The Emotional Gamut of Vintage Hunting

I’ll be upfront here–I am an emotional person. I cry at the drop of a hat. When our family watches a movie I’m always the one that ends up weeping. (At the end of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy when Frodo gets on the ship to head to the Undying Lands I was a basket case.) Like I said, I’m an emotional person. And that extends to my job of hunting for vintage and antique things. I can get darn emotional at times!

Frustration–Nothing to See/Buy Here Folks

There are times when at I’m at a thrift store or an estate sale and what’s on offer is nothing but new stuff, junky things, overpriced items (I think we’ve all been to sales where the seller prints out an eBay listing to justify their price) or common things that I’ve seen a thousand times before. It’s tough when you’ve been out sourcing all morning and have almost nothing to show for it. So yes, I get frustrated, peeved, disappointed. Thankfully I don’t stay that way for long. “Tomorrow is another day.”

Anguish–How Do I Not Spot that Damage?

Every once in a while I buy an item that I think will be good only to discover I’ve missed some damage or a problem that renders it either worthless or greatly diminishes its value. This fabulous painted Mexican Alebrije signed wood coyote should have been a $40+ piece, but after I removed the Goodwill thrift store price tag I uncovered a hole. A neatly drilled hole where a tail would have been. Arrgh! He originally had a tail! He was too pretty to toss so I wrote this listing description: “This beautifully hand-painted wood coyote from Mexico needs a forever home despite having sadly lost his tail. (He’d rather not talk about it!) Price reflects this loss.” He didn’t take long to sell, but he’s still on the way to his new owner. I hope she likes him. (Paid $2.69. Sold for $20.)

But I could at least understand missing the damage on the coyote because Goodwill had adroitly covered it up. But I had no excuse on this crystal ashtray. This flea market find was a gorgeous, heavy (over three pounds) piece that I paid $10 for (too much I know!) and I failed to notice how cloudy the bottom was. Drat! Back home I tried a variety of techniques to remove the cloudiness and bring it back to its original sparkle including a vinegar and baking soda paste scrub (twice) and later giving it a soaking in industrial strength (75%) vinegar and scrubbing with a toothbrush. Nothing has made much of a difference…yet. I may try a glass/crystal polish next.

Sweet Contentment–Finding Good “Bread-and-Butter” Items

These days I am pickier buying inventory though I still buy items that I know are in the “bread-and-butter” category because they help keep my biz ticking over. Like this March purchase of a Sicilian pottery pinecone. Not valuable, but interesting and good enough. It just sold and I will clear $28 to $30 profit. Not a wild amount but enough to make it worth my while.

“This-Could-Be-Something-Good” Tingle

I think we all get this feeling, though it doesn’t happen enough to suit me! Years ago at a rummage sale for a local hospital I spotted this tiny basket. As I held it in my hand I got “the tingle.” A delicious shiver up the spine that told me this could be a good thing. Turned out it was! A Northwest Coast Indian basket, likely made by the Makah or Nootka tribes as a souvenir. (I found a similar one later at a museum in Bellingham, WA.)

(Oddly I had a guy who kept me sending me offers on this basket. Each offer was less than the previous one that I had already declined. He stated that amount was all he would pay “because of the damage.” But the slight damage was fully noted and photographed and the price reflected it. The basket later sold for my full price which I knew was fair.)

Euphoria–the Hunter’s High

Every once in while you find something that is so good you can barely restrain your excitement. I certainly had it when I found this large Towel sterling silver water jug. It was mixed in with a table full of silver-plated items at a large rummage sale. I almost stopped breathing when I saw that it was solid sterling silver. Driving home at every stop light I checked its bottom. Yup, it still said “Sterling.” My cost–$5! I have rarely felt the same level of euphoria.

Surprise–Finding a Holy Grail!

A few years back I stumbled on a taped group of metal objects. Dang, they were Roycroft. Roycroft!! Items by this famed Arts & Crafts collective had been on my holy grail list for years, but I never expected to actually find any in the wild at a thrift store. Both these desk accessories had some condition issues so I couldn’t ask top dollar, still I did okay.

So yes, vintage hunting can lead you through a merry range of emotions. It can be a roller coaster–at least for me it is! But I love it. Okay 80% of the time I love it. How is it for you?

Wishing you good hunting and all the best emotions!

Karen