Getting My [Thrifting] Mojo Back

While sourcing last weekend I felt off my game. I was strangely bored and not making the best decisions. Instead of coming home in an adrenaline afterglow from my finds, I felt depleted. None of my purchases excited me. Some I felt were mistakes.

Well on Wednesday I popped into my neighborhood thrift store whilst out running other errands. It was a test for myself. Would I be excited or bored? Would I find anything or just waffle? Would I settle for more “bread and butter” items (which is not where I want to be)?

Here’s what happened…

I discovered the “big head” I spotted last week had found a friend! Honestly they have “something.” I could see these for sale in some avant garde San Francisco or New York City shop for $$$. But they were not for me at this size, weight and price ($16+).

The jewelry case had been replenished and I wanted a closer look but I had a heck of a time finding a salesclerk to unlock the cabinet and show me items. (This is almost always a problem.) When I did get a chance to look at things up close, this choker was the only one I thought worth buying. It’s likely Hubei turquoise mined out of China. Lovely and nice quality. (As a precaution I always test turquoise with acetone to check for dye. Thankfully none here.) I’ll be happy to keep this if it doesn’t sell.

It’s the perfect summer necklace to pair with a crisp, white linen shirt.

I love buying and selling art, but it’s a tough find. This store always has tons of “art” but most of is mass produced and/or not worth reselling online or just too big. And unfortunately it’s stacked up in a such a precarious way that makes it difficult to look through. Still I try each time and the other day I was rewarded with a small Edna Spangler desert landscape, likely circa 1970s given the frame style. Edna (1901 to 1986) was a plein air artist of note in Southern California known for her desert landscapes.

And bonus, her paintings are still desirable. Here are the recent solds on Worthpoint. (Not shown here are the solds on other art venues.)

My painting does have a spot of small paint loss…can you see it? I noticed the loss in the store, but knew that this was still worth buying! I priced it accordingly.

So a few nice finds which pleased me. (Spent $19 and change.) Still I wasn’t as excited hunting as I usually am, but I was getting there!

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Now fast forward to Friday and I’m back at my favorite thrift store. I found four things, but put three back and I feel good about my decisions.

This metal and stone ring box was a fun find and my teenaged self would have LOVED this for my purple bohemian bedroom. It’s crudely made of pot metal likely from India or the Middle East. (You can see the glue around some stones.) I see this as a $20 to $40 item on Etsy. But some sellers have similar boxes listed for over $100 (some well over $100!). Some are describing it as antique, others as Chinese, some as silver. Hmmm. Do they know something I don’t??

This ceramic rat had a definite Jonathan Adler vibe to me, but no markings so I looked it up and it WAS a Jonathan Adler butter dish! His pieces sell well for me, but there were a couple small chips where the butter would be. Not noticeable, but in a place that could be problematic from a hygiene standpoint. Drat! Reluctantly I left it behind.

This large Bing & Grondahl Danish vase was lovely, but $43. Holy smokes!! I never even bothered to but it in my basket.

BUT I spotted a small object nestled amongst the glassware and I knew exactly what it was and that it was good–really good–an antique threaded glass match holder/striker with a silver rim. There were markings under the tarnish, but I couldn’t make them out in the store.

Back at home, after an application of a silver wipe, I uncovered the rubbed maker’s mark (Salmon (Barnett) & Gluckstein) and the English hallmarks: Birmingham, sterling, 1900.

A true, fabulous antique sitting on a thrift store shelf. Love it! This made up for last week’s rather lackluster sourcing and my wish-washy decision making and ennui.

This week’s finds were a bit of redemption. I needed that. I really needed that!!

I’ll close for now wishing you happy hunting.

Karen