What I’m Buying and Why

As autumn fast approaches (my favorite season!) I am starting to switch out a few pieces of decor…which in my case just means I bring out my pottery pumpkins by artist Hsin-Chuen Lin and move a few autumnal-colored paintings into more prominent positions. Other than Christmas decorations I don’t have seasonal or holiday decor. Just not my thing.

What is my thing? Intriguing vintage and antique stuff. Well, you knew that if you’d been reading my blog for any length of time.

So yesterday I was perusing eBay doing research for a silver piece I want to sell and this small (6″) antique sterling silver ladle showed up in the list. It was gorgeous. A late 1800s piece from Whiting in the Arabesque pattern with a nifty griffin.

But I was not looking to buy. Just doing research. But gosh it was a stunning piece and reasonably priced. Could I find a use for it? Well, yes. It occurred to me that it might make great coffee scoop. Right now I just dump my coffee from the bag into the filter on my Chemex willy nilly. Sometimes it ends up too strong. Other times too weak. I could use this as a scoop!

Hmmmm. So as you might have surmised that SOLD notice is there because I bought it. Should arrive in a few days. And if it doesn’t work out for my coffee or anything else, it was no gamble. It’s sterling silver, antique, in beautiful condition from a well-known maker. Even at the price I paid ($52.58 with tax), I could resell it in my Etsy store and make a small profit.

---

Well, my neighborhood thrift store has been a bust on my last two visits but yesterday I finally found a few things. But first here’s one I turned down. It’s a green cut-to-clear glass mug ($5.89), likely Czech in the style of earlier Bohemian pieces. But this one was newer and I found the cutting uninspiring. In the end I left it behind.

Turns out it was an Egermann mug so it would have been worth getting as a bread-and-butter item (likely would have sold in the $30 to $40 range) but they don’t sell quickly and I’m not upset I passed it up.

I did pick up the black marble orb with nice striations. So pretty and autumnal!

Why buy it? Several years ago I bought these three marble pieces for a total of $11 and sold them for $120. And bonus, they didn’t take long to sell! They are lovely, simple, organic pieces that fit into many types of decor.

So even though I paid more for the one orb today than I did several years ago, it was worth it. I’ll wait till I pick up a few more to sell them in a group again.

OMG, I loved this Italian leather messenger bag (paid $11.89). Not only does it have good looks, but it’s sturdy and well made. (I may just give it a try on an upcoming flight to carry my computer and a few other essentials.)

But strangely I haven’t found any other bags with this label and no matches on image searches. That’s always a bit frustrating.

Still, it’s vintage with a chunky interior metal zipper and cotton fabric lining. Magnetic snaps (like those closing the flap) were patented in the 1970s, but messenger bags (in more recent history) became popular in the 1990s. This one doesn’t have computer padding as many newer ones do so I’m inclined to believe it’s from the ’90s. But more research is needed.

Why buy it? Messenger bags have resurged in popularity this year. Buying this to resell felt like a no-brainer!

---

This August has been my slowest 2024 sales month, but the last few days orders have picked up. Phew! This biz is such a roller coaster. So many highs and lows. Still I love doing it.

Wishing you happy hunting,

Karen