A Pile of Plush, A Toy Tent and Fill A Bag!

I went to a sale that had all my favorite things mentioned in the title of this blog. It was pouring rain so some of the plush in the pile were wet even though it was under a tent. I pulled three toys out of the pile which was “fill a bag” for $1. I pulled out this old Disney Bear named Bongo. I never heard of him before. He is from a film produced by Disney in 1947. He is also a very early Gund toy. I don’t know what he is worth. Maybe a million dollars!  The second item I bought is a Gund bear from 1981. He may bring $20. Finally I got a purple Lumpy elephant from Winnie the Pooh.

Besides the plush pile there were also other toys. I picked up this old doll. She is a Dy-dee doll by Effanbee. I’ve never seen these before. Her rubber body was cracked and damaged in some areas but she still sold quickly for $40. She has a sweet face and I really like her bonnet.

In another tent were tables of household items and decor. There was a stack of coasters and I picked them up because they were unusual looking and made in Italy. They were marked Fornasetti Milano which turns out to be fairly collectible.

I found several mid century figurines which I put together in a lot because each is worth no more that 4 or 5 dollars on it’s own. My favorite is the angel cat. I believe that the chimney sweep is by Goebel although it is unmarked. The brown dog is a Lefton piece. I don’t understand the meaning of the monkey climbing out of the piano.

In the same tent I picked up a wall plaque featuring two sailing ships in scrimshaw, a small jewelry box shaped like a sewing box, an old copper pot and a green Catherineholm pot.  Nautical items have been selling well which is why I picked up the ship picture.

That’s about it for this weekend. There was a large variety and items I have never seen before which is always fun and helps me learn about new, wonderful things!

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Dolls, Plush, Art and Decor

I am combining two weeks of finds in this blog. There were several sales including a community sale, a church sale and an estate sale.

For $5 I picked up this Madeline case that was filled with dolls and clothes. I have sold some of these before. These hard plastic 8″ dolls seem to be better sellers than the soft Madeline dolls.

I also picked up this sailor doll which I believe is from the 1940s and looks like a doll by an artist named Nora Wellings. The hat says “Queen Elizabeth II” and I think this was a souvenir. He has a hand painted face which is kind of creepy.

The plush I picked up included a pair of Where The Wild Things are characters and Babar and Celeste. I have consistently been selling Where The Wild Things Are plush for $10 each. These were $1 each.

I also grabbed some interesting artwork. This picture of a cat looking out of a window is by an artist named Nelson. I picked up a similar piece several months ago which I think sold for $19. It is made of different types of inlaid wood. The second piece is a print that is numbered 3/20 and is by a listed artist named Gerald Brommer. It was only $4 because it has a lot of water damage. It is an image of a gondola. I really don’t know what the value of this is.

Some of the decorative items I bought include this metal and enamel vase. I picked it up because I liked the colors and designs. When I researched it I saw similar ones that they are calling Chinese antiques but I don’t really know since it doesn’t have any markings on it. I’m hoping for at least $30. I also picked up this funky orange cup? vase? I don’t know but it has three handles. It is small and only measures 3″ tall.

Finally, in the category of random, I picked up this clone trooper helmet for $5 which I’m hoping to sell for $40 since it is close to Halloween, and this charming box of vintage pencils.

Those are the highlights from the last couple of weeks. Fall tag sales are going strong!

Vintage Dolls, Dansk and Pottery

I am a week behind in my blogging. Last weekend there were two good sales. The first was at a school where almost everything was $1. I hardly find that anymore. My most exciting finds from that sale were two vintage Dawn dolls from 1971 and they were still in the boxes. Unfortunately the black haired doll, Maureen, had a fading/greenish face which can happen to these dolls. I put her up at $29 and she sold right away so it may not have been as big of an issue as I thought it was. The doll that was in better condition sold for $49 and I really wanted to keep this one. Dawn dolls were my favorites growing up so when I find a special one it is hard for me to part with. I have a small collection that I keep but since we are living in an apartment for now, space is really limited. I just love the details and beautiful accessories they give to these dolls.

I picked up a blue Le Creuset pot at this sale. I’ve never sold these before and it is very heavy. The bottom interior is severely discolored but it is a very pretty blue color on the outside. Since was only $1 so I decided to take a chance.

They had a big pile of handbags. I purchased two Mona B. bags, a Fossil bag and a Le Sportsac. The Mona B. bags are very rustic looking in natural colors. The Le Sportsac has a really charming print called Warm Wishes which features things like mittens, hats, socks, marshmallows, tea cups and coffee cups- all the things that make me think warm and cozy. It sold quickly for $24.99.

