Can't Stop Antiquing

 

Officially my antiquing business is closed.  Maybe I should call it a soft closure?  Because after 30 years of junking, it is hard to quit cold turkey.

I saw these hanging victorian chandeliers on an on-line auction.  So I made some low-ball bids and managed to get three of them.  Then what?  Too fragile and large to ship on ebay safely.

So I put them on facebook marketplace and sold all three the day after I listed them.  Cha-ching.  But I really AM trying to stop buying for resale.  

Chandelier For New Antiques Booth

I was surprised when I won this chandelier at my last local

on-line auction for cheap $20.

I knew it would look great in my future antiques booth,

with a little tweaking.

I removed all of the crystals, and hand washed each one.

Spray painted the brass chandelier a flat white

and reattached each pesky crystal.

My husband added a plug-in wire with an on/off switch.

And now it hangs in a place of honor in my new antique booth
at Camp Flea in Ozark, MO.
UPDATE:  I sold it for $50 at my antiques liquidation sale.

St Joseph MO Druggist Bottle

 Yes, this was actually another bonus item from the on-line auction

last summer.

Buried in a box of goodies that I won.

 Collectors love these local bottles,

because they were manufactured in very limited quantities.

 This one appears to have been dug up

(that is how so many of these bottles are found.)

Other than a tiny fleabite around the outside edge of the opening,

this one is none the worse for wear.

Finally going on ebay Saturday.

Scary Table Redo Just In Time For Halloween

I bought this little white table on a local on-line auction a few months ago.  In fact, it was this table that my vintage pair of Levi's was sitting on -- that went on to sell for $689  (click here to read that post).  So the $24 I paid for this pale old girl was well worth the cost.

It went right from that auction to our chicken coop, and it has sat in the chicken shed until just a few days ago.  I want to take it to my new antique booth this weekend, but remembered it needed a little work.  Someone had hammered a thin piece of plywood on the top to cover _____.
I was scared to find out what was in the blank.  (What I should have been worried about was at the bottom and not the top!)

What I found under the plywood was the super chippy brown paint in the first photo. The oak boards were a bit uneven too, but I specialize in primitive furniture so that goes with the territory.  I vacuumed the loose bits and painted a thin layer flat white over the top.  When that was dry, I painted a thin layer of satin buff color (it matched the old paint on the legs and apron very well).  Then sanding to allow some of the old brown paint and newer white paint to peek through.  During the sanding some more of the brown chippy parts came off -- which actually helped the top blend in with the legs.  Easy, cheesy.  Call it a day.  Simply tip the table over so I can clean the legs, and then ..... EEK!.

Inside the bottom of one of the legs was an infestation of ghostly white termites.  SO GROSS.
(You can thank me for not taking a photo of that!) I put a five gallon bucket under the offending leg to catch any deserters.  My husband fetched the reciprocating saw and I hacked the crawly foot off.  Of course, I had to saw off the three innocent feet as well.  But the amputation was successful.  (Don't worry, I will purge the chicken coop before we actually get any chickens.) We will be packing up the patient and putting her in my new booth Saturday.

Coffee Table Redo

Not only does this table have awesome curves and cut outs,

it also still has it's original glass top.

I purchased it from the same on-line auction where I bought the jeans that sold for $689.

Anyway, I only paid $8 for the coffee table.

 

It just needed a little paint and distressing to show off the details.

The curves are so gorgeous.

I had a doile that perfectly fit under the glass.

On-Line Auction Weathervanes

The last local on-line auction I picked up included

"pieces of weathervanes".

 I had to put them together like puzzles.

I ended up with two complete weather vanes

and one partial.

This one is my favorite. 

 And I had to find wooden bases for both of them.

 For this last one I didn't have any directional letters,

but it scored a wood slice for a base and is still cute.

I am selling them at my first ever Antiques Sale

at my home the first week of October.

Junking Trip To The Old Stomping Grounds

 We needed to make a trip north this past weekend to check on our other house

that is still for sale and do a little cleaning there.

As soon as I realized we were going, I checked the on-line

auction calendar and realized that I could bid and pick up items 

during the time we would be there.  And hit a flea market on our way out of town.
The above pic is after we unloaded the van after the weekend!

 While at our north house,

I got a text reminding me that I had purchased these two

tubs months ago and had forgotten about them.

So we were able to pack those up as well.

 From the on-line auction I purchased

bits and pieces of newer weathervanes.

At this point it looks like I have enough parts

for two complete ones, and one partial.

At the flea market I got four great pieces of wood,

including this cedar cross-section.

Chopping block?

I got all of these junky screens for $1.

I plan on using them to line the walls of my

future antique store booth.

Bonus TWA & Southern Airways Collectibles

 More "bonus junk" from the on-line auction pick-up last week.

I bid on three boxes of misc dishes, because I spied two

jadeite mugs in the mix.  It turned out that there were a few other

hidden gems in those three boxes.

I uncovered six shot glasses from Southern Airways --

dating from  1956-1969.

 Two small metal TWA serving dishes.

Probably 1970s.

 Made by Oneida.

 A bunch of TWA Swizzle Sticks from different countries...

and swizzle stick propellers from TWA.

All will be going on ebay.

Easy Tips To Determine Desirability of Vintage Levi's 501 Jeans

One of the "bonus" items (something in my "lot" that was not in auction pic or description)
 I received from the local on-line

auction that I picked up last Thursday was a vintage pair of Levi's.

