End-of-Year Reflecting and 2019 Buying Focus

I’m a big believer in taking time to reflect on life. To remember the good moments and the difficult. To look back on what worked and what didn’t. And hopefully when I’m done, I’ll have a few bits of insight on what I can change in the following year to make it better.

But most importantly when I take time to reflect, I feel an overwhelming, overflowing, tears-in-my-eyes gratitude for my life and the people in it. (Maybe it’s the same for you!) Part of my gratitude extends to the fact that I am now semi-retired and can spend more time doing things I enjoy. Here’s one of the special things I do that helps me keep my introverted self sane…I block out days when I don’t leave the house! No gym, errands, coffee dates, evening activities, etc. It’s wonderful. And of course I also have more time to spend hunting for vintage items. I never tire of that!

Here’s what I will be focusing on in the upcoming year…

Vintage/Antique Jewelry

I ~~like~~ love older jewelry and have a bit of knowledge so I’m hoping to expand in this area. I’ve already made a stab at it by focusing more on vintage sterling silver charms this year.

This is a huge English Davy 1816 miner’s lamp charm. Fairly uncommon.

This is a “mad money” or emergency money charm with a real U.S. dollar bill intricately folded up inside.

When I can find authentic Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts pieces at reasonable prices I snatch them up. Couldn’t resist this charming hat pin with the unusual leaf hat on the woman (fairy?).

I have long loved sterling and turquoise pieces and this is definitely an area where I want to buy (and sell) more.

These Zuni-inspired petit point earrings were a find at my cousin-in-law’s store in New York state.

Primitives and Oddities

This is an intriguing category, but can be a riskier, slow-moving one! Still I want to find more things that are unusual. This can include quirky artisan pottery, odd medical devices, primitive art, rusty cast iron bits.

Love this vintage plaster heart model I found at my neighborhood thrift store.

Ephemera

I’m hoping to expand here by buying old diaries/journals, store ledgers, photos, postcards, handwritten letters, etc. I’ll be honest though, this is not a wildly successful area for me sales-wise, so I’ll need to figure out how to market my items and choose wisely!