Vintage Toys, Books, Instruments, Figurines and More!

There were some town wide sales and two church sales that I recently attended. I’ll start with the category of vintage toys. At one sale there was a Little Tikes dollhouse with a box full of furniture. I would have purchased it but she was asking $50 and there really weren’t that many pieces. I kept looking and saw a pink box that turned out to be a vintage Littlest Pet Shop pet store filled with pets and accessories and it had a price sticker of $5 on it. Sold! Here are some of the sets I have listed for sale.

At one sale I purchased this big vampire puppet. He is absolutely huge! I also picked up a Princess Kate bride doll, a unique plush cat and a set of vintage Disney figures at the thrift store.

The vintage items kept coming. This concertina in the box sold well. I really liked this vintage figurine marked Japan. She sold very quickly for $24.99 making me think that I might have priced her too low. I thought this double decker piggy bank was very charming, as was this Villeroy and Boch hippopotamus trinket box.

At one of the sales there was a box of dollhouse miniatures for $15. I saw some vintage pieces and some Calico Critter items so I picked it up and had a fun afternoon sorting through it. My favorite find from the box this yellow miniature kitchen from the Smaller House series by Tomy which is from the 1970s. Here are the sets I came up with to sell.

One of my other favorite things to buy is vintage children’s books. I haven’t found any in a long time but I was at an estate sale and picked up these for $1 each. I really love the holiday golden book. It sold quickly for $19.99.

This week I had two items that I sold break during shipping. That hadn’t happened in a long time so I guess I was due but it still stings. Wishing everyone good weather, fun sales and safe shipping!

Fenton, Coach and a Fun Monster!

I’m glad some of the community sales are back. I haven’t been having too much luck at the individual tag sales around here but this weekend I was able to go to two fundraisers. At the first one a lady was pulling out a box that was underneath a table and starting putting out a group of Fenton animals, bells and other items. I have sold a few Fenton animals before but I don’t have experience with other items. I purchased 3 animals and a pretty basket. I spent $18 at this sale.

At the same sale I picked up this Brinks dead bolt because it was new in the box, and a group of Lion King figures.

The next sale was a fundraiser for an animal shelter. The first thing I spotted was a Cabbage Patch Kids telephone. I don’t do well with the dolls but since this was marked at $3 and was in the box, I picked it up. The next thing I saw in a box with stuffed dog toys, was this Nauga monster who was a promotion for Naugahyde furniture in the 60s and 70s. Depending on the color, these can do well so I was happy to find him!

I found a basket filled with little old things. My favorite. They were marked at $1 each. I picked up some duds but here are the better items I found from there including a set of clay marbles, a Chinese cricket cage, a small Chinese doll and a Barclay cast iron figure.

These old wooden bobble head figures of a group of musicians were in a bag for $5. They came will an illustrated background card that said “Birthday 1930.” I wonder what country they are from.

There were many handbags and wallets there too. I picked up a Fossil bag, a Coach mini bag and a Coach wallet. I spent about $45 all together at this sale.

That was a fun day! It’s great to be outside in the warm weather hunting for treasures again!

A Church Sale and Flea Market again!

I have missed you church sales and flea markets! There aren’t many church sales by me these days but I did attend a small one last weekend. Everyone was wearing a mask but the social distancing was questionable. I found a few things and one good item. I picked up a Little Tikes tractor with the wagon attached. It was $3 and I’m hoping for about $20 from it. This salt and pepper shaker set is marked Buchan which is a Scottish company. The best item I found was this vintage figurine. She had a tag that read “Mademoiselle Bikini.” I believe she is from the 40s or 50s. She has a little dog and is wearing a fur bikini. She was supposed to have an umbrella but that’s missing. These funny, quirky “pin-up” style items can sell well. This sold for $65.00 in a few days.

