Vintage Junk in My Trunk

Things the Auctioneer Laughed at Me for Bidding On

As you know, I don't go to auctions very much. I'm much more of a yard sale kind of a girl, but there's a local biweekly auction that doesn't intimidate the bejeezus out of me, so once in a while I hit that. Usually only in the dead of winter, when there haven't been any yardsales, and I am desperate for a fix.

I've ranted about it in the past, here and here.

It doesn't help that the things I bid on have always gotten a big laugh from the auctioneer. He has come right out and mocked me for raising my bid card. Good thing I enjoy his puns and can laugh right back with him.

But who's got the last laugh now, Mr. Funny Man? Here's a sampling of some recent auction purchases, and their resale value:

This cute little guy, purchased: $5. Sold for $50, plus shipping via ebay. In a week.

Broken violin, purchased: $2; sold $35 plus shipping via Etsy.

Tin coffee grinder, purchased: $5; sold $32 plus shipping via Etsy. This one took a while to sell, but at 20 cents for 4 months, well worth the wait.

Baby scale (image pulled from internet; mine was like this one), purchased: $2; sold $80 to photographer as prop via Clover Market.

Giant mirror, purchased: $2; sold locally $40.

Antique christening gown, purchased: $2; sold $30 via ebay.

Booyah!

Love/Hate Relationships

I spent my Valentine's Day evening at the auction. You know I have a love/hate relationship with the auctions I've attended, but this one had lots of stuff that appealed to me.

Mr. VJIMT was working late, so I bribed the children with pizza and guilted the teenager into playing Monopoly with his little sister as a Valentine's Day present to her. And to me.

Those of you following my Facebook page saw a few things I didn't get, like the pink birdcage and stand (the photo quality was too small to post here, since it was from the online catalogue), and this Mad Men era ombre bowl serving set. I am definitely having non-buyer's remorse over this one.

I also didn't get these fans.

Or this box of Putz houses.

I really didn't want more Putz houses, as I still have some listed in my Etsy shop from the last time I bought a lot at the auction, but I was enamored of the spun cotton snowman that was perced on top.

This lot of santa candy containers went for about $50. Not to me; I have plenty of those to sell too.

But I did get a birdcage! This one actually appealed to me more than the other, and after I lost that bidding war this one went practically unnoticed. It's headed to Clover Market in April, unless Mr. VJIMT takes a shine to it.

I also picked up this local college pennant to take to the market.

And this adorable little stuffed terrier (?), bulldog (?), who's all of 5 inches tall.

It would have been fine had I stopped there, but somehow I managed to come home with more bizarre stuffed animals, like the scary ones I got TWO YEARS AGO that have yet to be listed. 

These guys have Etsy 365 Project written all over them. And have me leaning towards the "hate" part of the relationship!

Oui, Oui, to Thursday Night Auctions

I went to an auction Thursday night. You know how much I enjoy auctions. I don't go to many, but since it is January and I live on the East Coast, I'm not finding many yard sales. There haven't even been any estate sales either, so I'm scrambling to find some junk!

There were a few things I liked at this auction, but it was pretty crowded and everything I thought about bidding on had a "left bid" that was higher than I wanted to go. Still, it was fun to look and I always learn something new.

I did find one lot I thought I could resell in my Etsy shop. These are a set of vintage French watercolor prints by a famed Parisian street artist known as Herbelot who was active from the 1940s to 1960s.

Notre-Dame.

Arc de Triomphe.

Pont Alexandre III (with the Eiffel Tower in the background).

Moulin Rouge at night.

A quick ebay search found some unframed, like mine, that have sold for between $30 to $60 apiece.

Unfortunately, mine were folded at some point, which lessens their value, but I think a vintage French watercolor print that is signed and numbered is still a pretty cool find. Especially on a dark and cold Thursday night in January!

{and we DVR 30 Rock, so whew!}

One Auctioneer’s Trash…

Two weeks ago I went to the local weeknight auction. The weeknight auctions are junkier than the monthly Saturday auctions -- less coins and art, more paper and tin.

