Private Pick Time: Lots of Quirky Bits

Happily I was invited back to that big private pick after the cancellation last week and was super excited to head out for this appointment. (I literally dreamt about it ALL night!) I was jazzed. The items had been stored since the 1960s (wrapped in crumbling newspaper) so all were vintage and a number antique. Even the paper scraps were interesting…here’s Willie Mays in 1966.

The downside–it was dirty work and lots of things hadn’t been stored properly all these decades. Items were broken. Metal pieces had moisture damage. Tapestries were stained.

Still.

Still it was great fun and my friend handling this sale (these were not her belongings) helped me unwrap everything. Anything I decided I wanted she marked down on a list and because some of these things were well out of my wheelhouse and there was no cell phone reception she let me take everything home to come up with an offer for the lot. I’ve had this wonderful arrangement with her before and it’s worked out well for everyone. It gives me time to do some initial research and come up with a fair amount.

So I have three moving boxes full of things (approx. 50 items not including the medals) and my first task is to make an inventory list of everything I took including condition. Almost nothing is in perfect condition and a few things may not be sellable.

Next I’m figuring out exactly what I have. Honestly I took things that I had NO idea what they were. Like this coin thingy at the top of this photo. Turns out it’s actually an antique Chinese coin sword, missing its its top finial and a few coins on the handle. From the Qing dynasty these were talismans against evil.

This 1800s cotton scarf is from the Crystal Palace in London. It has yellow stains and I’m debating whether to try and get them out. Well, I’ll at least give it a soak.

I found a very similar one for sale on ebay for over $300. Hmmm. It is a rare item, but is that a realistic price? Need to do more research.

These two vintage rosaries are from France. One is stamped for Lourdes. They are huge wedding or lasso rosaries and both appear to carved wood, but I’ll need to double-check!

This lone child’s tourist moccasin has a bit of wear and bead loss. Not sure if it will find a new home or not!

This little brass dish made in Hungary features German stamps. It’s as cute as can be. I’ve listed this unusual dish for $30.

Found these early on. Thought they might be carved butterscotch bakelite bangles and they are. (Tested with Simichrome.) Bakelite jewelry is not quite as hot as it was10+ years ago, but still desirable. I’ve listed these for $125.

Got a few little boxes of religious medals and pendants. Need to figure out what I really have. I think there may be some sleepers in the group.

For example, this antique bronze medal is for the Catholic University of Louvain designed by Belgian sculptor Frantz Vermeylen. One sold a few years ago for $40 and one is currently listed for $139. Hmmmm.

Thirdly, I need to figure out fair market value for each item. Once I determine that, I can establish what I am willing to pay for everything.

This is only the tip of the iceberg of what I bought. And bonus we only got through half the boxes so I’ll go back for round two at some point.

I’m not used to acquiring so much at once, but the timing couldn’t be better with the upcoming holidays! I’ve already listed a few things. And it is exciting to find such unusual items but many of them will be long tail…really long tail! Some may take years to find a buyer. They are a gamble. Riskier. So I will take that into account too as I calculate my offer.

More to come…

Karen