I don’t usually find much for resale at the flea market. This day there was a set up that looked like a house clean out. I spotted this pretty blue velvet box that said Faberge on it. When I asked the lady how much it was she asked if I knew it was empty. I did and I also know that empty presentation boxes can have good resale value. She only charge me $1 and it sold quickly for $49. At another vendor there was a storage box on the ground with some empty vintage Christmas ornaments boxes and small ornaments scattered all over the bottom of the box. I asked for a price for two of the small empty boxes and the miniature ornaments and the man there said $5. I gathered everything up and was happy to figure out that there were enough ornaments to fill the spots in the boxes. The ornaments measures only about 1/2″ tall. I think I made a bad purchase when I bought this Kit American Girl doll. She was only $25 but when I got her home I realized that she smelled of smoke. I’m hoping that with her, I can at least get my money back.

I went to a fun estate sale that had some vintage items. My favorite item was this oil painting which I believe is an original. I got three of these plastic birds that clip onto a tree. I’m not sure if they are for Christmas or Easter since their colors are more for spring. I can often sell these vintage metal trash cans if they have a nice design like this one with flowers. I think this wooden jumping jack puppet in the shape of a chef is really charming. He is marked “Made in Austria.” They charged me $17.00 for these and a few other items.

Finally I will share two of my favorite finds from the thrift store. The first is this designer toy figure. He is part of a set called “Mighty Uprock Animals.” I don’t know much about him but there appears to be a market for these figures. The second item was in the glass case with the jewelry at Goodwill. It is a compact by Estee Lauder in the shape of a suitcase. I love miniatures and it is actually going to be part of my miniature room box until it sells. I put it one the bed as if the people who live there are going on a trip. Oh – the fun I have! It cost me $5.

Those are the highlights of the past 2 weeks. Hope everyone is enjoying warmer weather and more sales!

Thrift Store Finds, A Grungy Estate Sale and a Free Sale!

There were a few adventures in the last two weeks. One was an estate sale that was really grimy. It took place in a barn and a house and there was loads of stuff in boxes in the barn and I think it had all been there for years. The items in the house were cleaner, but not as much fun to look through. One of my favorite items was this red flocked Christmas bell decoration. It’s quite big at about 12″ tall. I fell in love with this sweet diorama in a glass box. I believe that is Mrs. Claus in her kitchen. I also found a miniature grandfather clock that was made in Germany. Unfortunately it is missing one of the hands. I thought this gold egg with the rooster on it was charming. Too bad Easter has passed.

There was a sale that I didn’t get a chance to attend over the weekend but when I looked online on Monday morning the ad said that there was still a lot left and that everything was free! I think I didn’t attend the sale because it didn’t look great from pictures posted online but after seeing what was left over, I really wish I had gone. Among the items left was a box with four of the Ideal dolls from the Crissy family with the hair that grows when you twist the knob on the back. Included in this group were Crissy, Velvet, Brandi and Dina.

The lady who owned the house collected frogs and I was able to pick up some froggy items including a frog puppet by someone who worked with Jim Henson, a frog birthday candle and a frog water toy.

I also picked up this pillow because it looked so iconically 1970s.

I had some interesting purchases from the thrift store too. I found a Fenton glass bluebird and a Mary Englebreit gravy boat. I didn’t know she made dinnerware. I think this piece is very fun – just like her drawings. I found a pair of theorem paintings dated 1979.

Additional finds included this Pixel Chix house and a Fisher Price dollhouse. I paid up for the Fisher Price house at $9 but it’s in very good condition.

The last two items I will mention are this leather document case and this butter keeper which has a Scandinavian design. The case seems to have some age.

Still hoping to see more tag sales coming soon!

Tag Sales and Dumpsters!

I’m so glad that there are some tag sales popping up again. The weather was beautiful last weekend and being able to go to a few sales was great! I even found a few fun items. At the first sale I picked up this Puma purse which I had never seen before. She only charged me $1 so I took a chance on it and I’m hoping to get between $25 and $30 for it. She also had a few Martha Stewart craft punches which I grabbed. At another sale I paid $2.00 for a large unicorn Squishmallow. It’s not one of the rare ones but I am hoping to get $20 for it.