Although the weeknight auction is more my speed, I am still not crazy about the whole auction thing. Kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth, even if I win the bidding.

Sometimes ESPECIALLY if I win the bidding. I always think “Why in the world did I bid on that?” even if I am only bidding my usual five dollars.

And, unlike a yard or estate sale, where if I see it first and can get my hands on it first, it's MINE. Not mine-if-I-bid-more-on-it-than-you, just mine.

I've discussed it before, here and here. No need to revisit.

Although, of course, being junk-desperate, I revisited.

And this is what I came home with.

First up: this poor old violin. I didn't get a good look at it prior to the bidding, and didn't realize just how terrible its condition was. No strings, piece broken on the bottom, only two pegs on the handle, and something rattling around inside.

I paid $5, and got mocked by the auctioneer for buying it. Geez. Like I need to go to an auction house to get made fun of. Maybe someone would want it for an altered art project or something. Trying to think creatively here.

Then this hat box, full of hats I know nothing about and without a mannequin head on which to position them for Etsy photographs.

I really don't know what I was thinking.

I think this soft pink velevet-y sequined one distracted me.

Anybody want a hat?

There were two of these Harper's magazines from the late 1800s. Again, more paper ephemera I have quite a stash of and no idea what to do with. 

Sell as is? Sell just the illustrations?

I still plan on eventually listing all this stuff, so we'll see what happens.

Because that broken violin? I researched it on Etsy (there was actually one listed that was broken into three separate pieces!), priced it accordingly, and sold it in less than a week for $35.

Bazinga, Mr. Auction Man!

Possession Obsession

Thursday’s preview listing at the auction house featured a VERY sweet typewriter. 

I really wanted to attend to place a bid on it. I had no idea if there would be a lot of interest (too rich for my blood), or no interest (within reach of my estate sale-sized wallet).

But in any case, I NEEDED to be there.

The problem?

1. The auction started at 6:00 pm. 
2. I had to be somewhere (close by) at 7:00 pm.
3. The typewriter was #47 on the auction list.
4. The auctioneer has a tendency to chat a lot and likes to share his questionable sense of humor.

You see my dilemma.

But I had to give it a shot.

Miraculously, the auctioneers had to be out by 7:15 for another function, so they FLEW through the listings with little to no banter between items. I clocked them at 30 seconds an item.

And not only was I there for the bidding, I WON it.

A 1917 Corona #3 Folding Typewriter, including case. It's so stinking cute, and its dimensions are smaller than a standard sheet of paper!

Only I can’t figure out how to fold it.

I found this guide online, and I know the carriage pulls up and folds out over the keys, but the physics of it escapes me.

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(Any folding suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.)

Mr. VJIMT wishes my obsession were a little less heavy. 

Maybe I should stick to postcards.

Auction Ambivalence

The yard sale pickings have been few and far between around here the last couple of scorching hot weeks, so I felt like I needed to get my fix supplement my treasure hunting.

There is a local auction house that holds a monthly sale -- which I never go to, since it’s held on Saturdays, which, you might recall, is YARD SALE DAY. Plus the stuff for auction is a little out of my league, and I’m not too into Hummels, silver coins, or bayonets.

They also have an every-other-week Thursday night auction that has some, shall we say, "’lower end” treasures -- to which I go once in a great while, when the catalogue looks interesting and I don't have to drag any kids with me.

I have gotten some decent things when I've gone -- see here and here -- but it's nothing like those awesome country auctions I've seen some of you go to where you get a hundred boxes of pink Shiny Brites for $5 and piles of gorgeous linens. You know who you are.

But I always come out of there feeling like I bought stuff I didn't really want to buy, at a price I didn't really want to pay. Those yard sale numbers are spoiling me, I tell ya!

The one thing I had my eye on was this piece of Amberina glass. I loved the color and form, but I'm not sure what it was originally used for. I got it for $10, which is a number I would NEVER have paid at a yard sale.

