolene potion (poison) in the top and light the little lamp to heat it and 'fume' the room. It was supposed to cure a myriad of ailments including Whooping Cough, Spasmodic Croup, Asthma, Sore Throat, Coughs, Bronchitis, Colds, Catarrh. "Cures While You Sleep' 19th Century (quack) medicine at its finest."

Miniature Lamps, by Smith, 1968, p. 251, fig. 630, has 2 of these lamps with full apparatus pictured. The description given

"Vapo-Cresolene lamp; gold gilt iron frame; clear font with embossed 'Vapo-Cresolene Use Kerosene'; burner marked "V.C.Co."; 6 inches high to top of iron frame; two types shown. This little lamp is often seen in antique shops. It was actually a vaporizer for a liquid, first marketed about 1879, whose vapors were advertised to have great medicinal value for many serious diseases. The Notices of Judgment of the United States Food and Drug Administration show that when three shipments were seized in 1930 for these false claims and no claimant appeared, the courts issued a 'Default decree of condemnation, forfeiture and destruction.' This opened the door for the passing of this little lamp."

P. 29 of the same book has pictured an advertisement from an old magazine for the Vapo-Cresolene.

Thuro's Oil Lamps - The Kerosene Era, 1976 with 2004 update Value Guide, p. 52, fig. d., has a picture of this lamp with all the Vapo-Cresolene apparatus - the 2004 Value Guide valued it at $50.00.

The burner on these lamps are called Olmstead type burner. Yours is missing an Olmstead shade. Those type shades are nearly impossible to find today even as a reproduction. I have one of these little lamps plus another type of miniature lamp with an Olmstead burner with both missing shades. I have been on the lookout for shades for over a decade now. I have seen a couple of Olmstead shades but they have been either too expensive or too far out for my taste. This webpage has pics of 3 slightly different Olmstead burners:
http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_burners_08.htm

The following link is on the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) website. it is a *.pdf file with pics and info on these Vapo-Cresolene lamps, everything **anyone*** ever wanted to know about them.
http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/MunseyVapo-cresolene.pdf

Here's a good lamp site with a page on medicinal lamps showing and telling about this lamp:
http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_vapo_cresolene.htm

--- Susan

 

If I'm buying non old stuff, for me to keep, it's eclectic to say the least. At car boot sales here, you get everything from house clearance pros to food. There's a bloke sells well in date yummy crisps and chocolate and nibbles, for example. I can get ten packs of Tyrells crisps for a pound. They cost ten times as much in the stupidmarket. A year or so back he had the most wonderful plain chocolates with passion fruit, lemon and raspberry fillings. Apparently, as given to First Class BA passengers.

I buy clothes like mad. Often for me - there's a car boot in Essex where the gals sell brand new stuff, tags still on, for absolute peanuts. I'm actually not fussed if stuff is gently worn, either. I buy clothes and other bits for my year old godson, who's mama is very sensible indeed and has no hang ups about second hand baby stuff, bless her. I even got her a Moses basket with brand new wrapped mattress for a tenner.

And then, there's my friend who works in a hospice and gets paid squat. Every Christmas and birthday she gets a HUGE box of clothes I've picked up - many brand new. She spends a whole day trying on, and having great fun, especially as I sometimes get her things she'd not always think to choose.