I usually look at the doll, toy and plush areas of the thrift store first. If I can’t find anything there I sometimes look through the linens. One day I was looking there and I saw a colorful pillowcase with a very interesting design. It had the initials EPS throughout the design. I found out that this is Emilio Pucci who was very popular for his colorful geometric designs in the 1960s and 70s. I found several pillowcases and some sheets. The pair of pillowcases sold for $89.99.
I also picked up a vintage Barbie in a Queen Guinevere dress and a Taylor Jones doll. She has hair that you can switch from dark to light by turning it around on her head. The Queen Guinevere dress is from a Barbie collection called the Little Theatre which I never heard of before but has many beautiful costumes. I am selling Barbie and the dress separately.
One more item that I sold recently that is a little different for me is this set of flatware. It caught my eye because it was gold/brass in color and had wooden handles that were marked Thailand. This was from a day at the Goodwill outlet where items are thrown in large bins. I gathered all of it that I could find and it sold for a best offer of $60.
Well I thought tag sales would be starting by now but I have to wait a little longer. : (
I have been picking up a lot of plush toys in the past several months. One day I saw someone with some stuffed toys from the Muppet Show in their cart. I thought that was a really good find and to my surprise as I was walking around a little later there they were on the shelf. They had been put back! So I swooped them up. They were the two old men in the balcony and some members of the Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem band. Each group sold for about $49.
On another day I picked up the Muppet Rosita from Sesame Street. Many of the Sesame Street characters are common to find but some of the rarer ones can sell well. Rosita sold for $38. That same day I found a Neopets plush. These are from the early 2000s. Most plush Neopets are bread and butter but this Kougra was a rare color.
I’ve also found some bags recently. I found a red canvas Dooney & Bourke. It’s a bit worn but I’m still hoping it will sell. This interesting wallet is made of soda can tabs. My best find in this category recently was a large Coach briefcase. Unfortunately it didn’t have the strap but still sold for $45.
There were also a few other interesting vintage finds recently. This blue noxzema jar was very small and cute. This string art featuring a mushroom had a very 1970s vibe. I found a colorful metal Easter egg that had a wind up chick inside with the key. This was from Japan.
Those are some highlights from the past weeks. It’s supposed to be getting warmer and time for tag sales but instead the weather is getting colder here so I’ll have to be patient. Hope it is warming up wherever you are!
It’s the middle of March and I am trying to catch up on the year. So far I have picked up some vintage toys including some vintage My Little Pony toys. Here are some that I have listed individually.
At the same store I found a group of Care Bear figures and some Halloween McNugget buddies. Some one must have donated all their 1980s toys!
Two other vintage toys I found are this black and white Furby and a Steiff beagle hand puppet.
I also found some fun vintage Christmas including this Wachtersbach table runner with Christmas trees. This small wooden jester ornament was a Steinbach from Germany. I have seen the elf knee huggers before but this was the first time I came across a Santa knee hugger. He sold for $30.
This glass tree topper came in a beautiful box and with this I found some other vintage boxes with ornaments.
I picked up a set of 3 small vintage elves as well as a set of 4 musical Peanuts decorations that light up and play music together. Even thought it was missing one character, this set sold for $99.
I think it’s been a good start to the year. I’m looking forward to the beginning of tag sale season!
This list is for the best sales in categories other than dolls and plush. The first sale was for a Fenton vase. After I sold it I was told that it was worth much more than I sold it for. I didn’t realize that it was a rare shape. I sold it for $74.99 and apparently someone got a good deal!
The next sale was an item from the thrift store. I don’t often look at the linens and towels but this towel caught my eye one day and it turned out to be a vintage Peter Max design. It sold for $75.00
This lucite fish with stripes is by a Brazilian artist named Palatnik. He does a lot of animals in different sizes in the same style and they are very collectible. This was on a table of trinkets at a church sale. Although this was a small piece it sold for $79.99.
One day at the thrift store I picked up a bag of crafting die cut sets. I thought that maybe I could get between $5 and $10 for each one and I think the entire bag was $10. But some of them turned out to be very sought after by crafters such as this Tim Holtz claw marks die cut set which sold for $89.99.
