Lovely September Flea Market Morning

I had been looking forward to Saturday’s local flea market since the last one a month ago! As flea markets go it’s small but has enough vintage sellers to make it worth my while.

And the weather was glorious–sunny and 62 degrees fahrenheit. It was a pleasure just walking around! But make no mistake I was on a mission. I skipped by the plant and clothes sellers and those selling new toys, drugstore items and handmade jewelry and honed in on the tables filled with vintage goodness.

To be frank I had a slow start. Nothing was resonating with me. Not even one of my favorite sellers had anything that tempted me. Finally I spotted something–a vintage chopping kitchen tool with a cast iron handle–but by then I was a little rattled. Where was all the good stuff? When she said $5, I didn’t even counter. (Oh sheesh…I should have paid only $2. Three at the most.) Still I had something in my tote and I felt like I had “broken the ice.”

It got better after that. Not that I ended up buying a lot…still they were all good, interesting bits. Can’t ask for more than that!

I tried to negotiate on this vintage metal purse, but the guy was firm at $20. We got talking and, holy smokes, it belonged to his 109-year-old mother who is still alive and doing well! It’s from Thailand and silver plated. It does have a bit of wear but is still lovely and sturdy.

I spotted this fabulous embroidered image of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II made by a girl in 1959 and framed in oak. The seller was an older gent with just 20 or so things on two small tables. Alas he wanted $100, which was too rich for my blood and did not leave any meat on the bone for a reseller. So sadly this was a no.

But I did like his Beswick English ceramic lamb (#935). He quoted $20 and when I hesitated he said I could have it for $15 and I said yes to that. This particular model was made from 1941 to 1971. The style of the Beswick mark on the bottom of mine dates it to 1948 to 1954.

The rest of the things I got were in the “cheap and cheerful” category and some of these should do rather well!!

I had originally spotted two antique beaded purses from this seller, but both needed some TLC and frankly my beaded purses have been languishing. But I ended up picking up this leather case that was hidden in a box with other things.

It opened to an 1800s photo of a handsome gent–likely a tintype (it does attract a magnet, though that is not a foolproof identification) or an ambrotype. My heart skipped a beat to find this! Such a fabulous old thing. Both sold and listing prices range all over the place for similar ones so I choose a middle-of-the-road price.

I thought this carved wood face ashtray (appears unused) was interesting and a fun boho piece. Personally I would put a small piece of tinfoil in the bottom of the bowl and use it to burn cone incense.

I spotted these little oddities and got talking with the seller about them. Turns out they are mid-century Japanese party “poppers” used at celebratory times like New Year’s Eve. I wasn’t intending on buying them, but I thought the graphics were so wonderfully quirky that I asked the price. Twenty-five cents each! Of course I had to buy them.

So far I haven’t found any others for sale. None. And only one sold listing on Worthpoint of two that were included in a lot. I have a winner with these scarce party poppers!

One seller had $1 baggies of individual jewelry bits–both new and vintage costume jewelry and most not worth much on their own. Still I thought the enamel cat tail pin and the little clip-on earrings were rather nice. (Listed for $10 each.)

But this double-sided Miraculous Mary disc/medal was in a whole other category. It’s a lovely hand-painted vintage enamel! This piece could be inset in a pendant. Pendants with similar enamels are typically listed for $100-$200.

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My little items didn’t even fill my tote bag, but I am happy with each…though I did pay too much for the chopper. 😔 I spent a total of $48 and should do well with them. Some things will sell quickly and others will take years to find the right buyer. Some may eventually get reduced in price. That’s the nature of the biz. It really is a gamble!

As always, happy hunting,

Karen

P.S. I don’t say this enough, but a big thank you for reading my blog. It means a lot to me.