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Okay, now to set the stage, this is the second to last flea market at one of our local high schools. This flea market was spearheaded in 1989 by one of the student’s mothers in aid of the music/band program and she’s been doing it all these years. Decades later. As a volunteer. And she’s ready to stop. Sadly no one else is willing to step into the breach. I’ve never spoken to her before, but I did today. Thanking her. Wish I had done it sooner.
So today I just wanted to just take my time at the flea market. And I did. I browsed, schmoozed, took a water break and enjoyed myself. I didn’t buy much. But that was okay.
And the day had some wild moments. While I was browsing at one of my fav sellers (a sweet woman in her late 70s/early 80s I’ll call Patricia) an unhinged gal circled around claiming that the vintage cameras on Patricia’s table were her father’s and questioning how had the seller come by them and that she should give them back to her. Patricia calmly replied “These are my husband’s and I’m selling them for him” and the woman wandered away shouting “Can you believe this woman?! Unbelievable!” Well five seconds later she was back harassing Patricia and then wandered away again. As I was finishing up my purchase, the woman came yet again hurling more abuse! And as there were no other customers nearby I didn’t feel right leaving Patricia on her own and said “I’m going to stay here till I know you’re safe.” And Patricia thanked me. So I hung around for a few minutes till the lady finally moved on.
That was one of the strangest moments I’ve had at the flea market. I genuinely felt concerned for Patricia, but I also realized that this unstable woman, who was pushing a grocery cart full of stuff and deeply tanned from hours outside, likely lacked proper housing and both medical and psychiatric care. And this is the world we live in–there are so few safety nets anymore. It was a sobering encounter.
But on a happier note I did score two vintage cloisonne napkin rings and a ’70s oil painting from Patricia’s table. Apparently the oil was painted by the Armenian artist Alejke Gurgin Kazarian. I bought it mainly for the vintage frame, but the painting itself is not a bad thing if you like brooding old men and Kazarian is a known artist!
At another vendor I bought this sweet (somewhat damaged) Madonna print for the old, gilt frame. Frames are one of my niches and yes people do buy them.
Surprisingly I bought this glass relish tray which is so out of my wheelhouse and not my normal purchase. Turns out it’s Indiana glass, circa 1980s. I paid $5 which was a good price, but I discovered there are oodles listed online and most in the $15 to $25 range. Not sure if I’ll list it or not.
Later I got chatting with another vendor about the weather and before you know it I discovered she had gone to college back in my home state–at SUNY Binghamton to be exact. When she told me she had graduated in 1960 I was surprised because that would put her age in the upper 80s and she didn’t look that old. I almost bought an Egyptian necklace from her, but it had a little damage that I thought might make it hard to sell. In the end I bought two scarabs from her (from a bowlful). They were in baggies marked as antique, but I was dubious. Still I bought them.
Back at home I looked at them closer and I’m just not sure. They are handmade, so there’s that. Using my jeweler’s loupe I can see fine cutting marks and they are likely made of soapstone. But the loupe also revealed that the brown areas seemed to have dirt and there is a slight grittiness to them which leads me to believe these have been purposefully “aged.” There is also some slight damage so not brand new.
Here’s a listing with similar “aged” beads with this type of dirt. I guess it’s a common practice??
Here’s one similar in shape and size to mine, but they seem certain theirs is an antiquity.
So in the end I’ll list them as hand-carved soapstone Egyptian scarab beads. They are cool, but maybe I should have left them behind.
Total paid: $39
Overall it was a good morning with a few quirky finds.
Wishing you happy hunting,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 