The most fun part of the day was when I passed a small sign that said “Moving – everything must go.” So of course, I drove to the address. It didn’t look like a sale. It looked like someone was moving. There was a dumpster and some furniture on the lawn. I asked if they were having a sale. The lady said “We just need to get rid of stuff. Take whatever you want. There’s glassware in the dumpster.” Hmmm. OK. Well, the dumpster was a walk in with one side open. On each side of the dumpster it was piled high with boxes of items wrapped in newspaper. Right away I spotted a Pyrex primary color fridge set because it was in a clear plastic bag. I asked how much she was asking for it and she said “Just take It. You’re helping us out.” The set is not perfect but it’s great for the price. I took that and did a quick peek in some of the other boxes. I wish I could have taken my time and really looked more but it was kind of awkward being in the dumpster.

One of the sales I went to that day was an estate sale. The advertisement said something like “unimaginable amounts of stuff” which sounded good. But when I got there, first of all, there wasn’t that much stuff and it was all very expensive. I found one stuffed animal which was not priced and they sold it to be for $1 which was a good deal.

The rest of my finds for the week came from the thrift store. They include a leather Franklin Covey agenda binder, some Disney figurines from Dickens A Christmas Carol and a mid century ice bucket featuring a fox. I think the fox is dressed like a fox hunter which maybe is a statement about hunting. I don’t know. When I was in the doll area I found this felt doll purse which I thought was really charming.

Two more pick ups from the thrift store include this vintage Tonka fork lift and a Jurassic World dinosaur that I am lotting up with two other dinosaurs I already had.

That day gave me a much needed morale boost and I hope there will be more sales to come!!

Breyer Horses, Longaberger, Toys and Vintage Goodies

I was having no luck at Goodwill and I went to look at the small toy area they have. I saw a plastic horse and then I saw 7 more. They were all marked Breyer and I don’t know much about these horses but I bought them all at $2 each. They are not selling fast but I’ll be fine if only three sell. I sold one so far for $19.99. In the same area I picked up this cute Gund groundhog from 1987. I am hoping to get $20 for him. He was $3.

I found some new in the box items at the thrift store including this Made to Move Barbie doll and a Rumble Robots. I thought this Hello Kitty telephone was unique and fun. Hello Kitty is big but also very saturated but I’m hoping this is rare enough to get some interest. I also picked up this vintage Rainbow Brite horse. Unfortunately some of the hair has been cut and the hooves are very worn so we’ll see if it will sell. Rainbow Brite can do pretty well, especially the older items. The horse is from 1983.

I attended two estate sales that were quite expensive where I picked up some vintage items and some artwork including a ceramic horse shaped incense burner, a metal bird candle holder by an artist from Israel, a mid century modern painting on fabric and a colored print of a street in Paris.

One of my favorite recent sales was for this vintage set of playing cards featuring big eyed girls. I think these would be from the 1960s or 70s. These were in a bag on the wall at the thrift store for $2 and they sold together for $30.

Finally I will share some miscellaneous items. These unusual vases are from a set that originally came with 12 pieces. The 12 piece set can sell for upwards of $150 but I don’t know what these three will bring. I picked up a Longaberger bread basket. The regular Longaberger baskets don’t sell for me but I have had luck with the more unusual pieces such as a tissue box and game set. I also picked up this wooden duck decoy and a pair of cloisonné Chinese vases. Really going for a broad mix of items here!

Disney Figurines, Toys and Original Artwork

There have been many finds at the thrift stores lately, but I’m still hoping that tag sales will start up again. I have been finding some interesting toys and plush. This large bear is named Feelicia and she was made by the Filene’s department store in the 1980s. I picked up this vintage Kangaroo pull toy. The baby Joey bobs up and down as it is pulled along. It was made in China so I don’t think it is very old but maybe early 1990s. I was surprised to see that this doll was labeled American Girl. This is part of a 14″ doll series called Welliewishers. Unfortunately whoever owned her before colored all over her shirt.

There were some bags on the wall that had some Disney porcelain figures in them. I bought three bags that included four Disney figures and a Hagen Renaker cat.