The other sale I visited was a community sale. I picked up two American Girl dolls for $14 each but they both have terrible hair that needs to be replaced so I’m hoping I can still make a profit. It’s hard for me to resist American Girl dolls for less than $20. They did each come dressed so that’s a plus.

In the housewares/collectibles section of this sale I picked up some items. Their prices were not as friendly as at the school. I bought a few items on the first day then came back the next day for the fill a box sale. There were two Dansk items. One is a pepper mill and the other is a divided snack server. On the first day I paid $5 for the mill. The snack saver was marked $10 so I left it. It was still there the next day when it was “fill a box for $10.”

On the first day where I paid full price for things I also picked up this cute pepper mill from France. At first I thought it was a miniature coffee grinder. I like the red metal top. I also bought this decorated egg that has three compartments that open up. It reminds me of a Faberge egg and is made of a real goose egg.

Besides the Dansk tray mentioned above I also crammed the following items into my $10 box. They include a Danish covered dish featuring Elves (there is a chip on the lid), a glass dolphin, an Italian ceramic box with a colorful bird painted on the lid and a pretty salt box. Most of these items were marked between $5 and $8 dollars on the first day of the sale which is high and why they were left over. I hope some of them sell and I can make a profit on my $10.

The best part of the sale was that there was a food truck there and I got this wonderful macaroni and cheese with maple bacon bits on top. Yum!!!

 

Toys from the 80’s, Mid Century Modern and Tupperware

There were several sales last weekend. The first was a church sale where I picked up two small items. One is this cute pair of modern looking cats by Goebel. The other is a Scandanavian wooden viking figure. Whoever priced these items thought it would be a good idea to write the price right on the item in Sharpie marker! I was able to remove the price from the ceramic cats figure. I couldn’t remove the price from the viking because  Sharpie apparently doesn’t come off wood!

I picked up this structured brown bag that looks like it is from the 50’s or 60’s. I really like the shape but it is a little crooked. One side is higher that the other. I also picked up this wooden carved picture of a ship because it is a popular subject. I think these items were $3 each.

The best item I found at this sale was a set of Catherinehom bowls in blue and white. They were $3 for this set of four.

After that sale I drove around to see if there were other sales in the area. I found an estate sale at a very large home. I didn’t have high hopes as I walked in and saw beautiful furniture, crystal and china at very high prices. Then I went down to the basement and saw a whole bunch of toys on a table and on some shelves. I saw some cabbage patch dolls and then I saw some Rainbow Brite dolls. When I finished collecting them I had 8 Rainbow Brite items. I also saw some He-man figures, including 3 She-ra dolls. I had nothing to put all this in but nearby were some empty trash cans so I put everything in one of those. When I asked for a price, the man there said $10 for all. Sold! I wonder if it helped that they were all in a trash can. I hope I can get a least $50 for the Rainbow Brite lot.

Two other toys I picked up this weekend were a vintage blue Godzilla figure and a sealed bag of Jurassic World legos. I am hoping to get $20 for the legos. They were $1.

This wooden Snoopy wall art looks homemade. It was the first thing to sell from the weekend at $26.99. I paid $2. I think this pair of Rosenthal salt and pepper shakers are really charming with their black line illustrations. They are marked Germany. They were $1.

I also picked up a set of Tupperware plastic cups in fall colors. There are two sets of 4 cups and one extra cup. It was $2 for the lot. I’m hoping for a least $15. I wouldn’t usually pick these up but I wasn’t finding much at the sale where I found these and I have been hearing people talk about them on Youtube.

Those are some recent highlights. I hope that holiday shopping starts soon!

A Townwide Tag Sale!

Last weekend I attended a townwide tag sale about 1/2 hour north of me. It was great fun to go to so many house sales and there were even some churches involved. Besides the houses there was a central area where many individuals were set up. At one of those booths I purchased two Gameboy advance consoles. I paid $10 for each of them so I hope they sell well. I believe the red one is the better one so I added a game to help sell the pink one.

This lady also had several TI graphing calculators which she was also asking $10 for. I got a TI 84 and a TI 83 plus which I can’t get to work so that’s a bummer.

At the first church sale I went to I bought 4 items and paid $1 each. I picked up a miniature bear by Hallmark, a set of vintage current notecards featuring adorable animals, a set of skin care products and a Robie the Banker. I have sold several of the robotic bankers before. He eats coins and then rolls his eyes and licks his lips. I was happy to find him with his box and instructions. I have him up for $39.

There was another church sale where I found a box of vintage dolls. They were 50 cents each. At first I was hoping to find an old Barbie but all the Barbies were newer. I recognized three Charlie’s Angels dolls. I have sold some of these individually before for about $10 each. Unfortunately one has a broken leg but I’m still selling them together. Sometimes people just want the clothes.

