Posted by I enjoy watching Andi (All Put Together YouTube channel) as she thrifts and antiques to find items to resell in her Etsy store and antique booths. But I am always gobsmocked at how much finds at her Goodwills. Granted I wouldn’t always buy some of the things she does and her Goodwills are bigger than those in my neck of the woods, still I feel like I should be able to do better than I am at our little Goodwill. So the other day I went in with high hopes.
I first spotted this quirky handmade ceramic pot and I actually thought about buying it for a hot minute. It was unsigned and likely a student piece, but kinda fun. And I could see it in a mod house. But I suspect it would it would take forever to find a home, if it ever did. (Honestly it’s not my kind of decor either.) In the end I left it on the shelf.
There was a whole collection of these mini grey marble wine goblets at $2.60 each. They were nice enough, but relatively new and not valuable.
This glass urn was attractive (priced at $12), but a modern piece with a bar code and a made-in-China sticker on the bottom.
The disturbing thing–it looks like other sellers have this listed as a mid-century Murano vase which is what the Google Lens search came up with. And obviously the vase above is neither. Now some of these listings could be legit Murano but I’m suspecting they are just vases where the bar code and China tag had been removed.
But these sellers were happy with the Lens search result of “mid century Murano” and I’ll bet did no further investigation into the quality or techniques used on their piece. For example the inside of the China piece is black glass, would Murano pieces have that??
One downside to Google Lens—
some sellers take its results as gospel
when the information may not accurate.
Raiding my House
Since I’m not finding much on my few sourcing trips, I’m raiding my house again, dipping into drawers and cupboards to find hidden treasure.
This Victorian agate bar pin is a beauty that I had every intention of wearing and never did. I’ve decided it’s time to find it a new home. The agate, which has some translucency, is exceptionally pretty and has no chips. (I’ll likely list this for $125.)
I’ve had this sweet signed photo of legendary actress Mary Pickford for years and for a time I displayed it. But it’s been in a drawer for at least five years.
I discovered that sellers are either listing her signed photos for around $30 or for over $200. (I found one similar to mine for $250!) Haven’t figured out the reason for the price differences yet. I’m guessing some images might be rarer, but more research is needed.
This antique 14kt gold cross with pearls is engraved on the back with a date (1905) and names. It is just a lovely, quality piece that I bought, gosh, maybe 15 years ago. I wish I could say I’ve worn it a lot but I haven’t. Part of me doesn’t want to let this go, but I will. Unsure of my listing price, but it weighs 2.58 grams.
While it feels good to let go of more personal items (and recoup my cost) eventually I’ll run out of things and I’ll need to step up my sourcing game. Find new places. Perhaps travel further a field. But I’ll tackle that problem when I get to it!
Wishing you happy hunting,
Karen
P.S. Another Goodwill visit this week and finally found something to buy–a small but lavish cut-crystal candy dish that is likely from the American Brilliant Period (late 1800s/early 1900s). I’m digging into my “Identifying American Brilliant Cut Glass” book to see if I can figure it out and so far my research is indicating that it could be. One hint, the sawtooth rim–on the ridge it has rounded peaks while the valleys have pointed ones. This is a common treatment from a few makers of that period. (Listed for $48.)
Crystal does not sell quickly, but there are folks who appreciate its beauty and quality.
Hunting for Vintage 