I had never heard of Glassybaby before. They are colorful collectible votive candle holders. I picked up two of these and they each sold at auction for over $50. It’s nerve wracking to ship fragile items like these and I also picked up this reproduction glass panel which is based on a Tiffany design and sold by the Metropolitan Museum of art. It sold for $70 and I was holding my breath but it arrived safely at its destination. Another fragile item was this large conch shell which sold for $25 and also arrived safely. I have been using up a lot of bubblewrap!

Two surprising finds were art pieces. This woodblock print is by an artist named Leo F. Dorn. This work features a beached boat and according to the writing on the back, it was created on Martha’s Vineyard. It is signed by the artist and numbered. The second piece appears to be a horse racing themed cartoon by artist Pierre Bellocq. It is a pen and ink drawing with some collage included. These were exciting finds.

I really love the boat scene and will keep it if it doesn’t sell. Those were my recent finds. Spring is around the corner!!

Vintage Dolls, Toys and Perfume at an Estate Sale

My favorite kind of estate sale is a packed sale with dolls and toys and that’s where I was able to go last weekend. In the photo I saw three separate areas that looked to be filled with vintage toys so even though it was one hour away, I went. I got there about 1 1/2 hours after opening and I’m sure much of the really good stuff was gone. I knew I would have to search hard for items for resale. The first area I looked at was in a bedroom. I spotted a leg that belonged to a yellow Fisher Price stuffed rabbit. It is similar to one I have sold before so I grabbed it. I also saw a plate dated 1974 that was covered in Looney Tunes characters.

As I was leaving the bedroom I spotted a small stuffed cloth dollhouse. It had a tag inside that said “Knickerbocker 1977.” It came with two pieces of soft furniture that coordinated with the fabric on the house. I have no idea what it is worth and haven’t been able to find any information about it online but I couldn’t leave it behind even though it is quite misshapen.

When I went into the basement I saw a trunk bursting with dolls that I had seen in the ad. Many of the dolls in the trunk were in very poor condition or very inexpensive generic dolls. I found a newborn Baby Tender Love which I hope to get $20 for. Near the trunk I picked up a Fisher Price Happy Apple chiming toy. I have sold these before for about $20.

In another area I found a few smaller items. I was digging down to the very bottom of the boxes to see if I could find objects that were overlooked. I found this 3″ Rainbow Brite yellow Sprite toy, dated 1983, from Hallmark. This has already sold for $15. Another small item I found was this Kid-A-Long wind up roller skating doll by Tomy, dated 1979. This stuffed mouse was only about 4″ tall. I picked her up because she is covered in hearts and I thought someone might want her for Valentine’s Day. Going along with the small theme is this little purple haired dinosaur. He measures about 3″ tall and is dated 1985 from Playskool. He is part of a collection called Snugglebumms and I am hoping to get between $15 and $20 for him.

In another bedroom I picked up three perfume items including Windsong dusting powder, a bottle of Golden Autumn perfume and a Magnetique gift set that includes dusting powder and perfume. I don’t know the value of any of these items but have learned to pick them up if I can get them cheaply.

One of the favorite items I picked up were this pair of chick salt and pepper shakers that have that big eyed vintage look. I didn’t realize until I was taking pictures of them that the girl chicks foot had a chip. Another pair I picked up were these two dolls in coordinating red and white outfits making me think again of Valentine’s Day. They are not dated but look to me to be from the 70s – 80s. There were a few other items but these were the highlights to me. When I checked out they looked at my pile and said “How about $40” and that was fine for me. It was worth it just for the fun!

Mid Century Modern, Dolls, Figurines, Strawberry Shortcake and More!

I found several mid century modern pieces at the thrift store these past two weeks. I was very excited to find this bright blue Kobenstyle Dansk enamel pot on the shelf. I paid up for it at $15 but I am hoping to make a good profit from it. It is a large 4 quart size pot. This coffee pot caught my eye because I thought the geometric design looked very mid century modern. It is marked Melitta and I believe is from Germany. I don’t know too much about it but I really like the look of it. I found another Dansk piece which is this chunky teak candle holder.

