Well, I was at the auction from 9am until 5:30pm yesterday. A serious whole day. After we loaded the last load from the auction (more on that in a bit) Dad and I (who thankfully came back for a little while to help load) went down to Sawyer Point, which was just wrapping up. We all helped Em pack her stuff up, and then went out to dinner and I didn't get home until 10pm. Thankfully, Mabel did not do a thing wrong while I was gone. (Although I wouldn't have blamed her if she had.) Now I am tired, sore, and sunburned, in that order.
So anyway, the auction. Dad did get two of the things he wanted me to bid on, and I really didn't intend to bring home much, but... best laid plans and all of that.
I really should just accept the fact that antiquing is in my blood, and that the majority of the stuff I buy at auctions and thrift shops and such can and probably will be sold at a profit in the future, unless I buy them for my permanent collection. Antiquing is my investing. What stock can you buy that you can then sell for three or four times the purchasing price? I think there's a post for Plethora in that, and I've been thinking about it lately, so I will probably post something this weekend.
This was a large auction, and the second day of it, too. (And more to come, later in May.) They were just working out of the garage and outbuilding, so you can imagine how packed full of stuff both buildings were. There was a lot of old fabric and some nice looking velvet, but everything out of the one building stank of mildew and mold, and I really didn't want to have to attempt to clean vintage velvet for the rest of the weekend, so I didn't bid on any of that. (Although it went dirt cheap and I had to hold myself back. I really didn't want it in the house, and I have no place to put it safely outside.)
In fact, there wasn't a lot of stuff I was really interested in. There was one Frankoma piece, which I bought for $4, and a nice pink glass pitcher (maybe pressed glass? I don't think it was Depression Glass) that was pretty, but ended up going for $35, which is too high for me. I did get the only two weaving-related items at the auction for the price of a soft drink; I spied two rag shuttles in a bucket of fishing poles and other odd poles and the guy who bought the entire lot was nice enough to give the shuttles to me if I bought him a pop. Yay!
The first things I actually bought were two floor lamps in need of some help; one has a wooden body and a cast iron base; the other is all cast iron, but it also has cast iron flowers on it, which makes it pretty neat. I will probably use that one as a hanger and fix up the other one (another spare time project.) Then I got another cast iron hat stand/hanger; I'm not sure what they were originally used for, but I use them to hold my hats in the entry room. This was $5, I think.
I bought a really nice picture frame with carved oak leaves around the whole thing (with the original glass intact) for $5, thinking that it might be big enough for a poster I've wanted to hang. I haven't measured it yet, so we'll see. And now that I say that, I can't remember what picture or poster I wanted to hang. Hmm. I know I have one somewhere. I also bought a folding drying contraption; I have a metal one that is newer, but this one is wooden and old and goes better with my 'theme' on my craft show table. That was $12.
Then, I--dammit--fed my table fetish. I really didn't want to, but I see tables like the one I bought (at the auction) at Burlington for over $100, and I love Arts & Crafts furniture. This was a small, solid oak (I'm pretty sure; it sure weighs enough) Arts & Crafts style table/desk. And I paid $25, which was a steal.
Then I went crazy and bought two twin brass beds (approximately early 1900s), whole and complete, for $30. When I say whole and complete, I mean with the original springs (in great shape), the bed rails (including extra rails for two more beds, which I may need anyway for a walnut bed I bought to sell a while back), head and foot boards, etc. These will go in the "spare time" pile, as they need to be cleaned.
I may keep them and put them in my spare bedroom once it is a spare bedroom and not still full of Bekah's stuff. We'll see.
After that, and coming back to my senses for a bit, the only other thing I bought (big and heavy-wise) was a very heavy military (maybe an ammo box?) box full of vintage upholstery trim. The trim only needs an airing; it's not in bad shape, since I don't think anything could get into that box. It weighs a ton, though. I got that for $10. (The trim is to sell. I'm not sure about the Very Heavy box I can't even lift by myself.) I am going to call it my Bear Box, because I'm not even sure a bear could get in it. :)
After that, they finally went to the glassware and small stuff, where I bid on and didn't win two of the clocks Dad wanted me to bid on (both went way too high) but I did buy three art tiles for $5 (two of which I'm planning to incorporate in my hearth design), the Frankoma vase, a very pretty blue enamelware teapot (made in Japan and not very old, but I would have bought it at Goodwill for $5 if I'd seen it, so I bought it at the auction because I've always wanted one and they usually go too high for me. And maybe this one will become my spare teapot since the other one never worked out right.) I also bought a jar of old beaded stuff--a lot of flapper dress trim from the 20s, and two beaded belts. I'm not sure what else is in the jar; it's full of beads and such. That was $20. I foresee a vintage jewelry/beads month on ebay here in the near future.
Then, Dad arrived and we made three trips back to his house with the two things he bought (both had to be taken individually, so it's not as bad as it sounds, really), and then the brass beds and the ammo box, both of which wouldn't fit in my car, because it was already full. (the table took up a lot of space because it had to be laid down sideways.) Thankfully, the auction was in Bethel and close by. The beds and ammo box are still in Dad's van, because he's going to drop them off tomorrow. That means today I get to MAKE ROOM! Ha.
