Nancydr2's 2009 Finds

[ctumma]

Back to Shiny Brite - I have seen some clear ornaments with pieces of tinsel in them, think made in Japan.

[nancydr2]

I did some thrifting this weekend and did find a few things.  I noticed that there was a lot more on the shelves, but it was 99% pure, unfiltered crap.  Seriously, I think most of it was Big Lots or dollar store overstock.

My best find was 4 Russel Wright Iroquois berry bowls--2 blue, 2 rusty brown.  I paid 80 cents each for them and they are in perfect condition.  I also got a super cute Starbucks pink thermos, 4 polymer clay miniature houseplants for my dollhouse, a bunch of crafting supplies and a Napco spaghetti Santa bank.  Not a bad haul, but I felt like I really had to work for it.

[valleythriftshopper]

Nice finds, I would have bought the dollhouse plants & Santa bank too.  In my box of Christmas stuff I got this weekend I found one Lefton angel & one Napco angel.  Actually you found quite a few things for a weekend of thrifting the way things are these days at thrifts. 

Today I did see what is probably the nicest piece of thrift furniture I have come across that I can remember.   It is an antique childs roll top desk with original chair, it is the cutest thing ever and a nice piece of antique furniture too.  They are asking 100 dollars which is fair for that piece.  I bet it won't last long, I wish I had come across it when my daughter was little.

[nancydr2]

I think I happened into something today that was a great buy.  I'm not a record collector, but I picked up some old 45's because I liked the cover art.  When I buy stuff like this, it's usually because I plan to dump the record and use the cover in an art project.  However, if there's any chance that it might be worth something, I look it up on eBay before taking my rotary cutter to it.  One of these 45's just sold for $67. 

So what I got were four 45 EPs all on the EmArcy label.  Two are Sarah Vaughan (one called Sarah Vaughan and the other is sincerely, Sarah) and two are Lionel Hampton (C'est le Hamp and Hamp Abroad).  The one I saw on eBay was mint; the ones I bought have some minor damage to the cover and are missing the interior sleeve.  There are no visible scratches.  I don't have a turntable so I'm taking them to my uncle's house next week to give them a listen. 

They were definitely worth the $3.98 I paid for them just for the artwork.  If they do turn out to be worth anything, I guess I'll probably sell them.  I don't need to start another collection and I wouldn't have the heart to cut them up.  Part of me is hoping they turn out to be worthless!

[valleythriftshopper]

Well I wouldn't throw away the records even if you do use the cover art, those are classics.  I think you will enjoy listening to the Sarah Vaughan albums! 

[nancydr2]

Yesterday, I had my first really good day at the thrift stores in a long, long time.  I went to 7 different stores and hauled in all this loot:  mint condition large yellow pyrex refrigerator dish with cover ($5), Marx Carryall Castle playset (awesome tin litho toy from the 1960's - $3.20), a pile of 1950's travel brochures with awesome graphics (roughly $4), a handpainted wooden house purse (sold at Goldwaters in Phoenix in the 1960s; it needs a little repair - $1.50), 3 early 1960s grade school science textbooks (I'm collecting vintage images of rockets and space stuff for an art project - $1 each), and about a dozen vintage cookbooks (from 10 cents to $2 each).  I also spent $25 on a steam iron with a separate water reservoir; they usually sell for about $200.  I've still got to test it to see if it's working.  I've coveted my friend Tina's iron like this for years, but could never bring myself to pay that much money for an iron.  I'm a quilter so if it works, it will be the buy of the year for me. 

[Your Pal Eric]

The iron sounds great!  I always get skittish about buying appliances that are supposed to heat up; I never had a bad experience or anything like that, I just get nervous.  Which probably leads to missing out on some great stuff.

Today I went to the south side, where all the best thrifting happens; got a handful of science fiction pulp paperbacks, and the friend I was with got a yellow Homer Laughlin Harlequin platter in pretty good shape, and a floral design Jadeite saucer. 

We saw some great 8-tracks while we were out, and it occurred to me, I never, ever see 8-track players in the thrifts here anymore.  Have any of y'all seen any recently?

[valleythriftshopper]

Nice find on everything!  One of those Marx sets recently sold for $95.00 on Ebay. 

[nancydr2]

I know what you mean about being skittish when it comes to certain appliances.  I felt really good about purchasing this one because the St. Vinnie's staff really check their electronics out thoroughly.  They even have a special label they use where they note stuff like the condition of the cord, how they tested it and how it performed.  They also guarantee it so if it doesn't work, you can get a store credit. I took it for a test run this afternoon and it works great!  I'm going to have to do some sewing tomorrow so I can use it.

[Your Pal Eric]

That kind of service-- checking out and guaranteeing electronics-- is totally fantastic.  We don't have many St Vinny's around here, but it sounds like I should see if they have the same kind of deal.

On a very loosely related note, I went to a St. Vinny's in Fort Wayne, Indiana when I was driving through there, and it was (and still is) the single cleanest and best-organized thrift store I'd ever been to in my whole LIFE.  And the prices were comparable to, if not lower than, other thrifts.  Just fantastic.

[N1]

Nice...