This Week’s Vintage Finds #146

Hi everyone! Have you heard of the “World’s Largest Garage Sale” held annually in the Adirondack town of Warrensburg (NY)? It’s definitely the largest such sale I’ve ever been to, but some of these highway-long sales out in the mid-west seem like they might be bigger. And honestly, over the years, people have begun to rent their yards out to professional flea marketers, antique dealers, and the like, so the pickins aren’t quite as good. Twenty years ago you would find many more true, garage sales, but of course that couldn’t last forever. After a while, I guess the townspeople started running out of quality junk to sell. Anyway, over the past few years I’ve come up with a new approach. The town is located right off a highway exit, but rather than drive all the way to that exit, where I might be forced to park in a far-away lot and shuttle into town, I get off an exit south of town and hit all the sales selling on the edges of the “World’s Largest Sale.” This has proven very successful and I’ve scored loads of vintage finds.

Finding an iconic, Adirondack loon just about made the day for me. Isn’t he handsome? Such a great folk art piece (cost: $3.00, value: $28-30.00). We own a hand-carved loon that a dear friend gave us for our wedding–he’s one of my prized possessions. I envision this guy decorating a sign saying, “Loon Tavern” or “Loon Lake Inn.”

I thought I’d lead off with both of my “bird” finds. I’ve admired other people’s front stoop geese for years, now I have one of my own (cost: $1.00). He’s a bit on the diminutive side, maybe about a foot, and I’m not sure what he’s made out of–looks like wood, feels like resin.

For next to nothing, I decided to pick up this 1951 horseback riding award ($1.00). I thought I might take it apart and use the horse for something (a wine cork topper?). What do you think?

This teapot is a “leftover” from the big church sale I attended a while back with my dear friend, Nancy. Truth be told, I still have one box that I’ve not unpacked yet. I have no idea what’s in it. It’ll feel like Christmas when I get around to opening it. Anyway, this stocky ceramic pot is a “Drip-O-lator,” a specialized coffee maker from the 1930’s-40’s.

It’s missing the aluminum coffee filter part that would have sat atop the pot. Hot water would have been poured over the grounds and your coffee would drip into the pot. To serve the coffee, the aluminum apparatus would be removed and the ceramic lid replaced (cost: 75¢, value: $18-22.00). I have in my mind that it may have been manufactured by Hall, an Ohio-based pottery known for durable ceramics like this pot.

A copper kettle, like this one marked “Made in Portugal,” would be used to boil water for tea or for a Drip O’lator, if you were lucky enough to own one (cost: $1.00, value: $15-18.00).

When I bought this cup (cost: 50¢, value: $5-7.00), it looked like pewter, which sells well for me; however, it’s marked, “Empire Silver, Co. Quadruple Plate,” of Syracuse (NY). So, it is in fact silver-plated (with four times as much silver as typical silver plate), and less likely to sell quickly, though it does have a nice, primitive sort of look.

After I remove the rust from this tin soldered gingerbread man cookie cutter, he’ll be much more salable (cost: 25¢, value: $10-15.00).

I don’t come across these half-pint Ball jars very often (cost: 50¢, value: $15-18.00).

Learn more about canning jars here.

I began collecting dresser jars when we lived in England. I’d always been an admirer, but most were out of my price range. For some reason, they cost quite a bit less in the UK (£1-4 or $1.60- 6.50). So when I found this clear glass one recently, priced to buy, I snatched it up (cost: 50¢, value: $10-12.00).

I’ve mentioned before that I usually try to avoid buying glass; it simply doesn’t sell well for me. But if the price is irresistible, then I’ll pick it up and price it low (cost: 25¢, value: $5-6.00). This pattern, an old one, is called “Daisy & Button.” Can you see the daisies? They kind of look like stars and the buttons are the circle-like shapes between them.

This piece of Bristol glass, with its delicate ruffle, has a lovely shape and color (cost: $1.00, value: $15-20.00). Bristol refers to the city in England, on the west coast, where this style was first developed during the Victorian era.

The glass would have been mouth blown, leaving a pontil mark on the bottom (like you see here) where the glass blower would have broken off his pontil rod (think long straw) once he finished the piece.

Martha has an interesting article about Bristol glass.

 

Final Fabulous Find: After waiting patiently for a very long time, I finally got my hands on a vintage dress form of my very own! A couple of years ago, I bought an ugly, modern one that, up until now, I’ve used to photograph various pieces of clothing. I’m listing it on Craigslist, like, tomorrow. I rarely find vintage ones for sale; everyone wants to hang onto them for display purposes, I guess.

I bought her from the kindest man at one of the Warrensburg garage sales–a purveyor of military goods. Apparently vintage men were much smaller than modern men, and so he often uses female dress forms to display uniforms. He did admit that the breasts posed an interesting problem for him, but I didn’t go there. I just happily handed over $25.00, slid her into the back of my van, and sped off before he could change his mind.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to take a look at my vintage loot!
If you enjoyed  your visit, I hope you follow me by email.
Sign up and never miss a post.

Let’s connect!
Facebook
Pinterest
Blog Instagram
Shop Instagram
Twitter

Bye for now,

Always adding new merchandise!

Our vintage link party opens Thursday at 8 am–