I am still trying to figure out where to put the table.
So anyway, the auction. Dad did get two of the things he wanted me to bid on, and I really didn't intend to bring home much, but... best laid plans and all of that.
I really should just accept the fact that antiquing is in my blood, and that the majority of the stuff I buy at auctions and thrift shops and such can and probably will be sold at a profit in the future, unless I buy them for my permanent collection. Antiquing is my investing. What stock can you buy that you can then sell for three or four times the purchasing price? I think there's a post for Plethora in that, and I've been thinking about it lately, so I will probably post something this weekend.
This was a large auction, and the second day of it, too. (And more to come, later in May.) They were just working out of the garage and outbuilding, so you can imagine how packed full of stuff both buildings were. There was a lot of old fabric and some nice looking velvet, but everything out of the one building stank of mildew and mold, and I really didn't want to have to attempt to clean vintage velvet for the rest of the weekend, so I didn't bid on any of that. (Although it went dirt cheap and I had to hold myself back. I really didn't want it in the house, and I have no place to put it safely outside.)
In fact, there wasn't a lot of stuff I was really interested in. There was one Frankoma piece, which I bought for $4, and a nice pink glass pitcher (maybe pressed glass? I don't think it was Depression Glass) that was pretty, but ended up going for $35, which is too high for me. I did get the only two weaving-related items at the auction for the price of a soft drink; I spied two rag shuttles in a bucket of fishing poles and other odd poles and the guy who bought the entire lot was nice enough to give the shuttles to me if I bought him a pop. Yay!
The first things I actually bought were two floor lamps in need of some help; one has a wooden body and a cast iron base; the other is all cast iron, but it also has cast iron flowers on it, which makes it pretty neat. I will probably use that one as a hanger and fix up the other one (another spare time project.) Then I got another cast iron hat stand/hanger; I'm not sure what they were originally used for, but I use them to hold my hats in the entry room. This was $5, I think.
I bought a really nice picture frame with carved oak leaves around the whole thing (with the original glass intact) for $5, thinking that it might be big enough for a poster I've wanted to hang. I haven't measured it yet, so we'll see. And now that I say that, I can't remember what picture or poster I wanted to hang. Hmm. I know I have one somewhere. I also bought a folding drying contraption; I have a metal one that is newer, but this one is wooden and old and goes better with my 'theme' on my craft show table. That was $12.
Then, I--dammit--fed my table fetish. I really didn't want to, but I see tables like the one I bought (at the auction) at Burlington for over $100, and I love Arts & Crafts furniture. This was a small, solid oak (I'm pretty sure; it sure weighs enough) Arts & Crafts style table/desk. And I paid $25, which was a steal.
Then I went crazy and bought two twin brass beds (approximately early 1900s), whole and complete, for $30. When I say whole and complete, I mean with the original springs (in great shape), the bed rails (including extra rails for two more beds, which I may need anyway for a walnut bed I bought to sell a while back), head and foot boards, etc. These will go in the "spare time" pile, as they need to be cleaned.
I may keep them and put them in my spare bedroom once it is a spare bedroom and not still full of Bekah's stuff. We'll see.
After that, and coming back to my senses for a bit, the only other thing I bought (big and heavy-wise) was a very heavy military (maybe an ammo box?) box full of vintage upholstery trim. The trim only needs an airing; it's not in bad shape, since I don't think anything could get into that box. It weighs a ton, though. I got that for $10. (The trim is to sell. I'm not sure about the Very Heavy box I can't even lift by myself.) I am going to call it my Bear Box, because I'm not even sure a bear could get in it. :)
After that, they finally went to the glassware and small stuff, where I bid on and didn't win two of the clocks Dad wanted me to bid on (both went way too high) but I did buy three art tiles for $5 (two of which I'm planning to incorporate in my hearth design), the Frankoma vase, a very pretty blue enamelware teapot (made in Japan and not very old, but I would have bought it at Goodwill for $5 if I'd seen it, so I bought it at the auction because I've always wanted one and they usually go too high for me. And maybe this one will become my spare teapot since the other one never worked out right.) I also bought a jar of old beaded stuff--a lot of flapper dress trim from the 20s, and two beaded belts. I'm not sure what else is in the jar; it's full of beads and such. That was $20. I foresee a vintage jewelry/beads month on ebay here in the near future.
Then, Dad arrived and we made three trips back to his house with the two things he bought (both had to be taken individually, so it's not as bad as it sounds, really), and then the brass beds and the ammo box, both of which wouldn't fit in my car, because it was already full. (the table took up a lot of space because it had to be laid down sideways.) Thankfully, the auction was in Bethel and close by. The beds and ammo box are still in Dad's van, because he's going to drop them off tomorrow. That means today I get to MAKE ROOM! Ha.
I am still trying to figure out where to put the table.
Comments