They were very dirty, smelly but washed up well.  And I knew from

a little prior experience that they could be good.

 There are a ton of things to look for when establishing the 

value / age of a pair of vintage levi's.  First is the little red tag.

If it has a capital E, you are on the right track.

If the word LEVI'S is only on one side of the tag

(like mine) then you are doing even better.

 There is a window of time where there is a "diamond"

stitched on the bottom of the arcuate (wing stitch on pocket).

Check!  But the other back pocket of my jeans it is too worn to see it.

 Selvedge inside watch pocket. 😖

Not on mine, so I am a little confused.
Width of watch pocket,
and sometimes COLOR of watch pocket is a factor as well.

 Selvedge on seam instead of stitching.  Check.

 Concealed rivets.  Check.

 Centered back belt loop.

It would be better if it were a little to the left.

And it would be great if they had a leather Levi's patch.
And it would be fantastic if there was a cinch.
But then I'd probably be selling these to a museum.

Instead I'll be listing them on ebay,

I hope they will turn out to surprise me twice in a row.

Update:  The jeans sold for $689!

Vintage Christmas In July

The continuing saga of local on-line auctions.

The above photo was about all I had to go on --

"LARGE ASST OF CHRISTMAS ITEMS".

I gambled, and won the lot for $6. 

I had to haul all of the above and other items I won out of the basement

and drag / pack in my van on a very hot day.

It about did me in.  I had driven several blocks when I saw the 

"door ajar" light on.  No biggie.  I went several more blocks before

I realized a side door was all the way open, which I pulled over and closed.

Chock it up to dehydration brain.  I went quite a bit further before

realizing the opposite side door was also open.

I finally made it home, drank some tea and went to work sorting.

Because the trash comes on Friday and I wanted to get rid of the excess.

 So in the clear light of morning here is what I kept

from the large Christmas assortment.

11 boxes ornaments, not super old --

but definitely sellable.

 This is the best item,

a color wheel for aluminum tree.

 Old nativity.

Love the cow.

Hard plastic snowman and churches,

which are musical.

I will do future posting on some other items I brought home from the auction.

Local Folk Artist From The 1940s

I participated in an on-line auction a few weeks ago,

(see post here on my auctions wins).

 One of the things that I bid on, but did not win was this "altar".

The photos from this on-line auction service are always bad, but I could tell it had

some age on it, and that someone was very creative.  Not only do the

local on-line auctions have rotten pics, but their description was just "altar".

Nevertheless, I was very drawn to it .... and bid a whole $8 just to "bookmark" it.

But when I found out my grandchild was going to be induced on the "pick up"

date, I let the bid slide and someone bought it for just $12!

Well, it could not be helped.

One of the items I did win was this tiered shelf, made by the same artist.

AND I had a magazine from the 1940s with a page about the local

woodcarver artist.  Self taught, mostly made everything with a pocketknife.

The most interesting tidbit: it had a photo of the altar in the article!

It talked about how many hours it took him to carve the altar.

By this time I was sad I had not bid more, but life goes on......

Until I am talking to a friend of mine about the altar.

He asked the name of the guy, and I actually remembered.

He already owned several pieces of folk art  done by this gentlemen,

and was very interested in hearing more about the altar.

Then I showed him the 1940s magazine article...

besides showing the altar, it had a photo of the artist working on a 3D picture.

And this friend OWNED the carved picture!

So, I sold him the magazine and gave him enough info about the

on-line auction to get him started in tracking the altar down.

Happy Ending  -- this last pic is of the altar tucked safely in his basement,

awaiting a few minor repairs (with the magazine sitting on top).

Local On-Line Auction Vintage Wins

 

So about 10 days ago I made some entry-level bids on a local on-line auction.  They have a certain pick-up window of about 2 hours, no exceptions.  But I knew my calendar was clear, so I made some opening bids on about 45 lots.  45 lots.  The next day my son called to say that they were inducing my grandchild on the appointed pick-up day.  So, I asked a friend to pick up the treasures and did not raise any bids.  Therefore, my "wins" were pretty much the loser stuff that no one else wanted.  (BUT, who cares?  I HAVE A GRANDSON!)  I bid $4 on this "lot" because of the retro lamp shade peeking up of the top.  And yes, it was cool. Sold on ebay for $26.

 

This is a cute little side table with a "gator" patina.  It is a keeper, I paid $18 (all bids includes 10% auctioneer fee).

I am definitely a sucker for these vintage oriental jackets.  Many came from Japan during Korean war.  this lot included at least two for $4.  I will probably sell them on ebay.

Sold one for $20.

Do you see the small tiered shelf hiding in back?  That is why I bid on this lot, it was carved by a local around the 1930s and has a great tramp art look. I got it and the cute pink TP holder for $2. 

Sold the tiered shelf for $25.

 I got a big box of misc Catholic items which date from the 1940s-1950s for $4.  It was fun looking through all of it.  I kept a box of medallions, medals for ebay -- and I sold the rest at a yard sale Saturday. The ebay medallions sold for $14.

 I got these three little ceramic dwarves for $2.

They will sell in my "outdoor store".

Sold for $21.

 I had to get two large totes of "fall decor"

because I saw a corner of one of these peeking out.

$4, plus two totes which I can really put to good use as we are moving.

Sold on ebay for $21.

Most of the above stuff has already been moved to our new house.