I Went for Quirky…

I told my husband I was only going to buy “the best of the best” on Saturday at the flea market and only a few things. Well, I didn’t buy much but I think I went more for quirky than “the best.” As I was unloading my tote I had a moment of “What was I thinking!” Still at $32 total not much harm was done.

My first find was this handsome handmade vintage oak barley twist candleholder. Just a nice classic thing to add a bit of old world charm to your mantel.

The same seller had a bunch of vintage glass ashtrays. He had me at “Biff’s Coffee Shops.” There’s a bit of discoloration and wear to the logo paint which is not surprising.

Biff’s in Oakland was in operation from 1963-1996 and it looked darn cool.

This is the most ridiculous of my purchases–a set of tiny 1″ tall Intercast metal tools. As my husband later quipped, “What’s the point of these?” I have no idea. But aren’t mini things so enchanting?? As it turns out they don’t have much value. Was hoping they were rare, but alas they are not.

What about this well-used small metal tool tin? I know some folks would have tossed this in the garbage but I thought it was wonderful–from its green color and wabi-sabi wear to the fact that it is still usable.

These dyed coral beads were found in a box of broken jewelry. The owner had quite a cache (boxes and boxes) of tangled bits. She confided to me that her husband had bought them all at an estate sale and now wanted her to sell it off. Then, the dear heart, proceeded to give these to me! Wasn’t that sweet? Honestly they are not worth much, but I thought I could add them to a lot of beads that might appeal to jewelry makers.

One of my last buys was this pair of vintage Japanese lidded ceramic bowls, possibly donabe pots used for cooking or serving rice. They are hand painted and likely 1970s era. Rather fabulous I thought.

The seller threw in the little pocket Bible published in Oxford (shown below) with the Japanese pots as I had admired it.

I passed up buying this interesting old crocodile leather pouch. At $30, it was just priced too far from what I needed it to be. (And I did ask the seller if I could take a photo of it. She said “Knock yourself out!”)

And this tapestry bag was cool. You could remove the outer tapestry layer and turn it into a plain black purse. For $20, it seemed a good buy, except that it had no maker’s label or tag inside. I have found that most nicer vintage purses have a label. No info whatsoever made me nervous about it. At home I found a similar one on eBay for $49.99 plus shipping. That seller thought it was an “L & M Bags by Edwards.” Another seller attributed it to Kadin and listed it for $25.99 plus shipping. Either way, I think I did the right thing not buying this though it was pretty and certainly a good price if I was keeping it for myself.

So not a lucrative haul. No WOW scores but it was a fun hour. A few vendors were super talkative and super nice. (Alas my favorite vendor was not there.) It was a beautiful day and I bought a few interesting bits and was given two others. That was enough.

Wishing you happy hunting in these uncertain times,

Karen

P.S. If you haven’t visited my Etsy store, I have a number things on sale.