So, Was I a Big Dunderhead for Buying This???

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Thrifting around here for the past few weeks has been slow. I can't really complain because I made such an interesting haul a few weeks ago for just a few bucks.

Still, it is tiring to shift through so much caacaa and not find a single thing that makes one's heart go pit-a-pat...

Today I was really on my last thrift nerve. I was getting itchy from looking at so much superfluous stuff in a never-ending search for the QUALITY piece. I swear, I was breaking out in a rash. And then:  I spied IT. IT was there. There IT was.

Like soft, gentle manna from heaven, the gentle wisps of Ben Seibel's "Golden Burst" design hit my visual sense. Amongst all the pretenders and wanna-bes, the sheer sensory impact of such purity washed me clean of all faux design pollution. I was made whole again.

"Come to Mama, baby," I crooned to this delightful platter, signed on the back:

"raymor Universal ovenproof tu U.P. INC.  Cambridge Ohio U.S.A. Golden Burst" and the best part:  " A Ben Seibel Design".

So where does the dunderheadism come in?  My delightful little platter has a chip on it! Not a flea-bite, a chip. The thrift came down a buck and let me have it for $2.  Was it stoo-pit of me to buy it with the chip?  It's a small chip, but it's a chip. The design is so awesome and it will match my groovy Royal China Starglow everyday dishes smashingly well.  I shudder to think that there was a whole perfect set there and somebody else got it, and all that was left was one little piece

I am curious, fellow thrifters:  Was it a good deal? Should I have walked away?  Was it worth it? 

Be cold, be cruel, and let me know if I am Queen of the Dunderheads!

Grumpy Old SeSo

[adapt]

eh. i have a lot of blemished thrift finds. i don't let it get to me. i always think about how i may never see the same piece again and its better to have it blemished than not have it at all... if i'm a collector.

my experience and penchant is thrift clothing... and sometimes i have to have it even if its missing a button or has a small hole.

for example, i was at a local thrift recently and they had a really vibrant yellow 60s izod lacoste cardigan, with the oldest izod tag. am i going to turn it down for three dollars though there is a button missing? not a chance. for finds like that, the price isn't even worth negotiating.

i personally think theres character in a flawed collection.

[Good Buddy]

Ben Seibel is AWESOME. Thanks SeSo for letting me know about it.
I'm sure Cookie will love it too. Maybe we'll see some at Renninger's...One can only hope..

[ChrisMiss]

I don't think you were a dunderhead for buying it with a chip in it.  If you like it then that's all that matters.  I've bought things that weren't perfect because it's for my pleasure. 

[foutchie]

heck, a chip means use it all the time!   When I get something old or really vintage, if it's in perfect shape I'm afraid to "ruin" it - a chip gives you the go ahead to use and use!

[Big Daddy Audio]

I'd have to see a picture of it in order to properly bestow any form of dunderheadedness.  It'd be against the rules to do otherwise....

That is all.

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Your wish is my command, BDA!   

I just have to find the camera in the middle of all this dreaded kitchen remodeling. Give me a day or three...   

Stay tuned!!

At three "nos" and one "maybe"--

The possible Dunderhead Queen,
SeSo

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Nope. If you paid full price at an antique mall, or bid it up at an auction, then dunderheadism might be a half-valid label.

But how often do these sorts of things come into thrifts? Does the thing have resale value with the chip? Eh, probably not much. But does it have decorative value? Absolutely.

I have some perfect pieces. I have some pieces with chips. If you love it, buy it; chips be damned.

[Scott]

I might have to rain on this parade ... or maybe not.

Let me first say that I adore Ben Seibel's work. Just this past weekend I added a new piece of his Jenfredware line (his first commercial production) to my small Seibel collection. His work is across-the-board marvelous.

But here comes my "maybe" vote ...

If you bought this piece for resale, I'd absolutely think you were a dunderhead (no offense, honestly). Seibel dinnerware prices have been catastrophically low for the past couple years. The only damaged piece of Seibel dinnerware I'd ever consider purchasing would be something from his early Raymor Modern Stoneware line, but never Universal which tends to be underestimated and undervalued by Seibel collectors in general. I know you didn't intend to eBay the piece, though ... so that does give you a bit of a reprieve.

On a usability level, I again lean towards ... and possible to the other side of ... "maybe." I personally use vintage dishes to eat off of every single day. I don't buy new dishes. Period. However, when using vintage dinnerware it is very important to make sure pieces that come into contact with food are in good shape. Chips, cracks, and even crazing can allow microorganisms into the clay body, where they multiply and eventually end up in your food. Bad news.

As far as it being decorative, sure -- its a pretty piece. Could you do better given time and patience? Most likely. Would I display it? Probably not. Again, a "maybe" vote from my corner.

Sorry to be a downer, SeSo. You know I'm your biggest fan, and I have said all of this with compassion in my heart. I'm just feeling a little sassy today.

[foutchie]

I didn't think about the porous nature of pottery - my "everyday" dishes are milk glass or clear "crystal" glassware of the 40s,50s,60s - and porous isn't an issue.........

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Thank you for all who have weighed in re:  My possibly being queen of the Dunderheads.

I appreciate very much all your time and responses and honesty!  If I didn't want an honest answer, I wouldn't have asked my peers

I am so touched that you all took the time

Maybe I'm just Princess of Dunderheads-in-training  

I did learn something from this experience, and thank goodness it cost me only $2:  A drought in the fine art of thrifting does not justify buying something that does not serve.  I still love the piece, though, and may find another way to use it that does not involve food.   

And that's what your responses have done, fellow thrifters.  You all rock!!!!

Peace, love, and rock n' roll,
SeSo

[Scott]

I do, however, use chipped platters and such as underplates for flower pots and planters .... both inside and outside. There's almost always a way to reuse!

[foutchie]

you could display it on a shelf, propped up with the chip side down to hide it and hold it in place by a plant or something in front of it and then enjoy it also

[heatherinsc]

If you like it and it was two bucks, what's the harm?

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Thanks, heather. I am feeding dry food to my cats on it. It looks groovy!