Had to Say No to These

It is so much fun sharing the things I buy, but the truth is there are a lot more things I don’t buy. Sometimes I know the item isn’t anything special. Or it was made yesterday. It may be priced too high to resell. Or too damaged. And sometimes I don’t know enough about it and my gut says “Don’t buy it.”

Thought I would share a few of those recent items here…

I picked up this pottery compote because it appeared to be Italian Deruta or at least in the style of Deruta majolica. But the item had no markings whatsoever on the bottom, not even “Italy” or “Portugal” which I had expected to see. On closer inspection it didn’t look that old and I suspect it once sported a “Made in China” foil sticker. At $7+ with no lineage or age, this was one to leave behind.

(Deruta, a medieval town in Italy, has had potters producing majolica items since the 1400s! Today over 200 ceramic workshops continue to produce beautiful pieces that still strike a chord with buyers.)

This chubby pottery angel figurine was $6+. There was a maker’s stamp, but I didn’t get a clear photo and couldn’t figure it out. Maybe this is collectible and worth some $$ (probably is!), but I just don’t like this kind of figurine and had no problems leaving this on the shelf for someone else.

You also see that ceramic dove to the left. It’s a common piece from Mexico but not signed by Ken Edwards or Jorge Wilmot, so at $6+ I left it behind.

I saw this nice Wedgwood Jasperware plate in lilac for $7+. I like Jasperware, but when I’ve tried to sell it in the past it takes forever (and ever) and I thought this was a bit pricey for reseller.

TIP: Keep an eye out for the more valuable tri-color Wedgwood Jasperware and older pieces.

Saw this vintage Army jacket in the Halloween section. Didn’t have time to work out the era in the store, but at $27.95, I had to turn it down. In general I’m trying to stay away from clothes, though if it had been $8 or less, I would have bought it.

These two art glass shell pieces were interesting. They had ground bottoms and no markings, but at $7+ each I decided against them. Partly because I envisioned the hassle it would be to pack these for shipping to ensure all those knobby bits arrived intact. Plus they just didn’t “WOW” me. But I know so little about art glass that these could have been valuable. (They were gone the next time I went to the store.)

I also spotted this porcupine quill box. These used to be popular in the 1800s/early 1900s and I’m rather attracted to them. But this one was not old. At all. And it was missing quills here and there (and were they real or plastic?) and the box was locked! The antique ones can sell for some serious money. This was priced at $7.29 and I decided, given its issues and newness, to leave it behind. (It was still there several days later.)

These plates were hand painted and dated 1975 along with the amateur artist’s name. They were well painted, but just too fussy for today’s market. And at $4.99 each I think even the thrift store will have a hard time selling them.

Now if they had had those cute red mushrooms with white spots I would have snapped them up. Something like this adorable plate sold on Zazzle…

So these are a few of the things I said “no” to lately. Which is more common than saying “yes.”

Some people have told me how lucky I am in the things I find. But I would like to add there is a lot of time, energy, knowledge and work that went into the finds too. I think about all the hours I’ve spent looking. And the boatload of research I’ve done (and continue to do). And the thousands of items I’ve picked up and examined and rejected! I think luck plays the smallest part. Don’t you?

What haven’t you bought recently?!

Wishing you happy hunting,

Karen