This next find was also from the thrift store and is a wonderful piece of vintage Christmas. It is a ceramic planter featuring carolers by HF + Co. It sold for $100.
I found this mid century modern artwork at a church sale. It was signed and had a very MCM look and color scheme. The pair sold for $110.
This Juicy Couture bag was in a pile of bags at another church sale. It’s called the fairytale bag and it sold for $124.99.
Another thrift store find was this binder that was full of My Little Pony trading cards. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. I wasn’t sure what the value of these would be so I took a picture of every page and put it up for auction. It ended at $151.00.
A similar sale were these Lisa Frank cards that were from a game. Some of them had a puzzle on the back. They sold all together for $159.99.
The highest sale in this group and my second highest sale of the year was a vintage Halloween toy. It was even damaged with melt marks on one side but still sold for $255.00. Similar ones can go for crazy prices. People go nuts for vintage Halloween.
That’s all for my best of posts for 2023. I hope you found it entertaining or educational. 2024 is well underway and I am hoping for some more great finds!
These are my top selling dolls from 2023. The first doll is from a church sale. I picked her up for $1. She is a Cat Woman doll by Mego. They make a lot of vintage super hero dolls. She is a bit rare and she had her outfit with boots so I was able to sell her for $51.00.
This next doll is a stuffed fabric doll. She is Strega Nona from the book by Tomie de Paola. Book characters can often sell. I think teachers and libraries like them. She took a long time to sell but eventually sold after about 8 months for $56.99.
This doesn’t happen often but I was at a sale where I found a Barbie doll case with contents for $20. I just grabbed it not really knowing what was inside. I think I saw about 2 Barbies, 2 Kens and some clothes. Not that much stuff but after I figured it out I came up with this Ballerina Barbie doll with her accessories. She wasn’t worth much on her own but her extras made her more valuable. She sold for $64.99.
This doll was found at a Christmas bazaar. She had a very sweet face and was wearing an adorable outfit. She was tagged Gotz which is a good brand. She sold for $66.00
The next doll is another Barbie. She was found in a bin at a flea market where all the dolls were $2.00. She had that older Barbie doll look and she turned out to be a Walk Lively Steffie in her original outfit. She sold for $69.99.
The next doll is a Cabbage Patch doll that was at the thrift store. I see Cabbage Patch dolls all the time and most of them are not worth much. This one was unusual because she had some teeth and when I researched her it seemed that she had a rare head mold. She was not in good shape with some stains and a hole on her hand but with that she still sold for $75.00.
This doll is a lovely Madame Alexander doll with a beautiful green dress. She is a larger doll at about 14″. She sold for $85.00.
This next doll is not really a doll. It is a vintage Shogun Warrior Robot from Japan but he’s so cool that I wanted to include him. He is very big at about 2 feet tall. He sold for $150.00 but was a challenge to ship. A church near me was having an Applefest with apple pies and other apple desserts but it also said that they were having a tag sale. I came late to that sale. When I walked in the room was full of people eating pie and no one was looking at the tag sale. I saw him sitting there next to a box of some other older toys. I was surprised that any of it was still there but I guess that day people were there for the food.
My highest selling doll and also my biggest sale of the year overall is this Barbie Live in Fairytopia Gold Label Elina doll. She was in a box with some other Barbie dolls. She looked like something special because of her jewelry and details. Unfortunately I didn’t have her box or her shoes. Many of the Fairytopia dolls are collectible but the Gold Label is harder to find. She sold for $270.89.
Those are my best doll sales for 2023. Looking forward to tag sale season starting up again here in the northeast!
I finally figured out how to continue my blog! So I thought I would bring you the “best of” my sold items for 2023 starting with plush. I am in a new town and have been visiting the thrift stores and have found some fun items! I’ll start with this plush pig which was with a whole bunch of other plush pigs. Someone must have donated their entire collection. But this one had a yellow Steiff tag and button so it came home with me. Her name is Molly and she sold for $49.99.
Most Pokemon plush are bread and butter items these days. This one, named Buizel, is a little harder to find and I was able to sell him for $49.99.
I was surprised when I learned that these Baby Einstein puppets are valuable because I don’t think they look that special. This horse was $1 at a tag sale and sold for $49.99.
