Controversial Find?

I like buying odd, weird things for my vintage shop and over the years they’ve included human gold-filled teeth and slides with images of cancer.

But this was a new one for me–something I’ve never bought or sold before and it might be a bit controversial. It’s a soft reindeer or caribou pelt. While I am against raising, trapping and hunting animals for their fur, reindeer are typically herded and hunted as food, so I made the decision to buy this.

There are areas I wouldn’t touch–such as black memorabilia and instruments of torture. Other categories are verboten to sell in the online vintage/antique world and with good reason including WWII Nazi memorabilia, culturally sensitive artifacts, and ivory. Actually authenticated antique ivory can still be sold in some venues, but conservation experts suggest destroying these pieces to help combat the illegal ivory trade by sending the message that ivory has no market value.

---

On a lighter note, I have bought a few more items this month, but they did not fit my 2025 buying guidelines (older, more valuable things). I’m easing my guidelines because this month it’s my lower-priced items that are selling and keeping my store afloat! I’m guessing the current economic uncertainty is keeping most folks from spending much money on non-essentials. This month books and charms have done the best, most in the $24 and under range. We’ll see if this trend continues.

Here are a few more things that grabbed my attention. This handmade beaded purse from Hong Kong is a bit of 1950s/60s glam in like new condition that I’ve listed for $40. I love these gorgeous vintage purses. The only downside–cell phones typically won’t fit in them, but that could an upside too! The heavy brass eagle bookend is a nice thing even as a singleton. Listed for $35.

Here’s a cute set of Bing and Grondahl butter pat dishes with hand-painted seagulls. I have no idea who actually sets a table that includes butter pats, but I would use them for lemon wedges or fancy chocolates.

Total paid: $30.46.

So a few nice things that hopefully will find new homes sooner rather than later. Though I expect the butter pats will linger and linger and I may regret buying them.

I am continuing to thin out my store inventory and personal stuff. It feels never ending! Honestly I am not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on this project yet. I guess that’s part of the problem of having lived in the same house for over three decades.

I am proud of myself though for listing these Victorian-era silverplated napkin rings. We used these as a family to keep track of our cloth napkins at our kitchen table (I was the “Best Wishes Ethel” ring with the baby chick), but now with our empty nest they rarely get used. I am not keen on getting rid of them, but it seems silly to keep them as they were literally just jumbled up in a drawer.

February is nearly over and it’s been filled with ups and downs, including my one good sale of the month–a gorgeous antique ironstone platter ($148 )–that arrived shattered despite my best packing efforts. I’ve only have four things break intransit in 13 years, but it does shake your confidence and mess with your mood. (I’m guessing some postal workers decided to put my Fragile stickers to the test.)

Wishing you happy hunting,

Karen