What would your dream find at a thrift store be?

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I was thinking how we talk about everything coming into the thrift store eventually. So what would be that one amazing find you hope to someday stumble on?

Mine is I would LOVE to find a Atkinson Fox or Maxfield Parrish print at the thrift. I guess they used to be donated fairly regularly in the 80s when no one cared about them, but then the deco prints became collectible. And that was the end of it.

Anyone else?

[alexandra]

At this point in time, my dream find would either be a vintage doctor's bag for under seven bucks, or a set of six Imperial Grape drinking glasses for a buck a piece.  These dreams are not likely to be realized, but are not so outrageous as to not be possible!

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I think the Imperial grape might just be a possibility. Right place right time and... :-)

Here's hoping for you!

[Second Hand Sophisticate]

Off the top of my head:

1. A signed copy of Gandhi's autobiography
2. A pair of Jackie Kennedy's earrings
3. An undiscovered manuscript of short stories by Truman Capote written in his longhand with his famous pencils
4.  A dress by Main bocher, Balmain, Lanvin, Poirret, Chanel--vintage, of course, and in perfect condition.
5."32" rogue Hermes Kelly actually--but not necessarily--carried by Grace Kelly!
6. Fossilized Moroccan amber.
6. Ambergris
7. Sabertooth tiger bone or tooth
 
Hey, this is my fantasy, after all! But stranger things have happened!
Ciao, Bellas
SeSo (who lost her id and had to log on again with a different spelling)

[Other People s Junk]

Mine is I would LOVE to find a Atkinson Fox or Maxfield Parrish print at the thrift.

I actually found an R. Atkinson Fox print once.  At a rummage sale for $3!  The exciting thing was that it was that (signed), as it wasn't that great of a print.  It was just an outdoorsy scene, and while I have mostly outdoorsy prints, it just didn't go with my others.  (So I sold it on ebay for $40.)  My parents also found one (that was nice and they still have) at an estate sale.  My point is dream on! because it COULD happen!   

I would love to find a great Max Streckenbach print that I don't have.  Especially the one with poppies and sunflowers, but I'm not that picky. 

[MrsGoodwill]

I would love to find a big collection of vintage Dia de los Muertos items or a vintage retablo! Ay dios mia -- I would be in heaven!

When I do come across a collection of things, it's almost always something that I wouldn't want. Example: last week at the SA, I found a huge collection of brik-a-brak penguins and penguin-related items. I am guessing someone had grown tired of his collection or needed to downsize it or whatever. It was rather sad. (BTW -- I have nothing against penguins! Just not something I would collect.)

[Second Hand Sophisticate]

Mrs. GW, I can totally relate!  I usually find collections of owls, or dolls, or dogs. Not that they are not nice to collect, just not my speed.  Lots of angels. Is someone trying to tell me something?  And I guess, really, I am not a collector. Though, apparently, I have a hard time turning down chairs...

Day of the Dead totally and utterly rocks. I had a fascination with it for several years, and I must say, it still interests me.

[Vintage PurseLover]

My perfect find would be any piece of Chanel clothing,jewelry or handbag.

[Second Hand Sophisticate]

Hear, Hear, Dianne!  I've yet to find anything Chanel ever, in all my years of thrifting...except ONCE: a black quilted feedbag in so-so shape. I wasn't sure if it was real or faux, so I passed. It was $15, way too much for me to spend on a faux in lousy shape.

[Cassandra]

Anything having to do with musicals, especially Les Miserables.

I saw a neon light that read Les Mis on eBay once...patiently waiting for that to show up here.

A signed, first edition of Les Miserables (the book) would be perfect.  A signed script of the musical would be amazing.

I just started getting into records (bought a Camelot record yesterday) so finding a set of musical records would make me very happy.

Besides musical stuff, something I need now that I wish would appear would be black rectangle glasses (preferably by Chanel or some other designer).

There's more, but I can't think of anything else.

Cassandra

[Big Daddy Audio]

Hi Guys and Gals -

Since we're being totally insane on this topic - here's my top 10:

10 ) 1971 Schwinn Grey Ghost Krate - mint condition
9 ) A few unopened boxes of Nakamichi ZX-C90 cassettes
8 ) McIntosh Components
7 ) Spalding Gray's original handwritten or typed version of Impossible Vacation (The final version isn't much like it's described in Monster in a Box)
6 ) A winning powerball ticket stuffed in a pair of size 12 black leather Doc Marten boots
5 ) A flux capacitor that's still working
4 ) The Zapruder Film (director's cut with missing footage re-inserted)
3 ) Elephant Man's skeleton
2 ) Original Shakespeare Manuscripts
1 ) A Moon rock

That is all.

[Second Hand Sophisticate]

Yo, Big Daddy:

I LOVE your list. It's as realistically unrealistic as mine.   And it appears you're also the literary type

A Spaulding Gray fan, hmmm.  What a tragic end. Was his body ever found?

I love your #4.  I'm sure there are many people who want that film!   

I live on the Space Coast, and I can tell you there's ALOT of competition for that moon rock! 

What # is your HS reunion...c'mon now,'fess up!   You must have had a very good time in HS to spend those big bucks...

SeSo

[Mattie]

While a working flux capacitor would be a helluva score, I'd be happy with a Heywood-Wakefield dining table, chairs and china cabinet in champagne, with dogbone or stingray chairs.  When oh when will I find this? 

[Big Daddy Audio]

HS Reunion - 25th

Big fan of Spalding Gray.  The did find his body, a few weeks after he killed himself.

I don't really want to go into it any more than that, as it would be/get seriously off topic.

That is all.

[Cookie]

Realistically, I would love to find a bunch of old cake decorating books from the 60's and the 70's, The Wilton Way of Decorating Volumes I, II, and III, for example.  You can find them on eBay for about $30 to $40 each, but I keep hoping I'll score them at a thrift store someday for $2.00 each.  Also quasi realistically, I would love to find a cool old sewing machine in my favorite color, robin's egg blue, that is in perfect condition, barely used, that has the case and the manual with it.  And I would love to find some old dial up phones in the cool pink, blue, and green colors.  Good Buddy and I are also on the lookout for our ultimate moorish/moroccan bedroom set to rock the casbah.  (Maybe this should go under the unrealistic part.)

Unrealistically, I would love to find something that would get me on Antiques Roadshow so I can faint when they tell me the true price of my thrift score.  However, I'm probably too cheap for that kind of luck.  Even if I did find something worth $500,000 at a thrift store, I'd probably walk away from it if I thought they wanted too much for it.  I can just see myself saying, "$50!!?  They've got to be kidding.  This is a thrift store," as I put down some priceless piece of art.