Another thrift store find was this Grateful Dead purple bear. I have found and sold the small bears but have never found a larger one before. This one measured about 12″ and sold on a best offer for $50.
Jellycat is another brand of plush that can sell well depending on which one you find and what color it is. This rabbit is a larger size in a desirable color and she sold for a best offer of $50. I think it is a very pretty shade of purple.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a very popular show and the plush characters – especially the minor characters, can be collectible. This is a plush of Frankenweenie the dog. He was also at the thrift store for a few dollars and sold for $54.99.
Skelanimals are funny plush with skeleton style faces. I think they’re a little creepy although the baby is also cute. This pair sold for $59.99.
This plush is by Gund. It is called a Zwibble Dibble. I never saw one before but I always research unusual Gund plush when I come across them. These are collectible especially when they come with their original shorts or diaper or whatever he is wearing. He sold for $64.99.
Hello Kitty is very popular and some unusual ones can be sought after. It took me a while to figure out that this one was Hello Kitty as Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She sold for $64.99.
My second highest plush sale of the year was this My Pet Monster which I found at a school tag sale. He has been on my bucket list and I was so happy to find him. He is a more modern version. The original has a much larger nose. Unfortunately he did not have his handcuffs but still sold for $89.99.
The highest selling plush for me for 2023 was this little Eden pink lamb. I was very surprised when I comped her. She sold for me for $99.99.
Those are some of my best sellers in plush for 2023. I have always loved stuffed animals and it’s so much fun to find them, own them for a little while and then pass them on!
The weather is very slowly warming up in the Northeast this year which makes for great tag sale-ing weather! I have picked up some vintage toys. One is this Knight Rider car from 1983. Even without the figure and the front door it sold for $30. I found some vintage Littlest Pet Shop pets and accessories in a small box of toys. Apparently the fish bowl is rare. The lot sold for $20. I also picked up this swan from a line of toys by Kenner called Fairy Winkles from the 80s. For $3 I picked up this Marx dollhouse. Unfortunately it is missing one of the pink windows but I love the colors.
I found some fun plush recently including this purple Zwibble Dibble by Gund, a gray and pink Furby from the 1990s by Tiger with the original tags (sold quickly for $23), a singing Caddyshack gopher and a flower fairy finger puppet by Folkmanis. I was surprised that the tiny finger puppet sold quickly for $25. I pay about $1 for most of the plush I buy.
I bought some vintage houseware/decor items. I love to find these mid century lucite grape clusters. This one was $3 at a tag sale. I picked up this metal matchbox holder and this pretty glass sun catcher featuring ships.
I love vintage Christmas and was able to find a few pieces recently. This snowman planter was marked Japan on the bottom and came with the original plastic greenery. This Swarovski snowflake was $5 and had the original box. They can sell for between $30 and $50. I also picked up this charming folk art mouse by Natalie Silitch. One of my favorites is this cute Lenox cat holding a jar of catnip.
The tag sales are finally happening again. And life is worth living. Haha. We moved to a new town and I went to a big sale for a cat shelter where I found some fun vintage toys. They are two Japanese Shogun Warrior robots. They are very large and unfortunately have condition issues but I think they are very cool and I should be able to make a profit on them. They were about $3 each.
At the same sale I bought a red Kate Spade hand bag. At another sale I bought two Loungefly Disney mini backpacks which I think I paid too much for. I can’t remember if I paid $20 or $10 for each. Sometimes I get too excited about something and I overpay.
Some dolls I have bought recently include this pretty Madame Alexander doll and an American Girl Lea Clark doll for $2. I was at one sale where there was a box of doll clothes. In there I found two pieces of Felicity’s Christmas dress.
I have also found some plush at the sales I’ve been to including this Breakfast at Tiffany’s Audrey Hepburn Hello Kitty. She sold for $65. I also picked up a USPS mailman teddy bear who sold for $25 and a pink Build A Bear Hello Kitty.
I love to find fun vintage items. Recently I found this colorful noisemaker, an old Halloween witch toy, and a blue enamelware child’s tea set.
Most of the good sales that I know about are back near where I used to live so I have been doing a lot of driving lately. I hope to learn about some good sales near where I am now. I hope you are enjoying good weather and sunshine where ever you are!!
