Buying Bits of Vintage Sweetness

My daughter Tasha needed to run some errands the other day so I suggested we also pop into a nearby estate sale that had opened earlier that morning. She was game! I’ll admit I wasn’t super hopeful that we’d find a TON of GREAT stuff as I know there’s a competitive “gang” that shows up early to get the first crack at stuff, but I was hoping to find a few GOOD things.

At our first room in the house, I spotted a bit of antique lace on a bed. Tasha said it seemed a bit fussy (and she knows I am trying to veer away from fussy stuff), but this piece was so lovely and well made. (Later I discovered it was tatted lace, seldom made anymore.) It was probably used to cover a table, but at 34″ by 34″ it would make a great scarf or small shawl.

I also found a similar lacy piece in the master bedroom that I thought was a doll’s hat and now think is a small purse/jewelry bag.  Very old. Very sweet.

There were nice ceramic pieces I passed up because of cost. And the petrified wood bookends, though lovely, were $68 for the pair and I wasn’t confident I could make much profit. (Later research revealed that some pairs sell for $100 and up so they might have been worth it!!) I rounded out my finds with a William Carlos William book (for me) and a vintage Lo-Man totem pole game. (Never heard of it!) Not a lot of stuff, but all good and only cost $6. (Gotta love that!)

(My daughter ended up buying an “old man” ’80s orange suede jacket for $5! It looks very cool on her. She wore it out last night and got tons of compliments.)

An hour after the estate sale I visited a friend of a friend for private pick. This was my third visit to Mimi and each time she brings out a wonderful variety of things she wants to sell. We talk and she tells me stories about the things I’m looking at and I set aside the things I’m interested in buying. Eventually I give her a price for them and and inevitably she pulls one or two items from the group deciding she wants to keep them awhile longer and I set a new price. I’m realizing it’s hard for her to part with too much at one time. I understand this. And she understands that there are things I may not buy because they are out of vogue or have some damage. I did pass on some little china dishes and a bone bracelet that had a very visible repaired crack.

In the end I bought an early 1900s Illinois pocket watch with beautiful initials on the back (currently non-working), a vintage coral wrap bracelet, a fraternity tie clasp studded with tiny pearls and garnets (which I think is at least 10K gold) and a tiny linen purse made for Mimi when she was a child.

When I look back on my buys from yesterday, I realize they were all rather sweet and I so appreciate the history in these well-loved pieces.  Don’t you?

Now it’s your turn, please do share your favorite sweet estate sale or yard sale find.