I spotted this Annalee bunny on the shelf and grabbed it because Easter is coming up! It is from 1991 and comes with an umbrella and basket of flowers. We are having a major snowstorm in the northeast today and she makes me think of spring. I found this cute set of vintage caterpillar figures in a bag on the wall. They are in rough condition but I couldn’t leave them behind and hope someone else will appreciate their charming vintage look. I picked up this vintage doll. She is marked Royal, 1965. She is missing some hair and has quite a few discolorations on her but I hope someone might like to restore her. In good condition these can go for around $50.

I found two pop culture pieces. One is this Strawberry Shortcake looseleaf binder. The second is this Peanuts figurine featuring Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

This next item was found at an estate sale. It falls under the category of “I love this thing but how I wish it was in better shape.” I love vintage Christmas and have never seen anything like this before. It is an elf carousel made in Japan that also plays a song from Swan Lake. The wheel is not connected to the base anymore and one of the elves is missing. Also in the category of unusual finds is this Tomato Fairy by Mark Roberts. He was from the thrift store. During the same visit I also found this cloth doll. She was in a plastic bag and I picked her up because she has that Waldorf doll look where they have very simple faces. When I got home I got a big surprise. I could see that she came with a baby. Little did I know that she is equipped to nurse and also give birth to the baby. How about that!

Finally I bought a few small toys. There is a small rabbit from the 90s. She is a tea bunny and is supposed to come with a tea cup and saucer. I picked up a bag of plastic Disney Cars that I believe are cake toppers because their wheels don’t move. Finally, in the plush area I bought this Jellycat snow tiger. It looks like this one is a bit rare so I am hoping to get at least $20 for her.

I hope they clear the roads soon. I have to get to the thrift store!!

Best Finds Assorted Categories 2020

There were not as many top finds to chose from this year for this post. I usually do a Best Doll Finds post but didn’t have enough good doll finds to do this. Still I found enough good things in other categories so here goes. In the last spot I picked this Zoomer electronic dinosaur who spins and rolls around. He did not come with his remote control so I was glad that he still had some value. He came in a facebook pick up of bags of free plush. He was the only non plush item in the lot and was the first item to sell. He sold for $29.99.

The next item was found at the thrift store. I thought it was very charming and had that vintage anthropomorphic look that I love to find and sell. She was also different because instead of just being a straight forward figurine, this elephant was also a toothbrush holder. She sold at auction for $31.

The next item was a construction calculator. I am including this item because this is something that I normally would not pick up. I picked it up because it was new in the package and it was a specialized type of calculator. I paid $5 for it at a tag sale and sold it for $39.99.

I love and miss church sales so much! There was only one that I was able to go to this year and it yielded several items, including my most valuable sale of the year. This item was $5. It is a honey pot shaped like a bee with silver plated wings marked Godinger. Even without the spoon it should come with, it sold for $39.99.

At another tag sale I spotted this electronic toy, called a My Meebas, which I believe is from the 80s or 90s. I looked it up because it was still sealed even though the box was very worn. I was surprised when it sold for $74.99.

This next item was a very exciting thrift store find. I was in the figurine aisle when I saw this glass apple. When I felt how heavy it was I started to get my hopes up. I searched on the bottom where I finally saw a Steuben signature. I believe I paid $6 for it and sold it for $74.99.

I went to a small community sale near a lake in September. I remember being glad that it was outside because it felt safer. At one woman’s table I found some great bargains. This Kate Spade planner was $10 and sold for $94.99.

At the same table I bought a collection of necklaces for $10. In that group was this gold Celtic cross which sold for $99.99.

Another find was from the thrift store. I hadn’t found anything to buy and was heading out the door past the shoe section when I almost tripped over this box. For some reason it was in the middle of the floor in the shoe area. It was a collection of figurines from the show “The Year Without A Santa Claus.” I knew that the figures from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer can do well but I had never heard of these before. It was $8.00 and sold for $99.99.

My best sale of the year came from the church sale I mentioned above. It was marked $4 and I picked it up because it had a mid century modern look. It was an interlocking animal puzzle from Italy from the 1970s and it sold for $299.99.

For a number of reasons, including the pandemic, sourcing opportunities were very limited for me this year but I am grateful to have been able to find what I did and have so much fun in the process! Hoping for a more normal year and new adventures!