But my cards do look good in it!

I also got a small box lot of handmade wooden items. Included in the box were these little boats…

…and this little wooden family…

… and this cute and colorful set of little wooden pins.

All headed to Etsy, but I miss my yard sales!

Weekend Wares Wrap-Up

Lots of stuff for you to see from this weekend. I hit an auction on Thursday, an estate sale on Friday, and, of course, a multitude of yard sales on Saturday (in between softball games). I really should be listing things for my Etsy shop, since having it up and running is my goal for this month, but hey, we're only midway through. "Puh-lenty of time" is this procrastinator's mantra. Seriously, I am thisclose to opening; I'm done all the shop setup, photos are taken; just have to figure out what to list initially that will be easiest to ship (want to save the complicated stuff for later). Special deals to be had for blog readers too, so stay tuned!

Here's the small haul from the auction. Only one lot of paper ephemera, but I was happy to get it.

Cookbooks, baby cards and other baby items, hymnals, and more. All Etsy shop-bound. Love these silhouettes from the Allentown, PA Fair of 1940. 

Pillsbury cookbook featuring Philadelphia Flyers' good luck charm Kate Smith. I was hoping this would be a sign that they would win Friday night on the road to the Stanley Cup, and it was! 

Some old books like this, with color plates...

Advertising ephemera...

Hymnals with great pages for altering...

Playbills too...

Only won that one lot, but I knew there were plenty of opportunities in the days ahead. More to come!

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to the Auction I Go

One of my new obsessions is the Thursday night sale at the local auction house. I've only recently worked up the nerve to go to the auction; the idea of it always kind of intimidated me. What if I coughed and inadvertently bid on a big nasty jar of goo? What if I got carried away and paid an outrageous sum for an old set of JFK's golf clubs? Very intimidating.

But it really isn't. The auctioneers are entertaining, the event lasts between 60 and 90 minutes (depending on how entertaining the auctioneers feel like being), and I can be home in time to view Survivor! with Nicholas (another obsession). Now, it's a little less fun when you have to drag an uninterested five-year old princess with you, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do--so I stuffed my purse with Nintendo games and Kit Kat bars, and away we went!

Here is a shot of my stuff. Not a huge haul, but not bad for an hour. Most items are headed to the soon-to-be-announced Etsy shop.

This huge (heavy!) Victorian framed mirror was ridiculously cheap! Maybe I should start thinking of having a shop for some of these too-tough-to-ship items. I'm pretty sure it will be painted shabby-chic white at some point. And the mirror part is already distressed!

Detail of the mirror. Ignore both the grime and Leo admiring his reflection.

Cool "Old Maid" card game in pretty good condition (most of the cards are not even separated) except for the spot on the front of the box where the auction house put the identification sticker. What? Seriously? Did they not realize that the sticker adhesive would damage the lid and devalue the piece? THE AUCTION HOUSE? I might have to have a word.

Box of cookie cutters. Box is beat-up, but cutters are fine.

Nice old glass compote which I would like to see displaying my vintage Shiny-Brite Christmas ornaments. I like its graceful shape. Right now it's holding the collection of buttons I also won. I didn't take a close-up photo of the old bottle-with-stopper next to it that you can see in the main photo.

More buttons that were in the same lot still on their original cards.

Hand-painted woman's photo. About 12x18 inches in size. I like her shoes.

I'm having buyer's remorse over the HUGE stack of paper ephemera I stopped bidding on. Old almanac pages and more. It was quite a pile. Dreamed about them all night. Sigh. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

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Just wanted to let you know about a special giveaway that's going on at 52 Flea. Laura is celebrating her one-year anniversary with a bunch of cool prizes. All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog before Monday, February 22 and you're entered! I think it's fabulous that she has only been blogging for a year and is featured in the current issue of Somerset magazine. Congratulations, Laura!

There are all kinds of giveaways, prizes and swaps out here in this vintage blogland. Most of you know about them, but for those friends out there who are new to this I will post what I find. Spread the blog love!