Tag sale season is super slow to start around here this year. I got to go to one fundraiser sale in March. Here are some of the items I picked up there. There was a table of plush. Right away I saw this My Pet Monster and was very excited. Unfortunately he is not the 1980s version. I didn’t even know they did a remake but they did, in 2001 when this plush was from. He still sold for $89. On the same table I bought a set of 4 plush from books by the author Mo Willems. He writes very funny books with simply drawn characters that kids can relate to. My grandson loves the Elephant and Piggie books.
My best find at the sale was a Fenton vase. It was $4 and I sold it for $74. After it sold I was told that it was worth about 3x that price. I couldn’t find the exact one on line to get an accurate price. I should have put it up for auction.
I have found some things at the thrift store including a bag of crafting supplies which had a lot of cutting dies in it. Some of the Halloween themed items sold for between $20 and $50.
I also picked up a several dolls. I found 2 by an artist named Pauline. Maybe they were donated by the same person. The doll in the blue dress had a very pretty face and then I saw that she was numbered like a limited edition. The baby doll by Pauline also had a number. The doll in the blue dress sold for $49. Another doll I found was a Madame Alexander doll that looks like a Raggedy Ann. Some Madame Alexander dolls can sell while many don’t. This one sold for $20.
I picked up a few holiday items. I bought this stack of 2 vintage style Jack O Lanterns. Another Halloween item is this plush pumpkin with 5 stuffed toys inside. I found some Christmas items including a Swedish style Christmas tree candle holder, a vintage Christmas corsage and a partially filled box of mini red Shiny Brite ornaments.
Finally, a few more fun vintage finds include a set of Lisa Frank character cards from a Bingo game and a Steiff pig. The pig was in a pile of other pigs that must have been from someone who donated their collection. When I picked it up I saw the yellow tag and ear button.
I can’t wait for the weather to improve and the tag sales to start showing up!
Is it tag sale season yet? It has been a mild winter in the northeast but it seems to be dragging on. I can’t wait for warmer weather and tag sales! I have been finding things at the thrift stores over the past several months. Here is some of what I have been finding.
I’ve picked up several plush. This unusual one is a cat bus with a Totoro figure coming out of it. Totoro is an anime figure and he can do well. I found a doll wearing a pumpkin outfit for $1. I was unsure about picking her up but she sold quickly for $19. I picked up this ostrich Folkmanis puppet and a Japanese Anpanman backpack. This character from Gremlins is called Mohawk and he sold quickly for $16.99. I also paid $1 for him.
Some other plush I have picked up include this purple Grateful Dead bear, a polka dot elephant from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, a Nightmare Before Christmas dog and a Care Bears Cousin, Swift Heart Bunny. He sold for $22.99 and was $1.
In this last group are two stuffed animals based on book. One is Lyle Lyle the Crocodile and the other is Strega Nona. I also found a rare Pokemon plush who sold quickly for $49.99.
An exciting find was a bunch of Lisa Frank mini Fantastic Beans plush. They were tossed in with a pile of Webkinz. Unfortunately they don’t have their original hang tags.
I have only found a few dolls recently. This first one I thought was a Pepper doll from the Tammy family. Someone contacted me and told me that she is a Peggy doll which I had never heard of before but I was very grateful to that person for helping me. I also picked up a vintage porcelain Morimura Brothers baby doll. This is an older doll with Japanese makers based in NY.
I have also picked up a variety of vintage items including some Christmas. This paper decoration is a pull string Santa Claus that is still in his original packaging. I was charmed by this vintage planter featuring 5 children caroling. I picked up a garland of plastic candy, a reindeer by artist Natalie Silitch, a Hello Kitty Christmas stocking and a stuffed fabric card holder by House of Hatten.
Other vintage items I have picked up include a pair of Springbok circular puzzles from the 60s which feature some very mod artwork. Speaking of mod, I found a Peter Max bath towel with a very psychedelic image.
Finally there is a very worn cookie tin in yellow and red and a fun sampler about friendship. It has been a busy winter but I love the warm weather and the sunshine so I can’t wait for that!!
New England Finds and Fancies 