I found 3 older Strawberry Shortcake dolls that I may get about $5 each for. Then there were some other dolls with pretty strange looking faces. I got them because I thought they must be from some TV show or movie. As it turns out they are from The Waltons. I guess they were trying for very accurate face sculpts which makes them kind of creepy. I really loved that show when I was young.

Two more dolls that I found were this Evel Knievel figure and a cute cloth doll. There is a market for dolls with these simple kinds of faces because some people think it helps a child to use their imagination.

The last two items from this sale were this candelabra which I picked up because of the vintage looking box. I spotted this little coin which said “Season’s Greetings” on it. It was only $1 but I bought it because it also said “one troy ounce .999 silver.” I am hoping for at least $20 for the coin.

So that was a fun day. I may have overspent in the beginning but I think I made up for it towards the end. The weather has cooled down here a bit which is nice but now there’s hurricane season to deal with!

Vintage Toys, China and More!

Recently I have visited a few tag sales and a rummage sale at a synagogue. I picked up some vintage dolls including two Barbies from the 70’s. I believe these are Malibu Barbie and Malibu Francie. They are not very valuable but I am hoping to get $20 for the pair. At the same sale I also picked up a Mego Action Jackson. They recently came out with a 2018 repro of this doll but I believe that this is a vintage version. I am also hoping for $20 on him.

At the same sale I picked up two Sasha doll catalogs. There is a big market for the Sasha dolls so I’m hoping that someone will be interested in this pair for $10? At another tag sale I picked up a pair of Orchids of Hawaii Tiki mugs. I haven’t made big money but so far every Tiki mug I have picked up has sold for at least a $15 profit.

At the synagogue sale I picked up some plush toys including Tutter the mouse from the show Bear in the Big Blue House which my kids used to watch. He has sold already for $14. I also found 3 Pokemon plush which I am trying to sell together for $24.

Two other toys I found there are this vintage Cooky Cucumber – friend of Mr. Potato Head set, and a new package of Codename Kids Next Door figures. I believe the Mr. Potato head set is from the 1960s because it is similar to what me and my brother had when we were young.

I also found some pretty china at the sale including this trinket box by Royal Worcester. It has an interesting scalloped texture and painted flowers. I found a very similar one listed as “Victorian.” That one sold for $23. I paid $1 for this one.

The tea cups were $3 each and I picked up this green Aynsley set because of the pretty green color and the corseted shape. I also picked up this MA Hadley mug for $1 even though I already have a set of 4 MA Hadley mugs in my store that haven’t sold yet.

Those are my finds for last week! Hope it’s going well for the teachers and kids who are going back to school!!

Curio Cabinets, Figurines, Barbie Clothes and Driving Far

I drove very far to a church sale last Friday night and I don’t know if it was worth it but it was fun. They have a downstairs area for toys and the first item I saw was this metal Wolverine toy kitchen hutch. It is about 16″ tall and even has a little clock in the middle with hands that move. I love old toys like this and it was only $2. I’m hoping to get between $20 and $30 for it.

I picked up a Jurassic Park/Jurassic World Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur. This isn’t one of the rare ones but I will try for $20 on him since Christmas is coming.

I went upstairs where everything else was and picked up a few items. This elegant looking tape dispenser was only $2. It has gold ladybugs on each side and came with a refill in a vintage box! I like this pretty vintage Christmas pillowcase with toys all over it. I don’t know if this is a popular thing. I don’t usually change my sheets when I decorate for the holidays. The white figurine was only $1 and I had to pick her up because she was marked Royal Doulton on the bottom. I am hoping to get $20 for her. Finally I picked up a glass and brass display case for $5. These are hard to ship but they usually sell well so I grabbed it.

The next day I attended another sale where I also found a few items. I found a vintage Catherineholm plate under a stack of plates for $1. Since it is yellow I’ll be keeping it because that is one of the colors of MCM items that I collect. I bought several items that were duds but I found a vintage Skipper doll case under a table and it had lots of vintage doll clothes in it. It was $8 but I think it will work out. Last week when I was on vacation with my family I researched the clothes and was able to figure which dolls the clothes belonged to. There were clothes for Barbie, Skipper, Tutti, Tammy, Ken and some dolls that I never heard of before which are Heidi, Hildy, Cricket and Tressy. There wasn’t a huge amount of clothes for each doll but this child must have had a lot of dolls! Below are pictures of some of the lots of items I’ll be selling. The instruments are for the doll, Tressy. I believe that most of the items are from the 60’s, like me.

That’s all I have to share for now. It’s back to school time and also time for the Fall rummage sales!!