Featured Finds Thread

Today was better, but the stuff wasn't. (sigh) I spent $15 total at an "estate sale" that was all modern stuff - a moving sale, and the four or so yard sales on the same street. Another sale was all kiddy stuff, and a moving sale that was billed as HUGE bailed due to early morning showers. They moved it to Sunday, dagnabbit. Best buy of the day was a pile of mardi gras beads for Operation Christmas Child for a quarter. (sigh^2) Those were paid for by a quarter I found on the floor at the estate sale and the agent told me to keep....

 

Evelyb, I find TONS of Mardi Grad beads (the plain gold, green, purple, etc) here....they had them at the big yard sale. If you want, I could send them to you.

 

Better idea - the regional office for Texas/Louisiana might be able to tell you where to take them locally. No use wasting the money on postage if they can be stuffed into boxes closer to home. My church is a central collection point in this area, and we collect year round and then pack boxes on Halloween. I'm betting there's somewhere like that near you too. Throw 'em in a box somewhere and then when collection starts just drop them off or mail them over. Local postage has to be cheaper, and those beads can weigh a ton when there are a lot of them.

Texas – Louisiana Regional Office
Serving: Texas – Louisiana

Contact:
235 NE Loop 820, Suite 202 Hurst, TX 76053
Phone: 817-595-2230
Fax: 817-595-2311
Email: occtxla@samaritan.org
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

 

Never heard of charities using them. They are often free here at the yard sales

 

They get packed in boxes that are sent to third world countries, refugee camps, etc. The kids love them, and if the string breaks the beads don't come loose. They also don't have any monetary value. The boxes also get stuffed with small toys, hard candy, soap, a washcloth, etc.

 

Great project! Thanks!

 

Charles Francis Adams Sr, found in our ephemera collection. Seems to have been a pivotal figure during the American Civil War

We will be selling this in due course so watermarked.

 

Charles Francis Adams Sr, found in our ephemera collection. Seems to have been a pivotal figure during the American Civil War

...at least Chuck's penmanship is readable.

 

He was John Quincy Adams' son. Apparently he inherited the family jones for public service at the senior level.

 

I hope no one posted some indecipherable ephemera.

What idiot would do that?

 

I hope no one posted some indecipherable ephemera.

What idiot would do that?

 

Ooohhh! That jade bracelet is a killer (at least I'd kill to get it, lol!)

 

That handwriting is absolutely lovely, great letter!

So I ventured out again today. Seems like there was this estate sale a few miles from me I missed Saturday, and of course, they did not advertise they had any jewelry. I got there at 9:30 a.m., and was the first to look at the jewelry. I asked if they had sold a lot yesterday, and they said "no, nobody wants to pay these prices." The prices were $10 a piece or 3 pieces for $25. The guy said he was picking gold out of it all day yesterday. Who knows. Well, I never saw this type of jewelry before and I liked it, so I bought most of it before anybody else came in, should have bought it all since it is vintage and there were a lot of rings. Rostov finift russian jewelry.

The guy running the sale said he bought a ton of this on consignment. He never bothered to google what it was/is.

I got this Martelli sterling ring at the sale, I love it, sorry blurry picture.

Then I went to a flea market, very slow, people must have waited until after 11 a.m. to set up for free. I got these from one guy selling his aunt's jewelry.
Heliotrope watermelon bracelet.

Then the guy's aunt was Italian, so he had Venetian wedding cake necklaces, but I wasn't thrilled by them, and the price wasn't right. He did have these two 15" strands of Venetian glass I never saw before....the beads are four-sided, cobalt blue opaque, with aventurine flecks running all through the surface (which is rougher) of the beads.


Anybody know what these are? He said his aunt connected the two necklaces and wore them as one long one.

Then I decide to go back to the estate sale before going home. This lady who is very obnoxious and gets thrown out of estate sales pulled up right before me. She would not let me look at the jewelry. When I was there in the morning, they had two reproduction filigree Edwardian bracelets, just costume, not sterling, and they wanted $20 a piece for them. They said they were vintage, and I said they weren't.... so the obnoxious lady grabs them and asks how much they are (the price is plastered on there hugely in masking tape) and the guy running the show says "Oh, you can have them for the 3 for $25 price." Now I am not one to quarrel but I said "Wait a minute. I would have bought them at that price earlier. Am I getting an end of the day deal?" Then he says "Oh, I made a mistake. And you didn't like them anyway" because I told them they were reproductions. Now I am not happy at all. Okay, I wait it out until the lady leaves. The guy running the jewelry spot (not the guy running the show) says "I'm sorry." And I tell him it's okay.... so when the guy running the show leaves, he gives me the sterling I want for $5 a piece. Pays to be nice.

Sorry to ramble, but they sat there talking about all the jewelry they had in the truck and had to take to a scrapper. I said "Can I look at it?" and they said "no, it's from another sale." I know other estate seller set up a separate area and sell from other sales at current sales. DUH.

To be fair, I did get a bargain in the a.m...... I picked up this watch and had a feeling about it. It was part of the 3 for $25 sale.



When I was at the flea market, I took it to a jeweler who opened the back and found it to be 14k gold.

 

Gruen is usually a good make !
Nice find !

 

I think it was amazing the amount of time Moms put into making the kids uniforms to match the Dads.....so much work involved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But they were OH-SO-ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Totally agree,nice find KOT.

Love that watermelon bracelet Marko.

You guys and gals always find such interesting items to bring home.

 

Awesome day and finds Marko!!

 

Those Russian pieces are pretty sweet; we have a pile of Russian immigrants, but it never turns up here. They know their good stuff and hang onto it. I think I have a pair of the earrings around somewhere, but I thought they were Persian.

 

Everyone is finding such great stuff For first time in ages..stopped at GW today.....NADA....NOTHING....ZILCH.... Now I remember why I have not been there for a long time.....